So you’ve decided that you want to get into ham radio? That’s great - it’s an awesome hobby of lots of rabbit holes that can look impressive at first glance. Probably the most overwhelming at the beginning - “how do I study and learn all of this RF/electrical theory??!!”

This is a question that gets asked a lot, but it isn’t as scary as it seems. I know lots of people that have entered the hobby with nothing more than an elementary school level knowledge of electronics, and electrical engineers that didn’t pass the entry level exam on the first try.

What are the tests?

In the US there are 3 current levels of amateur radio license - Technician, General, and Amateur Extra. You can progress through the levels by taking a series of multiple-choice exams showing increasing breadth of knowledge.

Element 2

This is the element that all amateur radio operators must pass in order to apply for a license. The exam is made up of 35 questions chosen from a pool of approximately 400 questions; you must answer 26 (74%) correctly to pass. The good(?) news is that the bulk of the questions are about rules and regulations, safety procedures, and operating practices - there is very little math and electrical / RF theory, so if you answer every math question incorrectly you can still pass.

Element 3

Like Element 2, this exam is made up of 35 questions chosen from a bank of about 400, and you must score a 74% (26 correct) or higher to pass. Passing this element (at the same time or after passing Element 2) gives you eligibility for your General class license, opening up HF operating privileges. As with Element 2 these questions are weighted to operating procedures and regulatory information, but not as heavily.

Element 4

You must pass Element 4 to attain Amateur Extra. This test draws 50 questions from a pool of approximately 600, and you must answer 37 correctly to pass. This element is heavily geared towards RF and electrical theory, with very little focus on regulations or operating procedures.

Do I need to learn Morse code?

No - the FCC did away with the Morse code requirement several years ago. Many people still choose to learn code, but it is not a requirement for licensing.

Ok, cool - how do I study?

There are 2 commonly recommended methods for studying to pass each exam:

• Memorize the questions and correct answers, get your license, and use a radio to learn the practical stuff.
• Learn all of the material and try to be an expert before passing

I generally argue that neither method is wrong, but personally prefer the first for Elements 2 and 3, and the second for Element 4. All amateur radio licenses are intended to be permission to learn and experiment, so the sooner you understand the rules and safety the sooner you can (legally) operate and begin to understand what is actually happening in a practical sense.

Cram it all in

In the US, the full question pool for all 3 elements is publicly available with questions and answers. This makes it possible to study the questions and answers exactly as you will see them on the test. With a 400 question pool, flash card study can be effective in about 4-6 hours of cramming; 600 questions takes around 10-12.

Hamstudy

The most popular flashcard method is by using the HamStudy application. It has the full question bank for all 3 elements and will use a progressive learning algorithm to show you the questions you are weakest at most often. It also has practice tests so that you can measure your current passing ability. You can create an account on the website for free, or pay a small amount in the app store of your choice for a mobile app (I get no money from this plug - I just like the app).

After you create your account, log into the app and follow the below easy steps:

• Choose the element you are working on (Technician for new licenses)
• Select Study mode
• Use the drop-down option to change from All Questions to T1
• Go through each question in T1 until you have seen 100% of the questions.
• Review your Aptitude score - when it reaches 85% or higher you are ready to move to the next sub-element
• Again using the drop-down, change to working on Sub-Element T2 until you have seen 100% of the questions
• Continue this for each sub-element
• After you have seen 100% of the questions and have an 85% or higher aptitude, take a practice exam. The likelihood of passing it is extremely high.

Do not continuously take practice exams to study. The study mode will very quickly show you all of the questions; you would need to take well over 1000 practice exams to see the entire question pool just 1 time.

Other flashcard sites

There are many other flashcard study sites of various levels of pricing. I have seen people have mixed results with many of them. The key is to make certain that you are seeing 100% of the questions - if you see 100% of the questions and can consistently answer them correctly, you will pass.

Study Sites

There are many books, sites, videos, and products designed to help teach to these exams. Many of them can be helpful, most especially for Element 4. HamStudy has added study-along functionality to the mobile app for many of the most popular, so even if you learn best by ingesting instead of rote memorization you can supplement your study with the question pool items in parallel.

Books

KB6NU No-Nonsense Study Guides

Dan, KB6NU has been publishing his No-Nonsense Study Guides since 2006. The PDF version of the Technician guide is available for free, while the General and Amateur Extra versions are a small fee.

HamStudy Technician License HamBook

Richard, KD7BBC founder of HamStudy, ExamTools, and SignalStuff put together the HamBook study guide for the Element 2 Technician exam. It is free to use online, but does not have an easily portable version such as a PDF or paper book.

ARRL Ham Radio License Manual

The ARRL publishes a study guide for each license class. It is available in paperback or kindle versions.

Gordon West WB6NOA License Prep

Gordon West has been a well-known teacher and co-host of the Ham Nation news show for many years. His study guides are well known and well respected.

YouTube channels

There are several YouTube channels dedicated to Amateur Radio, and a few have done video series dedicated to walking through the question pools and answers.

Ham Radio Crash Course

Josh Nass KI6NAZ has a Technician Crash Course video series where he walks through each sub-element.

Dave Casler KE0OG

Dave Casler KE0OG has put together a video walk through the ARRL license manual. His channel also has courses for Elements 3 and 4.

Gary W4EEY class recordings

Gary W4EEY makes his class recordings available via YouTube, where he walks through the question pool and offers explanations.

Classes

There are many paid services and classes available online; some are better than others. If you are looking for an instructional setting, I would suggest finding a local ham radio club - they often provide classes on a regular schedule, or know of a local group doing so.