Posted: 8/30/2010 5:13:28 PM EDT
| Does anyone know how well the practice tests on QRZ.com represent the actual test? I've gone through 4 different tests on QRZ.com tonight and scored 94.3% on all of them. I think I've got the material down pretty good, but I'm just wondering if I need to be expecting some odd-ball questions to be thrown in that may not be covered in the question pool at QRZ. I've got the ARRL study guide that I'm woking my way through as well. Any info or advice is appeciated!! |
| First, there are multiple versions of each "real" test. Second, for any given license class, the QRZ sample tests collectively contain all of the questions from the test pool. There aren't any oddball questions that could be on the real tests but not the sample tests. The issue is how many of the sample tests do you have to take to insure you've seen all the potential questions? I don't know, but I'm pretty sure that if you've only taken four sample tests there are some questions you haven't seen yet. |
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I guess I shoud clarify a little more. I've been through all of the Technician Level tests on QRZ, and passed all of them. I passed them all, but not at the level that I want to though. So after some more studying, I decided to go back through the tests in order tonight, and I've scored 94.3% on each of the first 4 tests. I feel confident that I've seen all of the pool questions, but I'm just trying to figure out if there's anything else that I need to concentrate on.
Thanks for the reply! 
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My wife used the tests on QRZ and eHam to study for her license. She went from no cal to general in one test session primarily because of that. When she started consistently getting 90's on the online Tech exams, I encouraged her to try the General ones. I knew she do well when she was getting 80's and 90's on those too.
You'll do fine. Just take your time and read each question carefully. Let us know how you do. |
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If you've got an android phone (maybe iPhone too) there was a program I downloaded that kept track of the questions I missed and kept repeating them until I got them right (I think at least 3 consecutive times until it considered them "learned"). I used that for a couple of weeks and the QRZ tests and only missed one on my General test. |
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The practice tests on QRZ, eHam, etc, draw from the same question pool as the real exams.
When you take an actual exam it, too, will be different, just as those tests online are all different. I'm a W5YI CVE. Each time I print a test from the provided software, it generates a different test. Print 10 times, 10 different tests. If you are consistently scoring over 90%, it is time to move on to studying for the General. Continue studying the Tech materials, but start on the General. The expanded privileges of the General Class License are well worth the little additional effort needed to pass the General. Pardon my copy/paste but... here goes: Go to this site: http://www.w5ddl.org/ And on the left side you will see links to Classroom Presentations (in PowerPoint) for Tech and General, as well as links to practice exams for Tech, General, and Extra class. If you don't have PowerPoint, there is a link for a free PowerPoint Viewer. In each of those two links you will find both the separate chapters, as well as a zip file containing all of the chapters. Here is another site with classes: http://www.rarchams.org/class/technician/chartsppt09/index.htm There are also courses of study that may be subscribed to at: http://www.hamtestonline.com Study Guides - right click on these links and Save As: Tech: http://www.kb6nu.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/2010_Tech_Study_Guide.pdf General: http://abacus.nmsu.edu/~shoran/PDF/General_Pool_2007.pdf and http://kb6nu.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/2007GeneralStudyGuide.pdf Extra: http://abacus.nmsu.edu/~shoran/PDF/Extra%20Class%20Amateur%20Radio%20Course.pdf and http://kb6nu.com/extra-class-easypass-how-everybody-can-be-an-extra/ < READ THIS!!! Podcasts: http://hamradioclass.com/ http://hamradioclass.com/shownotes/ Practice Tests: http://www.qrz.com/ham/ http://www.radioexam.org/ http://aa9pw.com/radio/ http://www.eham.net/exams/ http://www.w8mhb.com/exam/ http://www.hamtestonline.com Testing Locations http://www.w5yi-vec.org/exam_locations_ama.php (Search by State) http://www.arrl.org/arrlvec/examsearch.phtml (Search by State, Country, or Zip Code) Here's what to do... study the study guides a few evenings. Then begin doing the W5DDL classroom presentations. You can do one or two a night. Also begin taking the practice tests. With all of those sites, each time you take the test it will have a different random draw of questions from the question pool... just like the real test you will take. I would also suggest you take the practice test on a different site each time. This will help you get used to the appearance of the test being different, just as it will be when you take the actual test. Take two or three (or more if you have time) of the practice tests each night after going through a chapter from W5DDL. By the time you are finished with the W5DDL classes you will be ready for the Tech test, and you will pass. BUT WAIT!!! There's more!!! When you are confident that you will pass the Tech, and are passing by 90% or more, begin study for the General. If you are smart enough to pass the Tech, you are smart enough for the General, too. With the General comes greatly expanded band privileges. Keep up with studying the Tech guides and the practice tests, but add the General. You can do this! |
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Quoted:
Thanks for the replies. Exam date is 10/2/10, so I've got about another month left to fine tune it and/or move on to the General Class material. That is what I did... a month is plenty of time to get comfortable with the General Exam... take em both, get it done.... 
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Quoted:
Take this advice. Wish I did. It would have saved me another trip to a test session and another test fee. I missed General by 2 questions the first time around and I didn't study for it one bit. There is a bit of overlap between the two licenses.
If you are consistently scoring over 90%, it is time to move on to studying for the General. Continue studying the Tech materials, but start on the General. The expanded privileges of the General Class License are well worth the little additional effort needed to pass the General. Consistently hitting 85% or better on the online practice tests means it's time to go for the next level |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
Thanks for the replies. Exam date is 10/2/10, so I've got about another month left to fine tune it and/or move on to the General Class material. That is what I did... a month is plenty of time to get comfortable with the General Exam... take em both, get it done....
+1 Do it. |
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Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Thanks for the replies. Exam date is 10/2/10, so I've got about another month left to fine tune it and/or move on to the General Class material. That is what I did... a month is plenty of time to get comfortable with the General Exam... take em both, get it done.... +1 Do it. Yup, study for General as well. I passed both my Tech and General tests a few months back with a 100% on Tech and only missing one question on General after a total of maybe 10-12 dedicated hours of studying the question pools and using the online tests. They're really not hard to pass. I'd suggest grabbing the actual full question pools and going through them once or twice, just to ensure that you've seen all the multiple choice questions at least once. No need to pay for a study book unless you really want one for reference. I also like the way hamtestonline retests you on things you are getting incorrect, but you will have to pay to use it if you go past the basic free sample of stuff they offer. |
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If you want to try another site for a bit of contrast, http://aa9pw.com/ You should do fine otherwise. |
| I used the QRZ tests and I purchased the The ARRL General Class License Manual and studied it. Rather than just memorize the questions/answers, I felt responsible to understand exactly what it was that I was learning, the AARL GCLM was very helpful. I passed the test with 100% and was the first one to finish taking the test that day. |
| When I took my test (30 years ago at the FCC office, without benefit of a published question pool) I didn't have any trouble. When I took my Extra test last year I didn't study anything or read the question pool, it was suggested with my experience as a long time Ham I could pass it so I gave it a go with nothing but fifteen bucks and a borrowed pencil. That one was a little harder but I squeaked through. If you know the material in general, you won't have any trouble! |
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Last spring I administered a test session in which the applicants had not studied the General, only the Tech material.
They all passed the Tech. Then I passed out the General tests. "But we didn't study this!" Even so, one missed passing by only 2 questions, she was a school teacher (English, I think). I asked them, if you had studied the General any at all, do you think you would have passed? All of them said yes. So, study the General, too!!! It is really not much harder than the Tech. The expanded HF privileges are more than worth the few hours extra study. And I gave you all the material you need to do this in my previous post. It will cost you NOTHING more to do this. Just a little more time. And strike while the iron is hot... while you have the momentum. |
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As stated earlier, the on-line test are the actual questions. But, the answers will be in random order. What that means is answer D on a given question that you read on-line, may be switched to answer A on your version of the real test. On most test, all of the above is usually D. But when you take the examt, B might be all of the above. Bottom line, don't try to learn the answer letter (which would be difficult anyway).
Craig |
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ANYONE taking a Ham exam should take the test for the next higher level once they pass what they came for. It is simple economics. It doesn't cost any more (one fee covers as many tests as you want to take in a session) and you don't lose anything if you don't pass.
And as it has been said, the extra privileges a General has vs. a Technician is huge. The boost an Extra gets over a General isn't so much - a bit of additional spectrum and a distinct callsign. We do like the bragging rights though. 
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