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Once you have paid the ARRL FCC license exam registration fee of fifteen dollars ($15.00) or five dollars ($5.00) for youthful candidates, you will be re-directed to this page. Here, we will provide some advice that will make your exam experience less stressful and will hopefully aid you in succeeding in your exam attempt.
Prepare for your exam by utilizing the training aids offered at the hamstudy.org website. This site offers three options for each of the three license levels:
- Use the Study Mode;
- Read the Questions; and
- Take a Practice Test.
Select the study option that best suits your immediate needs and continue from there. However, it is most definitely advisable to start out with the Study Mode until you are very familiar with the Element content, and are ready to attempt a Practice Test. You can, of course, take a look at the questions in the Element question pool at any time by choosing that option.
The license level content matter is officially known as Elements, with the Technician level being Element 2, the General level being Element 3, and the Amateur Extra level being Element 4. As you may already know, the same question pool is utilized by all VEC’s for all exams at a given license level nationwide. What differs from one exam to the next is the exact mix of questions that the candidate will see on any given exam.
For example, the three different Elements have question pools that each contain a fixed number of questions:
- Element 2 — 412 questions;
- Element 3 — 454 questions; and
- Element 4 — 622 questions.
Furthermore, each question pool is broken down into a total of ten sub-elements, which in turn are broken down into either 35 (Element 2 and Element 3) or 50 (Element 4) groups. Each exam will present the candidate with one and only one question from each of the groups in the Element being tested. Thus, the Technician Element 2 exam will include 35 questions, as will the General Element 3 exam. The Amateur Extra Element 4 exam will include 50 questions. The questions presented on any exam are then randomly selected, one from each group within the Element, to assemble the exam.
When Taking the Exam…
Be prepared to show up at the exam location at least fifteen minutes before the start of the exam session. It may be worth the time and effort that it takes to make a trip to the exam site ahead of time, so that you know exactly where the exam site is located and how to get there.
When entering the exam site, turn your cell phone off or else put it into Airplane Mode. You will not be permitted to access your cell phone during the exam period. While it is understood that all modern smart phones also function as calculators, the cell phone calculator nonetheless cannot be used during the exam. You may bring a calculator with you if you so desire. Be prepared to demonstrate to a supervising VE that the memory of your calculator is clear before you will be permitted to use it for the exam.
Pens, pencils, erasers, and scratch paper will be available at the test site. You must however bring your valid photo ID and the PIN that was assigned to you during the exam registration process.
You may be given an opportunity to have any last-minute questions that you may have answered prior to the start of your exam. DO NOT count on that opportunity, however. A better alternative would be to reach out to an Elmer if you have one for some help in understanding the material. Another alternative is to send an email to ad2cs@arrl.net with any questions that you may have. You will receive a response that should help to clear things up for you.
Good luck!