How to get your Amateur Radio (Ham) Technician License

Getting Licensed for Amateur Radio
The FCC Technician license is the entry level amateur radio license. Getting your Technician Amateur Radio license is easier now than it has ever been. It costs around $50 total to get your license. The FCC application fee is $35, and you will pay another $15 to take the exam. If you buy books or training, it may cost you more, but you can study for all of the 3 levels of license (Technician, General, Amateur Extra) using the internet or an app on your phone for free. My personal recommendation is to use Hamstudy.org, which is free online using a browser, or available on your smartphone for a small fee. I highly recommend the the hamstudy.org app on your smartphone since you will be more likely to study more since most people always have their phone with them, and I love the app on the iPhone. For a detailed guide on how to study, see my article FCC Amateur Radio Exam Study Guide for tips and tricks to help you learn the material, and pass the FCC Amateur Radio Exams for the Technician, General, or Amateur Extra exams.

The FCC Question Pools
The FCC uses a definitive question pool for each exam. You can download a copy from the ARRL’s website for each of the three question pools with all of the possible questions they can ask you, the exact multiple-choice answers you will have on the test to choose from, and the correct answer is identified for each question. You just have to memorize the questions and answers so you can pass the test. That being said, it is MUCH better if you actually understand what you are learning so you know WHY the answer is correct and can apply that knowledge later when you start operating.

To better understand the material you are learning there are many resources at your disposal. You can use an app on your smartphone, watch videos explaining everything on YouTube, get in touch with your local Amateur Radio Club (YCARS.org if you are in the York County area of South Carolina), or do individual study using books from the ARRL (American Radio Relay League), most of which can be found at your local library. But most importantly, study and pass the test so you can start getting on the air. You will learn a LOT once you actually start using your new privileges and can apply what you have studied.

Test Question Pool and Subject Matter
As of 2024, the Technician test is currently made up of 412 possible questions. Only 35 questions will be on the test. You only need to get 26 questions correct to pass with a 74% score. There are 10 sub elements that are divided by the subject matter covered, and you will be asked approximately 10% of the possible questions from each question pool.

The current breakdown is as follows:

Sub-element T1 (Technician section 1) covers the Commission’s Rules. You will get more questions from this sub-element than any other section. This is a relatively easy element, so make sure you are answering close to 100% of the questions correctly before you leave this section. I would make the same suggestion for the Operating Procedures, Amateur Radio Practices, and Safety sections as well. Not only are they relatively easy subjects, they are EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. These are the things you will use, in one way or another, almost every day as an operator. If you get all of the answers correct from just these 4 sections on your exam, you will have more than half (14 out of 26, or 54%) of the points you need to pass the test.

You will need to have a good understanding of all of the subelements, but you can make up for a deficit in one area, with more knowledge in another area. There isn’t any single element of the test that can keep you from passing as long as you understand all of the other elements. That being said, there is nothing on this test you can’t memorize. Even if you don’t yet understand it fully, at least memorize the questions and answers for now so you can pass the test. Once you start using your license, and talking to other hams, more of what you memorized will start to make sense to you.

To find an exam session (online or in-person), go to the FCC’s website here and search for a testing session in your area. All exams are conducted and overseen by Volunteer Examiners (VEs) who have their license (General or higher) and are certified to give the exams they oversee.If you cannot find an in-person exam near you, or one that happens soon enough for you, you can register to take the exam online remotely. I personally prefer in-person exams anytime I can take them. Not only is it a lot easier to just show up and take the exam, but you will get to meet other amateur radio operators. VEs are usually some of the nicest people you will meet. Some in-person tests are held at the local Amateur Radio Club’s clubhouse if they have one, so you can get to see some really cool stuff. The atmosphere at an in-person exam is usually a lot more inviting, and tend to feel more relaxed compared to the cold disconnected nature of online testing.

Remote Exams
Not everyone will have a testing session or site close to them, or the next testing session may not happen for several months after you are ready. In this case, a remote exam over the internet might be what you’re looking for. Remote exams require certain accommodations on your part. Some of the required accommodations include things like; being required to have a front facing camera on your computer so you are visible while taking the test, using special exam software that allows the examiners to see what is happening on your computer while you are taking the exam, some examiners may require you to have a second camera showing yourself from the side, you must be in a room with nothing in it that can be used to cheat (some people use their bathroom since it is generally free from things that could be considered suspicious) to ensure you are not cheating, you cannot have anyone else in the room with you, you are not allowed to use any devices other than the computer you are using to take the exam (exceptions can be made if you need to use your cell phone propped up somewhere to show yourself in the room from the side as mentioned above). In-person exams allow a calculator (which they usually supply to keep people from cheating), but for my online exam I was only allowed to use the calculator on the computer.

The Exam Fee
The $15 exam fee covers as many levels of certification as you can pass in a single session. In other words, if you study for both your Technician and General license, you can pay the $15 exam fee, and take both tests for that one fee as long as you pass them in order (e.g. you have to pass the Technician exam first, and then take the General exam). There have been people who passed all 3 in one sitting, but I really don’t suggest you try this. However, a lot of the information in the Technician exam and the General exam overlap, so if you get a good score on your Technician exam, the VEs may ask you if you want to try the General exam as well since it won’t cost you anything but time.

Regardless of how you take the exam, study until you are getting 80% or higher scores in every category on your practice exams, and then take the test. If you fail, it is not the end of the world. Many locations will allow you to retake the exam during the same testing session as long as there is sufficient time left and you pay another $15 fee to cover the cost of the second exam. If you do this, the second exam MUST be a different version of the questions. So, each time you take an exam, you might get an “easy” or a “hard” exam. Sometimes you get a hard one and fail, and take it again and get an easy one and pass. So if your score is close, but you didn’t pass, ask about retesting immediately if that interests you, or study some more to guarantee you pass the next time.

Study, pass, and get on the air.

73,
N4MCP