I was one of those faces. The service was appreciated, though the process was painful. I stood in line from 9:15 am until 11:45 am to take the test (upgrade to extra). I was done in 15 minutes, turned in the test. It then took another 2.5 hrs to get the result. On top of this I saw only one poor VE handing out results, reporting scores and getting the FCC forms signed; and he was dealing with some examinees who were flat out jerks. So bottom line, it took 6 hrs. Well, it was worth it, I made extra, and want to help with the testing next year if possible, at least for one of the sessions; and try to work with other VE's on getting rid of the bottlenecks. Frankly, I think that testing should be done in one of the ballrooms instead of the 15-man sweatshop. Anyone reading this affiliated with the group that did the testing drop me a line at
k8opi@gmail.com, Id like to help out.
On the occasions that I took my General, Advanced and Extra exams at the New York City (Washington St.) FCC office in the late 1960s, typically the CW test would be graded within one minute and the written within five minutes. I would arrive around 9:00 a.m. and be out the door with my results by 9:30.
