IGI Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass

The Number: 70% on a 50-Question Test

If you are searching for the Instrument Ground Instructor (IGI) passing score, the answer is short: the FAA Airman Knowledge Testing Matrix specifies a 70% passing score for the Ground Instructor Instrument knowledge test, test code IGI. The matrix also lists 50 questions, 150 minutes, and a minimum testing age of 16.

On a 50-question test, 70% works out to 35 correct answers. That arithmetic is yours, not the FAA's: the matrix publishes the percentage, and the FAA's own score reporting on your Airman Knowledge Test Report is what ultimately counts. Treat "35 of 50" as a planning shorthand, and do not aim to land exactly on it. The point of this article is to show you what the 70% threshold really demands in terms of knowledge, so you can aim well above it.

If you want the broader picture of difficulty before digging into scoring, our guide on how hard the IGI exam is covers what candidates tend to find easy and what trips them up.

What the FAA Publishes (and What It Doesn't)

It helps to be precise about the source of each number you will see on prep sites:

The matrix text is dated September 25, 2026 in its parsed form, while the retrieved table image carries an October 22, 2025 revision footer. Both versions show the same IGI question count, time limit and passing score, so the numbers above are stable across the two revisions.

What the FAA does not publish for the IGI test is a weighted blueprint. Unlike some certification exams that list "Domain 3 = 22% of the test," the IGI table points to the testing supplement and Learning Statement Codes rather than an independently weighted Airman Certification Standards outline. Any site claiming exact per-domain percentages for this test is inventing them. We will not do that here.

Scored Questions vs. Validation Items

The matrix describes the IGI as 50 questions "excluding any unscored validation items." That wording matters. The FAA can include additional items on a test form that do not count toward your score; they exist to evaluate future questions. The practical consequences:

• The 50 scored questions are what the 70% is calculated against.
• The exact number of extra unscored items is not established by the FAA table, so you may see more than 50 questions on screen without any way to tell which are which.
• Because you cannot identify validation items, you must answer every question as if it counts.

This is also why you should be skeptical of any prep site that states a firm total question count beyond the FAA's 50. The table gives 50 scored questions; the rest is unspecified.

The 150-Minute Clock

Some competing prep pages describe the IGI as a two-hour test. The FAA matrix lists 150 minutes, which is two and a half hours. Pacing against the wrong timer is an avoidable mistake, so plan around the FAA figure.

For 50 scored questions, 150 minutes is generous in raw arithmetic: roughly three minutes per question. But IGI questions are not uniformly quick. Questions that send you to the supplied figures and charts in the FAA-CT-8080-3F supplement, such as approach plates, en route chart excerpts, and weather depictions, take far longer than a regulation recall question. A sensible approach:

1. Work through the pure-knowledge questions first and bank easy points quickly.
2. Flag chart-interpretation and weather-product questions for a second pass.
3. Reserve the final stretch to revisit flagged items rather than rushing them at the start.

Remember that the test is computer-delivered multiple choice. Outside study materials are prohibited; you work from the supplied testing supplement, and approved calculators and navigation aids are allowed subject to memory clearing and proctor approval. The governing rules sit in FAA Order 8080.6H, Conduct of Airman Knowledge Tests, chapter 3, which replaced the canceled AC 60-11C. Check with the testing center in advance about what the proctor will permit.

What a Passing Result Looks Like in Practice

The 70% threshold is a floor, not a target. Consider what the score implies:

• At 35 correct out of 50, you can miss 15 questions and still pass, but those misses cannot be concentrated in one subject without risk, because a weak area tends to produce several wrong answers at once (weather product interpretation is the classic example).
• Questions tied to charts and supplied figures behave differently from recall questions: if you misread one approach plate, you may miss several related items.
• A comfortable buffer matters because you cannot know which items are unscored validation questions while you test.

A useful internal goal is to be scoring well above the cutoff on practice questions in every domain, not just on average. You can test that on our IGI practice tests and use the per-topic results to find weak spots before exam day.

The Ten Knowledge Areas Behind Your Score

The ten areas below mirror the aeronautical-knowledge headings in 14 CFR 61.65(b), which 61.213 incorporates for the instrument ground instructor rating. They are statutory subject areas, not an FAA-published weighted exam table, and their count does not tell you which is most heavily tested. For a deeper walkthrough, see our complete guide to all 10 IGI content areas.

What the FAA's 2025 Data Says About Scores

The FAA's CY2025 Airman Knowledge Test Volume Report records, for the IGI test, 2,751 test administrations, a 99.71% passing rate, and a 93.11% average score. Two cautions are needed when you read those figures:

• They are 2025 administration-level results. They are not a 2026 pass rate and not a first-attempt-only pass rate, because the report counts test administrations rather than unique candidates.
• Pass rates describe the population that chose to test, who often include experienced instrument pilots and instructors. They are not a prediction of how an unprepared candidate would do.

Read together, though, the numbers suggest a clear lesson: the average score sits far above the 70% cutoff. Candidates who prepare well are typically not scraping by. We break the series down further in our IGI pass rate analysis.

Getting to the Test: Registration, Fees, and Retests

Your passing score only matters once you are seated at the test. Here is how the mechanics work for the IGI, as established by the FAA and PSI sources:

• Provider: PSI delivers the FAA knowledge tests at authorized testing centers.
• Fee: PSI publishes an FAA Airman Knowledge Test voucher price of US$175 plus applicable tax. That is the test-voucher price only. It is not a preparation-course price and not the total cost of any separately required Fundamentals of Instructing test. Verify the current price with PSI before booking, and see our IGI certification cost breakdown for the full picture.
• FAA Tracking Number: You need an FTN through IACRA before you can register.
• Identification: Bring acceptable ID to the testing center.
• Initial attempt: No instructor endorsement or other written authorization is required.
• Retest after failure: You must present the failed Airman Knowledge Test Report and the required instructor training/proficiency endorsement.

That endorsement distinction between a first attempt and a retest is a frequent source of confusion, so it is worth repeating: nobody has to sign you off to take the IGI the first time, but a failed attempt triggers a documentation requirement. This is another reason to treat your first sitting seriously. For scheduling details, see our guide to IGI exam dates and scheduling, and for eligibility details beyond the test, see IGI requirements.

A Domain-Ordered Study Plan Aimed at 70%+

Because the FAA gives no domain weights, a defensible plan covers all ten areas and spends extra time where chart and weather interpretation could cost multiple questions. This sequencing is one reasonable way to do it; adjust to your background.

For a fuller week-by-week approach, see our IGI study guide, and when you are ready to measure your readiness against the 70% cutoff, take a full run on the IGI practice test site.

After You Pass: Certificate, Currency, and Where the Rating Fits

Passing the knowledge test is one step toward the instrument ground instructor rating. 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 you are exempt. FOI exemptions include holders of a ground or flight instructor certificate, qualifying teaching certificates permitting teaching at grade 7 or higher, and teachers employed at accredited colleges or universities. Section 61.213 imposes no pilot certificate, flight-time minimum, or practical flight test for this ground instructor rating.

Two further points often get blurred:

• The certificate does not expire. Under 61.19(e), ground instructor certificates are issued without an expiration date.
• Exercising privileges requires currency. Under 61.217, you need 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. There is no fixed CEU requirement.

Also keep the scope straight: IGI privileges concern instrument ground instruction and applicable endorsements, not flight instruction. If you are weighing the credential against other paths, our articles on whether the IGI is worth it and IGI earnings explore the career side, and the IGI cheat sheet gives a one-page refresher for the final days.

Frequently Asked Questions