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Ham Tests

We can coordinate amateur radio licensing exams! This page contains instructions on how to prepare for and run them.

Aspirationally, we are trying to do this once per month, always during the beginning of a radio night.

Registration

The upcoming session and its registration link can be found on the HamStudy sessions page. We usually plan out a date and do the session registration formalities 3-4 weeks out.

Please review this section if you are one of the volunteer examiners (VEs)!

Running the session

There are five jobs during a session. With exactly three VEs these overlap a lot, so expect to tag-team and float as needed:

1. Checking people in and marking them as Seen.
2. Handing out exams and filling out answer sheets.
3. Monitoring the room and waiting to be flagged down by an applicant.
4. Grading.
5. Wrapping up Form 605 signature paperwork after their last element.

It is potentially helpful to set one person up by the door so that people can't leave without having signed for their 605s there.

Day-of logistics (for the team lead)

• Put up a sign at the building entrance, saying a ham test is happening. Leave a phone number to call in case no one answers on the ButterflyMX.
• Set up a table for humans/papers to be situated at. It would be helpful if this is next to or visible from our door.
• Click Start Session when you are ready.

When a candidate arrives

• Check their photo ID. If there's a name mismatch, ask for supporting evidence (student ID, a piece of mail, etc.) to your satisfaction that all the documentation points to the same person.
• Mark them Seen in ExamTools (find name → Status → Seen).
• Sometimes candidates walk in without having signed up. If they haven't, ask them if they have an FRN (directing them to FCC CORES if not) and then get them to register. The easiest way is to go to ham.study -> Find a Session -> look out for the Seattle, WA DMA session -> Register.

Handing out exams

• Hand them an exam booklet and a pre-filled answer sheet. Pre-fill: candidate name, candidate ID (from ET), 5-digit exam ID (from booklet, Test #22-98765), element number (T/G/E), and bubble all of them.
• As you give them the exam, please tell them:
  1. Do not write on the exam booklet, pretty please. Scratch work goes on the bottom of or the back of their answer sheet.
  2. No electronic devices except calculators with cleared memory, no earbuds, no Ray-Ban® Meta AI™ glasses, etc.
  3. All tests are randomly generated so they do not have to hide their answer sheet from their neighbors, but don't chat and don't cheat.
  4. Flag a VE down for grading when they are done.
• Our retake policy is the same as our late policy: we are chill about it, but we want to hand out a new test no later than 7:15pm (45 minutes after start) so we respect everyone's time and the regular radio night schedule.

During the exam

• Watch the room. No electronics except calculators. No reading.
• When a candidate raises their hand, collect their booklet and answer sheet.

Grading

• Check the booklet for stray marks, then return it to the bottom of the pile.
• Scan the answer sheet with GradeCam (📷 GradeCam on the top of session page in ExamTools).
• Tell the candidate their score privately. If they passed and want to try the next element, hand them a new exam packet and send them back.
• If they're done for the day and passed something, tell them something along the lines of "before you leave, you need to sign your application, please don't leave until you've done it."
• Keep all answer sheets in a separate pile, including failed ones. We retain every answer sheet, so remember to walk the answer sheets back after showing the score to the candidate.

Sign paperwork electronically (before they leave)

There is an awkward dance that we must do even with in-person, paper-based exams. ExamTools only handles the signatures electronically and won't let you mark things completed otherwise, so we have to get the candidates to sign their Form 605s electronically before they leave. Here's how that goes:

• Get to the signature page in one of two ways:
  • From their own phone (recommended): Ask them to go to exam.tools -> Join Exam Session -> enter DMA for team identifier and their applicant PIN from the answer sheet. This keeps your own device free in case another candidate needs your attention.
  • From your own device: In ExamTools, click their name -> Copy Applicant Login Link -> open it in an incognito browser tab.
• The page will say that VE approval is needed to continue. On the applicant list, you should see that their PIN number gets a red icon, and you can click on that to approve their request.
• Have them sign their Form 605 electronically. Confirm the signature registered.
• Then let them know:
  1. Their CSCE will be emailed once all three VEs find time to sign their results.
  2. They'll get an email from the FCC to pay the $35 application fee. They have 10 days to pay or their application is dismissed.
• You may click Assign VE to assign yourself on any candidate, and proceed to signing their CSCE. No need to coordinate who signs for whom.

Submission and wrap up (for the team lead only)

New process as of August 2026: Our Laurel VEC region is trialing a way to process exam sessions directly from ExamTools, without SessionManager. The old SessionManager instructions are retained at the bottom of this page for posterity.

• Get three VEs to sign for every candidate in ExamTools (this can happen after candidates leave or you can do it as people have time). The team lead should make sure every candidate ends up with three signatures, chasing people down as needed.
• After a candidate gets 3 signatures, someone with team lead permission clicks Mark Complete. This will finalize their CSCE.
  • Then, click Manage -> Email CSCE.
• Click Finalize on the exam session. Check again that every candidate that passed an element is under Completed Applicants, because ExamTools will let you finalize them in a draft state. Candidates with only failed elements can also be marked as completed, but will not need a VE signature.
• From the Download menu, grab the VEC Archive (a zip file). You no longer need to download the Laurel SessionManager file.
• Pull up the session detail page in the Laurel VE Portal and attach the VEC Archive file to the session, just like we used to do for the PDF paperwork.
• Our regional coordinator takes it from there and submits to the FCC.
• Thank your VEs for coming (aren't they great?)!! And clean up the space.
• Keep the original exam booklets and answer sheets for 30 days, then shred them.

Once our regional coordinator has uploaded the batch to FCC (you will get an email entitled "Exam Session Response File for $date in $location" ), you can optionally send a congratulatory email. If you download the applicant list from ExamTools for this, remember to delete anyone who didn't show up or didn't pass any elements -- they should not be getting this email.

Sample congratulatory email:

[candidates in bcc]

Hi all,

It was great to see everyone at the amateur radio exam session! If you are receiving this email, you just successfully sat for at least one exam element.

If you were here to get an upgrade, your upgrade should be posting just about now! There is nothing else you need to do and you can go use your new privileges on the air.

If you are a new ham and do not have a callsign yet, your application should also have been transmitted to ULS and is in a Pending state. Soon (if not already) you should be receiving an email from the FCC directing you to their website to make a $35 payment. Please make sure to do this within 10 days, otherwise they will automatically dismiss your application.

After FCC receives your payment, their system will start posting callsigns Monday through Friday, at the end of the day, usually slightly before midnight. Anecdotally, payments completed before 2:30 p.m. Pacific time are usually processed the same day; otherwise, they get processed as part of the next business day's batch.

Please let me know if you have any other questions. Again, it's been a pleasure.

- Your Name WX7XXX

Preparing for a session (for team leads)

Listing a session

Here are the things that need to be done to set up a session:

• Find 3 Extra class licensees to be VEs, ideally 4, and make sure that they are available during the proposed date and time. We are a Laurel VEC team and can sponsor folks to be volunteer examiners. One of the VEs can be yourself.
• On ExamTools, create a new session.
  • Team: DMA
  • Session Type: In-Person
  • Use ExamTools Registration? Yes
  • Use ExamTools for grading or paperwork? Yes
  • Walk-ins allowed? No
  • Maximum number of Participants: 10
  • Time: Suggested 6:30 p.m. with session time of 30 minutes
  • Publicly visible notes/Notes for applicant (email): see below
• List this session on Laurel VEC. Copy the sign up link from ExamTools and put it in the description.
• Fill out the Non-ARRL Sponsored Exam Session Registration Form so the exam session is listed along with ARRL-sponsored sessions.
  • VEC Organization: Laurel Amateur Radio Club, Inc.
  • Will walk-in candidates be accepted? No
  • Session Sponsor: dma.space
  • Under the "Additional exam session dates" free-form field, ask that they list this link under the website field so that people can sign up: https://ham.study/sessions/DMA/all
  • The rest of the form should be straightforward.
  • If you only have the time to list the session in one place, make it this one. Realistically, the ARRL exam search is still how most people find exams.
• Add this session to the space's calendar.
• Optionally, announce the exam date on the Cascadia Radio and UWARC Discords.

ExamTools templates

Public notes:

This is an in-person exam session hosted at [dma.space](https://dma.space), located in Capitol Hill of Seattle. It is free and open to the public.

**Getting Here**: Our space is inside the Ballou Wright Building (E. Pike & 12th Ave, [Google Maps](https://maps.app.goo.gl/Ca2iGHhtfvSdwzdq9)), a 10-minute walk from the Capitol Hill light rail station.

**Registration**: You should register on this website before the exam session, using the registration link at the bottom of the screen. This will give you a 4-digit Candidate ID to use on your answer sheet. Additional instructions will also be sent to your email after you sign up, so please look out for emails (including those that might have landed in your Spam folder).

Notes for applicant:

Hello! Thanks for signing up for a test.

**Time**: You may begin writing your exam at 6:30 p.m. Please arrive around this time, particularly if you plan to write multiple exam elements.

Our practice is to stop handing out new tests after 7:15 p.m., but you may finish any exams that you have already started. This has not been an issue for candidates in the past.

**What to Bring**:

1. One photo ID (driver's license, passport, school ID card with photo, etc.),
   or two forms of non-photo alternative IDs.
2. A writing utensil of your choice.
3. Optionally, a calculator or slide rule.
4. There is **no exam fee**.

We will provide scratch paper and have extra pens, but won't promise they're any
good.

If you are bringing expired licenses or old CSCEs to use as element proof, the ARRL covers what to bring in depth
[here](https://www.arrl.org/what-to-bring-to-an-exam-session). Please bring an original and a copy of any documents which you want to use as element credit.

If you have changed your name but do not have government-issued documentation reflecting so, please contact us about options.

**Getting Here**: Our space is inside the Ballou Wright Building (E. Pike & 12th Ave, [Google Maps](https://maps.app.goo.gl/Ca2iGHhtfvSdwzdq9)). Find our entrance to the left of Overcast Coffee. Please consider taking transit (parking is challenging and the building is next to an SPD precinct). There will be a sign and an intercom on the day of the exam to help you get up to the second floor.

**A Note on Privacy**: The address on your license becomes public record in the FCC's ULS database. If you'd rather not have your home address listed, you can use a work or school address, anywhere else you can plausibly receive mail (the FCC won't actually send you any), or our address. Just reply with the address you plan to use and we can update it for you.

**Studying for the Exam**: We usually recommend the [KB6NU No-Nonsense Study
Guides](https://www.kb6nu.com/study-guides/) (terse and follow the question bank
closely; the Technician exam one is free), Dave Casler's YouTube course, and
ARRL's licensing books (more textbook-like; available at your local library).
When it gets close to the exam, try [HamStudy](https://hamstudy.org/), which is
free and awesome for last minute cramming.

**Contact**: Write to radio@dma.space for questions (the email goes to all volunteer examiners).

Before the day of the test

• Confirm again with your VEs that they are still available and know when/where to go (15-30 minutes before the test starts is a good time to meet up and get set up).
• Count signed-up exam elements in ExamTools.
• Print out exam papers and answer sheets.
  • Per Laurel VEC advice, always use the ExamTools beta exam generator. Print double-sided to save trees.
  • Use the Scan with GradeCam option. Remember to print out the answer sheets, also from that tab. The "35/50 question combo form for all classes (new!)" one works great.
  • Print out at least as many General exams as you have people signed up for the General, plus Technician exams, so that people who pass Technician can immediately try the General if they want to.
  • You can reuse old exam papers if you have them, but use the generator page to validate that the exam IDs are still valid and to get the answer sheets.
• If you want to, you can send out a reminder email to the people who signed up. This is usually how we find out about cancellations, since people won't tell you proactively but will reply to a reminder.
• Optionally, go back to the Discord servers and remind people that this is happening again.

Sample reminder email:

[candidates in bcc]

Hi folks:

This is just a reminder email that you have signed up for an amateur radio exam today, Monday, $$$$Date$$$$, 6:30 p.m., at dma.space. The street address is 1517 12th Ave, Suite 207, Seattle, WA 98122.

Please bring a pencil, an eraser, and some form of photo ID. Unless you are planning on hand-calculating or memorizing the arithmetic questions, a calculator may be helpful too. There will be scratch paper space and we may have extra pens, but won't promise they're any good. (Note on photo ID: If you have changed your name but do not have government-issued documentation reflecting so, please talk to me about options.)

There is no hard time limit on this session. Our usual practice is to stop handing out new tests after 7:15 p.m., but you may finish any exams that you have already started. Folks generally have not had issues finishing on time, so there is no need to arrive extra early. There should be a doorbell and a sign on the door with doorbell instructions. If you don't see a doorbell, please find us on the ButterflyMX intercom at the entrance.

We hope the studying has been going well :) For last-minute cramming, consider using HamStudy's adaptive flashcards[0].

If you are no longer planning to attend the exam session, please let me know. Feel free to Reply All anytime if you have any other questions!

-Your Name WX7XXX

[0] https://hamstudy.org/

Deprecated: SessionManager

Deprecated as of August 2026: Our Laurel VEC region can now process sessions straight from ExamTools (see "Submission and wrap up" above), so none of this is needed anymore. It is retained here for posterity, in case the trial gets rolled back or you enjoy Windows software.

Setting up SessionManager

SessionManager is the Windows application from Laurel VEC that we used to assemble the FCC upload after a session. If you haven't used it before, get this working ahead of the test day.

• Download it from the Laurel VEC portal and install it on a Windows machine. It is also allegedly "very Wine-able."
• On first launch, it will ask for a Regional Coordinator Code. Ambush our regional coordinator if you see him in the space, or email/Signal him to get the code.
• Then it will ask for team information. You know the rules and so do I.

Submitting a session with SessionManager

• Click Finalize on the exam session in ExamTools as usual.
• From the Download menu grab two files:
  • Laurel SessionManager (a CSV file).
  • Final Forms.
  • (As long you use ExamTools all the way, you can ignore the requirement to attach a Session Summary Report, VE Sign-in Sheet, and Registration Log later.)
• In SessionManager, click Add New Session. Then Tools -> Import Application Data and pick the CSV. Add additional VEs that did not sign the CSCEs but participated in the session. Check its work in the "Session" and "Applicant" tabs.
• End with the "FCC Upload" tab. Create Upload File, then Upload ENC File.
• SessionManager will pop open your browser to the VE Portal session page for you to associate the batch. Attach the Final Forms PDF there too.
• Our regional coordinator takes it from there and submits to the FCC.