DLR Test Preparation 2027: Timeline to Course Start

If your plan is to start airline pilot training in 2027, the DLR test belongs in your diary for the coming months, not for next summer. The arithmetic is simple. The European Flight Academy (EFA) asks applicants to allow at least six months from application to course start. You need the DLR certificate before you can apply. And if your first attempt falls short, the DLR recommends waiting six months before trying again.

This article works backwards from a 2027 course start. It covers which EFA classes are known so far, when to book the DLR test, how the two-year validity affects your timing, and what a realistic month-by-month plan from October 2026 to summer 2027 looks like. Whether you are in Germany, Switzerland, Austria or applying from elsewhere in Europe, the logic is the same. All facts come from the official DLR, EFA, SWISS and Lufthansa Group pages as of October 2026. We are an independent app with no connection to the DLR or the EFA.

If your test is only weeks away, start with DLR test preparation 2026 instead. It covers current prices, test centres and a plan for 2, 6 or 12 weeks.

When should you take the DLR test for a 2027 course start?

As a rule of thumb, about 8 to 12 months before your target course. With 8 months you keep six months for the EFA application, assessment centre and medical plus a little slack for dates and results. Only with around 12 months does a retake after the DLR's recommended six-month wait still fit in before the course start.

This rule of thumb is our own calculation, not an official requirement. It combines three documented facts:

• EFA lead time: at least six months from application to course start.
• Order of steps: the DLR certificate is step 1; you apply to the EFA afterwards.
• Retakes: the DLR recommends waiting at least six months, and every area is tested again.

So if you are aiming for a course in autumn 2027, you ideally want the DLR test behind you by early 2027. The short version of this answer is on When to book the DLR test for 2027.

Which EFA course starts in 2027 are known?

According to the EFA class overview of 5 October 2026, the January 2027 course in Bremen is fully booked, while the February 2027 course in Bremen and the March 2027 course in Zurich are open for applications. The EFA reserves the right to move dates.

As of 5 October 2026. Source: European Flight Academy, overview of classes.

For February and March 2027 you are already inside the six-month window on paper. Whether applying now is still enough is for the EFA to decide. We did not find course starts for the second half of 2027 in the overview yet. Plan anyway: if you wait for those dates to appear before you start practising, you lose months.

How many places there will be is unknown. We found no official training numbers for 2026 or 2027. In an interview with airliners.de on 27 June 2024, the CEO of Lufthansa Aviation Training said the EFA trains a maximum of around 300 students a year, compared with about 500 before the pandemic.

How do you plan backwards from a 2027 course start?

Start at the course date, subtract at least six months for the EFA process and you have your latest application date. The DLR certificate must be in hand before that, and before the certificate you need several months of practice.

According to the EFA page for Switzerland (Germany is similar), the steps are:

1. DLR certificate (or SPHAIR for Swiss applicants, see below)
2. Application to the EFA
3. Lufthansa Group assessment centre: interviews, group exercises, psychomotor tests
4. Pre-Airline Fit (SWISS and Edelweiss)
5. Class 1 medical
6. Airline Fit

The timeline below uses an assumed course start in autumn 2027. That is not a confirmed EFA date, only a worked example.

As of October 2026. Our own worked example based on DLR and EFA information.

The timeline also shows the risk. If you sit the DLR test in summer 2027, there are no longer six months left before a 2027 course start, and if you miss the required rating, the earliest recommended retake is in winter.

Why is the six-month retake period your most important buffer?

Because it decides how much room a weak first attempt leaves you. The DLR recommends retaking no earlier than six months later, and then all areas are tested again, not just the weak ones.

The DLR certificate has no pass or fail; it is an assessment, and each flight school or airline decides which ratings it accepts. If your result is not enough for the EFA, you face exactly this waiting period. An early test, for example in autumn 2026, leaves room for a second attempt in spring 2027 and still for a course start at the end of 2027. A later one can push your course start into 2028.

Two practical rules follow. Do not sit the test unprepared just to "see what it is like", because the attempt counts. And do not leave it too late, because without a buffer any setback costs you a year. See Can you repeat the DLR test? for details.

What does two-year validity mean for your timing?

The DLR certificate is valid for two years, but some programmes require it to still be valid for at least one year when you apply. A Lufthansa Group advert for the dual study programme in Bremen states exactly that.

In practice, a certificate from February 2027 runs until February 2029 and, under that rule, would work for applications until about February 2028. A certificate from October 2026 would only cover applications until about October 2027. Testing early is rarely a problem as long as you apply within the first year. Your programme's advert or invitation will state its own rule. Background on the document itself is on What is the DLR certificate?.

What applies in 2027 for Swiss and German applicants?

In Germany, the route runs through the EFA in Bremen; in Switzerland, through EFA Zurich to SWISS and Edelweiss. Swiss nationals can use a SPHAIR certificate instead of the DLR certificate, but only for SWISS and Edelweiss.

SWISS pilot 2027. According to the SWISS fact sheet, the path runs through the EFA: DLR certificate (Zurich, Hamburg or Milan), a full-day Lufthansa Group assessment, Pre-Airline Fit and a Class 1 medical. Requirements include a minimum age of 17, English and German at B2, a height of 160 to 198 cm and Swiss, EFTA or EU citizenship. A SPHAIR certificate, no older than five years and with a pilot recommendation, replaces the DLR certificate for SWISS and Edelweiss. If you want every Lufthansa Group cockpit open to you, take the DLR test. Edelweiss announced in March 2025 that it offers a CHF 80,000 loan to all its trainees from June 2025. More in How to become a SWISS pilot.

EFA Germany 2027. According to the EFA, the ATPL training costs €130,000 in six instalments, with the DLR test, medicals, US visa and iPad charged separately. Through the Brain Capital fund you contribute €10,000 yourself; the rest is repaid based on income, with interest capped at 8.0% if you get a cockpit job in the Lufthansa Group. See How to become a Lufthansa pilot and Pilot training costs and financing.

If you are also applying outside the Lufthansa Group, our overview of pilot aptitude test preparation explains how other screenings compare.

How should you train between October 2026 and 2027?

With a long runway, consistency beats intensity: 20 to 45 minutes on most days, organised in phases, with one exam simulation a month to check where you stand. Candidate reports suggest two to three months for thorough preparation; starting earlier gives you extra time for the knowledge tests.

Phase 1, from October 2026: foundations. Get to know all ten computer-based formats and record baseline scores. English, physics and technical comprehension take longest, so start there, especially if English is not your first language. The complete DLR test guide explains every part.

Phase 2, the two months before your date: weak spots. Focus on the two or three modules with the lowest scores. The 8-week training plan fits this phase before your date.

Phase 3, the final three weeks: official preparation. After booking you get access to the official software, and the DLR recommends spreading its units over three weeks. DLR test booked: the final 3 weeks shows how.

The DLR Test Trainer is built for exactly this kind of long run-up. It covers all ten computer-based test types, generates every task fresh so you never memorise answers, and adapts the level to your results. After each session the error analysis gives specific pointers, while target traffic lights and your history show whether you are really improving over months. The training plan counts down to your test date, and the exam simulation runs all ten modules in the real order, in about 60 minutes for the full version or about 30 for the compact one. It works offline, without an account and without ads, on iOS and Android, in English, German, French and Italian, with four modules free. What it cannot do: train MIC with a joystick, show original DLR tasks or guarantee a result. It is not affiliated with the DLR. For an honest comparison with other tools, read the best DLR test apps compared.

Sources

• DLR: Pilot certificate (Zertifikat Cockpit)
• European Flight Academy: Overview of classes
• European Flight Academy: Requirements and selection process Switzerland
• European Flight Academy: Costs and services
• European Flight Academy: Financing
• SWISS: Pilot training fact sheet (PDF)
• Edelweiss: Press release of 11 March 2025
• Lufthansa Group: Dual study programme advert, Bremen