The Impact of the PART 147 Act on FAA Mechanic Written Exam Passage Rates

Abstract

Aviation Maintenance Technician Schools (AMTS) experienced one of the most significant changes in 2022. Overnight, the old Part 147—which had remained largely intact for over 50 years—was completely erased and replaced by the new Part 147. One of the noteworthy features of this drastic regulatory change is that for most AMTS, the responsibility of curriculum oversight shifted from the FAA to individual institutions. It is important to monitor learning outcomes because of this change. Passage rate data published by the FAA for 14 quarters were examined (seven quarters before the rewrite and seven quarters after). Results indicate that there is no statistically significant difference in pass rates before and after the rewrite, although the scores improved in all the measures we studied.