Contributed by John Brewer, N1SXB – the RI Section Affiliated Club Coordinator (ACC) and new Extra Class license holder
John, N1SXB writes:
One of the best resources for new hams is the ARRL website at www.arrl.org. There is a wealth of information available to all hams whether you are an ARRL member or not.
A resource on the site that I found extremely valuable when it was time for me to upgrade my General Class license was the ARRL Exam Review for Ham Radio section that can be found
at https://www.arrl.org/examreview.
This section is available to both non-members and members, and simply requires you to create an account which is free. The section covers all three license classes, Technician, General and Extra, and setting up your personal account allows you to track your progress.
Once you indicate the license grade you wish to review for, the section has three options:
- Review for Exam
- Take Practice Exam and
- Print Practice Exam
If you use the ARRL license manuals to study for the test, the Review for Exam option allows
you to review exam questions by chapter, following the same topics that are laid out in the
manual. This was the feature I found most helpful – after I read a section in the Extra Class
manual, I would review the questions in that section until I could answer all of the questions.
You can also review by subelement if you want to review by following the FCC topics.
Once I was done with all of the chapters, I took practice exams to gauge how well I knew the
material, and once I was able to obtain passing grades on the practice exams, I signed up for
a VEC session and passed the exam.
Congrats to John, N1SXB!
