Ham Radio Technician Test Practice Test

What the Ham Radio Technician Test is and how it works

According to Federal Communications Commission (FCC); examinations administered by Volunteer Examiner Coordinators, including ARRL VE, “Element 2: 35 questions concerning the privileges of a Technician Class operator license. The minimum passing score is 26 questions answered correctly.”^[3]

Passing this exam qualifies you for a Technician Class operator license. The FCC grants the license, but you do not sit the exam with the FCC. Volunteer Examiner Coordinators, including ARRL VE, run the sessions with teams of volunteer examiners. Under the FCC rules, anyone who qualifies by examination can apply for a license, except a representative of a foreign government.

Format and scoring

The exam has 35 multiple-choice questions on the privileges of a Technician Class license. You pass with at least 26 correct answers. Sessions are held regularly, both in person and online. At an in-person session, the examiners grade your answers as soon as you finish. For a remote exam, the rules say grading must happen at the earliest practical opportunity.

Fees, retakes and license term

Plan for two costs: the $35 FCC application fee and a separate exam fee charged by the VEC that runs your session. The FCC does not set the VEC fee, and it can differ between coordinators, so check it when you book. If you fail and retake the exam at the same ARRL VEC session, you pay another exam fee and get a different question set. A license is normally granted for 10 years. If it expires, you have a 2 year grace period to apply for renewal. Before you test, check the current details on the ARRL getting-licensed pages and in the FCC amateur radio rules published by ARRL.

Free Ham Radio Technician Test Study Tools

Interactive Ham Radio Technician Test resources on PracticeTestGeeks, free to start:

• Free Ham Radio Technician Amateur Questions and Answers — 16 questions with instant scoring and answer explanations
• Ham Radio Technician Test flashcards — review key terms and concepts card by card
• Ham Radio Technician Test study guide — topic-by-topic overview of what the exam covers
• Ham Radio Technician Test cheat sheet — one-page printable summary for last-minute review

Ham Radio Technician Test Exam at a Glance

Facts verified Oct 18, 2026 against Federal Communications Commission (FCC); examinations administered by Volunteer Examiner Coordinators, including ARRL VE. Dates that have passed are removed automatically.

Worked examples: how to reason through Ham Radio Technician Test questions

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.

Example 1

Question: What is the phase connection between a series resonant circuit's resonance voltage and current?

1. The current leads the voltage by 90 degrees
2. The voltage leads the current by 90 degrees
3. The voltage and current are in phase
4. The voltage and current are 180 degrees out of phase

Answer: C. The voltage and current are in phase

Explanation:

C is correct. At resonance in a series circuit, the inductive and capacitive reactances are equal and opposite, so they cancel. Only resistance is left. In a purely resistive circuit, voltage and current rise and fall together, so they are in phase.

• A describes a purely capacitive circuit, where current leads voltage by 90 degrees.
• B describes a purely inductive circuit, where voltage leads current by 90 degrees.
• D, 180 degrees out of phase, would mean the two waveforms are exact opposites. That is not what happens at resonance.

Rule to remember: at resonance the reactances cancel, the circuit acts like a resistor, and voltage and current are in phase. To remember which one leads, use "ELI the ICE man": voltage (E) leads current (I) in an inductor (L), and current leads voltage in a capacitor (C).

Example 2

Question: What is the purpose of placing warning signs near a transmitting antenna installation?

1. To satisfy FCC licensing requirements for commercial installations only
2. To warn uninformed persons of potential RF exposure so they can maintain safe distance
3. To deter theft of antenna equipment
4. To mark property boundaries near tower guy wires

Answer: B. To warn uninformed persons of potential RF exposure so they can maintain safe distance

Explanation:

B is correct. A warning sign is a simple way to control RF exposure. It tells people who do not know about the hazard to stay back from an antenna that may be transmitting.

• A is wrong because RF safety is not limited to commercial stations. Amateur operators are also responsible for keeping people out of areas where exposure could be unsafe.
• C is wrong because the sign is not there to stop theft, and it does nothing to secure equipment.
• D mixes up an exposure warning with a property line or guy-wire marker.

Rule to remember: when a question asks how to protect the public from RF, look for the answer about distance, limiting access, or warning people who may not know the risk.

Example 3

Question: What is the purpose of a CTCSS tone used with a repeater?

1. To prevent the repeater from activating on unintended signals
2. To increase transmitter output power
3. To encode digital data on the signal
4. To extend the repeater's coverage area

Answer: A. To prevent the repeater from activating on unintended signals

Explanation:

A is correct. CTCSS stands for Continuous Tone-Coded Squelch System. It adds a low tone below the range you hear to your transmission. A repeater set to require that tone stays silent unless the tone is present. That way it ignores interference, distant stations on the same frequency, and stray signals.

• B is wrong because the tone has no effect on transmitter power.
• C is wrong because CTCSS is an analog access tone, not a way to send digital data.
• D is wrong because coverage depends on things like repeater height, antenna and power, not on a squelch tone.

Rule to remember: if a repeater does not respond to you, check that your radio is sending the right tone. Repeater listings often show it as PL or CTCSS.

How to use these practice tests

Take the full practice test once before you study, so you know your starting point. Then sort the questions you missed by topic.

1. Start with the topic sets for your weakest areas: licensing and regulations, operating procedures, safety and RF exposure, electronics, propagation and modulation, antennas and feedlines and repeaters. For each miss, read the explanation and write one line on why the correct answer is right.
2. Read the official material too. Rules and safety questions depend on exact wording, so read the FCC amateur rules published by ARRL.
3. Practise with the mixed sets, Technician I, II and III, so you get used to switching between subjects.
4. Book a session only after you score well above 26 of 35 on several full runs, not just one.
5. Before test day, confirm the VEC exam fee and the session details. If you are testing online, check the remote requirements early.