Resources for VEs
ARRL VEC FORMS
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Certificate of Successful Completion of Examination Forms
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. -
EXAM SESSION FORMS (Print, Download or Fill interactively)
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 2017 - NEW! VALID ON AUGUST 21, 2017
NCVEC 605 Form 2017 (interactive) - VALID ON AUGUST 21, 2017
Applicant Instructions - Basic Qualification Question 2017
Candidate Roster 2014 (interactive)
Candidate Roster 2014
Test Session Report 2015 (interactive)
Test Session Report 2015
Candidate Exam Answer Sheet (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 2016
Obtain License Copy Information 2015
ARRL Privacy Policy for Volunteers
Exam Session Registration Form 2015
Restock Materials Form 2016 (interactive)
Restock Materials Form 2016
Fee Reimbursement 2014 (interactive)
Exam Session Poster (interactive)
Exam Session Poster 2015
VE Application
VE Open Book Review
VEC Fact Sheet 2017
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. -
Each applicant for a new license or license upgrade and three ARRL VEC
accredited Volunteer Examiners must complete the NCVEC QUICK-FORM
605 APPLICATION 2017 at the ARRL VEC coordinated exam session.
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.
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Membership Offer for New Licensees
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.
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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.
PRINT EXAMS
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A software program for Windows® and Mac® to generate printed exams.
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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.
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ARRL VEs with an ARRL Membership
To access the VE Exam Maker Software, log in to your ARRL online 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.
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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. - 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.
VEC EXAM BOOKLETS
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List of Current ARRL VEC Exam Booklets
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.
FCC RULES / INFO
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Part 97: Amateur Radio Service Rules and Regulations
Subpart F: Qualifying Examinations Systems govern the VEC program.
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FCC rules, candidate information and VE instructions related to
exam element credit.
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Information Pertaining to FCC Element Credit Rule Changes
The FCC has revised the Amateur Service Part 97 rules to grant written examination element credit to holders of expired General, Advanced and Extra licenses. The new rules became effective 30 days after their publication in The Federal Register, which was Monday July 21, 2014.
Expired license holders will not automatically receive credit on that day and may not operate as a new licensee.
The FCC requires former licensees — those falling outside the 2-year grace period — to pass Element 2 (Technician) in order to be relicensed.
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 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.
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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.
VE teams may continue to use the current CSCEs and Candidate Rosters until we print new versions to include the expired license credit.
On the current CSCE 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 current 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” 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
New Candidate Roster (see page 2 of PDF). This file also includes a sample of the new Candidate Roster (see page 1 of PDF) which if you prefer, you may print out and use at your exam sessions.
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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.ELEMENT CREDIT TABLE
License Class
Element Credit Given
Exam to Pass
License Earned
Expired Novice
none
Element 2
Technician
Current Novice
none
Element 2
Technician
Expired Technician issued
3/21/1987 or LATER
none
Element 2
Technician
Expired Technician issued
BEFORE 3/21/1987
Element 3
Element 2
General
Current Technician issued
3/21/1987 or LATER
Element 2
Element 3
General
Current Technician issued
BEFORE 3/21/1987
Elements 2 and 3
none
General
Current Technician
with old expired General
Elements 2 and 3
none
General
Current Technician
with old expired Advanced
Elements 2 and 3
none
General
Current Technician
with old expired Extra
Elements 2, 3 and 4
none
Extra
Expired General
Element 3
Element 2
General
Current General
Elements 2 and 3
Element 4
Extra
Expired Advanced
Element 3
Element 2
General
Current Advanced
Elements 2 and 3
Element 4
Extra
Expired Extra
Elements 3 and 4
Element 2
Extra
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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 is located on the Exam Element Credit web page and on the Element Credit Table and Information form.
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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.
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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 http://wireless.fcc.gov/uls/.
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.
POST SESSION
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Shipping Exam Session Packages to VEC
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.
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Using United States Postal Service (USPS) First Class Mail
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.
CANDIDATES
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Requirements for an ARRL VEC Session
A detailed list describing the items candidates are required to bring to the
exam session and prohibited from using during the test. -
ARRL License Manuals Online Supplements
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.
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The ARRL provides on screen practice exams for all license levels. Before exam day, your candidate's can take practice exams to ease their nerves.
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Handihams is a non-profit organization that provides assistance for individuals
with disabilities.
ARRL VEC EXAM FEE
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Information for VE Teams and examinees on the current ARRL VEC exam fee.
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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.
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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.
Licensing, Education & Training >> Volunteer Examiners >> Resources for VEs