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Author Topic: Current Extra Exam or Wait for July 1 rollout of new exam?  (Read 204 times)

KE0UFB

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Current Extra Exam or Wait for July 1 rollout of new exam?
« on: April 21, 2020, 07:31:30 AM »

Like a lot of folks, I'm anxious about the ability to test for the Extra exam this year. If I understand, the current test will be closed on June 30, 2020, and a new version rolled out for July 1, 2020. Given the current unavailability of examiners and testing sites, I'm a bit concerned that if you start studying now for the current test you may not get a chance to even take it. Here's a few questions I have about this process.

1. Has the FCC indicated a willinness to extend the exam date for the current exam?

2. Is the new exam expected to be that much harder than the current exam?

3. If you haven't started studying (as for end of April), then would it be better to just start on the new exam instead? Of course, this presumes that one is willing to forego any last minute opportunity that might crop up for the existing exam.

Looking forward to your insight and suggestions.
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K1FBI

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Re: Current Extra Exam or Wait for July 1 rollout of new exam?
« Reply #1 on: April 21, 2020, 08:26:15 AM »

If you are studying and learning, the principles and concepts will not change.
If you are just memorizing the answers that's another story.
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KA1CNK

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Re: Current Extra Exam or Wait for July 1 rollout of new exam?
« Reply #2 on: April 21, 2020, 08:34:48 AM »

I'd start studying.  Changes aren't likely to change everything.  Unless you're mindlessly memorizing answers...
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W0CKI

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Re: Current Extra Exam or Wait for July 1 rollout of new exam?
« Reply #3 on: April 21, 2020, 08:44:38 AM »

Is there still a test?
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KG4RUL

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Re: Current Extra Exam or Wait for July 1 rollout of new exam?
« Reply #4 on: April 21, 2020, 09:42:56 AM »

Now or later is a moot pint if you can't find anyone who is still administering the test.
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W3HF

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Re: Current Extra Exam or Wait for July 1 rollout of new exam?
« Reply #5 on: April 21, 2020, 09:55:08 AM »

Has the FCC indicated a willinness to extend the exam date for the current exam?

The FCC doesn't make that decision--NCVEC does. They've already published the new question pool, and I haven't seen any indication that they might delay its implementation. And since they've been publicizing the new pool for months now, I doubt they will make a change.

That said, question pools typically have "holdovers" of 80% or so, i.e., only about 20% of the questions are new. (I do not know what the actual statistics are for this change.) And as others have said, the questions may change but the concepts won't.
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K6CPO

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Re: Current Extra Exam or Wait for July 1 rollout of new exam?
« Reply #6 on: April 21, 2020, 10:09:56 AM »

The changes in the Extra pool are substantially different this time around than usual.  I can't speak to specifics, but the size of the pool has decreased substantially, from 713 questions to 622 questions.
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N5YM

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Re: Current Extra Exam or Wait for July 1 rollout of new exam?
« Reply #7 on: April 21, 2020, 10:32:47 AM »

K6CPO is correct.

According to the ARRL, the changes consist  of: “… 239 modified questions, 49 new questions, and 139 questions removed due to changes in what was felt to be an abundance of outdated questions, while areas of new technology and subjects were added.”
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W3HF

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Re: Current Extra Exam or Wait for July 1 rollout of new exam?
« Reply #8 on: April 21, 2020, 12:42:26 PM »

Thanks for the actual numbers--I was generalizing from previous updates.

Based on the numbers you listed

- 239 questions (38.4% of the new pool) are modified from the old ones
- 49 questions (7.8% of the new pool) are new
- That leaves 334 questions (622 - 239 - 49), or 53.7% of the new pool, that are identical to the old ones

Since over 92% of the questions are either identical or modified, the assessment of how "substantially different" the pools are depends on the modifications made to the 239 listed as "modified." In other words, how significant are the modifications to those 239?

I didn't do an exhaustive comparison--that would take much too long. But I did read through the first 15 or 20 questions (sections E1A and E1B) and found this example, question E1B01. The changes between the 2016 pool and the 2020 pool are highlighted in "standard" editing format (deletions in strikeout, additions in color).

E1B01 (D) [97.3]
Which of the following constitutes a spurious emission?
A. An amateur station transmission made at random without the proper call sign identification
B. A signal transmitted to prevent its detection by any station other than the intended recipient
C. Any transmitted signal that unintentionally interferes with another licensed radio station
D. An emission outside its the signal's necessary bandwidth that can be reduced or eliminated without affecting the information transmitted

I realize this is only an example--there are 238 other "modified" questions that I didn't look at. But if this is typical of the changes made, I wouldn't have used the word "significant" to describe the changes, and I think my estimate of 80% may actually be pretty good. And someone studying from the 2016 pool would have no problem determining the correct answer to the 2020 question.
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K1FBI

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Re: Current Extra Exam or Wait for July 1 rollout of new exam?
« Reply #9 on: April 21, 2020, 01:13:31 PM »

Thanks for the actual numbers--I was generalizing from previous updates.

Based on the numbers you listed

- 239 questions (38.4% of the new pool) are modified from the old ones
- 49 questions (7.8% of the new pool) are new
- That leaves 334 questions (622 - 239 - 49), or 53.7% of the new pool, that are identical to the old ones

Since over 92% of the questions are either identical or modified, the assessment of how "substantially different" the pools are depends on the modifications made to the 239 listed as "modified." In other words, how significant are the modifications to those 239?

I didn't do an exhaustive comparison--that would take much too long. But I did read through the first 15 or 20 questions (sections E1A and E1B) and found this example, question E1B01. The changes between the 2016 pool and the 2020 pool are highlighted in "standard" editing format (deletions in strikeout, additions in color).

E1B01 (D) [97.3]
Which of the following constitutes a spurious emission?
A. An amateur station transmission made at random without the proper call sign identification
B. A signal transmitted to prevent its detection by any station other than the intended recipient
C. Any transmitted signal that unintentionally interferes with another licensed radio station
D. An emission outside its the signal's necessary bandwidth that can be reduced or eliminated without affecting the information transmitted

I realize this is only an example--there are 238 other "modified" questions that I didn't look at. But if this is typical of the changes made, I wouldn't have used the word "significant" to describe the changes, and I think my estimate of 80% may actually be pretty good. And someone studying from the 2016 pool would have no problem determining the correct answer to the 2020 question.
That question was a freebie.
Even KTN could guess that one correctly. ;)
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W6MK

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Re: Current Extra Exam or Wait for July 1 rollout of new exam?
« Reply #10 on: April 21, 2020, 08:19:04 PM »

I wouldn't sweat it. If you have any familiarity with the topics you will pass easily.

After all you only have to get 75% correct. If you can answer all the questions on a previous
version of the test and the new test varies by only 20%, you are in like Flynn.

Plus it's multiple choice. Most of the choices are way off. So some guessifying will also serve.

Bottom line, no sweatsky. Better to use your time reading the material and learning something.
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