How theory tests work

vCareer's theory tests are knowledge checks, not a training course. Short multiple-choice quizzes that verify you studied the relevant aviation topic before vCareer authorizes you to fly missions in a class. We test; SkyBrary and the FAA handbooks teach.

Premise

Three rules that shape every test in the bank:

• We do not author training content. Ever.
• We author multiple-choice questions that verify you studied the relevant aviation topic.
• Each question carries a curated list of public, durable study links — the same content you'd find in a real handbook, not behind a portal that might disappear.

We deliberately avoid linking to my.vatsim.net/learn deep pages because those redirect to the portal root. Stable URLs only.

What tests look like

Two test sizes:

• Entry test — 10 questions, 70% to pass, ~5 minutes. Gates class entry. ∀1,000 per attempt.
• Tier-up test — ~25 questions, 75% to pass, ~15 minutes. Gates T2 → T3 → T4 → T5 inside a class. Fee scales with tier.

Each question presents a short prompt (1–3 lines), 4–5 multiple-choice options, and 1–3 study links at the bottom. You can review questions before submitting; once you submit, the score is final.

Study sources

The link library is hand-curated. Primary sources:

• SkyBrary — articles maintained by EUROCONTROL covering operations, navigation, weather, human factors.
• FAA Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge (PHAK) — chapters on flight principles, navigation, weather, aeromedical.
• FAA Airplane Flying Handbook (AFH) — handling, procedures, manoeuvres.
• FAA AIM — for ATC procedures and airspace.

Each question is tagged with one or more of these sources. We don't paraphrase content from them; we point at the canonical page and ask a question whose answer requires having read it.

Two gating purposes

1. Class entry — verify the player understands the basics of the class's operational profile (e.g. Bush: short-field technique, density altitude). Low-bar, cheap, fast.
2. Tier-up within a class — verify the player understands the harder concepts that come with the bigger aircraft / longer legs at the next tier (e.g. Long Haul T3: ETOPS basics, oceanic clearance procedures). Higher-bar, more questions, higher fee.

Fees + cooldowns

• Entry test fee — ∀1,000 per attempt. Refunded if you pass on the first try. Retries inside the cooldown window are charged 50% (∀500).
• Cooldown after a fail — 1 hour for entry tests, 4 hours for tier-up tests.
• Tier-up test fees — scale from ∀2,000 at T2 to ∀40,000 at T5. Paired with a tier registration fee on pass (see Economy → sinks).
• No expiry on passes — once you've passed a class entry test, you're in that class forever, no recurrence.

Per-class question banks: Bush · Business · Charter · Small Airline · Cargo · Long Haul.