Lesson Licences · Lesson · 1 min · Get your amateur radio licence, lesson 2 of 2
How the exam works
Published questions, multiple choice, and a pass mark you can plan for.
Draft. Not yet checked by an editor.
Objectives
- Know where the exam questions come from.
- Plan your study around the pass mark.
- Find an exam session.
In most countries the exam is multiple choice and its questions come from a published pool. You can read every question that could appear before you sit it. That does not make it trivial, but it makes it fair and predictable.
In the United States
The entry level is the Technician licence: a 35-question exam, and 26 correct answers pass. Exams are given by teams of volunteer examiners, coordinated by organisations called VECs, in person or online. The FCC charges an application fee for a new licence. The question pools are revised on a regular cycle, so always study from the pool that is current on your exam date.
In the United Kingdom
The entry level is the Foundation licence. The RSGB runs the exams on Ofcom's behalf; Foundation includes practical skills as well as a multiple-choice test. Check the RSGB for the current syllabus and booking.
How to prepare
- Get the current question pool or syllabus from the official source.
- Learn the ideas first (safety, rules, basic electronics, propagation), then practise questions.
- Take timed practice tests until you pass comfortably, then book.
Check yourself
01Where do the exam questions come from in most countries?
From a question pool or syllabus that is published in advance.
02Why check which question pool is current?
Pools are revised on a cycle, and the exam uses the pool in force on your exam date.