GCARC Ham License Exam Preparation Class Information

GCARC is once again offering its highly-regarded Ham License Exam Preparation Classes at all three license levels or Elements currently being issued by the FCC. These Elements are Element 2 (Technician), Element 3 (General), and Element 4 (Amateur Extra). If you are interested in either earning a new license or else upgrading your existing license, this is the best route to success in that endeavor.

The training classes are presented as a series of (usually) twelve weekly three-hour sessions. After completion of those twelve sessions, a special FCC Exam Session is scheduled for all of the students to attend together, to sit for the actual multiple-choice exam. A 74% score is required for a passing grade and subsequent issuance of the new license.

The Element 2 and Element 3 exams are 35 questions in length, while the Element 4 exam is 50 questions long. The exams are taken on an electronic device, either a computer or a tablet, and are graded immediately upon completion. As a result, you will know your earned license status immediately, instead of waiting weeks to learn if you passed or failed the way it once was.

The class schedule is the same as that which has been in use by GCARC for the past three years. The Element 2 group will meet on Monday evenings, the Element 3 group will meet on Tuesday evenings, and the Element 4 group will meet on Friday evenings. The classes are held at the GCARC Clubhouse, located on the Gloucester County 4-H Fairgrounds property, which is located on N J Route 77 just south of the town of Mullica Hill, NJ. The classes are in-person only with no remote or online provisions being made at all. The class schedule is provided in the table below. Individual class meetings begin promptly at 1800 hrs and conclude at 2100 hrs. A break is provided at about the mid-point of each class meeting.

The cost for each Element class series is $35.00, which includes most of the materials needed. It is highly recommended that each student also purchase a copy of the most recent edition of the ARRL license manual applicable to the Element being studied. These books, best purchased in the spiral-bound format, are readily available online from ARRL (arrl.org) or from Amazon, or they can be purchased at Ham Radio Outlet on US Route 13 in New Castle, Delaware.

MeetingElement 2 (Technician)Element 3 (GeneralElement 4 (Amateur Extra)
#1Monday 6 April 2026Tuesday 7 April 2026Friday 10 April 2026
#2Monday 13 April 2026Tuesday 14 April 2026Friday 17 April 2026
#3Monday 20 April 2026Tuesday 21 April 2026Friday 24 April 2026
#4Monday 27 April 2026Tuesday 28 April 2026Friday 1 May 2026
#5Monday 4 May 2026Tuesday 5 May 2026Friday 8 May 2026
#6Monday 11 May 2026Tuesday 12 May 2026Friday 15 May 2026
#7Monday 18 May 2026Tuesday 19 May 2026Friday 22 May 2026
#8Memorial Day HolidayTuesday 26 May 2026Friday 29 May 2026
#9Monday 1 June 2026Tuesday 2 June 2026Friday 5 June 2026
#10Monday 8 June 2026Tuesday 9 June 2026Friday 12 June 2026
#11Monday 15 June 2026Tuesday 16 June 2026Friday 19 June 2026
#12Monday 22 June 2026Tuesday 23 June 2026Friday 26 June 2026
ExamMonday 29 June2026Monday 29 June 2026Monday 29 June 2026

To register your intention to attend one or more of these series of classes, please use the registration form below. A separate form is required for each separate class series that you wish to attend. It is highly recommended, however, that these classes be taken one at a time, as the material is cumulative, with each successive class series building on the information taught in the next lower class series. Thus, an individual taking, for example, both the Element 2 and the Element 3 class series will be at a disadvantage, because it will be expected that each student has mastered the material of the previous Element before advancing to a higher license Element.