United States · License examCan you take the ham radio license exam online?
ARRL keeps a list of VE teams that give online exams, with each team’s contact and sign-up page. W5YI-VEC also runs remote and in-person exams for every license class, and lists its remote sessions on its site. Part 97 allows for remote exams: the examiners grade them at the earliest practical opportunity instead of on the spot.
Each team posts its own sign-up steps, and ARRL notes that VECs’ policies and requirements can differ. Read the team’s instructions before you register, and have your FRN ready.
Finding a ham radio license test near you
ARRL’s exam search finds in-person sessions by ZIP code, within 25 to 250 miles, or by state. Leave the other fields blank when you search by ZIP code, or the search may not work. The VEC line in each listing tells you who runs the session.
The National Conference of Volunteer Examiner Coordinators (NCVEC) points to HamStudy.org’s session list too. Once you’ve picked one, contact the organizer to check the date, time, fee and documents.
What happens at a session
The VE team watches you for the whole exam and ends it if you don’t follow their instructions. When you finish an element, they grade it. Pass and they give you a Certificate of Successful Completion of Examination (CSCE). Fail and they tell you your score and hand back your application.
If a disability means you need a different exam procedure, the team must accommodate you, and it may ask for a doctor’s note first. At ARRL sessions, a minor may have an adult in the room.
Which VEC runs your session
VECs are organizations with a written agreement with the FCC to coordinate exams. NCVEC lists the FCC-certified VECs, among them ARRL, the Laurel Amateur Radio Club, the Jefferson Amateur Radio Club and the Anchorage ARC VEC. Any VEC must register every qualified examinee, whether or not they belong to an amateur radio organization, so you don’t need to join ARRL to test at an ARRL session.
Your questions come from the same pool whichever VEC you choose, because every VEC uses the one question pool for each element. What can differ is the fee and the team’s procedures. One exception: ARRL’s Youth Licensing Grant Program only covers candidates who test with an ARRL VEC team.
Sources: ARRL · W5YI-VEC · NCVEC and 3 more. Checked October 2026.
- ARRL: Find an In-Person or Remote Video Online Exam ↗
- ARRL: Find an Online Exam Session ↗
- ARRL: What to Bring to an Exam Session ↗
- W5YI-VEC: Find An Exam Session ↗
- NCVEC: home page and FCC Certified VECs ↗
- eCFR: 47 CFR Part 97, §§ 97.509, 97.519, 97.521, 97.523 ↗
Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.
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