Ham Radio Youth Insights: How to Study for Amateur Radio Licensing Exams

Getting an amateur radio license can seem daunting at first. Some compare the Technician exam to a community college’s first-year electrical engineering class. That’s probably a fair comparison, although you don’t need to study for nearly as long to get your amateur radio license.

Before I delve into studying tips, I’ll start with a quick overview of the licensing system in the United States. There are three classes of licenses: Technician, General, and Extra. Each licensing test increases in difficulty, though all three are still very achievable. The Technician and General exams are each composed of 35 questions. Test-takers must answer a minimum of 26 correctly to pass. The Extra exam contains 50 questions. You need to answer a minimum of 37 correctly to earn this license.

All three exams are conducted by Volunteer Examiners—amateur radio operators who have completed a certification process to be able to administer tests with their local club or another group. These groups of Volunteer Examiners coordinate testing sessions (typically hosted by a local club in their meeting space, a library, or other public venue). If you’re looking to take a licensing exam, you’ll need to find a testing session to attend. Lists of these testing sessions can be found on the ARRL website, occasionally through local club websites, or even by a simple online search.

Before you look into finding a test session, preparation for the exam is an important part of the process. It’s very unlikely you’ll be able to simply sit down and pass the exam without having studied unless you have a strong background in RF and electrical theory. Even if you do, it’s still a good idea to look over the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules section to be as prepared as possible.

Each exam level has a pool of questions from which the 35 or 50 exam questions are drawn. The question pool is updated every few years, but all of the questions and correct answers are available to the public.

There are many resources you can use to study online. Some even offer different study modes like flash cards and content explanation videos in addition to the typical practice tests. I used some of these resources, as well as a study manual, when I took my three exams in early middle school, and was able to quickly and easily prepare myself for the tests. One tip worth emphasizing is that if you don’t have a strong background in math and science, it may be easier to memorize the questions and answers. You can teach yourself the material and learn the “how it works” details after you have your license. This will allow you to learn in a more hands-on manner.

In terms of the actual study process, it takes most people a few weeks to a month of relatively consistent studying to be ready to take the tests, although it’s not more of a time commitment than extending your Duolingo streak. With 15 minutes a day of familiarizing yourself with the material covered on the exam, you should be able to achieve your goal of earning your license.

After you’ve passed the Technician exam, you already know how to study. My above tips apply to all three exam levels. By now you’ll also probably know what study methods work well for you. The other good news is that the General and Extra exams have a significant amount of overlapping content, and the questions are presented in similar ways. The Extra exam is slightly more challenging, not only because of the increased number of questions, but also due to the content. It may take you slightly longer to prepare yourself to earn your Extra license, but it’s definitely worth it.

If you’re determined to get your amateur radio license, it is a very achievable goal, and one that I can’t possibly recommend enough. With a little time and dedication, the process can be quite enjoyable and rewarding.

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