DGCA exam questions, answered
The things students ask me most, answered straight. Every figure here is one I have confirmed myself or traced to the regulation.
The DGCA written exams
Is there negative marking in the DGCA exams?
No. There is no negative marking in any DGCA examination paper. A blank answer is a guaranteed zero while a guess costs you nothing, so you should fill in every question before you leave the hall — never leave a box empty.
Full exam patternWhat is the pass mark for DGCA CPL exams?
The pass mark is 70% in each paper. It is assessed paper by paper — there is no aggregate across subjects, so a strong score in one paper cannot carry a weak score in another. Each paper is cleared, and stays cleared, on its own.
Full exam patternHow many questions are in each DGCA CPL paper?
Navigation is 100 questions in 3 hours, Technical General is 100 questions in 3 hours, and Meteorology, Air Regulations and Technical Specific are each 50 questions in 2 hours. RTR(A) Part 1 is 50 questions in 1 hour. Every paper is passed at 70%.
Full exam patternWhy is the DGCA Navigation paper so large?
Because it is three subjects in one paper. The Navigation paper pools General Navigation, Radio Navigation and Instrumentation into a single 100-question, 3-hour examination. Students who prepare only General Navigation are usually the ones caught out by it.
Navigation chaptersGetting the licence
How many flying hours do you need for a CPL in India?
A Commercial Pilot Licence in India requires 200 hours of flight time in total. That figure is the headline requirement; the breakdown of what those hours must contain is set by the DGCA and by your flying school's approved syllabus.
The full path to a CPLWhat it costs
How much does a CPL cost in India in 2026?
Around ₹60 lakh all in. The flying itself is roughly 84% of that bill, at hourly rates between ₹8,000 and ₹25,000 depending on the school and the aircraft. Budget separately for a type rating afterwards, which is a further ₹15–25 lakh and is not included in any CPL quote.
Work out your own numberIs a type rating included in the cost of a CPL?
No. A type rating is a separate cost that comes after the licence, and it runs to a further ₹15–25 lakh. School quotes for a CPL do not include it, which is the single most common reason a training budget turns out short.
Full cost breakdownRTR(A)
Who conducts the RTR(A) exam — the DGCA or the WPC?
The DGCA. It took the RTR(A) examination over from the WPC wing in November 2025, under the Radio Telephone Operator (Restricted) Certificate and Licence Rules, 2025. The WPC remains India's radio spectrum and apparatus regulator, including the aircraft radio station licence — but the exam itself is now a DGCA examination.
RTR(A) exam guideWhat are the two parts of the RTR(A) exam?
Part 1 is a written paper of 50 questions in 1 hour. Part 2 is practical — a live radio telephony session with an examiner, covering transmission scenarios and a viva. Sittings are far more frequent since the DGCA took the exam over, and the written paper runs in Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Chennai.
Practise Part 2 freeUsing Ghost Aviator
Is Ghost Aviator free?
Yes. All the self-study material — notes, question banks, past papers, mock tests and the RTR(A) radio simulator — is free for every student pilot, and stays free. Live online ground classes with Capt. Pahil are the only paid part of the site.
Start studyingHow do you know the answers on this site are correct?
Every answer is checked against an authoritative reference — a standard ATPL textbook, an ICAO Annex, or the relevant DGCA regulation — before it is published, and anything that cannot be verified is flagged or removed rather than guessed. The verification status of each subject is published openly, including the subjects that have not yet been audited.
How answers are verifiedNot answered here?
If something you need is missing, or something here does not match what you have been taught, tell me — that is how this list grows and how errors get caught.
How answers are verified