Greetings, fellow radio enthusiasts. I’d like to share my experience preparing for and passing the General Class ham radio license exam, detailing the study methods that led to my success. Please note that this reflects my personal approach—what worked for me may not suit everyone. My goal is to provide practical insights that might assist you in your own exam preparation.
Many individuals opt to take the Technician and General exams in a single sitting, but I chose a different path. I preferred to concentrate on one test at a time to ensure a strong performance on each. For those with a solid foundation in electrical principles and a grasp of the regulations, combining the two might be manageable. However, I’ll admit that math has never been my strength. Even the limited calculations required for the Technician exam prompted me to focus heavily on memorizing and practicing the necessary formulas.
Initial Steps
As I outlined in my earlier “How to Study for Your Ham Radio Technician License” post, I’m not inclined toward textbook learning. I thrive on visual and auditory instruction—videos or live explanations resonate with me far more than pages of text. When I began preparing for the General exam, I turned to a trusted resource, the Ham Radio Crash Course YouTube channel, hoping to find a dedicated playlist akin to its Technician offering. Unfortunately, no such playlist existed. While the channel had some General-related videos, they were dated, recorded when HRCC Josh pursued his own license. Though the content likely remained relevant, I sought materials aligned with the current question pool.
This led me to an unexpected decision: purchasing the ARRL General Class Handbook. However, I quickly confirmed my aversion to textbook study. Despite my best efforts to engage with it, the material felt overwhelmingly dense. The electronics section, laden with formulas, proved particularly challenging—ironic, given my interest in eventually designing antennas, where such knowledge is essential. I realized I needed a guide to demonstrate these concepts, not just list them.
A Turning Point with Ham Radio Prep
I had encountered advertisements for Ham Radio Prep on various YouTube channels and decided to investigate. Though hesitant to invest further in study resources, I suspected it could be the solution I needed. Fortunately, they offered a bundled deal for General and Extra courses, and I committed to it.
Ham Radio Prep organizes the General question pool into 23 concise lessons, each accompanied by a video, a written transcript with highlighted answers, and a practice quiz. This structure proved ideal for my learning style. My method was systematic: I watched each video once, reviewed the transcript, and completed the quiz multiple times. As I progressed, I revisited earlier quizzes at least once to reinforce retention. This extended my study timeline, but it ensured I didn’t lose sight of foundational material as I advanced. Without this repetition, I risked forgetting early lessons by the time I reached the end.
After completing the lessons, I transitioned to full practice exams, consistently achieving passing scores. I felt confident in my preparation. That said, I found myself wishing Ham Radio Prep offered a “study mode” similar to Ham Study’s, which provides an endless stream of random questions and tracks progress across sub-elements. Ham Study’s metrics—showing whether you’ve encountered all questions in a section and your proficiency in each—were particularly motivating. Ham Radio Prep lacks this feature; additional practice requires navigating back through lessons manually. However, I appreciated their “most difficult questions” tool, which identifies frequently missed items and generates tailored quizzes—a valuable asset. If I could suggest an improvement, it would be integrating a Ham Study-esque “study mode.” Ultimately, I supplemented my preparation by alternating between both platforms, leveraging their respective strengths.
The Exam Experience
One month after earning my Technician license, I returned to my local club to take the General exam. Candidates should bring a copy of their current license, a valid ID, a pencil, and perhaps a calculator. Notably, upgrading doesn’t incur an additional $35 FCC fee—the existing license is simply amended.
Thanks to my thorough preparation, I passed the exam with ease. Interestingly, several questions mirrored those I had struggled with during practice, prompting a lighthearted comment to the Volunteer Examiner team about their uncanny selection. The testing process felt familiar, akin to the Technician exam. For those who achieve 80% proficiency on practice tests—as I recommended in my Technician guide—success is well within reach.
Looking Ahead
Upon passing, operators may append /AG to their callsign when using General class bands. My FCC record updated the following day, requiring no manual action on my part—convenient, as I’ve yet to acquire an HF radio. I intend to pursue the Extra license eventually, but for now, I’ll pause to explore HF operations and deepen my practical knowledge. Rest assured, a future “How to Pass Your Extra Exam” post will follow in due time.
If you have any questions about the test or anything I mentioned on this page please don’t hesitate to reach out at K8WOORadio@gmail.com or I would also suggest you join the Ham Radio Crash Course Discord. That was my first stop when trying to find an online community that I could ask questions in. There are tons of people in there that know way more than I do AND they do online exams if you find it hard locating an in-person exam near you which is pretty cool.