All That You Need to Know About the Classes…
Introduction
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.
To help to clarify things a bit, it should be understood that the three license levels are graduated and sequential levels. All amateur operators start out as Technicians, then may progress to the General license level, and finally may decide to upgrade the license to the Amateur Extra level. Technician (or Element 2) is the entry-level license, having the least amount of technical knowledge required but also having the most restrictive operating privileges. The General (or Element 3) license level is an upgraded level having an additional range of required technical knowledge but also offering increased frequency and mode privileges. Finally, the Amateur Extra (or Element 4) level is the top-level license with the broadest range of frequency privileges but also requiring the greatest amount of technical knowledge.
Those familiar with Amateur Radio may also be aware of the Advanced and Novice license levels. These are two license classes that were once offered, but that have since been discontinued. However, any individuals holding either of these licenses are permitted to maintain those licenses and operate under the provisions of those licenses for as long a period of time that they desire, so long as they keep the licenses active. Should one of these licenses expire without timely renewal, it will cease to exist and the holder of the expired license must then transition to one of the three currently-offered license types. A Novice license is a lower-level license than is the Technician license, and an Advanced license is slotted in between General and Amateur Extra.
The Classes
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 NJ 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.
| Meeting | Element 2 (Technician) | Element 3 (General | Element 4 (Amateur Extra) |
| #1 | Monday 6 April 2026 | Tuesday 7 April 2026 | Friday 10 April 2026 |
| #2 | Monday 13 April 2026 | Tuesday 14 April 2026 | Friday 17 April 2026 |
| #3 | Monday 20 April 2026 | Tuesday 21 April 2026 | Friday 24 April 2026 |
| #4 | Monday 27 April 2026 | Tuesday 28 April 2026 | Friday 1 May 2026 |
| #5 | Monday 4 May 2026 | Tuesday 5 May 2026 | Friday 8 May 2026 |
| #6 | Monday 11 May 2026 | Tuesday 12 May 2026 | Friday 15 May 2026 |
| #7 | Monday 18 May 2026 | Tuesday 19 May 2026 | Friday 22 May 2026 |
| #8 | Memorial Day Holiday | Tuesday 26 May 2026 | Friday 29 May 2026 |
| #9 | Monday 1 June 2026 | Tuesday 2 June 2026 | Friday 5 June 2026 |
| #10 | Monday 8 June 2026 | Tuesday 9 June 2026 | Friday 12 June 2026 |
| #11 | Monday 15 June 2026 | Tuesday 16 June 2026 | Friday 19 June 2026 |
| #12 | Monday 22 June 2026 | Tuesday 23 June 2026 | Friday 26 June 2026 |
| Exam | Monday 29 June2026 | Monday 29 June 2026 | Monday 29 June 2026 |
In addition to the materials itemized above, each student is required to bring to each class meeting a notebook and personal writing implements including a highlighter. A calculator is recommended but not required. If you are purchasing a calculator, a scientific calculator such as the TI-30 is advised.
It is the policy of the instructional staff that students can bring snacks or even their dinner with them to the class meeting. Snacks may be consumed during the class so long as the process is non-disruptive. If bringing dinner, it is recommended that the student arrive at least a half-hour before the class begins in order to eat the dinner then. The Clubhouse is normally open about an hour before class time, allowing early-arriving students to get personalized answers to any questions that they may have.
The Clubhouse has lavatory facilities. Liquid refreshments in the form of bottled water, soda, coffee, and tea are available at the Clubhouse on a nominal no-charge basis. However, those who partake of the liquid refreshment are asked to make off-setting contributions to the Clubhouse hospitality “kitty” to help defray the replacement costs of the beverages consumed. Students are expected to take away any leftover foodstuffs or snacks so as to leave nothing there to attract pests.
Registration
To register your intention to attend one or more of these series of classes, please use the registration form linked 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.
To register for one of the GCARC Ham Exam Preparation Classes, please complete and submit this form.
On the form linked above, the prospective student will be given the option to either pay via the form itself, or else to simply register and then pay afterwards. Payment not made via the form can be made using any one of the following methods:
- pay by check or money order via US Mail — send payment to GCARC Ham Class Registration PO Box 370 Pitman, NJ 08071;
- pay by credit/debit card, by check or money order, or in cash at any GCARC event (General Membership Meeting, Board of Directors Meeting, Tech Forum Saturday, etc.);
- pay in person by any above method during a normal Saturday gathering at the GCARC Clubhouse; or
- pay in person by any above method on the first evening of the class for which you are registering.
Please note that if payment is not received by the first evening of class, you will not be permitted to attend the class!