License Exams

ALERT

The following information is dependent on current COVID alert levels and subject to frequent changes as the COVID-19 situation changes. Please contact the VEC committee at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for the current testing status. W5NC.net and the reflector will be updated as the information becomes available.

The Exam sessions are offered at the HCESD 16 Administration Building, 18606 Stuebner Airline 77379. Traveling north on Stuebner Airline, turn right off of Stuebner Airline into the driveway, then turn right into the parking area in front of the main building. Those traveling south on Stuebner Airline, turn left into the driveway and then right into the parking are.

Do not attempt to enter the gates into the back parking area. Enter the building through the main entrance and proceed down the hall to the conference room on the left.

This is a secure facility. We have limited access and are allowed only in the main hallway, the two meeting rooms on the left side of the hallway, and the restroom facilities on the right toward the end of the hall.

Under no circumstances are we to enter any other room, rather they are locked or not.

 Please visit the exam information on this website for additional information regarding the exam. See the map on this page for directions to the facility.

This testing session will be conducted in person using Computer Based Testing (CBT). Applicants must have their FRN, either to pre-register or to test as a walk-in. 

To find any session, visit https://hamstudy.org/sessions/arrl/inperson. Select In Person, Show,  All VECs, and then type the zip code (77070) into the text box. Click the Filter button to filter the listing to the ZIP code. Scroll through the list to view the available sessions, and then click the session link you prefer. Click the orange Register button near the bottom of the page and complete the registration form.

• Test session dates are listed below.
• Doors open at 8:30 A.M.
• Testing will be from 10:00 A.M. until 11:00 A.M.
• If you have a temperature or feel ill, please do not attempt to attend the session.
• Walk-ins are permitted, but pre-registration is encouraged. Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for information.

Please be sure to bring the following items to the exam session:

• Identification:
  • One legal photo ID (identification):
    
    • State Driver’s License
    • Student School Photo ID card
  • If no photo ID is available, two forms of identification are required. Acceptable identification may be any two (2) of the following:
    • Birth certificate (must have the appropriate seal)
    • Social security card
    • School ID card
    • Your FCC issued Federal Registration Number (FRN) is now required. 

• If you currently hold an Amateur Radio License, bring a photocopy of your current Amateur Radio license, a reference copy printed out from the FCC website, or the license information printed from ARRL website or QRZ website,
• If you have previously taken the exam for any class of license, bring the original(s) and photocopy(s) of the Certificates of Successful Completion of Examination (CSCE) you may hold from previous exam sessions. A copy will be retained by the VEC.
• A calculator with the memory erased and formulas cleared is allowed. NO PHONE CALCULATORS.
• A check made out to the ARRL VEC, a money order, or cash to cover the exam session fee(s). The exam fee is $15.00 for each exam, $5.00 for youth under 18 years old.

An additional fee of $35 will be collected by the FCC. This change went into effect on April 19, 2022. The $35 application fee will be paid directly to the FCC by using the CORES FRN Registration system (CORES - Login). When the FCC receives the examination information from the VEC, it will email a link with payment instructions to each successful candidate, who then will have 10 days from the date of the email to pay.

IMPORTANT: The application will be dismissed if you do not submit the payment within 10 days. You will have to request that the we (ARRL VEC) resubmit your paperwork if you miss the 10-day deadline. You do NOT have to retest, however.

After you pay the fee and the FCC has processed your application, you will receive a second email from the FCC with a link to your official license. The link will be good for 30 days.

The $35 application fee will be reimbursed by check to the fee-payer for any candidates younger than 18 years old per the ARRL Youth Licensing Grant program, effective April 19, 2022.

If you want to learn more about becoming a volunteer examiner, or have questions about the exam, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., ARRL VEC Liaison.

To register for test sessions,visit the HamStudy.org page. The planned test dates for 2024 are as follows:

 Volunteer Examiners