Part of our Start Here: A New Ham’s Guide to Getting on the Air guide.
Every licensed ham started in the exact same place: a room with a volunteer examiner team and a multiple choice test. There are three license classes in the US, Technician, General, and Extra, and each one unlocks more of the spectrum. None of them require Morse code anymore, and all three draw from question pools that are public, meaning you can study the actual questions you will be asked ahead of time.
Technician: your entry point
The Technician exam, Element 2, is 35 questions pulled from a public pool, and you need 26 correct, 74 percent, to pass. A freshly updated question pool took effect July 1, 2026 and runs through June 30, 2030, so make sure any study material you’re using reflects it. A Technician license gives you full privileges on the VHF and UHF bands, plus limited privileges on a few HF bands, enough to get on local repeaters, chase POTA activators, and even make some HF contacts on CW and digital modes. For the full exam breakdown, study paths, and what radio to buy first, see Getting Licensed: A Beginner’s Path Into Ham Radio.
General: HF opens up
The General exam, Element 3, is also 35 questions at a 74 percent passing score, and this is the license most hams actually want, because it opens the majority of the HF bands for SSB, CW, and digital operation. This is where DXing, ragchewing across continents, and most of what people picture when they imagine ham radio actually happens. You do not need to hold Technician for any minimum length of time before testing for General. Many people take both exams back to back in the same session.
Extra: the whole spectrum
The Extra exam, Element 4, steps up to 50 questions, and you need 37 correct to pass. It goes deeper into electronics theory, advanced regulations, and operating practice, and in exchange it hands you access to the remaining slices of HF spectrum that General class operators cannot use, along with the shortest, most sought after call signs. Plenty of hams stay happily at General for years. Extra is for the people who want every last kilohertz available to them.
Testing for more than one class at once
Since the question pools are public and Technician and General are both 35 questions at a 74 percent passing score, many VE sessions will let you sit for both in the same visit, and some will let you go straight for Extra too if you pass General first. For study apps, practice exam strategy, and what to actually bring to your first VE session, see the full walkthrough in Getting Licensed: A Beginner’s Path Into Ham Radio.
The exam is genuinely the easy part. The harder, more rewarding part starts after you pass, when you have to figure out your first radio, your first antenna, and your first contact. But that part only happens once you have a call sign, so if you have been putting off testing, there has never been an easier or better documented path to get one.