AA7HW: Remote Amateur Radio License Exam Instructions

Providing efficient, friendly online exams since May 2020

Thank you for registering for the Online Amateur Radio License Exam. Please complete the following items as soon as possible:
  • First, please be sure you have registered and received a PIN Number prior to submitting your payment. Candidates who have not registered can not be tested. If you are unable to find an available session, please email me and request to be notified when new sessions are added.
  • In order to register, you must have an FRN (FCC Registration Number). Here are instructions for Getting an FCC Registration Number (FRN).
  • If you are registering to upgrade your existing license, please ensure that the name on your registration exactly matches the name on your existing FCC amateur radio license. If you alter your name in any way, your upgrade will not go through. This includes adding / removing a suffix (e.g. Jr or Sr), adding / removing a middle initial, or adding / removing spaces. If you have made any such changes during the registration process, please email me as soon as possible so that I can correct this prior to the exam.
  • Please promptly Click Here to Pay via Square. We accept Credit or Debit Cards, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. (We apologize that we are no longer able to accept payment via PayPal, Venmo, Zelle, or Cash App.) In order to ensure that your payment is correctly credited, email me and include your PIN number from HamStudy if the name or email used to pay does not match the name or email used to register.
  • Please email me if you plan to take multiple exams in order to ensure that I reserve adequate time for you to complete the exams you wish to take.
  • If you discover an error in your registration data (for example, your name or address), please let me know so that I can save time by correctiong this prior to your exam session.
  • If you held a Technician class Amateur Radio License prior to March 21, 1987, or if you have ever held a General, Advanced, or Amateur Extra class Amateur Radio License, you may be eligible for a General or Amateur Extra license upon passing the Technician exam. If this applies to you, please let me know prior to your exam session, so that we can apply for exam credit. Here is some information on How to Find Old Amateur Radio Call Signs.

Note that you no longer need to sign a Form 605 prior to the exam. You will electronically sign the Form 605 and CSCE after you pass the exam. If you have answered YES to the Basic Qualification Question (felony question), please carefully read the instructions on page 2 of Form 605. You will need to complete these steps after passing the examination.

In order to take the online license exam, you must have:

  • A clear work area, with no extraneous books, papers, electronic devices, smart watches, or other material that might assist you during the examination. To save time during the exam session, please clear your work area before the exam begins. You are permitted to have a single sheet of scratch paper that is blank on both sides.
  • Note that other people are not permitted to enter your work area while you are taking the examination. Prior to the examination, please let everyone in your household know that you will be taking an exam, and request that they remain quiet so that they do not disturb the exam.
  • If you wish to use a calculator, we recommend that you use a calculator app on your computer; however, you are permitted to use a non-programmable calculator if you are able to demonstrate to the VEs that the memory is cleared. You are not permitted to use a calculator on your smartphone.
  • Photo ID (e.g. passport, driver's license, or student ID) that you can hold up to the camera so all VEs can verify your identity. We will be checking your photo and your name.
  • A webcam, microphone, and speakers. Note that headphones are not permitted. You must be able to use your camera to show us your photo ID, and to show us the room you are working in and the work surface on which you have your computer. Once you have shown us your room and work surface, you are not permitted to leave the area until the exam is completed, so if you need to use the rest room or get a drink, please do it before you are admitted to the exam session.
  • Please turn off any virtual backgrounds in Zoom prior to joining the exam session.
  • You may use the video on your phone to show us your room and your work surface. You are not permitted to use your phone for any other purpose. If you are not using your phone for video, please remove it from your work area.
  • Reliable Internet connectivity, with a speed of at least 3 Mbps. If we lose video connectivity, we must void the exam. You can test your Internet speed using https://www.speedtest.net.
  • You will need Zoom and a web browser. We recommend Google Chrome, but Firefox also works well. Note that Internet Explorer should not be used, since it is apparently incompatible with Exam Tools.
  • You are permitted to use only a single monitor (display). If you are using a laptop, this is the built in display. All other displays should be powered off and disconnected.
  • During the exam, you will need to share your screen. Prior to the exam, please be sure to close all applications except Zoom, your Web Browser, and optionally an on-screen calculator.
  • After you join the Zoom conference, we will instruct you to share your screen and open https://exam.tools/portal/applicant and login using the session call sign AA7HW and your PIN. (Note that you will need permission to login, and we will not give you permission until after you join our Zoom meeting.)
  • Please make sure that any alerts are turned off, so that they don't interfere with the exam.

I will email a Zoom link about 5 minutes before the remote test session begins. Unless there is a problem with your registration or payment, you will not receive any other email from me prior to the exam. You will be in a waiting room ("Please wait, the meeting host will let you in soon.") or a breakout room until it is your turn to take the examination. Depending upon how many people are ahead of you, and how long each person takes to complete their examination(s), your wait may be as long as 90 minutes. If for some reason, your wait will be longer than 90 minutes, I will send a message via Zoom to you in the waiting room or breakout room.

Here is information from the Zoom Help Center regarding how to join a Zoom meeting: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362193-Joining-a-Meeting.

You may either click on the correct answer, or type the letter (A, B, C, or D) of the correct answer. During the exam, you are permitted to skip questions and go back to answer them later, and you are permitted to go back and review your work if you wish. As you progress through the exam, a message in the upper right corner of your screen will indicate the number of questions that have not yet been answered. The exam will be computer graded. You will see your score, but you are not permitted to see which questions you answered correctly or incorrectly. If you pass, you will electronically sign a Form 605 and a CSCE (Certificate of Successful Completion of Examination). After you sign these forms, we will email the signed CSCE to you and the test result will be submitted to W5YI for processing by the FCC.

Effective April 19, 2022, the FCC will charge a $35 fee for new licenses, license renewals, and applications for vanity call signs. The fee will not apply to license upgrades. These will be payable directly to the FCC. For more information, refer to After your License Exam: Pay $35.00 FCC Fee.

The FCC will send you an email when your license is issued. To check on the status of your license, visit the FCC Universal Licensing System License Search web page and search for your license using your FRN.

Refer to the Examinee Guidebook to Remote Exams for additional information.

If you have any questions or comments, or if you need assistance or need to cancel your registration for this Online Amateur Radio License Exam Session, please email me.

Herb Weiner, AA7HW