Getting a U.S. ham radio license sounds official and complicated. It isn't. There's no Morse code anymore, no interview, and no engineering background required — just a multiple-choice test pulled from a list of questions that's published in advance. Here's the whole path, start to finish.
Study the question pool
The Technician exam is 35 multiple-choice questions drawn from a public pool of about 400 — and that pool is free to see. Use a free tool like HamStudy.org to drill, or our free study tool. Most people are ready in two or three weeks at half an hour a day.
Get your FRN from the FCC (free)
Before exam day, register for an FRN (FCC Registration Number) in the FCC's CORES system at fcc.gov. It's free, takes ten minutes, and you'll need it to be issued a license. Bring it with you.
Find an exam session
Volunteer examiners (VEs) give the test all over the country, and you can also take it online over Zoom. Find a session through the ARRL's session finder or HamStudy's exam sessions. (Our companion guide, what exam day is actually like, walks through both options.)
Take the test
Pass by getting 26 of 35 right — that's 74%, so you can miss nine and still pass. Budget around $15 for the session and a $35 FCC application fee. Most people are done in well under half an hour.
Get your call sign and transmit
You'll walk out with a certificate (a CSCE) confirming you passed. Within a few days your license — and your brand-new call sign — appears in the FCC's ULS database. The moment it's there, you're legal to transmit.
Once you're licensed, a $25 handheld and a local repeater are all you need to make your first contact. If you'd like the whole exam explained — not just drilled — that's exactly what the book is for.