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Author Topic: Preference of studying for Extra Class  (Read 26513 times)

K4EMF

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RE: Preference of studying for Extra Class
« Reply #30 on: May 12, 2019, 06:22:47 AM »

www.hamtestonline.com is the way to go.

If you are skeptical, consider this 754 folks have written a review for it here on eham and all 754 give it a 5/5 rating!
where have you ever heard of 754 hams all agreeing on something?  :o :o  :D

see: https://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/3412


While I did make it about 40% through Craig "Buck" K4IA's Pass Your Amateur Radio Extra Class test book.  I did most of my perpetration on hamstestonline.com
Passed earlier this afternoon scoring 92%

So YOU'RE the "perpetrator"!

Well that was major auto correct faux pas
:)
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K4EZD

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RE: Preference of studying for Extra Class
« Reply #31 on: May 12, 2019, 09:28:56 AM »

I also endorse HamTestOnline and with it I was able to pass my Extra with only one question missed.  The exam seemed almost too easy!
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N0YXB

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RE: Preference of studying for Extra Class
« Reply #32 on: May 13, 2019, 10:20:05 AM »

I recommend the ARRL Extra Class License Manual and the "Ham Exams" right here on eHAM.
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W9WD

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    • Mueller Mesa weather
RE: Preference of studying for Extra Class
« Reply #33 on: May 15, 2019, 07:18:44 AM »

Try reading the study books aloud in to a tape recorder (or your favorite technology).
You can put them on cassettes (or your favorite technology) and play them in your car when you go somewhere.
You can also experiment with sleep learning and play them during REM time.

Take the tests on the internet and see how you are doing.

Worked for me.
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Greg
On the continental divide in the wilds of New Mexico.

N9FB

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RE: Preference of studying for Extra Class
« Reply #34 on: May 16, 2019, 08:39:20 AM »

if you want to go the old school struggle route, that is up to you -- but i recommend you do the free trial subscription at www.hamtestonline.com to see how easy this program will make getting your Extra

the software presents the study material to you (no other books or resources needed) and continually tests you with actual FCC exam questions, and then over-trains you in your weak areas based on the the exam questions & areas you are not passing.  it also let's you know when you are ready to pass with flying colors.

after trying it out for free, you will want to pay for a subscription so you have access to the full training material for the exam.  keep in mind you wont need to purchase any other materials to study from and you will *know* when you are ready to pass.

if you have any doubts, check out the eham reviews of it at https://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/3412

when 768 hams all agree and give something 5 out of 5 stars -- you darn well know it is especially good  ;)
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"When you throw dirt, you lose ground."

KX4QP

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RE: Preference of studying for Extra Class
« Reply #35 on: May 19, 2019, 06:53:59 AM »

if you want to go the old school struggle route, that is up to you -- but i recommend you do the free trial subscription at www.hamtestonline.com to see how easy this program will make getting your Extra

the software presents the study material to you (no other books or resources needed) and continually tests you with actual FCC exam questions, and then over-trains you in your weak areas based on the the exam questions & areas you are not passing.  it also let's you know when you are ready to pass with flying colors.

after trying it out for free, you will want to pay for a subscription so you have access to the full training material for the exam.  keep in mind you wont need to purchase any other materials to study from and you will *know* when you are ready to pass.

if you have any doubts, check out the eham reviews of it at https://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/3412

when 768 hams all agree and give something 5 out of 5 stars -- you darn well know it is especially good  ;)

This.

i decided in January I wanted to get my ham license (thought about it in 1974, but both the code test and the electronics on the written test were an issue).  Took a practice exam online for Technician, passed cold (I've learned some electronics in the past 45 years, and no code test any more).  Decided to get General, found hamtestonline.com, bought the General course after trying to free trial, got to "passing" in one week.  Had three weeks still to go before my testing date, decided to try Extra too.  Bought that course (due to a special on General when I signed up, I now had $60 into this).  A week before the test date, I had easily reached "passing" on Extra as well.  Kept drilling, and by testing date, there were only two or three questions combined in the General and Extra pools that I had trouble with.

When I took the exams, I went through Technician, General, and Extra in an hour and a half.  I missed two questions on Tech (which I hadn't studied at all, though the material for General and Extra apparently transferred some), one on General, and one on Extra -- after four or five weeks of no more than an hour of study a day, in a format that was more like an online trivia quiz with answers provided.

Now, I take multiple choice tests well, always have (since the 1960s), but in studying for these I found I knew a lot more about electronics than I thought I had, hidden knowledge that the study material built on to give me the confidence for questions about transistor circuits, FETs, and voltage regulators.  I learned enough about antennae to not feel I'd just memorized those answers -- and I (temporarily) memorized enough regulations and band allocation information to pass the test (this is all stuff you'd always look up in real life anyway, and much of what isn't "just sensible" is fine points and edge cases anyway).  I had an advantage in being able to do all the arithmetic in my head -- but the formulae came from the study materials, and knowing those, anyone who remembers the most basic of trigonometry (what's the sin of 30 degrees?) can do the necessary calculations with their testing pencil on the scratch sheet provided.

Bottom line: unless you're a Luddite, or can't afford the cost of the course (and if you can't, it's going to be a long, slow slog trying to build a station), hamtestonline.com is the best money you'll ever spend in ham radio.
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N1OEY

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RE: Preference of studying for Extra Class
« Reply #36 on: June 07, 2019, 08:56:08 AM »

I've been partial to the study materials at Hamstudy.Org

The way they have the flashcards and study material setup has made it possible for me to pass my first two levels. Currently I am studying for the Extra and it as well has been easier then I was prepared for. Granted that there is memorization involved here since no one can possible tell me that they remember all the formulas out there to plug into a calculator.

The most helpful part to me on Hamstudy is the method of flashcards that will repeat after a certain time on the questions you previously missed. This type of reinforcement learning helps me personally. As well you can click on any question for a detailed explanation and also "hints" to jog your memory for some (not all) of the questions. And as a bonus it's free for penny pinchers like me.
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W3CKL

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RE: Preference of studying for Extra Class
« Reply #37 on: June 08, 2019, 02:20:21 PM »

mostly a test of your multiple-choice skills, less of a test of your expertise in the subject matter. Therefore, consider studying in a way that helps you distinguish between right and wrong answers rather than worrying whether test prep really prepares you to go on the air. It does, some. But the goal of test prep is a license, not an education.

I found this to be 100% true. The tests did practically nothing to prepare me to actually setup a rig and use it. I passed the tech and general in one sitting and did it by the old standard approach of quickly eliminating the two answers that were clearly wrong, and choosing between the correct and almost-correct answers remaining.

I've forgotten almost all of it now, which makes me very hesitant to go for Extra. If I do, will I essentially have to learn to pass all three exams again? How much of the tech and general stuff is included in the extra test? Or, hopefully, can I just study for extra-only material?
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K4EMF

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RE: Preference of studying for Extra Class
« Reply #38 on: June 08, 2019, 04:16:10 PM »

..... How much of the tech and general stuff is included in the extra test? Or, hopefully, can I just study for extra-only material?

Someone more knowledgeable than I may disagree.  But I took all three exams in just the last couple of months and I don't recall there being much of the overlap you're worried about.
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N8BOB

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RE: Preference of studying for Extra Class
« Reply #39 on: June 10, 2019, 07:26:39 PM »

HamTestOnline.com was what I used to upgrade to Extra, I recommend it to anyone thinking of upgrading to Extra. Here is what the VE team said when they graded my test ( he has studied). It really works. Every question on my test was material that was covered in the course.
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KC5JDB

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RE: Preference of studying for Extra Class
« Reply #40 on: June 27, 2019, 04:51:53 PM »

I had my tech no code for 20 years. Three years ago, i got bore and decided to get my general. I memorized most of the question (4xx) in one week then i said to myself “if i can memorize 4xx questions in a week, i probably should try to get my extra.” I didn’t know the question pool has 7xx questions.  It took me 4 hours to read through 7xx questions. 4 hrs was too long. I decided to do two 2hrs with break. I was having hard time memorizing all 7xx questions. I decided to study the structure of each question. There were some interesting patterns.  At that time a few definition questions uses the word it is trying to define(define the word while using that word in the answer). Another one was the correct choice has the most words. There were other things i noticed, but I can’t remember. Another reason i wanted to get my extra is i am cheap. $15 for all of the tests you can take. I didn’t feel like paying $30.  I think that I spent total of 60hrs studying in two weeks.  I think that i missed 3 questions on my general, and 4 on my extra. I do wish i took a class and really learned the stuff.  It probably will take longer, but it will be more enjoyable than memorizing 4xx+7xx questions.  My study material is the question pool.
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AJ5AE

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Re: Preference of studying for Extra Class
« Reply #41 on: April 16, 2020, 08:04:37 PM »

I did not study much for the "Extra" class.  I only planned to upgrade from Technician to General and after I passed the General exam the nice people of the North Richland Hills Amateur Radio Club asked me if I wanted to take the Amateur Extra exam for no extra charge and I said yes.  I wonder what I miss by skipping over the General class license.  I could have had dreams and hopes of upgrading.

I should get an antenna for my ten meter rig so I can play down there on the top HF band and enjoy privileges  that I gained by upgrading.
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KN6GFG

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Re: Preference of studying for Extra Class
« Reply #42 on: April 16, 2020, 11:15:34 PM »

Just thought I'd share this since it's really helped me both for ham radio tests and other stuff:

Anki https://apps.ankiweb.net/ - a multi-platform flashcard application for reviewing test questions. 

And here is the Extra class deck (valid until they change it in June): https://ankiweb.net/shared/info/1889939626
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I see many sunspots in your future...

K7MEM

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Re: Preference of studying for Extra Class
« Reply #43 on: April 17, 2020, 08:05:49 AM »

I did not study much for the "Extra" class.  I only planned to upgrade from Technician to General and after I passed the General exam the nice people of the North Richland Hills Amateur Radio Club asked me if I wanted to take the Amateur Extra exam for no extra charge and I said yes.  I wonder what I miss by skipping over the General class license.  I could have had dreams and hopes of upgrading.

About the only thing you will miss, by skipping over the General class license, is a printable General class license. I have all my licenses in nice little frames (Novice, Tech, General, Advanced, and Extra). I even have a frame for my old German Amateur license (DA2EU). I can't read it, but I have it.

As far as privileges, an Extra has all the band privileges of a General, plus more.

I did similar testing, when I upgraded in 1999. I had been a design engineer for many years, at that time, so I only needed an idea of what the test covered. So I downloaded a copy of the Advanced and Extra question pool and read through them once. Then I went for the test. And, no, I don't have a photographic memory. I can barely remember my phone number. So, for a single initial fee ($8.45), I took the Advanced and Extra written tests. Plus the 20 WPM code test. The VEs recommended that I "not" go any further than Advanced, but I took the tests anyway.

At the time, upgrades were processed sequentially. So first I received my Advanced class license in the mail. Then, about 2 weeks later, I received my Extra class license.
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Martin - K7MEM
http://www.k7mem.com

N9FB

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Re: RE: Preference of studying for Extra Class
« Reply #44 on: April 17, 2020, 01:28:41 PM »


Bottom line: unless you're a Luddite, or can't afford the cost of the course (and if you can't, it's going to be a long, slow slog trying to build a station), hamtestonline.com is the best money you'll ever spend in ham radio.

+++ QSL +++

congrats on making a great choice and having it pay off! 

when I learned that even though I was an Advanced I would have to relearn and pass all of the Advanced element material plus the Extra stuff, i was worried it would be a real chore and would mean i would need to purchase several books, so i almost just gave up...
-- but then i ->
1. read the eham reviews for HamTestOnline at -> https://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/3412,
2. tried the free trial and then paid for a subscription and was amazed by how much fun www.hamtestonline made studying and learning the material, and
3. discovered how easy their exam preparation software makes passing the Extra!
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"When you throw dirt, you lose ground."
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