ACS
Airman Certification Standards
FAA document specifying knowledge, risk management, and skill standards for each pilot certificate practical test.
Airman Certification Standards replaced the older Practical Test Standards (PTS) in 2016. The change wasn't cosmetic — the ACS adds explicit knowledge and risk management elements to every task, alongside the skill tolerances.
For every task on the practical test, the ACS lists what knowledge the applicant must demonstrate, what hazards they must identify and mitigate, and what skill tolerances they must meet. DPEs use the ACS as their authoritative source for what to evaluate.
ACS documents exist for Private, Instrument, Commercial, ATP, Flight Instructor, and most add-on ratings. The current versions are available free from faa.gov.
When it matters
Students preparing for a checkride should read the ACS directly. The risk-management columns are where students most often underprepare.
In Aloft360
Private pilot checkride guideRelated terms