How To Study and Pass Your Ham Radio Exam

The ham radio exam can seem daunting but it doesn't have to be. If you use the right approach to studying, the amateur radio tests don't have to be scary. The dirty little secret is there should be no surprises if you study the right way. This video gives you what you need to pass the test the first time and get your license.
HamStudy.org: hamstudy.org/
Ham Radio Prep: hamradioprep.com/
Gordon West Technician Study Guide: amzn.to/3Eakq2t
House of Ham Website: houseofhamradio.com
Note: Some of the links in this description are affiliate links that may provide me a small stipend if you use it to purchase. The price you pay is the same as if you went there directly.

[@dogwalk3]

i'm watching this a couple hours after getting my technician's. i saw we only have one upcoming test date locally & i've been kicking around the idea of finally doing it for the last 4 years or so. all i did was read through all 423 questions - about 1/3 was general knowledge i already had, with some familiarity of the number & electrical aspects from being an analog synth enthusiast. the other 2/3 were new concepts. i think i took 4 practice tests & passed all of them - basically crammed from 5pm to 4am & looking up concepts that were foreign to me so i understood what they were actually describing. bam! 100% on the test - didn't even think about taking practice tests first, i guess, thankfully. took the general test after & failed that (didn't ask how many i actually got right - maybe 10 i was pretty sure about). but it was nice finally getting to meet the local community & going to a club meeting next week. anyways, stoked to get a call sign :) thanks for the video & encouraging people the right way. it was a huge confidence booster that now that im nearing 40, my brain still has a keen knack for study. more excited than ever. next time, im gonna do both the general & extra 🙏 if i would have looked up the test date & has more than 19 hours before it, i would have studied more but it is what it is!

[@houseofhamradio]

Congrats!

[@KN4YEM]

You are smart, I was doing this backwards. I have been studying for over a week for Extra and using the app not computer. You already know I subscribe to your channel.

[@houseofhamradio]

I administer on average 5 exams a week and I see the same things over and over. The approach I provide is what has proven to work for many people. Key thing for any question pool kind of test like the FCC exams is to ensure you have seen all of the questions and then test yourself with practice tests and go over the areas you are lacking. Best of luck on your extra exam.

[@KN4YEM]

@@houseofhamradio okay! Wow, Your a Pro never thought about it this way. Thanks Alot and looking for more videos like this 73.

[@jimdeboer84]

Great Video! Just what I was looking for. Thanks!

[@houseofhamradio]

Glad it helped!

[@Stingray8854]

Liked and subscribed. Got my GMRS license recently and I see no reason not to go for amateur. So I’m gonna do it! Great content.

[@houseofhamradio]

Go for the Ham license. You won't regret it.

[@Stingray8854]

@@houseofhamradio Roger that!!

[@blleep4814]

Thank you sooooo much! This helped me tremendously!

[@houseofhamradio]

Glad it helped!

[@user-zh2qy4hy9l]

Thank you for making this clear and simple.

[@houseofhamradio]

Glad it was helpful!

[@GrotrianSeiler]

This is a really good video. Very clear. Very thorough.

[@houseofhamradio]

Glad you liked it

[@user-jc6bu3om1x]

This was excellent. I'm subbed now and looking forward to watching (and learning) more. Thank you!

[@houseofhamradio]

Awesome, thank you!

[@mario3804]

Thank you so much really appreciate the information

[@houseofhamradio]

Glad it was helpful!

[@dogwoodservicesinc.2972]

Wow. Thanks! Great tips, great video!

[@houseofhamradio]

Glad it was helpful!

[@BlackFox20099]

Thanks so much! Im going for my HAM radio right now and this has been a big help. I will use the links and info given. Thanks again!

[@houseofhamradio]

Glad it was helpful.

[@MindYourBusinesses]

Informative, useful, and helpful.

[@houseofhamradio]

Glad it was helpful!

[@rmac7072]

Thank you, this was very informative.

[@houseofhamradio]

Glad it was helpful!

[@plusorminusandtime]

Thank you for the video and the resources.

[@houseofhamradio]

My pleasure, I hope it helps you get your license or upgrade if you already have it.

[@plusorminusandtime]

@@houseofhamradio Thanks again, in the last six months, I earned my tech license and worked my way up to my extra amateur. I just passed the test on Saturday with a 49 out of 50.

[@houseofhamradio]

@@plusorminusandtime Congrats on the Extra! No doubt you studied hard with that score.

[@stevescott8060]

Very Helpful Information.

[@houseofhamradio]

Glad it was helpful!

[@kathypatten8723]

Thank you!

[@houseofhamradio]

You bet! Glad you found it helpful.

[@flatbedtrucker5473]

Great info

[@houseofhamradio]

Glad it was helpful!

[@spicelord7764]

Thank you for this. I saw this video just after registering for my tech exam on Tuesday, December 5th. This is a great strategy for consistency scoring high on the practice tests :)

[@houseofhamradio]

Best of luck!

[@SlimeDuckies]

How'd the exam go? I'm thinking of following suit... :)

[@rickyconcepcion3297]

😢e​@@houseofhamradio

[@robertallen3133]

Thank you

[@houseofhamradio]

You are welcome. I am glad you found it useful.

[@GamingKing545]

ham radio prep made it easy i passed my tech and general in one go

[@houseofhamradio]

Congrats. Use what works for you.

[@BrendaKocourek-bz9xd]

Thanks for sharing! I'm KI4TBF and I want to upgrade to general class.

[@houseofhamradio]

Hi Brenda, Best of luck on your General exam. Use HamStudy.org and make sure you see all of the questions and you should do just fine. 73 WV7W

[@JohnDoe-gc5hn]

This video made my day!!! Thank you!!! One question....do any of the questions on the exam twists the words around to force a different answer? I am a math guy; not a reader or words guy.

[@houseofhamradio]

The questions are a pool. If you go through all the questions in HamStudy.org, you will be well prepared and have seen all the possible questions word for word. In the test, the answer options may be in a different order but the wording is exactly the same.

[@50kArchipelagos]

Wow, thanks dude. I just signed up at hamstudy. I was about to buy a BaoFeng UV-5R 8W High Power Two Way Radio, then I asked myself "What can I do with it?" Talk about consumerism. I'd better get my license first so I can decide what I actually need/want. Like, can it listen to shortwave radio channels like WWCR? I was going to buy it just hoping, not even knowing their frequency nor the radios' bandwidth. Yeah, why don't I do this one right. Ok. Off & at it.

[@houseofhamradio]

You will not regret getting your license. The Tech test is very easy with a little bit of study. The other two are a bit harder but with study you can pass those too. The UV-5R is a VHF and UHF transceiver and will not receive short wave broadcasts. You need either a short wave capable receiver or an HF transceiver which can both transmit and receive on the ham bands but typically can listen on all of the short wave frequencies too. Best of luck.

[@JoeCab-it5cw]

I’m 62 years old man , You Think I pass it , I’m not that smart burry, Thanks Joe from NYC 🙏

[@houseofhamradio]

Joe, you can do it if you put the time in to study.

[@ricdonato4328]

Joe, I am 80 years old. I passed the exam with a score of 100%. Yes, you can pass as well!

[@johnd9279]

I knew I'd never learn everything, I knew I needed 70 some percent to pass, I studied electronics 40 years ago, Was not a A student. Never could learn the code so never got a license. In retirement I decided to give it a try. I'm pretty good at multiple choice, Mostly studied for Tech level, gave code another try. Went for a testing session. Passed Tech, Passed General, still needed code for general at the time, They made it real easy to pass 5WPM. Something about the number of characters in a row in what I copied. So if you recognised a word or 2 and corrected what you wrote down, and there was enough consecutive correct characters, you passed. Did not pass Extra at that session, studied a bit and squeeked by passing Extra class at next testing session a few weeks later. Just renewed it the 2nd time. .Never did learn code to a functional level,

[@houseofhamradio]

The study tools we have today are far superior to what we had when we tested. Certainly is easier to get through the process than even 5 years ago.

[@johnd9279]

It's been 20 years. I had the list of questions & answers and a couple study books with text on the material. Some books were old editions but I figured the tech material don't change. I was weak on rules & regulations and band limits & privileges. I could guestimate my way though a lot of tech questions. Some of it is just memorization.@@houseofhamradio

[@elizabethw4519]

Hello, so I am totally new at this, but want to get into the Ham radio world as another way to be prepared for whatever.... Should I go ahead and go for the general? Do I need to take both the tech and the general to get the general license? thanks

[@houseofhamradio]

Elizabeth, I would study for the Technician and pass that then move on to General. You have to take the Technician test and pass it before moving on. Use HamStudy.org and you should do fine. Best of luck, Bob

[@VeteranInThePhilippines-uy6uc]

Humm any suggestions on the philippines ham test I passed my fcc general no problem

[@houseofhamradio]

Sorry, I don't know anything about Philippines licensing.

[@dougofford6567]

Are these the same questions as the canadian test?

[@houseofhamradio]

No, these are for the US testing pools. I don't know what the best study site is for Canadian tests, sorry.

[@SammyZung-nv1cg]

Does ham radio license still relevant these days? Unless a person is in emergency services or a hobbyist maybe its not worth the time studying for it. Idk but please let me hear from the people who think it is still relevant.

[@houseofhamradio]

Actually, ham radio has become more relevant than it had been prior to COVID. Many were seeing the advantage of reliable emergency comms if we were to lose Cell service. That being said, is it relevant to you? That depends on you. I am thinking by your question, you may not think so. I can say that ham radio has been an enjoyable and fulfilling part of my life for almost 30 years. Best of luck if you choose to join the ham radio world. If not, best regards in what you do choose to spend your time on.

[@austindboyd]

It's talking on a radio. It'll be interesting to see how overcomplicated the government has made it. Let's go.

[@houseofhamradio]

It is much more than that. The other radio services that don't require an exam are very well defined and restricted by the equipment that must be used for them such as CB and FRS/GMRS.

[@ny1t]

Modern day testing - Don't learn the material, study the test. - And by the way we will sell you stuff.

[@houseofhamradio]

Thanks for your point of view. Personally, I don't agree but that is OK. I welcome differing opinions on this channel. This isn't new. Hams have always studied the test since the inception of the question pool. The only thing that is modern is the mechanism which is now the web vice books. As for the selling stuff part. the folks at Ham Study do sell the SignalStuff antennas (very subtly by the way) to help fund the costs of running the ham study and exam tools infrastructure. If you don't know, these costs can be significant. I think you need to look at the motivation. Many create sites to sell stuff. I believe this is the opposite. They sell stuff to keep the site going.

[@nileshillesinghe5594]

Dude you need to get back from outer space its not safe up there

[@houseofhamradio]

I like living on the edge.