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. As of July 1, 2026 there is a freshly updated Technician question pool in effect, replacing the one that had been in use since 2022, so if you are studying right now, make sure whatever material you are using reflects the current pool. 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.
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.
How to actually study
- Use a study app or site built around the current question pool. Since the pools are public and only change every four years, practice tests that pull directly from the real questions are extremely effective, and most people pass Technician within a few weeks of casual study.
- Take practice exams repeatedly. Seeing the same 35 or 50 question format over and over builds real familiarity, and most study tools show you your weak sub-topics so you know where to focus.
- Find a Volunteer Examiner session. Local clubs run these constantly, often for a small fee, and many will let you test for multiple license classes in the same sitting if you pass the one below it first.
- Do not stress about understanding every underlying concept perfectly before testing. Plenty of hams pass Technician memorizing question patterns and pick up the deeper theory once they are actually on the air.
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.