National Amateur Radio Alliance Supporting today’s ham radio operators

Exams and testing

How US amateur radio exams work, in person or online, and how to find one.

How exam sessions work

Amateur radio exams in the United States are administered by volunteers - Volunteer Examiners, or VEs - who are accredited by a Volunteer Examiner Coordinator. Sessions are held at clubs, libraries, hamfests, schools and increasingly online by video.

Three accredited VEs must be present. They grade your exam on the spot, so you normally know whether you passed before you leave.

What to bring

  • Your FCC FRN (register in CORES beforehand - the FCC no longer accepts Social Security numbers in its place).
  • Government-issued photo ID, or the documents your VE team specifies for minors.
  • Your existing license or CSCE if you are upgrading.
  • The session fee, usually about $15 - check whether the team takes cards.
  • A basic calculator, if you want one. Phones may not be used.

Find a session

HamStudy publishes the most complete national list of in-person and online sessions, updated continuously. Filter for “online” if you would rather test from home.

Search exam sessions

After you pass

You will get a CSCE at the session. Your VEC files the paperwork electronically; the FCC then emails you to pay the $35 application fee for a new license. Your callsign appears in the FCC database a few days later, and only then may you transmit.

You can take your exam online

Many VE teams now run remotely proctored sessions over video, so you can earn or upgrade a license from home. An online exam carries exactly the same weight as one taken in a club room: the same question pool, the same three accredited VEs, and the same CSCE at the end.

Sessions are usually scheduled by appointment and often run in the evenings, which makes them a good option if the nearest in-person team meets only once a month, or if travel, distance or health makes a trip difficult.

What an online session needs

  • A computer with a webcam and microphone, and a reliable internet connection.
  • A second camera - often a phone - so the examiners can see your room and desk.
  • A quiet room to yourself, with a clear desk and no notes or extra screens.
  • Your FRN and photo ID, ready to show on camera.

Each team publishes its own equipment check and fee, so read their instructions when you book.

Exam day

What an exam session is actually like

  1. You check in

    Arrive a few minutes early - most teams ask you to be there fifteen minutes before the start, and some will not admit late arrivals once the session has begun. A VE checks your photo ID, takes your FRN, and has you fill in the NCVEC Form 605 with your name, address and the class of license you are testing for. If you are upgrading, this is when you hand over a copy of your existing license or CSCE. You pay the session fee at the same table. For an online session the same check-in happens on camera: you show your ID, read out your FRN and pan your second camera slowly around the room.

  2. The VEs brief the room

    Once everyone is checked in a VE explains the ground rules: no phones, no notes, no talking, calculators must be cleared, and how to signal if you have a question. Ask anything you are unsure about now - the team wants you to pass.

  3. You take the exam

    You get the question paper and an answer sheet, or a tablet if the team tests on HamStudy’s exam tool. There is no time limit worth worrying about; most people finish a Technician or General paper in twenty to thirty minutes. Answer every question, because a blank counts the same as a wrong one.

  4. The VEs grade it while you wait

    Hand your paper in and all three VEs grade it on the spot, in the room with you. Technician and General need 26 of 35 correct; Extra needs 37 of 50. They will tell you your result then and there.

  5. You can try the next class free

    If you pass, most teams will let you sit the next exam up in the same session at no extra charge. Plenty of people walk in for Technician and leave with General, so it is worth a look even if you have not studied for it - a failed attempt costs you nothing and does not affect the exam you have already passed.

  6. You leave with a CSCE

    Everyone who passes gets a Certificate of Successful Completion of Examination before they go. The team files the results with its VEC electronically, the FCC emails you to pay the $35 application fee for a new license, and your callsign appears in the FCC database a few days later. Keep the CSCE: it is your proof of the upgrade until the license is issued, and you may not transmit until your callsign is in the database.

If you do not pass, you may retake the exam - some teams will give you a second version the same day for another fee, and you can always book another session. Nobody at the table thinks less of you for it.