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United States · License exam

How to get a ham radio license in the US

To transmit on the amateur bands in the United States, you need a license from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and you earn it by passing a multiple-choice exam given by volunteer examiners. Everyone starts with the Technician exam: 35 questions, and 26 right is a pass. Every question comes from a question pool that’s published in full before you sit, and there’s no Morse code test. After you pass, you pay the FCC’s $35 application fee online and your ham radio license arrives by email, good for 10 years.

  • 35Multiple-choice questions, Technician exam
  • 26 rightMinimum passing score on 35
  • 3 volunteersExaminers needed at every session
Where to studyHow the test works

Updated October 2026 · Written from the National Conference of Volunteer Examiner Coordinators (NCVEC) 2026-2030 Technician Class (Element 2) question pool and syllabus, effective July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2030, and FCC rules in 47 CFR Part 97

Key facts

At a glance

Issued by
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
License classes
Technician, General and Amateur Extra, each with its own exam
Who gives the exam
Teams of three or more Volunteer Examiners, in person or by video
License term
10 years, with a 2-year grace period to renew

How it works

How to get a ham radio license, step by step

Technician · 26 to pass
General · 26 to pass
Amateur Extra · 37 to pass
To pass you need 26 of 35 on the Technician exam, 26 of 35 on the General exam, and 37 of 50 on the Amateur Extra exam.
  1. Before exam day, register with the FCC’s Commission Registration System (CORES) to get an FCC Registration Number (FRN). The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) says new applicants must have one before they test.
  2. You take the exam at a session run by a team of at least three Volunteer Examiners (VEs), under a Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (VEC). Sessions are held in person or remotely by video.
  3. Each element is a written, multiple-choice test. Every question comes from the public question pool for that element, so you can see every possible question before you sit.
  4. The VEs grade your answers when you finish. For a remote exam, they grade at the earliest practical opportunity.
  5. Pass and you get a Certificate of Successful Completion of Examination (CSCE). It counts as credit for that element for 365 days.
  6. If you pass more than one element at a session, the VEC sends one application to the FCC for the highest class you earned.
  7. Last, you pay the FCC’s $35 application fee online, and the FCC issues your license.

Topics

What’s on the test

01

FCC rules for amateur stations

The rules in 47 CFR Part 97 that every Technician must know: what the amateur service is for, who may transmit, call signs, license terms and what you may and may not send.

Key points (4)
  • T1 is the largest Technician subelement: 6 exam questions from 68 in the pool (NCVEC 2026-2030 syllabus).
  • Part 97.1 sets out the service’s purpose, including emergency communications and advancing the radio art.
  • An amateur license is normally granted for a 10-year term (Part 97.25), and an expired license can be renewed during a 2-year grace period, with no privileges until it is (Part 97.21).
  • Every license must show your correct name, mailing address and email address (Part 97.23).
02

Operating procedures

How to get on the air the right way: choosing a frequency, calling another station, using repeaters and handling public service and emergency traffic.

Key points (4)
  • T2 gives 3 exam questions from 37 in the pool, one from each of groups T2A, T2B and T2C.
  • T2B covers repeater access tones (Continuous Tone-Coded Squelch System, CTCSS, and dual-tone multi-frequency, DTMF) and Digital Mobile Radio (DMR) operation.
  • Part 97.101 says that at all times and on all frequencies, control operators must give priority to stations providing emergency communications.
  • Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service (RACES) stations must be registered with a civil defense organization (Part 97.407).
03

How radio waves travel

Why a signal reaches some places and not others: line of sight, the radio horizon, reflections, the ionosphere and the special modes VHF operators chase.

Key points (3)
  • T3 gives 3 exam questions from 35 in the pool.
  • T3B covers the relationship between wavelength and frequency and the definitions of HF, VHF and UHF.
  • T3C lists sporadic E, meteor scatter, auroral propagation and tropospheric ducting as propagation modes to know.
04

Setting up and running a station

Connecting the parts of a station and using a transceiver’s controls, from the microphone and power supply to squelch, memories and DMR code plugs.

Key points (3)
  • T4 is one of the smallest subelements: 2 exam questions from 23 in the pool.
  • T4B includes configuring digital transceivers, DMR code plugs and talk groups.
  • No station may transmit with more than 1.5 kW peak envelope power (PEP), and every station must use the minimum power needed (Part 97.313).
05

Electrical principles

The basic electricity behind every radio: current, voltage, resistance, power and the math you need for the exam.

Key points (3)
  • T5 gives 4 exam questions from 50 in the pool, one from each group T5A to T5D.
  • T5D is the group on Ohm’s law and series and parallel circuits.
  • T5B covers converting electrical units and using decibels.
06

Electronic and electrical components

The parts inside radios and power supplies, what they do and how they appear on a schematic.

Key points (3)
  • T6 gives 4 exam questions from 46 in the pool.
  • T6C covers schematic symbols, and the 2026-2030 pool comes with three diagrams, T-1 to T-3, published by NCVEC.
  • T6B covers the basics of solid-state devices: diodes and transistors.
07

Practical circuits and test equipment

Receivers, transmitters and amplifiers as working equipment, the problems they run into and how to measure what’s going on.

Key points (3)
  • T7 gives 4 exam questions from 44 in the pool.
  • T7B is about the symptoms, causes and cures of transmitter and receiver problems, including interference to consumer electronics.
  • T7C covers measuring standing wave ratio (SWR) and the use of dummy loads when testing.
08

Signals, emissions and operating activities

Frequency modulation (FM), single sideband (SSB) and Morse code (CW), how much bandwidth each takes, satellites, contests and the digital modes Technicians use.

Key points (3)
  • T8 gives 4 exam questions from 47 in the pool.
  • T8B is the satellite group, from Doppler shift to setting uplink power.
  • T8D lists the digital modes in the syllabus, including APRS, DMR, WSJT modes and Broadband-Hamnet.
09

Antennas and feed lines

How antennas radiate, how length relates to frequency, and how to get the signal to the antenna with little loss.

Key points (2)
  • T9 gives 2 exam questions from 23 in the pool: one on antennas (T9A) and one on feed lines (T9B).
  • T9B covers how feed line attenuation changes with frequency and how to protect connectors from weather.
10

Electrical, antenna and RF safety

Staying safe around power supplies, batteries, towers and the radio frequency (RF) energy your antenna gives off.

Key points (3)
  • T0 gives 3 exam questions from 36 in the pool.
  • T0C covers RF exposure, including proximity to antennas and duty cycle.
  • Part 97.13 requires licensees to make sure their station meets the FCC’s RF exposure limits before transmitting.

Test day

What to bring to a ham radio exam session

  • Your FRN, because the license application form needs it
  • One photo ID, such as a driver’s license, passport or state ID, or two other IDs from the session’s list
  • The session fee in cash, check or money order, if the team asks for it
  • Two No. 2 pencils and a pen for an in-person session
  • A calculator with its memory erased, if you want one; phones can’t be used
  • A copy of your license, unexpired or expired, if you’re upgrading or claiming credit

Before you go

  1. Find a session through the ARRL exam search or the NCVEC link to HamStudy.org, and check the team’s fee and ID rules, as VECs’ policies differ.
  2. Make sure the email address on your FCC registration works. The FCC sends your license by email.
  3. Download the question pool for your element from NCVEC and check its dates, so you study the pool in use on your exam day.
  4. If you have a disability, ask the team about special exam procedures. Part 97 requires VEs to accommodate examinees who need them.
ARRL: Find an in-person or remote exam sessionThere’s no central booking. You choose a VE team’s session and register with that team.

Study options

Where to study

The question pools come from the National Conference of Volunteer Examiner Coordinators (NCVEC), which releases each one into the public domain. ARRL says its online Exam Review, with practice exams drawn from the real pools, is free and open to non-members, and HamStudy.org calls its study site free too. Books and paid courses are listed with their own prices.

OptionPriceFree to useLinks
Official question pools
NCVEC question poolsThe official pools for the Technician, General and Amateur Extra exams, with syllabus and diagramsEvery exam question comes from these pools. Each pool page lists its errata.
No charge; Word and PDF files on NCVEC’s siteNCVEC releases each pool into the public domain
NCVEC: Amateur Question Pools ↗
Free practice exams
ARRL Exam Review for Ham RadioOnline practice exams built from the pools in use, from the American Radio Relay League (ARRL)Random practice exams for all three pools, with short explanations. Review by pool topic or by chapter of ARRL’s manuals, and print as many exams as you want. Needs its own login, separate from an ARRL website account.
No chargeYes, ARRL says it’s free and you don’t need to be a member
ARRL: Exam Practice ↗
Apps and websites
HamStudy.orgStudy website for the US pools, with study mode, practice tests and an exam session listCarries the 2026-2030 Technician, 2023-2027 General and 2024-2028 Extra pools. W5YI-VEC recommends it and suggests passing at least five practice tests before booking an exam. NCVEC links to its exam session finder.
Website free; offline apps sold in the app storesHamStudy.org says its website is and will always be free
HamStudy.org ↗HamStudy.org: apps ↗
HamTestOnlinePaid online course that combines study material with question drillCourses for each pool, including the Technician pool effective July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2030. It says it refunds the subscription if you fail the exam. General and Extra courses have higher list prices.
Technician course, 3 months: $34.95 list priceThe first 50 questions, in its own words
HamTestOnline: price list ↗
Books
ARRL Ham Radio License Manual, 6th editionARRL’s textbook for the Technician examTeaches the Technician material chapter by chapter and pairs with Exam Review. ARRL posts updates and corrections on the manual’s page. ARRL also publishes General and Extra Class License Manuals.
$32.95 in the ARRL storeNo
ARRL: Ham Radio License Manual ↗ARRL Store: Ham Radio License Manual 6th Edition ↗
In person
ARRL license class finderDatabase of local and online license classes run by instructorsSearch by ZIP code and distance, or by state. Type “Online” in the keyword box for online classes. Instructors add classes themselves.
Set by each classNot listed
ARRL: Find an Amateur Radio License Class ↗

Prices and ratings checked October 2026.

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FAQ

Common questions

What is a ham radio license?

It’s the FCC’s amateur operator and primary station license, one grant that covers you as an operator and your station. Part 97 of the FCC’s rules says a station may only transmit on amateur frequencies when it’s under the control of a person named in a license grant on the FCC’s database, so you need it before you go on the air. The license class, Technician, General or Amateur Extra, decides which bands and modes you can use. One person can hold only one.

What is amateur radio?

Part 97 defines the amateur service as radio for self-training, intercommunication and technical investigation, carried out by licensed people interested in radio for personal reasons and not for money. The rules list its purposes: a voluntary, noncommercial service that’s valuable to the public, especially for emergency communications, and a way to advance the radio art, train operators and build international goodwill. Ham radio is the everyday name for it.

How hard is it to get a ham radio license?

The Technician exam is 35 multiple-choice questions, and you need 26 right. Every question on it is taken from the published Technician pool, so nothing on the exam is a surprise. The pool covers FCC rules, operating practice, electronics and safety, so some study is needed. The General exam is the same length, and the Amateur Extra exam has 50 questions with 37 to pass.

Who can get a ham radio license?

Part 97 says anyone who passes the exam is eligible, except a representative of a foreign government. The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) runs a Youth Licensing Grant Program for candidates under 18, who take the same exams as adults, and a minor may have an adult in the room during the test at ARRL sessions. You need an FCC Registration Number (FRN), which means registering with the FCC, before exam day.

How long does it take to get your license after the exam?

The Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (VEC) files your results with the FCC. The FCC then emails you a link to pay the $35 fee. Once you’ve paid and the FCC has processed the application, a second email links to your official license. The cost page has the payment steps.

Can you transmit before your ham radio license is issued?

Not with a first license. The FCC’s rules require your license grant to appear on its database before you act as a control operator. Upgrades are different: if you already hold a license and pass a higher element, the certificate the examiners give you lets you use the higher class’s privileges until the FCC acts on the application, for up to 365 days.

Is a ham license the same as a commercial radio operator license?

No. The FCC’s fee rules list amateur licenses and commercial radio operator licenses as separate kinds of personal license. Commercial operator permits are for jobs such as ship and aircraft station operators. An amateur license is only for the noncommercial amateur service, and it doesn’t let you operate commercial stations.

Do you need a different ham radio license in each state?

No. The FCC issues one license, and its rules (Part 97, Appendix 1) say the FCC regulates the amateur service in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands and other US Pacific islands. The exams are the same everywhere, and the exam sessions page shows how to find one near you.

Sources: eCFR · FCC · ARRL and 4 more. Checked October 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.

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