General License Exam Practice

The license for most of the HF bands and contacts around the world. Practice with the official question pool until you know every answer.

Start practicing · Topic Study · Sample questions

What's on the Exam

  1. Commission’s rules (5 questions): General class control operator frequency privileges; Antenna structure limitations; Transmitter power regulations; Volunteer Examiners and Volunteer Examiner Coordinators; Control categories.
  2. Operating procedures (5 questions): Phone operating procedures; Operating effectively; CW operating procedures and procedural signals; Volunteer Monitor Program; Digital mode operating procedures.
  3. Radio wave propagation (3 questions): Sunspots and solar radiation; Maximum Usable Frequency; Ionospheric regions.
  4. Amateur radio practices (5 questions): Station configuration and operation; Tests and test equipment; Interference to consumer electronics; Speech processors; Mobile and portable HF stations.
  5. Electrical principles (3 questions): Reactance; The decibel; Resistors, capacitors, and inductors in series and parallel.
  6. Circuit components (2 questions): Resistors; Analog and digital integrated circuits (ICs).
  7. Practical circuits (3 questions): Power supplies; Digital circuits; Transceiver design.
  8. Signals and emissions (3 questions): Carriers and modulation; Frequency changing; Digital emission modes.
  9. Antennas and feed lines (4 questions): Feed lines; Basic dipole and monopole antennas; Directional antennas; Specialized antenna types and applications.
  10. Electrical and RF safety (2 questions): RF safety principles, rules, and guidelines; Station safety.

How the Exam Works

Format
35 multiple-choice questions, one from each group of the General question pool. You pass with 26 correct (74%).
Questions
Every question comes word for word from the public General pool (423 questions, in use from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2027). The answers do too, though their order can change.
Where
At an exam session run by volunteer examiners, in person or online with video supervision.
Cost
The session fee is usually $15 or less. Upgrading costs nothing at the FCC: its $35 fee is only for a new license.
Results
Graded at the session, so you know right away. The FCC then issues your license, valid for ten years.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many questions are on the General exam?

35 multiple-choice questions, one from each of the 35 groups in the General pool. You need 26 correct to pass (74%).

Where do the questions come from?

From the General question pool, which the NCVEC Question Pool Committee publishes for anyone to use. Every exam question and its answers are taken from it word for word. The current pool has 423 questions, in use from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2027.

Do I need a Technician license first?

You need to have passed the Technician exam (Element 2) to be granted General, but you can take both exams at the same session.

Is there a Morse code test?

No. The FCC dropped Morse code testing for every license class in February 2007.

After General

Amateur Extra is the top license, with every amateur privilege. The Amateur Extra exam