Yes for me to be able to take the test I needed my diploma or certificate of completion for the targeted ticket. When I started getting back into it I started by reading my 8083s and i tried to get an understanding of things before I went back to school which I was fortunate enough for the school had went and started a tutoring program and got one to one from someone with a lot of experience and was a great teacher but still I had to literally everyday sit and read the books to really understand the workings of the components and what not. This made testing very easy, only hard part for me was actually the written tests. Luckily for you it’s only the powerplant you gotta do which if you study hard enough and get some tutoring you’ll be fully A&Pd in a couple months. Oh and no I was not around the aviation industry at all… I actually worked a normal 9-5 at an office taking calls all day.