The General Class exam is for Technician licensees who want to upgrade to General Class privileges. Element 3 has 35 multiple-choice questions, and you pass with 26 correct, which is about 74%. The ARRL VEC session fee is $15 in 2026. This page gives you free topic-by-topic practice sets, explained sample questions and a study plan. The questions were written with AI tools and are not real exam questions.
According to Federal Communications Commission (FCC); exams run by Volunteer Examiner Coordinators such as ARRL VEC; question pool ma, “(b) Element 3: 35 questions concerning the privileges of a General Class operator license.”[1] Practice with the free Ham Radio General Class practice test on PracticeTestGeeks (7 questions with answer explanations).
The General Class license is regulated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The exams themselves are run by Volunteer Examiner teams working under Volunteer Examiner Coordinators such as ARRL VEC. The written test is called Element 3. It has 35 multiple-choice questions about the privileges and responsibilities of a General Class operator, and you need 26 correct answers to pass (about 74%).
Eligibility: you must already hold a Technician Class license or have recently passed the Technician exam.
Delivery: you can test at an in-person session or at a remote online session supervised by video. ARRL lists both kinds of session on its exam search pages.
Before exam day: you must register in the FCC CORES system and get an FCC Registration Number (FRN). Do this well before your session, because you are required to have it.
Fees: the ARRL VEC fee for 2026 is $15 per session, or $5 if you are under age 18. Other VECs set their own fees, so check with the team running your session.
Results: if you pass, you get a Certificate of Successful Completion of Examination (CSCE) at the session. The element credit stays valid for 365 days from the date it is issued. Retake rules can vary by session, so ask the VE team directly. Before you register, check the current details on arrl.org and fcc.gov.
Interactive Ham Radio General Class Test resources on PracticeTestGeeks, free to start:
Facts verified Oct 21, 2026 against Federal Communications Commission (FCC); exams run by Volunteer Examiner Coordinators such as ARRL VEC; question pool ma. Dates that have passed are removed automatically.
| Item | Detail | Official source |
|---|---|---|
| Number of questions | 35 multiple-choice questions (Element 3) | ecfr.gov |
| Passing score | 26 of 35 correct (about 74%) | ecfr.gov |
| Exam fee (ARRL VEC exam session fee) | $15 per session (ARRL VEC, 2026); $5 under age 18 | arrl.org |
| Delivery | In-person or remote video-supervised online sessions run by Volunteer Examiner teams | arrl.org |
| Eligibility | Must hold a Technician license or have passed the Technician exam | arrl.org |
| Score release | CSCE issued at the session; element credit valid 365 days | arrl.org |
| Registration deadline | FCC Registration Number (FRN) required before exam day | arrl.org |
Facts verified Oct 21, 2026 against Federal Communications Commission (FCC); exams run by Volunteer Examiner Coordinators such as ARRL VEC; question pool ma. Dates that have passed are removed automatically.
Prepare for the Ham Radio General Class Test exam with our free practice test modules. Each quiz covers key topics to help you pass on your first try.
These are practice questions written for this site, not questions from the real exam. Each explanation shows why the right answer is right and why the others are wrong.
Question: What is the FCC's policy on the use of amateur radio frequencies for remote sensing or earth observation satellite downlinks?
Answer: B. Permitted only if the satellite operator is an amateur licensee and the transmissions meet Part 97 rules
Explanation:
B is correct. Amateur frequencies belong to the amateur service. A satellite may only use them when it is operated by licensed amateurs and its transmissions follow Part 97 rules, including the ban on commercial use. A is wrong because government ownership does not make a satellite an amateur station, and government or commercial earth observation has its own allocations. C is wrong because a satellite downlink is not commercial by nature, and amateur satellites downlink on amateur bands all the time. D is wrong because no amateur allocation allows unrestricted use; Part 97 always applies. Rule to remember: who operates the station and what it transmits decide whether amateur frequencies can be used, not who owns the hardware.
Question: What is the significance of the 'critical frequency' (fo) of the ionosphere?
Answer: B. It is the highest frequency that is refracted back to Earth at vertical incidence; it sets the baseline for calculating MUF at any angle
Explanation:
B is correct. The critical frequency is the highest frequency that the ionosphere sends straight back down when a signal goes straight up. Ionosondes measure it, and the maximum usable frequency (MUF) for any slanted path is worked out from it. Slanted paths can use higher frequencies than the critical frequency. A is wrong because ground-wave propagation travels along the Earth's surface and does not depend on ionospheric refraction. C is wrong because D-layer absorption is a separate effect that mostly hits lower frequencies in daylight. D is wrong because the critical frequency changes with time of day, season and solar activity, and it is not tied to the 40-meter band. Rule to remember: the critical frequency is measured straight up, and the MUF is always higher on longer, slanted paths.
Question: What does the "QRN" in the Q signal mean?
Answer: A. I am troubled by static
Explanation:
A is correct. QRN means static, or noise from natural sources such as lightning. Sent as a statement, it means "I am troubled by static." Sent with a question mark, it asks "Are you troubled by static?" B is wrong because "send more slowly" is QRS. C is wrong because "stop sending" is QRT. D is wrong because zero beating means matching your transmit frequency to another station's, and it has nothing to do with QRN. A common trap is mixing up QRN and QRM: QRM is interference from other stations or man-made sources. Rule to remember: QRN is natural noise, QRM is man-made interference.
Start with a baseline. Take the mixed General Class question set without notes. Write down every topic where you missed questions or guessed.
Work through topics. Practise your weakest areas first. Most candidates find the technical topics the slowest to learn, so leave room for electronic principles and circuits, antennas and feed lines and radio wave propagation. Then cover the rule-based topics: FCC rules and regulations, operating privileges and electrical and RF safety.
Learn the reason behind each answer. When you miss a question, read the explanation and then find the same idea in the official question pool. The real exam draws from that pool, and our sets only practise the same topics.
Check the logistics early. Get your FRN through FCC CORES, pick an in-person or remote session, and confirm the fee and ID rules with the VE team.
In the last days before the test, retake the mixed sets under timed, quiet conditions. Book the exam once you score well above 26 of 35 again and again.
Element 3 has 35 multiple-choice questions. You pass with at least 26 correct answers, which is about 74%. The questions cover General Class operating privileges, rules, operating practices, electronics, antennas, propagation and safety. A score of 26 is the minimum, so aim for a margin above it in practice before you book a session.
Yes. To upgrade to General Class, you must already hold a Technician Class license or have recently passed the Technician exam. If you are new to amateur radio, start with the Technician element. Check with the session's Volunteer Examiner team about taking more than one element at the same session.
The ARRL VEC exam fee for 2026 is $15 per session, and $5 for candidates under age 18. That fee covers an attempt at each exam element at that session. Other Volunteer Examiner Coordinators set their own fees, so confirm the amount with the team running your session before exam day.
Yes. Besides in-person sessions, Volunteer Examiner teams run remote online sessions supervised by video. ARRL lists both in-person and online exam dates on its exam session search pages. Online sessions have their own setup requirements, such as camera and room rules, so read the session's instructions carefully before you register.
You must register in the FCC CORES system and receive an FCC Registration Number (FRN) before exam day. This is a requirement, not a suggestion. Also confirm your session time, the fee, accepted ID and, for remote sessions, the technical setup. The VE team running your session can answer any questions specific to it.
If you pass, you get a Certificate of Successful Completion of Examination (CSCE) at the session. The credit on your CSCE is valid for 365 days from the date it is issued. Your upgraded license is recorded once the FCC processes the application, so keep your CSCE until it shows up.