Study guide
2.3 AKTR ACS-Code Diagnostics
FAA A&P Study Guide Exam
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1 Orientation: Eligibility, FTN, Authorization, Three-Test Path, and Retakes
1.1 Certificate Ratings and the Three-Test Roadmap 1.2 Baseline Eligibility and the Experience Path 1.3 AMTS and Military Eligibility Pathways 1.4 FTN, IACRA, and the Authorization File 1.5 Knowledge-Test Logistics and Scoring 1.6 AKTRs, Retakes, and the DME Transition
2 ACS Map, Testing Matrix, Embedded Images, Supplements, and Study Workflow
2.1 Testing Matrix Facts for AMG, AMA, and AMP 2.2 ACS Map and Subject-Area Boundaries 2.3 AKTR ACS-Code Diagnostics 2.4 Testing Supplement and Embedded Images 2.5 Three-Test Study Workflow 2.6 Final Review and Test-Day Source Control
3 General I: Electricity, Drawings, Weight and Balance, Math, and Physics
3.1 Electricity and Electronics Foundations 3.2 AC/DC Measurement and Schematic Troubleshooting 3.3 Aircraft Drawings, Blueprints, and Schematics 3.4 Weight and Balance Equations and Records 3.5 Maintenance Math and Unit Discipline 3.6 Physics for Aviation: Forces, Fluids, and Flight
4 General II: Lines, Materials, Servicing, Corrosion, Records, Inspection, and Human Factors
4.1 Fluid Lines, Fittings, and Installation Risk 4.2 Materials, Hardware, and Process Control 4.3 Ground Operations, Servicing, and Ramp Safety 4.4 Cleaning, Corrosion Control, and Finishing 4.5 Regulations, Forms, Records, and Publications 4.6 Inspection Concepts, Human Factors, and Maintenance Judgment
5 Airframe I: Structures, Flight Controls, and Airframe Inspection
5.1 Metallic Structure Inspection and Damage Patterns 5.2 Sheet-Metal Repairs, Fasteners, and Riveting Judgment 5.3 Non-Metallic Structures: Composites, Wood, Fabric, and Plastics 5.4 Flight Control Systems, Rigging, and Travel 5.5 Control Surface Balance, Flutter, and Freeplay 5.6 Airframe Inspection, Records, ADs, and Corrosion Decisions
6 Airframe II: Landing Gear, Hydraulics, Pneumatics, Environmental, Instruments, and Comms
6.1 Landing Gear, Wheels, Tires, and Brakes 6.2 Retraction, Steering, Anti-Skid, and Warning Systems 6.3 Hydraulic Systems: Components, Fluids, and Troubleshooting 6.4 Pneumatic, Vacuum, and Bleed-Air Systems 6.5 Environmental Systems: Pressurization, Heating, Cooling, and Oxygen 6.6 Instrument Systems: Pitot-Static, Gyros, and Displays 6.7 Communication, Navigation, Antennas, and Avionics Inspection
7 Airframe III: Fuel, Electrical, Ice/Rain, Fire, Rotorcraft, and Water/Waste Systems
7.1 Airframe Fuel System Boundaries and Safe Servicing 7.2 Airframe Electrical Power, Wiring, and Protection 7.3 Ice and Rain Control System Inspection and Limits 7.4 Airframe Fire Protection Detection, Extinguishing, and Squib Safety 7.5 Rotorcraft Fundamentals, Controls, Drives, and Vibration 7.6 Water and Waste Systems Service Boundaries and Contamination Control
8 Powerplant I: Reciprocating, Turbine Engine Theory, and Engine Inspection
8.1 Reciprocating Engine Cycles, Components, and Operating Boundaries 8.2 Horizontally Opposed and Radial Engine Components 8.3 Reciprocating Engine Performance, Ground Operation, and Preservation 8.4 Turbine Engine Airflow, Sections, and Performance 8.5 Turbine Engine Maintenance, FOD, Bleed Air, and Post-Installation Checks 8.6 Engine Inspection, Records, Compression, Borescope, and Airworthiness
9 Powerplant II: Instruments, Fire, Electrical, Lubrication, Ignition, and Starting
9.1 Engine Instrument Scan and Trend Logic 9.2 Pressure, Temperature, and Flow Indications 9.3 Engine Fire Protection, Detection, and Extinguishing 9.4 Engine Electrical Generation and Protection 9.5 Lubrication System Flow, Pressure, and Contamination 9.6 Ignition and Starting Troubleshooting
10 Powerplant III: Fuel Metering, Induction, Cooling, Turbine Air, Exhaust, Reversers, and Propellers
10.1 Engine Fuel System Flow, Contamination, and Vapor 10.2 Carburetors, Fuel Injection, and Metering Logic 10.3 Reciprocating Induction, Turbocharging, and Cooling 10.4 Turbine Air Systems, Bleed Air, and Anti-Ice 10.5 Exhaust Systems, Thrust Reversers, and Temperature Patterns 10.6 Propeller Systems, Governors, and Inspection
11 Oral/Practical Bridge: AKTR ACS Codes, DME Expectations, and Maintenance Judgment
11.1 Turn AKTR ACS Codes Into an Oral and Practical Remediation Plan 11.2 What the DME Oral Exam Is Really Testing 11.3 Practical Projects, Tools, Equipment, and Safety Discipline 11.4 Risk Management and Human Factors in the DME Environment 11.5 Documentation, Maintenance Records, and Data Discipline 11.6 Return-to-Service Judgment and Final DME Readiness
12 Final Review: Test Day Strategy, Three-Test Schedule, and Next Steps
12.1 Build the Final Study Calendar Around AMG, AMA, and AMP 12.2 PSI Test-Day Checklist Without Guesswork 12.3 Pacing for the 60-Question and 100-Question Knowledge Tests 12.4 Formula, Supplement, and Embedded-Image Final Review 12.5 Retake Decision Tree After a Failed or Weak Knowledge Test 12.6 DME Scheduling and Post-Pass Next Steps
2.3 AKTR ACS-Code Diagnostics
Key Takeaways Explain This Topic AI
Current AMT Airman Knowledge Test Reports print ACS codes (e.g., AM.I.G.K2) for missed or deficient knowledge areas.
Each AKTR code maps directly to an ACS knowledge element, turning a score report into a study plan.
Per FAA-G-ACS-1, all deficient ACS-code areas on the AKTR are retested during the oral portion with the DME.
A candidate scoring 100% on the knowledge test faces the minimum number of oral questions for those areas.
Bring the AKTR to the DME; it is a required diagnostic input, not just a pass/fail receipt.
Last updated: October 2026
Read the AKTR as a diagnostic map
The Airman Knowledge Test Report (AKTR) is the official outcome document for each AMT knowledge test, generated at the PSI center the moment you finish. Modern AMT AKTRs print ACS codes alongside the score: each code (such as AM.I.G.K2 ) identifies a specific knowledge element the candidate missed or got wrong . The report therefore does two jobs at once — it states whether you passed (70 or higher) and it itemizes your weak areas in the FAA's own vocabulary.
This matters because the FAA does not release the question that you missed; it releases the standard behind it. A code like AM.I.G.K2 (Cleaning and Corrosion Control — a specific corrosion knowledge item) tells you to return to that ACS element and rebuild it from the handbook, rather than guessing which corrosion fact tripped you up.
- AKTR field Meaning for study Meaning for the DME stage
- Test code (AMG/AMA/AMP) Identifies which test Ties the record to the correct rating path
- Score (e.g., 78) Pass at 70+; below is a fail Determines retake vs. next-stage planning
- ACS codes List of deficient knowledge elements The exact topics the examiner will probe orally
- Date / expiration 24-month practical clock starts Supports DME scheduling and file order
- The link to the oral and practical
Per the companion guide FAA-G-ACS-1 , the DME uses the AKTR as a required input: all deficient knowledge areas indicated by ACS codes on the AKTR are retested during the oral portion of the practical test. This is a deliberate closed loop — the written test surfaces a weakness by code, and the oral confirms the applicant has since closed that gap. A crucial corollary: if an applicant scores 100% on the knowledge test (no ACS codes printed), the examiner asks only the minimum required number of oral questions for the standard.
A higher knowledge score literally shortens the oral. That is a strong incentive to over-prepare rather than scrape past 70.
A disciplined four-step AKTR review
Record the test code, score, date, and expiration.
List every ACS code printed on the report.
Match each code to its ACS element text (look it up in FAA-S-ACS-1) and the FAA handbook reference.
Schedule that element into the next written-review block (if you failed) or the oral-prep block (if you passed).
Keep one code log spanning AMG, AMA, and AMP — one line per code with the description, the handbook source, your practice result, and an "oral-explanation ready" flag. That single log serves retake planning, final review, and DME readiness without ever inventing facts outside the FAA source boundary. Two boundary cautions: the AKTR does not reveal live question text (only codes), and you must retain and bring the AKTR to the practical — the DME cannot begin without it.
For a test taken on or after January 13, 2020, a lost AKTR can be reprinted free at faa.psiexams.com; for a test taken on or before January 10, 2020, request a replacement from the FAA (FAA-G-ACS-1). Plan ahead so a missing AKTR never delays a scheduled DME appointment.
Worked example: turning a code into a study action
Suppose an AMG AKTR shows a score of 78 (a pass) with deficient codes AM.I.C.K3 and AM.I.G.K2 . The disciplined response is mechanical, not emotional:
AM.I.C is General subject C, Weight and Balance ; K3 is a specific weight-and-balance knowledge element. Action: re-read the weight-and-balance chapter of FAA-H-8083-30B , then re-work empty-weight CG and loaded-CG problems until the method is automatic.
AM.I.G is General subject G, Cleaning and Corrosion Control ; K2 is a corrosion knowledge element. Action: re-study corrosion types (surface, intergranular, galvanic, filiform) and treatment, again from the General handbook.
Log both codes with their descriptions, mark practice status, and flag them for the oral , because the DME will retest exactly these areas.
Notice what the candidate did not do: chase down "the question I missed." The FAA does not provide it, and it is unnecessary — the code points to the standard , and mastering the standard answers any question drawn from it.
Why this matters after a pass, not just a fail
It is tempting to file a passing AKTR and forget it. That is a mistake, because the oral retests every deficient code , and a candidate who scraped a 72 with several codes will face a longer, harder oral than one who scored in the 90s. The AKTR therefore shapes the difficulty of the next stage, not merely whether you reached it.
Maintaining the code log through to the DME appointment — and being able to explain each flagged element's maintenance reasoning aloud — is the single highest-leverage habit between passing the written test and passing the practical. Treat the AKTR as the connective tissue of the whole Part 65 path: a backward-looking score and a forward-looking study plan in one official document.
Practical handling of the report
A few logistics keep the AKTR from becoming a bottleneck. Make a copy as soon as you receive it and store the original safely; the DME will want to see it and may keep a copy for the file. If you are pursuing both ratings , you will accumulate three AKTRs (AMG, AMA, AMP) — keep them together, since the examiner reviews all relevant reports for the rating(s) sought. Track each report's date and 24-month expiration so the oral and practical are completed in time.
If a report is lost, request a replacement through the FAA's airman records process before scheduling the DME, never after. Done well, the AKTR transforms from a slip of paper into the most useful single document in your certification file — it tells you what to study, tells the examiner what to probe, and proves you are within the time window to finish.