PDF files of Exam Session documents are available to print or download, except for the CSCE (Certificate of Successful Completion of Examination) Forms.

Individual form files are available in PDF to print or download.
For your convenience, exam session forms are also available as interactive forms. Simply download, fill out, and print our easy to use fillable forms.

NCVEC 605 Form 2018 (interactive) - VALID SEPTEMBER 2017
     (updated March 2018). All NCVEC 605 form versions issued prior
     to September 2017 are obsolete and cannot be used.
Applicant Instructions for FCC Basic Qualification Question - 2019
Candidate Roster 2014 (interactive)
Candidate Roster 2014
Test Session Report 2015 (interactive)
Test Session Report 2015
Candidate Exam Answer Sheet 2018  (for use with overlay grading templates,
     be sure to print with page size setting as 'actual size',
     do not set as 'fit' to page.)

Organize Test Package 2014
Element Credit Table and Information 2014
RF Safety Information 2019
Obtain License Copy Information 2019
ARRL Privacy Policy for Volunteers

Exam Session Registration Form 2015
Restock Materials Form 2019 (interactive)
Restock Materials Form 2019
Fee Reimbursement (interactive)
Exam Session Poster (interactive)
Exam Session Poster 2015

VE Application
VE Open Book Review
VE Application and Open Book Review (interactive)
VE Survey 2020
VEC Fact Sheet 2019

All ARRL VEC Forms, except for the CSCE (Certificate of Successful Completion of Examination) Form, may be duplicated. Contact the ARRL VEC for a supply of CSCE forms.

All ARRL VEC Forms, except for the CSCE (Certificate of Successful Completion
of Examination), may be duplicated. Contact the ARRL VEC for a supply of
CSCE forms.

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Completing the CSCE

The following information should be filled in on the CSCE: test site (city and state), test date; candidate's signature, name, call sign (if any; if none, write "none") and complete address; and the signatures and call signs of the three VEs who administered the exams (all three are mandatory).

In the Exam Elements Earned section, only the Exam elements passed at the session should be circled. Any element(s) failed or that aren’t taken at the session, must be lined out entirely.

In the New License Class Earned section, the highest-level license class earned at the session should be circled and the other license class earned lines are to be crossed out completely.

For example, an applicant who upgrades should be issued a CSCE that indicates the element(s) passed at the session and the new license class he/she has earned. Because a candidate can upgrade to only one license class at any given session, only one license class should be indicated on the upgrade CSCE, regardless of how many license classes he/she oversteps; such as progress from Technician to Extra class. All elements that were not taken or passed at the session should be lined out completely.

Do not issue CSCEs to unsuccessful candidates.


Instant Upgrade CSCEs for Candidates

For General written test (Element 3) credit, persons who took a 50-question Technician/General written test before March 21, 1987 receive “grandfather” Technician licensees’ credit under Section 97.505 of FCC Rules.

The paperwork only upgrade forms may not be sent directly to the FCC or the VEC office by the amateur (the upgrade must occur at a test session and follow FCC guidelines). The candidate must hold a current Technician license and present themselves to a VE exam session with valid proof. Although no test will be taken, the candidate will pay the test session fee, fill out a 605 form and receive a new CSCE from the examiners before their license may be upgraded to General.

An applicant who has proof of “grandfather” Technician licensees’ credit, but does not hold a current Technician license, must pass the Technician written exam before they can apply the “grandfather” credit towards a license. The candidate will pay the test session fee, fill out a 605 form and receive a new CSCE from the examiners showing a new General license earned.

It is the applicant (not the VEs or coordinating VEC) who is responsible for supplying the evidence of holding valid grandfather credit. For detailed information on valid forms of credit, visit the Exam Element Credit web page.


Candidates with Expired Licenses

FCC Rule 97.505(a) offers partial credit to an examinee that has an expired General, Advanced, or Extra license. If an applicant held a General or Advanced license, and has proof, the FCC will afford credit for the General (Element 3) written exam only. If an applicant held an Extra license, and has proof, the FCC will afford credit for the General (Element 3) and Extra (Element 4) written exams.

The FCC does not allow expired license holders to automatically qualify for a license. At a minimum, the applicant must take the current 35-question Technician exam at a VE test session to return to Amateur Radio. Ex-licensees looking for expired license credit must present proof at the session. After the test is passed and the proof is submitted, FCC will issue a new call sign and license at the appropriate license level.

On the CSCE in the top right corner, circle the expired license Element credit(s) and indicate which (if any) elements were passed by circling them. If no elements were passed at the session because the candidate already re-tested and has a current license, cross out all Exam Elements Earned on the form. Depending on which level of an expired license is presented as proof, circle the New License Class Earned on the CSCE.

It is the applicant (not the VEs or coordinating VEC) who is responsible for supplying the evidence of holding expired license credit. For detailed information about expired license credit including valid forms of proof, visit the Exam Element Credit web page.

Each applicant for a new license or license upgrade and three ARRL VEC
accredited Volunteer Examiners must complete the NCVEC QUICK-FORM
605 APPLICATION 2018 (September 2017 series, updated March 2018)
at ARRL VEC coordinated exam sessions. All NCVEC 605 form versions
issued prior to September 2017 are obsolete and cannot be used.

Step by step instructions for completing NCVEC 605 Form. Go Now

Applicants that check "YES" for the Basic Qualification Question
will follow the FCC instructions and procedures.

Free gift offer from VE Teams to their newly licensed examinees!
VE Teams can now offer a free gift with ARRL membership
to successful candidates new to Amateur Radio.
Effortless to use!
The small note pad, with 25 easy to tear off sheets,
features a fun, eye-catching design that can be
displayed to candidates at your exam session.

Makes a great promotional item for your VE Team!
Contact the ARRL VEC today for your supply of
VE Team membership offer forms.

A software program for Windows^® and Mac^® to generate printed exams.

The ARRL VE Exam Maker software package is available to ARRL VEs from the
ARRL VE Exam Maker Software page. VE log-in will be required for access.
The VE Exam Maker Software can only be downloaded by VEs that are accredited
and registered with ARRL VEC.

This software program is capable of updating question pools, specifications and
software directly online.

The download page requires Adobe Flash Player. You may be prompted to upgrade
the installed version of Flash Player if you do not have a recent version installed.

ARRL VEs with an ARRL Membership
To access the VE Exam Maker Software, log in to your ARRL web account.

Once logged in, go to the VE Exam Maker Software page and follow the installation instructions.

ARRL Members not registered online or who have forgotten their online
password should visit the Member Support page for assistance.
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ARRL VEs without an ARRL Membership

• Click the on the VE Exam Maker install link located on the VE Exam Maker Software page, then click the “cancel” button located in the log-in box.
• You will be redirected to the “Log-In Required” page, where you will “Request a Password” using your call sign and email address. The email address you use for the request must be the email address on file with the VEC department.
  
  
• After you receive the password via email, you will then be able to log-in to the VE Exam Maker software download page with your username (your current call sign) and password. Click on the VE Exam Maker install link located on the VE Exam Maker Software page. Follow the install and download instructions located on the software page.
  ___________________________________________

Error Messages
After a failed attempt to “Request a Password” a message will appear at
the top of the “Log-In Required” page that states: Failure - There is no
matching ARRL VEC record. Contact ARRL VEC for assistance.

If you have not informed us of your email address or if your record is out
of date, you will have to contact ARRL VEC to update your information.

Twenty-four to 48 hours after we verify and update your VE email address
record, you will be able to submit the online password request and
receive a password via email.

On the VE Exam Maker Software page, click on the VE Exam Maker
install link. Log-in to the VE Exam Maker software install page with
your username (your current call sign) and password. Follow the
install and download instructions located on the software page.

VE Teams officially Field-Stocked by the ARRL VEC with a bulk quantity of our exam materials should check our VEC Exam Booklets page periodically to ensure your VEC printed exam booklets are up-to-date.

Replenish your Field-Stocked exam supplies via our interactive web form. Go Now.

Keep up to date on the current question pools and the
questions withdrawn formally from use by the National
Conference of VECs question pool committee.
 

Subpart F: Qualifying Examinations Systems govern the VEC program.

FCC Rules, Candidate information and VE instructions related to
Exam Element Credit. 

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Information Pertaining to the FCC Element Credit Rule

The FCC has revised the Amateur Service Part 97 rules (July 2014) to grant partial written examination element credit to holders of expired General, Advanced and Extra licenses.
The FCC also offers partial written examination element credit to Technician licenses issued BEFORE March 21, 1987. If an applicant held a "Technician" prior to 3/21/1987, and has proof, the FCC will afford credit for the General (Element 3) written exam only. The FCC does not require the applicant to have been continuously licensed.

At VE exam sessions it is the applicant (not the VEs or coordinating VEC) who is responsible for supplying the evidence of holding a valid expired license or an old Technician license for credit.

The FCC requires former licensees — those falling outside the 2-year grace period — to pass Element 2 (Technician) in order to be relicensed.

Expired license holders will not automatically receive credit on that day and may not operate as a new licensee until a new license is granted.

To take advantage of the FCC expired license credit rule, holders of expired licenses must attend an exam session. There they would present a photo ID and their expired license proof, pay the $15 exam session processing fee and take the Technician exam.

If an applicant held a Pre-March 1987 Technician or General or Advanced license, and has proof, the FCC will afford credit for the General (Element 3) written exam only. If an applicant held an Extra license, and has proof, the FCC will afford credit for the General (Element 3) and Extra (Element 4) written exams. At VE exam sessions it is the applicant (not the VEs or coordinating VEC) who is responsible for supplying the evidence of holding valid expired license credit. Acceptable forms of proof can be found on the Exam Element Credit web page. 

If sufficient proof is not presented, the candidate has the option of taking the Tech exam and earning just a new Tech license and then attending an exam session at a later date when they have the proper documentation. As always, the candidate will have to show a photo ID, present the proof, pay the $15 exam session processing fee, and fill out all forms to receive the paper upgrade. The upgrade is not automatic and may NOT be sent directly to the FCC or to the VEC by the candidate.

Expired licensees will not automatically get their old call sign back. FCC will issue a new sequentially issued call sign. If they desire to obtain their old call sign they may try to do so through the FCC vanity call sign program. However, someone else may have already obtained their old call sign as a vanity call sign and therefore it would not be available.

Current Technician licensees just presenting the proof would need to attend a VE session and the paperwork would be handled as if they are taking an exam. The candidate will have to show a photo ID, present the proof, pay the $15 exam session processing fee, and fill out all forms to receive the paper upgrade. The current Technician license combined with the old Technician license proof or expired General, Advanced, Extra license proof, would allow the candidate to upgrade at the session without taking any exams.

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VE Teams -- How to Fill out Forms

At a session, the candidate must present a photo ID and their expired license credit, pay the $15 test session fee and fill out the NCVEC form 605. If the Element 2 written exam is passed and the expired license proof is valid, the VE team will issue the candidate a CSCE for the upgrade to a general or extra class license depending on the documentation presented.

On the CSCE in the top right corner, circle the expired license Element credit(s) and indicate which (if any) elements were passed by circling them. If no elements were passed at the session, cross out all Exam Elements Earned on the form. Depending on which level of an expired license is presented as proof, circle the New License Class Earned on the CSCE.

On the Candidate Roster you will indicate which (if any) elements were passed or failed as you normally would. For applicants that present expired licenses as credit you will write “CL” or “CT” for license credit in the appropriate column or columns (Element 3 and/or Element 4 column) depending on which level of an expired license is presented as proof. Then fill in the License Earned at the session in that column. An example of how to fill out the candidate roster can be found on the website at www.arrl.org/files/file/VEs/Roster%202014%20Final.pdf  (page 2 of document).

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Post Session Process

The VE Team must prepare and mail all session paperwork to the coordinating VEC. Once the session arrives at the VEC, in accordance with FCC rules, the VEC staff must verify all session documentation. All 605 forms and CSCEs must have the candidate’s signature and 3 VE signatures. The documents used for expired license exam element credit must be validated and the test documents must be confirmed as being passed. Finally, the session data and information from the 605 forms can then be keyed and submitted to the FCC.

The FCC has mandated that all paperwork only upgrades be done through a VEC via their VE Teams. As always, the candidate will have to show a photo ID, present the proof, pay the $15 exam session processing fee and fill out all forms to receive the paper upgrade. The upgrade is not automatic and may NOT be sent directly to the FCC or to the VEC by the candidate (again the paperwork only upgrade must occur at a test session and follow FCC exam session guidelines).

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Additional information and valid forms of exam element credit for Expired Licenses is located on the Exam Element Credit web page www.arrl.org/exam-element-credit.

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For your reference, we have created an easy to follow Element Credit table to help you determine how to handle candidate’s at your exam sessions.
A printable version can be found here Element Credit Table and Information.   
Remember the burden of proof falls on the candidate, not the VE team or the VEC.

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FCC Goes Paperless:  In order to streamline procedures and save money, the FCC stopped routinely printing and mailing licenses in February 2015.
==================================

There are a number of ways a license holder can obtain an official FCC copy of their license.  Licensees can find complete instructions on our Obtain License Copy web page.

An unofficial "reference copy" can always be printed from the FCC’s ULS License database
(License Search) https://www.fcc.gov/wireless/systems-utilities/universal-licensing-system.  

New licensees may choose to register their SSN (social security number) with the FCC and receive a FRN before the exam date to make retrieving a copy of their new license after the session much easier. 

VE Teams may accept photocopies or printouts of licenses from the follow sources: the official license or reference license printed from the FCC website, and license data printed out from the ARRL website or QRZ website. This information can be found on the ARRL web page what to bring to an exam session.  
 

The preferred method of shipping exam session packages to the ARRL VEC is
United States Postal Service (USPS) First Class Mail with an ARRL VEC supplied
pre-paid postage label. Please contact the ARRL VEC for alternate shipping methods.

For shipping your exam session results to ARRL VEC office via First Class Mail, simply affix the self-adhesive business-reply label to the white self-seal envelope or any plain envelope and present your exam session package at any post office, or place it in a convenient nearby postal service drop box, or simply hand it to your postal carrier. The postage will be billed to our ARRL VEC Business-Reply Account.

Include the teams’ or the Liaisons’ return address on the envelope. USPS stipulates that this information must be displayed on the envelope. Any post office can refuse a package that does not have a return name and address label attached.  We request your assistance in making the most effective use of this service by processing and shipping your sessions as soon as possible but no later than ten days after the exam.

A detailed list describing the items candidates are required to bring to the
exam session and prohibited from using during the test.
What to Bring to an Exam Session

Check out the online supplements to the ARRL Ham Radio License Manual, the ARRL General Class License Manual and the ARRL Extra Class License Manual. The supplements offer additional information and reference sources to provide in depth explanations and enhance background knowledge.

Before exam day, candidates can take on screen practice exams for all license levels to ease their nerves.
ARRL Exam Review for Ham Radio™ is free, and users do not need to be ARRL members. The only requirement is that users must first set up a site login (this is a different and separate login from your ARRL website user registration).

Handihams is a non-profit organization that provides assistance for individuals
with disabilities.

Information for VE Teams and examinees on the current ARRL VEC exam fee.

Each examinee at each ARRL VEC coordinated examination session is charged the same fee in accordance with an annually established fee schedule.

The fee charged the examinee is the actual out-of-pocket costs incurred in preparing, processing and administering that particular examination.

If a fee is collected, it may be used to reimburse out-of-pocket expenses regardless of whether the examinee passes or fails the examination or even if the examinee fails to appear for the designated examination session.

Check the ARRL VEC’s current Exam Fee.

FCC permits VECs and VEs to be reimbursed for out-of-pocket costs incurred in preparing, processing and administering examinations.

Check the ARRL VEC’s current Reimbursement Policy.

ARRL VEs can register Amateur Radio exam session dates and locations and order exam supplies quickly and easily by using our interactive ARRL Exam Session Registration Form. All ARRL VEC exam session materials, including software and forms, are supplied free of charge to ARRL accredited VE Team Liaisons (leaders).  We even pay for shipping to and from the VEC.

ARRL VE Teams officially Field-Stocked by the ARRL VEC with a bulk quantity of our exam materials should check our VEC Exam Booklets page periodically at www.arrl.org/vec-exam-booklets to ensure your VEC printed exam booklets are up-to-date. Field-Stocked VE teams should also be vigilant about keeping us informed of who has possession of the exam supplies. Notify us immediately when the teams’ field-stock changes hands to ensure that any exam updates will be mailed to and received by the proper person. To restock exam supplies via the on-line VE team restock form or to see if your team qualifies to be field-stocked with a year’s supply of exam materials visit www.arrl.org/field-stocked-ve-teams.

Non-ARRL Volunteer Examiner Teams may register upcoming exam session dates and locations by visiting the Non-ARRL exam session registration page.