FCC Amateur Radio

Overview

Amateur radio operators in the United States must hold a licence issued by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The licence is earned by passing written exams, called elements. The exams are not run by the FCC itself. Volunteer Examiner Coordinators (VECs) organise sessions, and teams of volunteer examiners (VEs) give and grade the tests and report results to the FCC.

The FCC's own licensing pages could not be read when this page was written (the site refused automated access). The exam rules below come from the federal regulation text (47 CFR Part 97). The description of the licence classes comes from the ARRL, and the question pool details from the NCVEC, which are not the FCC. Confirm current details with the FCC or your VEC.

Licence classes and exam elements

There are three licence classes. Each higher class adds operating privileges and needs a harder exam.

You take only the elements you do not already have credit for. Moving up a class means passing the next element, not repeating earlier ones.

• Technician is the usual entry licence. It covers radio theory, regulations and operating practice, and gives access to all amateur frequencies above 30 MHz, plus limited privileges on some HF (shortwave) bands.

• General opens operating privileges on all amateur bands and modes, which allows worldwide communication.

• Amateur Extra gives every available amateur privilege on all bands and modes.

Who can apply

According to the ARRL, anyone may hold a US amateur licence except a representative of a foreign government. The regulations also require every applicant to pass an exam for a new licence and for each change of class. A VE may not give an exam to close relatives such as a spouse, child, parent or sibling, and an examination session must be run by a team of at least three VEs.

Syllabus and question pools

Exam questions are drawn from public question pools kept by the NCVEC Question Pool Committee. Each pool must hold at least ten times the number of questions on one exam, and pools are normally valid for four years. Each pool has a syllabus split into sub-elements. When this page was reviewed the pools listed by the NCVEC were:

• Technician (Element 2): the 2026-2030 pool.

• General (Element 3): the 2023-2027 pool.

• Amateur Extra (Element 4): the 2024-2028 pool.

Use the latest pool and syllabus published on the NCVEC site.

Marking and results

The examiners grade each element when you finish it. The pass marks are 26 of 35 for Elements 2 and 3, and 37 of 50 for Element 4. If you hold a Certificate of Successful Completion of Examination (CSCE), the examiners must give credit for each element it shows you passed in the previous 365 days. Some holders of older licences also receive credit for earlier elements, depending on the licence and whether it is current.

Fees

The regulations allow VEs and VECs to charge examinees for their out-of-pocket costs of preparing, processing, giving and coordinating an exam. The amount is set by each VEC and session, so check it with the session you plan to attend. The regulations do not give a figure.

How to apply

1. Study the question pool for the element you are taking.

2. Find an exam session through a VEC, in person or online.

3. Take the exam in front of a team of VEs. If you hold a CSCE from an earlier pass, tell the examiners so they can credit it.

4. If you pass, the VEs report your result to the FCC, which issues the licence. The ARRL notes that US licences are good for 10 years before renewal.

FAQs