Preparing for your Chief Remote Pilot (CRP) exam is the difference between walking into your ReOC assessment confident and walking in hoping. This page explains what the exam covers, how to prepare for it, and the free tools we’ve built to get you ready – created by the people who actually conduct the assessment.
Uncrewed Approvals is a delegate of CASA. We assess and issue Remote Operator’s Certificates, and our Director spent three years as a Flying Operations Inspector inside CASA. The study material on this page comes from the same side of the desk you’ll be sitting across from – which means it’s aimed squarely at what “ready” actually looks like.
Every organisation that holds a Remote Operator’s Certificate (ReOC) must appoint a Chief Remote Pilot — the person responsible for the safety and compliance of the operator’s drone operations. Before that appointment is approved, the Chief Remote Pilot has to demonstrate their knowledge in an assessment, often called the Chief Remote Pilot exam or interview, as part of the ReOC process.
It isn’t a test of whether you can fly. It’s a test of whether you understand the responsibilities that come with running a compliant drone operation: the rules you operate under, the contents of your own Operations Manual, and what to do when a flight doesn’t go to plan.
The assessment focuses on the knowledge a Chief Remote Pilot needs to keep an operation safe and legal. In broad terms, that includes:
The single biggest predictor of how you’ll go is how well you know your own Operations Manual. Most people who struggle aren’t short on flying skill – they simply can’t locate the answer in their manual under pressure. Fix that, and most of the exam takes care of itself.
We give every ReOC client free access to our ReOC Interview Preparation Quiz — and it’s open to you too.
A word on what it is and isn’t, because it matters. The quiz does not contain the real assessment questions, and it never will. Handing out the actual questions wouldn’t make you a safer operator, and it would undermine the value of the certificate you’re working toward. What it does is take you through the same subjects the assessment covers, so you build genuine familiarity with the material and – just as importantly – get fast at finding answers in your manual.
You get your score and instant feedback at the end of each attempt, it shows you where you’re weak, and you can retake it as many times as you like. Repetition is the point: the more you run through it, the more the material sticks and the calmer you’ll be on the day. Start the free quiz here.
A simple study plan that works:
What is a Chief Remote Pilot? The Chief Remote Pilot is the person a ReOC holder appoints to be responsible for the day-to-day safety and regulatory compliance of its drone operations – overseeing procedures, crew competence, and adherence to the Operations Manual and CASA’s operating conditions.
Do I need a Chief Remote Pilot to get a ReOC? Yes. Every ReOC holder must nominate a Chief Remote Pilot, and that person must satisfy CASA (or its delegate) that they hold the required knowledge and experience.
Does the practice quiz contain the real exam questions? No. It covers the same subject areas as a study guide but includes none of the actual assessment questions. It’s built to develop real understanding, not to shortcut the process.
How hard is the Chief Remote Pilot exam? It’s very manageable if you know your Operations Manual and understand the rules you operate under. Most of the difficulty people report comes from unfamiliarity with their own manual, not the subject matter itself.
What’s the difference between a Remote Pilot Licence (RePL) and a Chief Remote Pilot? A RePL is the individual licence that lets you fly commercially. A Chief Remote Pilot is a role within a ReOC holder – the RePL holder who takes responsibility for the operation’s compliance. You need a RePL (and usually operational experience) to be a Chief Remote Pilot, but the two aren’t the same thing.
How long should I spend preparing? It varies, but if you know your manual well, a few focused sessions with the quiz is often enough. Give yourself a couple of weeks of light, regular practice rather than cramming the night before.
Work through the free practice quiz, register for the upcoming Chief Remote Pilot Prep Course, and if anything’s still unclear before your assessment, contact us. You’ll be preparing with the people who assess the real thing – which is about as close to the source as it gets.
