- What the Ten Domains Actually Are
- How the FAA IGI Knowledge Test Is Delivered
- Domains 1-3: Regulations, the AIM, and Air Traffic Control
- Domains 4-5: Navigation Systems and Chart Use
- Domains 6 and 8: Weather Reports, Forecasting, and Critical Conditions
- Domains 7, 9 and 10: Operations, Judgment, and Crew Coordination
- Why You Should Distrust Domain Percentages
- Sequencing the Domains Over Four Weeks
- Registration, Retests, and Certificate Currency
- IGI Compared With IRA and FII
- Frequently Asked Questions
- The ten IGI content areas mirror the aeronautical-knowledge headings in 14 CFR 61.65(b); the FAA does not publish weighted percentages for them.
- The test has 50 scored questions, a 150-minute limit, and a 70% passing score, delivered by PSI.
- Initial IGI testing needs no instructor endorsement; a retest after failure requires the failed report and an instructor endorsement.
- FAA's CY2025 report shows 2,751 IGI administrations, a 99.71% passing rate, and a 93.11% average score.
What the Ten Domains Actually Are
Most candidates searching for "IGI exam domains" expect a tidy blueprint with percentage weights, like the ones published for many professional certifications. The Instrument Ground Instructor (IGI) knowledge test does not work that way. The ten content areas used throughout this guide reproduce the ten headings in 14 CFR 61.65(b), the aeronautical-knowledge requirements that 14 CFR 61.213(a)(4)(iii) incorporates for the instrument ground instructor rating. They are statutory subject areas, not an issuer-published, weighted exam-domain table.
That distinction shapes how you should study. The FAA's testing matrix points IGI candidates to the FAA-CT-8080-3F testing supplement and to Learning Statement Codes rather than to an independently weighted Airman Certification Standards blueprint for this test. So treat the ten domains as a map of the territory, not a ranking of what counts most. If you want a broader orientation first, see What Is IGI? and IGI Requirements 2026.
How the FAA IGI Knowledge Test Is Delivered
Before diving into the domains, it helps to know the container they arrive in. The FAA Airman Knowledge Testing Matrix specifies the following for IGI:
| Item | IGI Detail |
|---|---|
| Format | Computer-delivered multiple-choice knowledge test |
| Number of questions | 50, excluding any unscored validation items |
| Time allowed | 150 minutes |
| Passing score | 70% |
| Minimum testing age | 16 |
| Testing provider | PSI, at authorized knowledge-testing centers |
| Testing supplement | FAA-CT-8080-3F |
| PSI voucher price | US$175 plus applicable tax (test voucher only) |
Two details deserve emphasis. First, the time limit is 150 minutes, not two hours; some competing pages state a shorter timer, and the FAA matrix is the controlling source. Second, the 50-question count refers to scored items. The matrix does not establish how many additional unscored validation items, if any, a given sitting may include, so do not budget your time around a fixed total. Pace yourself against the 50 scored questions and treat anything extra as invisible overhead. For the arithmetic of the cutoff, read IGI Passing Score 2026.
The $175 figure is the PSI test-voucher price, not a preparation-course price and not the total cost of any separately required FOI test. A fuller accounting lives in IGI Certification Cost 2026.
Domains 1-3: Regulations, the AIM, and Air Traffic Control
The first three domains form the regulatory and procedural backbone of instrument flight. A ground instructor is expected to explain not just what a rule says but where it applies and why.
Domain 1: Federal Aviation Regulations That Apply to Flight Operations Under IFR
This domain covers the regulatory text governing instrument operations. Expect to reason about when IFR rules apply and what they require of the pilot and the aircraft.
- Instrument-related requirements in the operating rules, including what must be in place before an IFR flight
- Alternate airport planning and fuel reserve logic under IFR
- Pilot recent-experience and currency concepts for instrument flight
- Minimum altitude and equipment considerations for IFR operations
Domain 2: Appropriate IFR Information in the Aeronautical Information Manual
The AIM is guidance rather than regulation, and the test rewards knowing the difference. Questions in this area draw on the AIM's treatment of instrument procedures, navigation aids, and pilot-controller interaction.
- Standard phraseology and communication procedures
- Navigation aid descriptions, limitations, and operational use
- Approach and departure procedure concepts described in the AIM
- Where the AIM explains how a regulation is applied in practice
Domain 3: Air Traffic Control System and Procedures for Instrument Flight Operations
This domain focuses on how instrument traffic moves through the system: clearances, handoffs, and the responsibilities split between pilot and controller.
- Clearance content, readbacks, and route amendments
- Holding, arrival, and departure procedure logic
- Lost-communication expectations and the reasoning behind them
- Radar services and the limits of what controllers provide
These three domains reward precise reading. Because many questions hinge on exact wording, drilling with realistic items from the IGI practice test site helps you notice qualifiers like "required," "recommended," and "authorized," which are easy to skim past under time pressure.
Domains 4-5: Navigation Systems and Chart Use
Domain 4: IFR Navigation and Approaches by Use of Navigation Systems
This is the most hands-on technical area in the list. Candidates must understand how navigation systems work, what their indications mean, and how they are used to fly approaches.
- Interpreting course deviation and bearing indications
- Understanding the principles and limitations of ground-based and satellite navigation
- Approach flow, from initial approach through the missed approach
- Equipment checks and failure recognition
Domain 5: Use of IFR En Route and Instrument Approach Procedure Charts
Chart questions are where many candidates lose points, because they require reading symbology accurately rather than recalling a fact. Plan to spend real time with actual chart excerpts.
- En route chart symbology, altitudes, and airway structure
- Reading approach plates: minimums, fixes, altitudes, and notes
- Distinguishing among different minimums lines and when each applies
- Missed approach procedures as depicted on the chart
Because the FAA-CT-8080-3F supplement is the permitted reference at the testing center, learn to navigate its figures quickly and rely on the supplied materials in the testing room. Outside study materials are prohibited, and approved calculators and navigation aids are allowed subject to memory clearing and proctor approval under FAA Order 8080.6H, chapter 3. For tactics specific to these skills, see the IGI Study Guide 2026.
Domains 6 and 8: Weather Reports, Forecasting, and Critical Conditions
Two of the ten domains are explicitly about weather, and a third (operations) leans on it heavily. Instrument instruction is inseparable from weather judgment.
Domain 6: Aviation Weather Reports, Forecasts, and Trend Elements
The official heading covers the procurement and use of aviation weather reports and forecasts, the elements of forecasting weather trends from that information, and personal observation of weather conditions.
- Decoding routine observations and forecasts and recognizing what each product is for
- Reading surface analysis and prognostic information to anticipate trends
- Connecting forecast data to go/no-go and alternate decisions
- Comparing what the products say with what you see out the window
Domain 8: Recognition of Critical Weather Situations and Windshear Avoidance
This domain shifts from interpretation to recognition and avoidance of hazards that can overwhelm an instrument pilot.
- Thunderstorm-related hazards and the logic of keeping distance from them
- Icing recognition and what instrument flight in icing conditions demands
- Low-level windshear cues and avoidance strategies
- Conditions that should trigger a change of plan before, not after, they develop
Domains 7, 9 and 10: Operations, Judgment, and Crew Coordination
Domain 7: Safe and Efficient Operation of Aircraft Under IFR and Conditions
This area ties the technical pieces together into actual operations: planning, flying by instruments, and managing the flight from departure to landing.
- Instrument scan, attitude control, and interpreting instrument indications
- Recognizing and recovering from unusual attitudes by reference to instruments
- Managing workload and maintaining situational awareness in the clouds
- Abnormal and emergency considerations specific to instrument flight
Domain 9: Aeronautical Decision Making and Judgment
Judgment questions rarely have a purely technical answer. They test whether you can identify the hazard, weigh risk, and choose a conservative, defensible course of action.
- Hazardous attitudes and how to counter them
- Risk assessment and mitigation before and during flight
- Recognizing when personal minimums should override legal minimums
- Using structured decision models to evaluate a developing situation
Domain 10: Crew Resource Management, Including Crew Communication and Coordination
CRM completes the list, reflecting that instrument operations often involve more than one person managing a flight.
- Clear communication and assertive questioning within the cockpit
- Task allocation, workload management, and monitoring each other
- Coordinating with air traffic control as part of the broader team
- Preventing breakdowns in communication from turning into errors
Do not dismiss Domains 9 and 10 as soft topics. They are written into the same statutory list as the regulations and weather material, and judgment-based questions can be as unforgiving as chart-reading ones.
Why You Should Distrust Domain Percentages
You will encounter study sites that assign percentage weights to IGI "domains." Treat those numbers with suspicion. The ten domains in this article are statutory headings; their count does not establish a highest-weighted domain, and the FAA's testing matrix identifies the testing supplement and Learning Statement Codes rather than a weighted blueprint for this test. Any precise breakdown is either borrowed from a different exam or invented.
The practical consequence is simple: do not skip a domain because it sounds minor. Prepare for all ten with roughly balanced attention, then shift extra time to whichever areas your practice results show are weakest. If you want a sense of how demanding the test is overall, see How Hard Is the IGI Exam? and the data discussion in IGI Pass Rate 2026.
Key Takeaway
FAA's CY2025 Airman Knowledge Test Volume Report records 2,751 IGI administrations, a 99.71% passing rate, and a 93.11% average score. These are 2025 administration-level results, not a 2026 figure and not a first-attempt-only pass rate. They suggest the test is passable with solid preparation, but they do not excuse skipping any domain.
Sequencing the Domains Over Four Weeks
Rather than a generic study template, here is one way to order the ten domains so that each week builds on the last. Adjust the pace to your background; a working instrument pilot may compress this, while someone newer to instrument concepts may stretch it.
Rules and Procedures Foundation
- Domain 1: IFR regulations
- Domain 2: AIM material
- Domain 3: ATC procedures and clearances
Navigation and Charts
- Domain 4: Navigation systems and approaches
- Domain 5: En route and approach chart reading with the testing supplement
Weather and Operations
- Domain 6: Weather reports and forecasts
- Domain 8: Critical weather and windshear
- Domain 7: Safe and efficient IFR operation
Judgment, Crew Coordination, and Integration
- Domain 9: Aeronautical decision making
- Domain 10: Crew resource management
- Mixed practice sets across all ten domains and timed full-length runs
The logic: regulations and ATC come first because they supply the vocabulary everything else uses. Charts and navigation come next because they are the most skill-dependent. Weather precedes operations because operational questions assume you can already read the weather picture. Judgment and CRM come last, when you have enough technical context to reason about scenarios. A compact review aid is in the IGI Cheat Sheet 2026.
Registration, Retests, and Certificate Currency
Getting to the testing center
For the initial IGI knowledge test, applicants need an FAA Tracking Number (FTN) obtained through IACRA and acceptable identification. No instructor endorsement or other written authorization is required for the first attempt. Scheduling and testing windows are covered in IGI Exam Dates 2026.
If you fail
Retesting after a failure requires presenting the failed Airman Knowledge Test Report along with the required instructor training or proficiency endorsement. This is a meaningful difference from the initial attempt, so confirm the endorsement requirements before you rebook.
Eligibility and the FOI piece
Under 14 CFR 61.213, certificate eligibility requires age 18, the specified English proficiency, the applicable aeronautical-knowledge examination, and Fundamentals of Instructing knowledge unless exempt. FOI exemptions cover holders of a ground or flight instructor certificate, holders of qualifying teaching certificates permitting teaching at grade 7 or higher, and teachers employed at accredited colleges or universities. Section 61.213 does not impose a pilot certificate, a flight-time minimum, or a practical flight test for this ground instructor rating.
Permanent certificate, recurring currency
Ground instructor certificates are issued without an expiration date under 61.19(e). That does not mean you can exercise privileges indefinitely without activity. Under 61.217, you must meet one of the recent-experience alternatives within the preceding 12 calendar months: qualifying ground-instructor activity, qualifying flight-instructor activity, an approved flight instructor refresher course, or an authorized-instructor proficiency endorsement. Permanence of the certificate and currency of your privileges are two different things, and no fixed continuing-education-unit requirement applies in their place.
IGI Compared With IRA and FII
Candidates often ask whether studying for one of these tests covers another. The honest answer is partial overlap, not identity. The table below compares what each test or credential is for, without implying the exams are interchangeable.
| Test / Credential | Purpose | Relationship to IGI |
|---|---|---|
| IGI (Ground Instructor Instrument) | Knowledge test for the instrument ground instructor rating | The subject of this guide |
| IRA (Instrument Rating Airplane) | Knowledge test for a pilot's instrument rating | Overlapping subject matter, but a different test with its own blueprint |
| FII (Flight Instructor Instrument Airplane) | Knowledge test for instrument flight instruction | Associated with flight instruction, which IGI privileges do not include |
Studying for IRA content will help with many IGI topics, but do not assume the question styles, depth, or supplement usage are identical. Use IGI-specific practice to verify your readiness. For definitions and background, see What Is IGI Certification? and IGI Certification.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. The ten domains reproduce the headings in 14 CFR 61.65(b), which are statutory aeronautical-knowledge areas. The FAA's IGI testing matrix identifies the testing supplement and Learning Statement Codes rather than a weighted domain table, so any percentages you see are not issuer-published.
The FAA testing matrix specifies 50 questions, excluding any unscored validation items, with a 150-minute time limit and a 70% passing score. The exact number of additional unscored items is not established by that table.
Not for the initial attempt. You need an FAA Tracking Number through IACRA and acceptable identification. Retesting after a failure requires the failed Airman Knowledge Test Report and the required instructor training or proficiency endorsement.
The certificate itself is issued without an expiration date under 14 CFR 61.19(e). However, exercising its privileges requires meeting one of the recent-experience alternatives in 61.217 within the preceding 12 calendar months.
Possibly. FOI knowledge exemptions apply to holders of a ground or flight instructor certificate, holders of qualifying teaching certificates permitting teaching at grade 7 or higher, and teachers employed at accredited colleges or universities. Confirm your situation against 14 CFR 61.213 before relying on an exemption.
Whatever pace you choose, anchor your preparation to all ten domains, drill chart reading and weather interpretation with realistic items, and verify your readiness on the IGI practice test platform before booking your PSI appointment. For the full overview of fees, eligibility, and logistics, revisit this domains guide alongside the linked requirement and cost articles.