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United States · License exam

The General class ham license and its exam

A General class ham license needs one more exam on top of the Technician: Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Element 3, 35 multiple-choice questions with 26 correct to pass. It’s the license that opens high frequency (HF) operating, with some privileges on every amateur band. The questions come from the 2023‑2027 General pool of the National Conference of Volunteer Examiner Coordinators (NCVEC), which is valid until June 30, 2027.

  • 35Questions on Element 3
  • 26Correct answers to pass
  • July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2027Dates of the General pool
Download the General pool

Updated October 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

Who can take the General class ham license exam?

Anyone can sit Element 3, but the General license is only granted with credit for Element 2 as well. That credit comes from a Technician license you hold, an expired Technician license within its renewal grace period, a Certificate of Successful Completion of Examination (CSCE) from the last 365 days, or passing Element 2 at the same session.

Some older licenses give Element 3 credit without the exam; the license levels page lists them. The Volunteer Examiners (VEs) giving Element 3 must hold Amateur Extra or Advanced.

Element credit and older license classes →

What the General exam covers

The General syllabus has 10 subelements. These are the exam questions each one gets:

SubelementOn exam
G1 FCC rules5
G2 Operating procedures5
G3 Radio wave propagation3
G4 Amateur radio practices5
G5 Electrical principles3
G6 Circuit components2
G7 Practical circuits3
G8 Signals and emissions3
G9 Antennas and feed lines4
G0 Electrical and radio frequency safety2

Operating procedures and station practices weigh as much as the rules, with 5 questions each. Several G1 questions have been withdrawn, two of them after an FCC rule change, so study from the file with the errata of February 4, 2026.

Testing on or after July 1, 2027

The 2023‑2027 General pool is valid only through June 30, 2027. NCVEC replaces each pool on a four-year rotation and normally releases the new one about six months before it takes effect. If your exam falls on or after July 1, 2027, check NCVEC’s pool pages for the General pool that applies on that date, and make sure your study materials match it.

NCVEC: Amateur Question Pools ↗Practice tests and study guides for General →

What General adds

The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) sums it up as all the very high frequency (VHF) and ultra high frequency (UHF) bands plus most HF privileges, from 160 down to 10 meters, in every mode, and says General opens the door to worldwide communications. Amateur Extra then adds the rest of the 80, 40, 20 and 15 meter bands.

General and Extra frequencies band by band →ARRL: Upgrading to a General License ↗
Sources: NCVEC · ARRL · eCFR and 2 more. Checked October 2026.

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

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