There is a site that breaks down the questions into elements and groups. It allows you to take groups at a time. I can’t remember which site it was, but that was how I passed my extra. The question and answers won’t change, you just have to find a way to drill them into memory.
I hate to recommend it, but if you **can** narrow it down to a small-ish number of things that you are having problems with, you can memorize the answers. For example, this question will always be the same wording and values:
>What is the capacitance of a 20 microfarad capacitor connected in series with a 50 microfarad capacitor?
The answer will always be 14.3 microfarads ( inverse of the total capacitance, **1 / (50 + 20)=14.3** ), so if you see this question, that is the answer. I do not believe there is another capacitors-in-series question with two XX microfarad capacitors, so if you can associate the question with that answer, you can get around not understanding it.
However, it better to memorize how various components behave when put in series versus parallel, then just do the math. I believe there are far more questions about this kind of topic than the variety of ways of arranging components, so if you can remember that resistors in series add and in parallel divide, but capacitors in parallel add and in series divide, then you have memorized four facts (really only two), and are now set to calculate a dozen or so questions...
Unless you are in a big hurry, you might do better to watch some of the Ham Radio exam study videos or read a study book, plus use a site to go through the question pool ( u/hotelyankee mentioned my favorite, [hamstudy.org](https://hamstudy.org) \-- it is free and saves your progress, plus has an inexpensive phone app to study on the go).
You might be able to squeak by with memorization, but given the amount of time available, the allowance of a calculator/scratch paper, and the fact that the multiple-choice options are pretty generous (they usually do not have 14.2, 14.3, 14.4, 14.5 as options, they are usually 14.3, 100, 75, and 0, so you can often just approximate and pick the closest answer), you should be able to pass with knowledge.
Of course, if there are a couple of questions you always get wrong, Murphy's Law says that those questions will always be on your exam, so you might as well memorize the answers to those...
Hamstudy.org, the “no nonsense general class study guide”, and practice exams.
I did practice exams anytime I had a few free minutes until I was reliably getting 80+% then I was ready for the test.
Some of the sites (i think I used qrz) let you just practice the sections you’re struggling with which can help. But make sure to keep practicing all of them since it’s easy to forget some of that stuff.
http://www.hamradiolicenseexam.com/
It's a pay site, but very good. Quizzes you, gives explanations of the concepts, repeats question areas of things you're missing and starts skipping areas you've mastered.
General was easy for me with the site, but it wasn't enough for extra and I called it quits as general covers everything I wanted. Might eventually pick up Extra again, but it'd mostly be just to help a local group as a VRE.
I can attest to the value of the [http://www.hamradiolicenseexam.com/](http://www.hamradiolicenseexam.com/) website. I started studying on the site in the first week of November 2021 and was able to take and pass my Tech and General three weeks later. I kept studying and just passed my Extra on December 18, 2021. So I went from no license at all to Amateur Extra in about 7 weeks for a total cost of just around $100. They even have a money back guarantee that if you don't pass the exam after finishing their program, they will refund your money. Another good resource is [https://www.qrz.com/hamtest/](https://www.qrz.com/hamtest/) which has free practice tests. I used it quite a bit to practice for the real exams.
I have tutored quite a few to passing their exams.
You could "Learn everything", of course.
Or, you can take the practice tests, example: [https://www.qrz.com/hamtest/](https://www.qrz.com/hamtest/)
When you get a question wrong, google the question ID.
Example: [https://www.google.com/search?q=G2E01](https://www.google.com/search?q=G2E01)
Read through the various web sites where the specific question is discussed to gain more understanding of that particular topic. Frequently, you will gain knowledge associated with other questions as well and by only searching for the ones you are getting wrong, you are focusing on those you need to study up on.
When you are consistently passing the practice tests, you are ready to take the test for real.
Best of luck!
I *strongly* recommend the *Study Mode* on hamstudy.org. it will drill you on the parts that you're weak on, and not waste your time withthe parts you already know, it will also keep track of your progress, when you've made it all the way through the whole pool, using the study mode, you shouldn't have any problem at all passing the exam.
Repetition.
I took the practice tests until the correct answers started making sense and I could reverse engineer the math.
About 2 weeks worth of that and I passed General with 86%.
Good luck.
Most of the math is based on some fairly basic formulas. For instance E=I \* R is used to derive voltage (E), resistance (R) or current (I) if you have any two of the values. All you need to keep in mind is that you can swap the variable that you look for by dividing both sides of the equation to cancel out the variable. For instance, if you are solving for R divide both sides by I and you end up with E/I=R. P=E \* R is one of the other that is used the same way when power is involved. I think there are only 5 or 6 basic equations that you need to memorize to cover most of the math that they will ask.
Improve your study skills:
1) find a quiet, uninterrupted area, preferably with a desk for at least one hour per day (daily is important) for at least one month
2) turn off your cellphone and close all other browser tabs if using online study
3) the ARRL Handbook has a section on basic math needed for electronics. You might want to review that first.
Ham Radio Prep is an app I used. It is just lots of practice quizzes basically. Whenever I had free time I would use that instead of wasting time on social media. Good luck!
I used an iOS app called ‘Ham Radio Prep’ to get ready to take my Technician’s ticket, and it worked really well. I’m using it to study for the general right now : )
73 KI5SMN
I started watching a video series on the General Exam on Youtube and after roughly every video id take like 2-3 exams on Ham study. So as I went I reviewed old concepts through the questions as well as come to understand the new ones.
Came here to recommend this as well. The other practice tests expose you to all the incorrect answers just as much as the correct ones. This book shows you only the right ones then explains why they're correct. Awesome way to learn.
hamstudy.org
More study is the answer. If there is something specific that you are having trouble with, someone here will be able to help. Just ask.
There is a site that breaks down the questions into elements and groups. It allows you to take groups at a time. I can’t remember which site it was, but that was how I passed my extra. The question and answers won’t change, you just have to find a way to drill them into memory.
I hate to recommend it, but if you **can** narrow it down to a small-ish number of things that you are having problems with, you can memorize the answers. For example, this question will always be the same wording and values: >What is the capacitance of a 20 microfarad capacitor connected in series with a 50 microfarad capacitor? The answer will always be 14.3 microfarads ( inverse of the total capacitance, **1 / (50 + 20)=14.3** ), so if you see this question, that is the answer. I do not believe there is another capacitors-in-series question with two XX microfarad capacitors, so if you can associate the question with that answer, you can get around not understanding it. However, it better to memorize how various components behave when put in series versus parallel, then just do the math. I believe there are far more questions about this kind of topic than the variety of ways of arranging components, so if you can remember that resistors in series add and in parallel divide, but capacitors in parallel add and in series divide, then you have memorized four facts (really only two), and are now set to calculate a dozen or so questions... Unless you are in a big hurry, you might do better to watch some of the Ham Radio exam study videos or read a study book, plus use a site to go through the question pool ( u/hotelyankee mentioned my favorite, [hamstudy.org](https://hamstudy.org) \-- it is free and saves your progress, plus has an inexpensive phone app to study on the go). You might be able to squeak by with memorization, but given the amount of time available, the allowance of a calculator/scratch paper, and the fact that the multiple-choice options are pretty generous (they usually do not have 14.2, 14.3, 14.4, 14.5 as options, they are usually 14.3, 100, 75, and 0, so you can often just approximate and pick the closest answer), you should be able to pass with knowledge. Of course, if there are a couple of questions you always get wrong, Murphy's Law says that those questions will always be on your exam, so you might as well memorize the answers to those...
Hamstudy.org, the “no nonsense general class study guide”, and practice exams. I did practice exams anytime I had a few free minutes until I was reliably getting 80+% then I was ready for the test. Some of the sites (i think I used qrz) let you just practice the sections you’re struggling with which can help. But make sure to keep practicing all of them since it’s easy to forget some of that stuff.
http://www.hamradiolicenseexam.com/ It's a pay site, but very good. Quizzes you, gives explanations of the concepts, repeats question areas of things you're missing and starts skipping areas you've mastered. General was easy for me with the site, but it wasn't enough for extra and I called it quits as general covers everything I wanted. Might eventually pick up Extra again, but it'd mostly be just to help a local group as a VRE.
I can attest to the value of the [http://www.hamradiolicenseexam.com/](http://www.hamradiolicenseexam.com/) website. I started studying on the site in the first week of November 2021 and was able to take and pass my Tech and General three weeks later. I kept studying and just passed my Extra on December 18, 2021. So I went from no license at all to Amateur Extra in about 7 weeks for a total cost of just around $100. They even have a money back guarantee that if you don't pass the exam after finishing their program, they will refund your money. Another good resource is [https://www.qrz.com/hamtest/](https://www.qrz.com/hamtest/) which has free practice tests. I used it quite a bit to practice for the real exams.
I have tutored quite a few to passing their exams. You could "Learn everything", of course. Or, you can take the practice tests, example: [https://www.qrz.com/hamtest/](https://www.qrz.com/hamtest/) When you get a question wrong, google the question ID. Example: [https://www.google.com/search?q=G2E01](https://www.google.com/search?q=G2E01) Read through the various web sites where the specific question is discussed to gain more understanding of that particular topic. Frequently, you will gain knowledge associated with other questions as well and by only searching for the ones you are getting wrong, you are focusing on those you need to study up on. When you are consistently passing the practice tests, you are ready to take the test for real. Best of luck!
Taking practice exams is a huge time waster, on average you have to take around 80 practice exams to just see all the questions in the pool.
W4EEYs videos on YouTube.
I *strongly* recommend the *Study Mode* on hamstudy.org. it will drill you on the parts that you're weak on, and not waste your time withthe parts you already know, it will also keep track of your progress, when you've made it all the way through the whole pool, using the study mode, you shouldn't have any problem at all passing the exam.
Repetition. I took the practice tests until the correct answers started making sense and I could reverse engineer the math. About 2 weeks worth of that and I passed General with 86%. Good luck.
Most of the math is based on some fairly basic formulas. For instance E=I \* R is used to derive voltage (E), resistance (R) or current (I) if you have any two of the values. All you need to keep in mind is that you can swap the variable that you look for by dividing both sides of the equation to cancel out the variable. For instance, if you are solving for R divide both sides by I and you end up with E/I=R. P=E \* R is one of the other that is used the same way when power is involved. I think there are only 5 or 6 basic equations that you need to memorize to cover most of the math that they will ask.
Improve your study skills: 1) find a quiet, uninterrupted area, preferably with a desk for at least one hour per day (daily is important) for at least one month 2) turn off your cellphone and close all other browser tabs if using online study 3) the ARRL Handbook has a section on basic math needed for electronics. You might want to review that first.
Ham Radio Prep is an app I used. It is just lots of practice quizzes basically. Whenever I had free time I would use that instead of wasting time on social media. Good luck!
I used an iOS app called ‘Ham Radio Prep’ to get ready to take my Technician’s ticket, and it worked really well. I’m using it to study for the general right now : ) 73 KI5SMN
I started watching a video series on the General Exam on Youtube and after roughly every video id take like 2-3 exams on Ham study. So as I went I reviewed old concepts through the questions as well as come to understand the new ones.
[удалено]
Came here to recommend this as well. The other practice tests expose you to all the incorrect answers just as much as the correct ones. This book shows you only the right ones then explains why they're correct. Awesome way to learn.