ECQB 2024 Rev.5 and ECQB 2026
Understanding the EASA Question Bank
You are preparing for an ATPL, CPL, MPL or an instrument qualification and you have heard about the ECQB? Here is what this term means, how this question bank works and why the different ECQB versions are important for your preparation.
What is the ECQB?
ECQB stands for 'European Central Question Bank'.
It is the European multiple-choice question bank used by the competent authorities of EASA Member States for the theoretical examinations of professional pilots and candidates for instrument qualifications.
The ECQB is managed under the responsibility of EASA, while national authorities use this question bank as part of their theoretical examinations. It contains approximately 10,000 questions covering the different subjects of the theoretical knowledge syllabus.
The subjects concerned include in particular:
010 Air Law
021 Aircraft General Knowledge
022 Instrumentation
031 Mass & Balance
032 Performance
033 Flight Planning and Monitoring
040 Human Performance
050 Meteorology
061 General Navigation
062 Radio Navigation
070 Operational Procedures
081 Principles of Flight
090 Communications
What is the ECQB used for?
The purpose of the ECQB is, in particular, to harmonise the theoretical knowledge requirements for candidates across the different EASA Member States.
The question bank is based on the theoretical knowledge syllabus and the Learning Objectives (LO) defined in European regulations. EASA regularly updates the question bank in order to replace certain questions, add new ones and take into account regulatory, technical and operational developments.
The ECQB is therefore not a fixed question bank: it is regularly updated.
ECQB 2024: what changed?
The ECQB 2024 was a new version of the EASA question bank.
This version added new questions across the different subjects while retaining the same general syllabus as the ECQB 2022. It was aligned with the amendments applicable at the time to the theoretical knowledge syllabus and examination procedures.
What does ECQB 2024 Rev.5 mean?
The 'Rev.5' designation refers to a revision of the ECQB 2024.
This version was notably used for theoretical examinations by several national authorities. In France, it is important to distinguish between the version of the question bank used for examinations and the version of the regulations or syllabus currently in force.
For example, ENAC announced the introduction of ECQB 2024 Rev.5 for ATPL, MPL, CPL, IR, CB-IR and BIR theoretical examinations from 1 September 2025.
What about ECQB 2026?
EASA has since published ECQB 2026, which is the latest complete version of the question bank.
This new version continues the principle of regularly updating the ECQB in order to take into account regulatory developments, ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices, as well as changes to the theoretical knowledge syllabus.
ECQB 2026 is extremely close to Revision 5 of ECQB 2024.
Why are ECQB versions important?
A frequently asked question by candidates is: 'Which ECQB version should I study?'
The answer is very simple: you should use the latest available question bank, ECQB 2026.
National authorities receive the new version published by EASA, and it is automatically used the following week in all examination centres.
Is the ECQB available to the public?
No. EASA states that the question bank is made available to competent authorities for theoretical examinations and that it is not a public question bank. It is also protected by intellectual property rights and confidentiality rules.
It is therefore important to clearly distinguish between:
Official EASA ECQB
The question bank used by competent authorities as part of the examinations.
QCM preparation banks
Training platforms that allow candidates to work on the required knowledge, Learning Objectives, regulations and types of questions encountered during their preparation.
How should you prepare for your ATPL examination using QCMs?
QCMs are particularly useful for checking your knowledge and quickly identifying the areas that still need to be worked on.
However, effective preparation is not just about memorising answers. It is important to understand the concepts being studied and to be able to work out the necessary reasoning when the wording of a question changes.
This is why Furious-ATPL combines QCMs with explanations that help you understand the answers and review difficult topics.
The platform also allows you to work on the different subjects, track your progress and take mock examinations.
ECQB and Furious-ATPL
Furious-ATPL provides a QCM database designed to prepare for ATPL, CPL and IR theoretical examinations.
The platform is based on European knowledge syllabi and Learning Objectives and incorporates updates to the question bank as well as feedback from candidates.
The preparation questions are not a reproduction of the official EASA question bank. The aim is to provide a training tool that allows candidates to work on the knowledge required for the examination and become familiar with different types of questions.
Candidate feedback also makes it possible to identify certain questions and topics recently encountered during examinations, helping candidates focus their revision.
Key points
The ECQB is the European question bank used for the theoretical examinations of many professional pilots and candidates for instrument qualifications.
ECQB 2024 succeeded ECQB 2022 and subsequently underwent revisions, including ECQB 2024 Rev.5.
ECQB 2026 is now the latest complete version published by EASA.
When preparing for an examination, it is therefore essential to distinguish between the official question bank used by the examination authority and QCM banks designed for training purposes.
Updated YESTERDAY