On air · est. 2025 Current NCVEC pool
Open Ham Prep The Study Rig
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The Study Rig · US Amateur Radio Licensing

Pass the ham exam.
Get on the air.

A free, open-source study platform for the US amateur radio license exams. Practice against the real FCC question pools, with plain-English lessons for Technician. Three moves, no tricks, no paywall.

Technician · General · Extra Free, forever Open source · MIT Made in North Carolina
Question bank
1,489
Typical prep
2–3WKS
Price, forever
$0
§ 01 — The method

Three Steps.
That's IT.

01RX · Receive

Learn why, not just what

Every study app ships the same public-domain FCC questions. What they don't ship is the why — why 50-ohm coax terminates the way it does, why 2:1 SWR is still fine on most rigs, why 20 meters peaks two hours after sunrise.

So we're writing that part. Technician lessons are up now, in plain English, written by hams who've sat the exam. They aren't finished and they aren't perfect — General and Extra are still to come. But where a lesson exists, you'll understand why the FCC wrote the question that way instead of memorizing a letter.

Lesson coverage
Technician
Technician
10 units
General
In progress
Amateur Extra
Planned
Status
Work in progress
02TX · Transmit

Sit the real exam

Not a quiz. Not a spaced-repetition feed. A full-length mock drawn from the exact NCVEC pool the Volunteer Examiner team will hand you in a few weeks. Timed, scored, locked like the real thing.

The readiness score that comes out the other side is the only number that matters. Under 70%, keep reading. 74–84%, drill your weak areas. 85% and up, show up to a session.

Exam format
35–50 Q · 74%
Exam length
35 or 50 Q
Timer
Optional
Subelement scoring
Yes
Retakes
Unlimited
03Drill · Repeat

Work your weak signal

Every question you miss drops into your weak list, along with anything you flagged. The system builds a drill session from just those questions — shuffled, looped — and you answer them until you've got five correct in a row on each.

It's boring. It works. It's how every ham we know actually passed. By exam day, the questions that scared you are the ones you're most confident on.

Drill logic
Streak × 5
Queue refresh
Each exam
Per-question streak
Visible
Cross-device sync
Yes
Reset queue
Any time
§ 03 — Common traffic

Questions we hear
on every net.

Q.1

Is it really free?

Really. No credit card, no trial, no upgrade tier. FCC pools are public domain, the site is open source under MIT, and hosting costs us a few dollars a month. If you want to thank us: get licensed, then help somebody else through.
Q.2

How long does Technician take?

Most people are ready in two to three weeks studying 30–60 minutes a day. With an electronics background, much faster. If high-school physics was twenty years ago, maybe a month. Either is fine.
Q.3

Do I need Morse code?

No. The FCC dropped the code requirement in 2007. It's a wonderful mode if you want it, but it isn't required for any US amateur license.
Q.4

Are you affiliated with the ARRL?

No — we're independent, built by volunteer hams. We like the ARRL and you should probably join them too. We're one more tool in your study stack.
Q.5

What about General and Extra?

Practice exams work for all three pools today — the questions get heavier, but readiness scoring and weak-area drilling carry straight over. Written lessons are Technician-only for now; General and Extra are being written.
§ 04 — Sign off

Your callsign
is waiting.

No credit card · No upsells · MIT licensed