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Exam sessions are open to the public and are held on the third Wednesday of each month (except for January when it will be on January 20, a Tuesday) and held at:

Hilton Garden Inn Olympia

(Meeting held in the Olympic Room)

2101 Henderson Park Lane SE, Olympia, Washington, 98501

We try to begin at 5:00 PM. These sessions are 'walk-in', with no pre-registration needed. (No testing in December)

What to do before you attend an exam session!

We recommend taking practice exams before taking the exam. If you can take the practice exam and consistently score at least 90%, you should be ready to pass the actual exam. Some practice exams may be found at http://www.eham.net/exams.

Secure your FRN – (FCC Registration Number) – this is required by FCC. The FCC requires any entity doing business with it to have an FRN. To obtain an FRN prior to taking an examination, please go to the FCC's webpage https://apps.fcc.gov/coresWeb/publicHome.do and click on the "Register" link.

Starting April 19, 2022, the FCC will be charging a fee of $35.00 for each application. This fee is paid directly to the FCC and is completely separate from the examination fee charged by the VEC. The fee is required for initial applications, renewals, and vanity callsign applications and is paid directly to the FCC via the CORES webpage: https://apps.fcc.gov/cores/paymentFrnLogin.do.

What to bring:

Legal Photo Identification - To protect your security, please do not leave copies with us.
Examination fee ($15.00) - Cash or check made out to ARRL/VEC. The examination fee is valid for taking all elements until one is failed. To retake after failing will require payment of another examination fee.
Ballpoint Pen and Pencils
Calculator - We will clear memories of programmable calculators if they are to be used on the exam. Due to the ability of some cell phones to browse the internet, we cannot allow the use of cell phone calculators.
Originals and copies of any paperwork being claimed for credit - Paperwork claimed for credit includes unexpired CSCEs, current license, proof of previous licensure, and expired licenses. If we cannot verify licensure, you will be given a CSCE for Element Credit ONLY.
FRN number

Additional Information

FCC Requires Email Address on Applications.

Social Security Numbers are no longer accepted on Applications!

Obtain an FRN prior to taking your examination, by going to the FCC's webpage https://apps.fcc.gov/coresWeb/publicHome.do and clicking on the "Register" link. The FCC has an instructional video at https://www.fcc.gov/rofrn.

Be aware - some information such as address and Felony Conviction status will be made publicly available by the FCC. Use of an alternate mailing address such as a PO Box or work address is acceptable.

To see if there are local classes check our Class Listing .

The current fee for taking the exam is $15.00, payable by cash or check made out to ARRL/VEC. If paying with cash, please have the exact amount because we may not be able to make change.

ARRL Youth Licensing Grant Program:

The ARRL has a Licensing Grant Program for candidates under the age of eighteen. This grant will reimburse the FCC Application Fee for one application per candidate. The ARRL also has a discounted exam fee for candidates under the age of 18. Details for both can be found at: http://www.arrl.org/youth-licensing-grant-program.

Paperwork Upgrade:

If you hold a Technician License issued prior to 1987, you passed the General written exam and are eligible for a paperwork upgrade to General. You will need to provide proof that the Technician license was issued prior to 1987. If you have any questions, please contact us at the email link at the bottom of the page.

Lifetime License Credit:

If you held a license greater than Technician in the past and it expired more than two years ago, you can regain that license by passing the Technician exam and providing proof of the highest license held. This means if you held a General or an Amateur Extra license that expired, passing the Element 2 exam and providing proof of the higher-class license will result in a new General or Amateur Extra class license being granted. If the expired license was Advanced, a General class license will be issued. If your license expired less than two years ago, simply renew it. If you have any questions, please contact us at the email link at the bottom of the page.