FAA Control Tower Operator (CTO) Test Prep
Build your knowledge. Prepare with confidence.
Prepare for your FAA Control Tower Operator knowledge test with actual and realistic questions, detailed explanations, and a polished, efficient study experience.
CTO preparation is included in GroundSchool FAA ATP. Get the ATP app for your chosen platform, then select Control Tower Operator (CTO) inside the app. GroundSchool presents the questions that apply to the test you select.
Do not see CTO in your test list? Use the app's built-in content update feature, then select CTO from the updated list.
Start here
Start studying with GroundSchool on the platform of your choice.
For CTO preparation, choose GroundSchool FAA ATP for your platform, then select Control Tower Operator (CTO) inside the app.
Purchases are platform-specific. App licenses are sold separately for each platform; GroundSchool Audio is a separate product. Check the selected platform’s page for its current price, included content, and terms.
Downloads and app options for all platforms
Having difficulty? Please visit our helpdesk for frequently asked questions and personalized support. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
We believe (and scientific study validates) that the interactive activity of test preparation, when combined with the sort of detailed supplementary and explanatory material that we offer, is an excellent way to thoroughly learn and internalize key aviation information.
We are test prep specialists and the experience of thousands upon thousands of pilots proves that our method works. We do not use test prep as a "hook", as some of our advertising-based competitors do, to sell you expensive but ineffective passive video-based courses and similar products that do little besides waste your time and drain your wallet.
Use our material and study hard - not just the questions and answers, but the reasoning and explanations too, and be on your way, in a highly time and cost efficient way, to knowledge test and aviation success!
CTO preparation, included with the ATP test bank.
The ATP test bank includes Control Tower Operator, Airline Transport Pilot, and Aircraft Dispatcher preparation. Select your exact test in the app to study the questions that apply to you.
ATM − Airline Transport Pilot Multiengine Airplane  | ARA − Airline Transport Pilot Airplane (135) (added rating) | ||||
| ATS − Airline Transport Pilot Single Engine Airplane | ACP − Airline Transport Pilot Canadian Conversion Airplane about  | ||||
| ATH − Airline Transport Pilot Helicopter | ACM − Airline Transport Pilot Canadian Conversion Multiengine Airplane about | ||||
| ARH − Airline Transport Pilot Helicopter (added rating) | ACS − Airline Transport Pilot Canadian Conversion Single-engine Airplane about | ||||
| ADX − Aircraft Dispatcher about | ACH − Airline Transport Pilot Canadian Conversion Helicoper about | ||||
| ATP − Airline Transport Pilot Airplane (121 and ATM) | CTO − Control Tower Operator | ||||
| ATA − Airline Transport Pilot Airplane (135) | |||||
The knowledge you need for your CTO test.
Study the subjects that matter to air traffic control, with charts and figures included and detailed explanations to help you understand the answers. Built-in content updates keep your preparation current at no extra charge.
| Our FAA CTO/ATC test prep is inside of our FAA ATP Test Prep app. Our FAA ATP test prep app contains preparation for all of the FAA Airline Transport Pilot and Airline Dispatcher Tests and also the CTO/ATC test.. The Control-Tower Operator/ Air Traffic Control specific topics covered by our prep include: | |
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Connect with your instructor or school.
After a study session, choose to report your progress to TestPrepStatus. See charts of your progress, identify the subjects that need attention, and make your next study session count.
Invite your instructor, flight school, mechanic school, mentor, parent, or study partner to follow your progress. InstructorLink helps you share a clear picture of how your preparation is going.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Answers about the CTO test, the ATP app, and the material included in your preparation.
- Prepare for and pass the 2026-2027 FAA Control Tower Operator (CTO) knowledge test.
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The FAA Control Tower Operator (CTO) test is intended for people who are looking to qualify as control tower operators.
It is approved by the Air Traffic Service for use in technical training.
We at Dauntless offer the best CTO test prep in existence. You can prepare for the platform of your choice using actual, realistic, and current FAA questions per the FAA Control Tower Operator study guide. Our prep offer a polished and efficient study environment and, critically, the best, most detailed explanations in the business so that you'll be best prepared for new and unpublished questions.
Our prep is fully compatible with FAA ATC Publication TS-14-1 and the FAA Airmen Certification Standards (where applicable).
- How do I get the CTO test prep?
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We bundle the CTO prep inside of our GroundSchool - FAA - Airline Transport Pilot app. What this means is that you get
our GroundSchool FAA ATP app for the platform of your choice, start the app, and then select the CTO test from the
list of tests provided.
If, after you get the ATP prep you don't immediately see CTO in the list of tests, then don't panic - there's an easy fix. Go the update screen from the main menu of the app and use the 'update' feature get the latest and greatest content. This will add the CTO content to the app and from there you'll be able to select the CTO test.
- I don't see CTO on the description / list of tests for your FAA ATP test prep app.
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We are limited in how often we can update the description for our apps, but 100% the CTO prep is there. Here's what you need
to do:
- Get the GroundSchool - ATP test prep app for the platform of your choice.
- Start the app, select "Get Updates" (or equivalent) from the main menu.
- Update the app content using the built in and free update process
- The CTO test will now be there in the list of tests to study for in the ATP app.
- What content is included in the CTO prep?
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Our test prep consists of seven individual areas of learning. Each area is listed in Title 14,
Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR), Section 65.35. These accurately reflect the areas that you
will be tested on in your actual app. The content is current for 2026 and with the lifetime included
free updates you'll be set for years to come.
- Airport traffic control procedures
- Flight rules
- Communications operating procedures
- Flight assistance service
- Aviation weather
- Air navigation and aids to air navigation
- En route traffic control procedures
- Realistic Questions and Content
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The CTO test prep content that comes from FAA publication TS-14-1 is accurately reflected in our test prep. In other words, we make sure that you can study from
official FAA guidance for the CTO test. We supplement this prep with additional related material from other FAA tests. For example, in order to better cover the
breadth of weather questions that you may need to know as a CTO applicant or continuing education subject, we include a number of METAR/TAF/etc questions that generally
come from other, pilot tests. By adding these, we have a more complete prep that will make you better prepared for both the CTO test specifically and to work as
an air traffic controller or related professional more generally.
- Charts and Figures?
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Yes, our CTO prep contains all the charts and figures that you'll need to study for and pass the test. All are included right in the app.
- Explanations?
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All questions in the app feature complete, detailed explanations.
Where possible and relevant, our explanations include direct quotations from FAA Publications, including:
- CFR 14 (the Federal Aviation Regulations)
- FAA Guidebooks and Handbooks
- JO 7110.65 (Air Traffic Control)
- The Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge
- The Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM)
- The FAA Pilot/Controller Glossary
