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Currently Conducting In-Person Exams in Roanoke, AL and Auburn, AL
Other Locations Only When Published or By Request!
Contact Us:
Our Examiners are all volunteers, not employees. This is not a business, so we do not provide instant responses via email or phone. To reach us, please email the address provided at the bottom of each page. Given that our volunteers have regular jobs, responses may take up to 24 hours, excluding holidays or system outages.
Please refrain from contacting us or the FCC about your license status until ten business days have passed. For quick answers, refer to our FAQ section. Additionally, some of our retired members actively monitor our Facebook Group and can assist with questions there. Use the Facebook button on the Home Page to join the group.
Thank you for being so interested in testing for your ham radio license with us. We administer the test using the ARRL Volunteer Examiner system, which consists of the standard test pool provided for all ham testing. Please understand that we do not meet for testing if no one is scheduled to take an exam. The dates published are dates that we have three or more volunteers available to test candidates should a candidate make an appointment. Please do not travel to a test session without first confirming your appointment. Since you have requested an appointment, we will have three volunteers available that day to test you. We are volunteers and are not reimbursed or paid for providing testing to hams, so please show us the courtesy of being on time for your appointment with all the needed items. It will be impossible for all of us to be notified of a change on the day of testing, so if anything changes your availability to test on the day of your appointment, please inform us as early as possible. Think about how you would feel if you drove an hour to work one morning to find out that it was canceled, and you did not know.
Please remember that we give tests in two different time zones. The test will be given at the appointed time based on the local time zone for that location. For all tests in Alabama except for Valley, Alabama, the test time is Central Time (-06:00 GMT). All tests given in Georgia and in Valley, Alabama, are based on Eastern Time (-05:00 GMT). We also test in OTHER STATES; please understand the TIME in those states will be according to the LOCAL TIME at the TESTING PLACE. Please keep that in mind when making your appointment and arriving at the test location.
*** For an appointment, EMAIL us your name, address, cell phone number, self-photo, license class(s) you will be testing for, and your call sign (if any). Please confirm the location, date, and time of the test session you are confirming an appointment with your email. ***
VETESTING@YAHOO.COM
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REGISTRATION FORM:
SPECIFYING YOUR TESTING LOCATION IS CRITICAL AS WE TEST IN ALL 50 STATES!
NAME:
ADDRESS:
MOBILE PHONE NUMBER:
LICENSE CLASS YOU WANT TO TAKE (Tech, General, Extra):
CURRENT CALL SIGN:
LOCATION YOU ARE REGISTERING FOR:
DATE & TIME OF EXAM YOU ARE REGISTERING FOR:
SPECIAL REQUESTS:
Please attach a photo if possible.
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TESTING SITES:
The locations we test in are usually public places such as restaurants; we will test at a table in the restaurant, away from everyone as much as possible. We realize you may not know what we look like, and we do not know what you look like. Therefore, it would be beneficial if you could email a photo to confirm your appointment. If you cannot do this, we understand. We will be at a table with a black briefcase open to indicate we are there to test. The restaurant employees may not know who we are or anything about the testing. So please do not think you are in the wrong place if you ask, and they do not know about the testing. We will be at the testing location at the time specified. If there is traffic or some other delay, we will call you on the number you provide or email you to inform you of any delay. We can provide GPS coordinates in DD.MM.MMM format for the testing location upon request.
NEEDED FOR EXAM:
- Things you need to do for the test session:
- You must have a government-issued photo identification card with you.
- You will need to have any prior issued CSCE or your license and a copy to leave with us if you are upgrading at this session.
- Bring $15.00 testing fee in exact cash for each person testing. We do not have change available. The ARRL sets the fee annually; this is the current testing fee. If you fail the test, we can sometimes provide an additional test for an additional cost. The test will be different from the one previously taken.
- You must email us your mailing address and phone number to confirm your appointment.
- Please email a recent photo of yourself (or a selfie) to us if you can; it makes it easier for us to recognize you at the testing location.
- You cannot use, answer a call, text, or look at a cellphone or smartwatch during the test.
- Bring an ink pen and a number 2 pencil for the test. A clipboard could be helpful, especially if the test is held outside)
- All scratch work can be done on the back of the answer sheet.
- You may bring a standard nonprogrammable calculator with you. No programmable calculators, smart watches, or cell phones (you must turn off your phone completely and put it away).
- Come relaxed and take your time. Testing can take anywhere from 5 minutes to a half hour.
Some exams are held outdoors. Only one person every six feet due to social distancing. You may not bring anyone with you to the exam. They will need to wait in your vehicle, not in or at the location of the exam. A clipboard can be helpful if it is a park or other outside area to prevent papers from blowing in the wind. A subsequent exam will be provided if advance notice and approval is given. Weather may cause a date, time, or location change.
*** EMAIL us your name, address, mobile number, self-photo (if possible), license class(s) you will be testing for, and your call sign (if any). ***
STUDY FOR EXAM:
Plenty of test materials are available, and the questions all come from the NCVEC test bank. Here are some links to test questions and sample tests:
- http://www.arrl.org/question-pools
http://www.eham.net/exams/
http://hamexam.org/
http://www.hamtesting.com/pbMain.php
https://www.qrz.com/hamtest/
ABOUT THE TEAM:
We have been providing tests for new and old hams for many years. Every team member is an Extra class ham and can provide testing for all classes of licenses. The group began with myself, my wife, and my three sons giving tests to help others enjoy this wonderful hobby.
We also assist in testing nationwide and are registered with several different testing groups, including ARRL, W5YI, CAVEC, ALASKA, LAUREL, and many others. We provide classes and tests upon request in addition to the regularly scheduled dates and locations in Alabama and Georgia.
Our group has grown since we began. It now includes other volunteers in Roanoke, Valley, Alexander City, Auburn, Anniston, and Huntsville in Alabama, and Columbus and LaGrange in Georgia. We also do the testing at Southern Union and Auburn University.
All of us volunteer our time to proctor your test, and we look forward to meeting you and welcoming you to the growing community of Amateur Radio Operators around the world.
CONFIRM YOUR APPOINTMENT:
*** DO NOT FORGET TO CONFIRM YOUR APPOINTMENT BY EMAIL ***
Failure to confirm your appointment may result in no one being scheduled to be at the test session, and it will be canceled without notice. We only travel to test sites with a confirmed appointment with a candidate.
*** For an appointment, EMAIL us your name, address, cell phone number, self-photo, license class(s) you will be testing for, and your call sign (if any). Please confirm the location, date, and time of the test session you are confirming an appointment for with your email. ***
You will be emailed a confirmation of appointment for your exam date within a day or so of receipt. Many people do not realize that test sessions are held for an individual or group of individuals. Unless a test session is held at a Hamfest, it is only held if someone signs up to take the test. All the VE's are volunteers, and we enjoy giving people tests and helping them enter the hobby or advance their knowledge. We are happy to meet to test just one person or one hundred people. Since we host test sessions in many locations, we mean it when we say we are happy to give you and only you a test. Many of our sessions are held where there is a restaurant, and you are welcome to eat and drink while you test. If you have special requests or need a test on a different date or time, we may be able to accommodate your request. Please remember that you may be the only one testing. If something happens and you cannot make it, please give us at least 24 hours’ notice.
We look forward to seeing you at the test. Thanks.
Contact Us:
Our Examiners are all volunteers, not employees. This is not a business, so we do not provide instant responses via email or phone. To reach us, please email the address provided at the bottom of each page. Given that our volunteers have regular jobs, responses may take up to 24 hours, excluding holidays or system outages.
Please refrain from contacting us or the FCC about your license status until ten business days have passed. For quick answers, refer to our FAQ section. Additionally, some of our retired members actively monitor our Facebook Group and can assist with questions there. Use the Facebook button on the Home Page to join the group.