What is the HamTestOnline™ website?
The HamTestOnline™ website provides computer-based, adaptive training for the ham radio written exams.
What makes the HamTestOnline™ website so special?
Logical order — Like a book, we present concepts in a logical order. Building from simple to more complex concepts promotes learning rather than memorizing.
Additional information — We provide information beyond the questions and answers, helping you to understand the concepts rather than just memorize the answers. (It is actually faster to learn the materials than to memorize the answers.)
Active learning — Like a random exam, we use repetitive question drill to keep you awake and interested. Active learning is more effective than passive learning because your brain remains engaged.
Actual exam questions — We drill the actual exam questions to prepare you for the actual exams.
Tracks your progress — Our special The Software that Knows You™ programming keeps track of your progress through the course and which questions are giving you trouble. Even if weeks or months pass between study sessions, we never forget.
Adaptive learning — Like a patient tutor, our “intelligent repetition” algorithm repeats each question optimally — ones that give you trouble are repeated sooner, while ones you answer correctly are reviewed later. It focuses your study time where you need it.
Question linking — Your response to one question affects the repetition of related questions. For example, if you always answer questions about Ohm's Law correctly, all questions about Ohm's Law will appear less frequently. Why waste time on a concept you have already mastered?
| Books | Random exams | HamTestOnline™ |
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| Tracks your progress |
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100% guarantee — We guarantee success. If you fail a written exam after preparing on the HamTestOnline™ website, we will refund the cost of your subscription. (Try getting a bookseller to make that kind of promise!)
Less than 1% of our customers ask for a refund.
Does the HamTestOnline™ website simulate the actual test?
Simulated tests are a terrible way to learn:
- They jumble all the material together with no respect for logical order.
- They don't give priority to unseen questions, so even after 100 random tests, you may not have seen all of the questions.
- They don't focus on your weak areas. They repeat easy questions just as often as hard questions.
- They encourage memorization, not learning.
Nevertheless, we do have random exams that simulate the actual tests. Once you have learned the concepts, you can use them to boost your confidence before the actual test.
Does the HamTestOnline™ website replace books and courses?
The HamTestOnline™ website focuses on helping you learn the material needed to pass the license tests. If that is all you care about, then this website is all you need.
However, if you want to have a complete understanding of ham radio topics, then you should read extensively, take courses, experiment, attend club meetings and conventions, and take advantage of opportunities to talk to other hams. One website cannot replace all other methods of learning!
We recommend the ARRL Handbook for Radio Communications as a comprehensive reference book.
Does the HamTestOnline™ website use the actual questions from the VEC question pools?
The HamTestOnline™ website includes all questions from the latest ham radio written exam question pools. These are the exact same questions and answer choices you will see on the test.
The following question pools are currently online:
| Question pool | Effective dates | Question pool size | Questions on the test | Minimum right to pass | Maximum wrong to pass |
| Technician |
7/01/2006 - 6/30/2010 |
391 |
35 |
26 |
9 |
| General |
7/01/2007 - 6/30/2011 |
483 |
35 |
26 |
9 |
| Current Extra |
7/01/2002 - 6/30/2008 |
786 |
50 |
37 |
13 |
| NEW Extra |
7/01/2008 - 6/30/2012 |
738 |
50 |
37 |
13 |
| Canadian Basic |
4/01/2007 - Present |
1509 |
100 |
70 |
30 |
| Canadian Advanced |
4/01/2007 - Present |
545 |
50 |
35 |
15 |
We always have the latest question pools online!
- A new Extra question pool will go into effect for exams on or after July 1, 2008. We have both the current and the new question pools online, and you should choose which to study based on your anticipated exam date. The new exam is approximately the same level of difficulty as the old. There is approximately 80% overlap between the materials covered by the old and new pools. Where questions are similar, we have linked them, which means you don't start from scratch if you switch pools.
- We have removed the old General question pool which expired on June 30, 2007.
- The Extra class pool was originally scheduled for an update on July 1, 2006, but that was later rescheduled to July 1, 2008. If you have an Extra class license manual indicating expiration in 2006, it was printed before the date change was announced. (Click to see the official announcement.)
- To reflect the "Omnibus" 12/15/06 rules changes, the NCVEC QPC withdrew 24 questions from the official question pools: 1 from the Tech, 13 from the General, and 10 from the Extra. They did not add or alter any other questions. We have updated our website pools to match.
- To reflect dropping the Morse code requirement effective 1/23/07, the NCVEC QPC withdrew 5 questions from the current General and 1 from the Extra question pools. They did not add or alter any other questions. We have updated our website pools to match.
- Industry Canada released new Canadian Basic and Advanced question banks in April, 2007. These updates were minor, reflecting some changes to the regulations and correcting some errors. We have the new questions online.
Are all of these questions really on the test?
The tests are drawn from the published question pools. Of course, you don't know which questions will be selected for your test, so you need to study all of them.
What additional information does the HamTestOnline™ website provide?
While the HamTestOnline™ website is not a complete course on all aspects of ham radio, it does provide some information beyond what can be learned by reading the question pools. For many questions, the website provides explanations, formulas, and pictures to extend and reinforce your learning experience.
Don't expect to find long "lectures" on our site. To keep the brain active, we teach through exam question drill as much as possible. We only present reading material when you can't learn the subject matter from the question drill itself, or when the questions don't cover some important point. If you want to delve more deeply into the details, we provide links to many awesome webpages on other sites.
Note: you will learn faster and understand more if you take the time to read the added information!
Is the HamTestOnline™ website easy to use?
The website is easier to use than some of the other study programs on the web.
- The graphics from the question pools are automatically shown when needed.
- One single click on your answer choice gives you feedback on your response and automatically presents the next question. It couldn't be any easier!
(To make the program as easy to use as possible, you do not have to click directly on the radio button for the answer; you can click anywhere within the answer text region.)
How does the HamTestOnline™ website decide which questions to present?
The program uses special formulas to calculate a "score" for each question, its estimate (on a scale from 0% to 100%) of how well you know the answer to the question. Some of the factors that go into this calculation are:
- Your correct and incorrect answer history for the question.
- How many times you use the Show answer, 50/50, and hint buttons.
- Your answer history for linked questions.
- How difficult other students find the question.
- How quickly you learned other questions in the same subtopic.
The program presents questions based on their current scores and on the elapsed time since they were last asked. It tries to avoid repeating any question "too" soon. It repeats questions with low scores sooner than questions with higher scores. As the score for a question increases — as you start to master the information — you see it less often. The "intelligent repetition" algorithm matches the way people learn.
The program only presents new materials when there are no previously seen questions due for a repeat.
Do I have any control over the question scores and question selection process?
You cannot directly edit a question's score, but you can affect it by consistently answering the question correctly (or incorrectly). In fact, if you really want the program to drill a specific question more frequently, you can intentionally answer it wrong even when you know the right answer. You can be certain that the question will appear again!
The User options screen also includes a Repetition delay factor option that influences the program's question choosing algorithm. Increase this factor to increase the time between question repetitions. Decrease it to see questions sooner. Regardless of this setting, the program still uses "intelligent repetition" and shows you questions with low scores sooner than questions with high scores.
What if the HamTestOnline™ website asks a question I don't know the answer to?
If you don't know the answer, your best bet is to make an educated guess. Trying to puzzle out answer keeps the brain awake. However, if you hate guessing, you can press the Show answer button.
What does the Show answer button do?
The Show answer button shows you the correct answer, along with all explanatory information available for that question.
Read all of the explanations, and try to memorize the correct answer. Then, click on the correct answer to move on. The program does not give you credit for a correct answer this time, but keep in mind that the important thing is to learn the material. When the program repeats the question a few minutes later, you will know the answer.
What does the 50/50 button do?
Just as on Who Wants to be a Millionaire? the 50/50 button eliminates half of the wrong answers. If you get the correct answer after pressing 50/50, you get partial credit for the question.
What does the Skip subject for now button do?
Skip subject for now allows you to temporarily delay dealing with a set of related questions. For instance, if you are just not in the mood to deal with questions that require calculations, you can skip them. However, the program continues to pester you about them periodically, so you may prefer to learn them and get them out of the way.
Is guessing bad?
Guessing is good. It keeps the brain awake. If you're wrong, the program tells you and gives you a chance to try again. For some questions, it explains why your guess was wrong. Also, an incorrect guess lowers the score for the question, which causes the program to present it more often in the future. Since it's clearly a question that you have not yet mastered, that's exactly what you need.
How can I coordinate my studies on your website with information in the book?
While it is not necessary, if you plan to use other study materials in conjunction with the website, you should turn on the Show question numbers option on the User options screen. You will see the official question number in small gray letters after each question. These are the same question numbers used in the various books.
What are topics?
Click Choose topics and notice the hierarchy of topics. The top level is the country you currently have selected, the second is the exam, and the third is the topic within the exam. Check the checkboxes beside the exams or topics you want to study. To change countries, click one of the links at the bottom of the Choose topics screen.
How are topic scores calculated?
Topic scores are a roll up of the scores of the questions in the topic and all its subtopics. Your topic scores start out at zero. As the question scores increase, the containing topic scores increase as well. If the scores for all questions under a particular topic reach 100%, then the score for that topic becomes 100%.
Topic scores are a good way to get an idea of your progress through the material. Once your score for an exam level reaches 90% or more, you have a good shot at a perfect score on that exam! (When you get a perfect score, please tell everyone that you studied with the HamTestOnline™ website!)
The topic scores are shown in square brackets in the gray topic header bar at the top of the Study screen, as well as on the Choose topics screen.
Note: Topic scores are normally calculated immediately after each question is answered. However, when the system is busy, these calculations are sometimes briefly deferred. Under these conditions the Topic scores, score bars, and user ranks displayed may be a couple of minutes out-of-date.
Why do my topic scores sometimes go down without me doing anything?
As time passes, information fades from memory. The scores, which are the program's estimates of your knowledge, decrease over time to reflect this process. If you want your knowledge and scores to stay at 100%, you have to keep coming back to review the material.
Why do I have non-zero scores in topics that I have never enabled?
Many questions are repeated, either identically or with slightly different phrasing, on different exams. The HamTestOnline™ website links these questions together. When you answer one in the group, you get full or partial credit for the others.
So, while you may only be studying the questions for one license test, you are actually learning material that appears on other tests, and the program reflects this fact in your scores for those tests. If you eventually switch over to study for that other test, the material you have already learned will appropriately be treated as review, rather than new material.
How do I interpret the "score bars"?
The score bars give you a graphical representation of your progress through the questions. The pink section represents questions you have not yet seen, red is those you're actively learning, blue questions still need some review, and the green ones are completely learned.
Your score bars start out completely pink. As you begin to study, you start to see some red, and then some blue. Eventually some green starts to show, and it keeps growing as the pink shrinks. Don't feel that you necessarily have to turn the bar all green. Most students pass the exams with excellent scores long before that point.
What does it mean when the program says “No more Items available” in study mode?
This means that you have seen all the questions in a particular question pool or set of Topics. The website will continue to drill you on the questions you have already seen.
If you have not yet subscribed to the system, this message indicates that you have seen all the "free stuff".
What is User Rank?
User rank shows how your total score (for all exams) compares to other student's. You start below thousands of other students. Do you have what it takes to get into the Top 10?
What is the Session score?
The Session score, displayed at the bottom of the button bar, shows how many questions you answered correctly, without assistance, the first time they were presented in the current login session.
Please note that the Session score only changes the first time you answer a particular question in a session. Subsequent responses leave the Session score unchanged.
What is the "free trial"?
Our free trial includes:
• Unlimited random practice exams — with memory.
• Adaptive learning for the first 50 questions from each exam.
This lets you see the power of the HamTestOnline™ software before you purchase.
Why should I register?
You need to register so that our The Software that Knows You™ database can track your personal progress under your unique login.
Please note that free trial registrations are deleted after 30 days of inactivity. To keep your free trial going, you should login and answer a few questions at least once every 30 days.
Do I have to supply my name?
The View user list screen is similar to a Top Scores screen in a video game. It lets you compare your progress against the progress of others. You have to supply some name for display on this screen. We encourage you to supply your full, real name. However, some people enter only their first name, nickname, or initials.
Why does it ask for my birthday?
We use the birthdays to calculate the age of each user. It's fun to see people's ages next to their scores on the View user list screen.
While we encourage you to enter your birthday, you are allowed to leave the field blank, which causes your age to display as 0.
How much does the HamTestOnline™ website cost?
A subscription costs $49.95 and gives access to all materials on the website, including all three U.S. exams and both Canadian exams, for 2 years. That's less than the cost of the ARRL License Manuals for the three U.S. question pools.
I plan to cram all my studying into one month. How much for just a 30-day subscription?
We don't sell shorter-term subscriptions. The reality is that most customers reach their goal in far less than two years. We give that long to allow for procrastination, busy schedules, etc.
I already have the General/Advanced license. How much for just the Extra?
We don't sell the courses separately. If you've been a ham for a while, you probably have an old, expired Extra Class License Manual ($35 with tax and shipping) in your shack, but still no Extra ticket. In fact, you might even have tried and failed the test once or twice (at $14 a pop). Too bad the book doesn't include question drill, intelligent repetition, question pool updates, prior exam review, web links, email reminders, and guaranteed results.
Don't underestimate the value of guaranteed results. With us you get your Extra, or you get your money back. We feel that's worth $49.95. Our customers agree — see what they say on eHam.net.
I live in the U.S. Why should I pay for the Canadian questions?
I live in the Canada. Why should I pay for the U.S. questions?
We did not raise the price when we added the Canadian questions, so you are not paying more. We assume that most people will use only one set and ignore the others. However, feel free to use the exams for both countries if you wish. You can switch countries using the links at the bottom of the Choose topics screen.
Do you offer group discounts?
We offer quantity discounts for multiple subscriptions purchased at one time:
| Quantity | Discount | Price each |
| 1 |
none |
$49.95 |
| 2-24 |
5% |
$47.45 |
| 25+ |
10% |
$44.95 |
These discounts are not yet automated. Contact sales@hamtestonline.com to get the discount.
How do I pay?
- The preferred method is online through PayPal. It's convenient, secure, and your subscription is processed immediately and automatically. Once you have registered, press the Subscribe button and follow the instructions.
- If you don't want to use a credit card, you can send a check or money order for $49.95 made out to "J. Cunningham & Assoc." to:
Harold Pugh, K1RV
123 Wyman Rd.
Abington, MA 02351
Checks must be in U.S. funds and payable through a bank in the U.S. Clearly indicate with your payment the email address of the account to be subscribed.
For information about multiple-subscription discounts, send an email to sales@hamtestonline.com.
Can I share my username/password with others?
You should not share your user profile with anyone else because your question history would become mixed with theirs, making the program ineffective for both of you. The database would no longer correctly reflect which questions each of you had already learned.
This is true even when each person is studying a different question pool because we link questions by subject across the pools. Answers in one pool affect the question drill in other pools.
Also, it is against our terms for two people to share a profile. Each subscription is valid for one person only.
Can I purchase the program on CD?
Our program is specifically written for the Web, and we have no plans to convert it for standalone use. There are several advantages to having the program on the Web:
- There is no software to download or install.
- You can access your account from any Internet connection — home, work, school, etc.
- Because all transactions go through our server, we can gather statistics on which questions people get wrong most often, which allows us to put more focus on the harder questions.
Why are there so many technical questions on the exam?
Sixty years ago, the government wanted a pool of trained radio operators and electronics technicians to draw from in case of another World War. They used the ham radio exams to achieve this goal.
With the advent of digital communications, the military no longer uses Morse code, so training radio operators is much easier. And they now repair radios the same way everyone else does — throw the thing away and get a new one. However, the FCC exams have not kept up with these changes.
Today's exams, especially the Technician exam, should focus more on operations and safety and less on electronics theory. Please don't blame us. If we at the HamTestOnline™ website had control over the question pools, things would be different!
Is the Morse code requirement going away?
Yes! It's official! Effective February 23, 2007, Morse code testing will no longer be required for any U.S. ham radio licenses! Details.
When I'm ready, where do I go to take the exam?
We would let you take the exam on our website if the FCC would allow it. Unfortunately, they require that you go to a testing session administered by 3 or more VE's who check your ID and monitor to make sure there is no cheating.
These websites have information about amateur radio license tests in your area:
Should I plan to take more than one exam in a single session?
Absolutely. We've had hundreds of students go from "zero to Extra" in one exam session!
Students are afraid they'll forget what they've already learned if they study for another exam, but it simply doesn't work that way. The reality is that questions in later pools reinforce your understanding of the earlier pools, much as Algebra II reinforces what you learned in Algebra I. Also, almost everyone thinks their memory is worse than average, so don't try that excuse with me! :-)
When your score for one exam reaches 50%, I recommend leaving those topics on, but also turning on the next exam. You will still get plenty of review on the earlier pool, and the program will start mixing in new materials as well. Once your score for an exam reaches 75%, you're virtually guaranteed to pass. Unless you have a strong desire to get a perfect score, it's time to turn those topics off and focus on the other exam(s).
Do you have any last-minute advice about taking the exams?
Don't be nervous.
In the old days you had to travel, often a long distance, to the nearest FCC office and take the exam in front of an official FCC examiner. No matter how ready you were, it was hard not to be nervous.
Today you take the exams from a local group of volunteer hams — regular people, just like you and me. They have taken the exams themselves, so they understand what you're going through. Just think of them as a group of new friends, and you should have no problem with nervousness.
Besides, you already know that you will pass. Our website has taught you the material. You're doing well on our practice exams. So just relax and enjoy it. The actual exams will seem quite easy. I promise!
What about the written exams for other countries?
We hope to continue adding question pools for other countries. Let us know if you are interested in a particular non-U.S. exam.
How did the HamTestOnline™ website come to exist?
From the website creator, John "J.C." Cunningham, W1AI:
This website exists because of Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). They didn't call it ADD back then, but I was never able to pay attention in school. On the other hand flashcards worked well for me, so I used them extensively. When I encountered my first computer around 1970, I quickly realized it was the answer. By combining active learning (question drill) and adaptive learning (intelligent repetition), a computer could be much more effective than all those little pieces of paper. Add short texts at appropriate places, and you have a complete teaching tool.
I used numerous Computer-based training (CBT) programs over the years, but none of them lived up to the promise. Many were nothing more than long, boring texts with a few review questions. Others were little more than random tests. So after years of dreaming about it, I wrote this software.
What else is coming?
Since our initial product launch in September, 2002, we have never stopped improving the website:
- We are constantly adding materials — texts, pictures, diagrams, sounds, and links.
- As new question pools become available, we integrate them into our course. When questions are occasionally removed from the question pools, we update our course to reflect those changes.
- We keep adding features to the software, like practice exams that focus on your weak areas or on the most-often-missed questions.
- As usage has expanded, we have upgraded our server four times to keep pace. In November, 2006, we moved to a dedicated, 64-bit, 3.4 GHz dual Xeon server with 4GB RAM. On the new server we have been handling over 60,000 hits per day, with 90% of our transactions processed in less than 300 ms, and 98% in less than 3 seconds. We have a "hot backup" server with a real-time replicated database half way across the country.
- We have other exciting new development in the works. Stay tuned!
