- Element 3 is 35 questions; you need 26 correct to pass, no Morse code required.
- G1, G2, and G4 each carry 5 questions and are jointly the largest subelements.
- The current pool runs July 1, 2023-June 30, 2027 and excludes 8 withdrawn questions.
- An adult Technician-to-General upgrade through ARRL VEC costs $15 before study materials.
Exam Snapshot: Element 3 by the Numbers
Before you memorize a single fact, memorize the shape of the test. The Amateur Radio Service Operator License - General Class exam is Element 3, administered by Volunteer Examiner (VE) teams under a Volunteer Examiner Coordinator, either in person or through a supervised remote session. The mechanics are simple and worth locking into memory now:
- 35 multiple-choice questions pulled from the current public question pool
- 26 correct answers needed to pass - no partial credit curve, no essay component
- No Morse code test at any license class today
- Existing Technician licensees normally sit for Element 3 only, since Element 2 credit already carries forward
- Exams are closed-book; calculators are permitted but memories/stored formulas must be cleared, and a phone cannot double as a calculator
If you want the fully worked-out score math, the FCC-AMATEUR-GENERAL Passing Score breakdown walks through exactly how 26-of-35 translates into a margin for error. For a broader look at exam difficulty relative to Technician, see How Hard Is the FCC-AMATEUR-GENERAL Exam?
Subelement Allocations at a Glance
The official question pool splits Element 3 into ten subelements. Knowing exactly how many questions come from each lets you prioritize study time by point value instead of by gut feeling.
| Subelement | Domain Name | Question Count |
|---|---|---|
| G1 | Commission's Rules | 5 |
| G2 | Operating Procedures | 5 |
| G3 | Radio Wave Propagation | 3 |
| G4 | Amateur Radio Practices | 5 |
| G5 | Electrical Principles | 3 |
| G6 | Circuit Components | 2 |
| G7 | Practical Circuits | 3 |
| G8 | Signals and Emissions | 3 |
| G9 | Antennas and Feed Lines | 4 |
| G0 | Electrical and RF Safety | 2 |
G1, G2, and G4 are jointly the largest subelements at 5 questions apiece - together they account for nearly half your passing threshold. That means Commission's Rules, Operating Procedures, and Amateur Radio Practices deserve the most repetitions in your review cycle. For a full domain-by-domain breakdown with sample topics, see the FCC-AMATEUR-GENERAL Exam Domains Guide.
2023-2027 Question Pool and Withdrawn Questions
Always study from the July 1, 2023-June 30, 2027 public question pool, which includes one schematic diagram and any current corrections issued by the pool committee. Using an outdated pool is one of the most common - and most avoidable - reasons candidates miss questions they "knew" the wrong version of.
Withdrawn Questions - Do Not Study These as Live Material
The following questions have been officially withdrawn from the current pool. They may still appear in old flashcard decks or outdated apps, so cross-check any third-party materials against the official list.
- G1A04, G1C08, G1C09, G1C10
- G1E09
- G6B09
- G8C01
- G9C06, G9D13
Key Takeaway
Build practice sessions with one question drawn from every question group (not just a random sample) so your mock exams mirror the real distribution - this is exactly how the actual VE session is assembled.
Fees, Eligibility and What to Bring
The FCC's amateur licensing fee structure is easy to misread if you're comparing it to other credentials, so keep the numbers separate and specific to this upgrade path:
- ARRL VEC's session fee is $15 (or $5 for candidates under 18), covering one attempt at each element you sit for that session
- Repeating a failed element requires paying another examination fee
- FCC class-only upgrades carry a $0 application fee
- New-license and renewal applications carry a $35 FCC fee (not applicable to a straight class upgrade)
- Net result: an adult Technician-to-General upgrade through ARRL ordinarily costs $15 before study materials
See the full pricing breakdown, including how this compares to first-time licensing, in FCC-AMATEUR-GENERAL Certification Cost 2026.
Not sure if you even qualify to sit Element 3 only, or what prerequisites apply? The FCC-AMATEUR-GENERAL Requirements page covers eligibility in detail, and licenses issued after passing normally remain valid for 10 years, with renewal opening 90 days before expiration and a 2-year grace period after expiration for filing (though the grace period itself grants no operating authority). Ordinary renewal requires no repeat exam and no continuing-education credits.
Domain-by-Domain Cheat Sheet
Here's the condensed, must-know summary for each subelement. Use this as a final scan before a practice exam, not as your primary study source.
G1 - Commission's Rules
Frequency privileges added at General, power limits, station identification, and third-party rules.
- Know exactly which new HF sub-bands open up compared to Technician
G2 - Operating Procedures
Net operation, VoIP linking, DX operating conventions, and digital mode procedures on HF.
- Focus on procedures unique to the HF bands you didn't use as a Technician
G3 - Radio Wave Propagation
Ionospheric layers, MUF, sunspot cycle effects, and skip on HF bands.
- Only 3 questions, but concepts recur indirectly in G9 antenna questions
G4 - Amateur Radio Practices
Troubleshooting, interference, station setup, and test equipment - a joint-largest subelement.
- Expect practical scenario-style questions, not pure recall
G5 - Electrical Principles
Ohm's Law, reactance, resonance, and basic circuit math for HF gear.
G6 - Circuit Components
Smallest subelement at 2 questions; covers semiconductors and component identification.
G7 - Practical Circuits
Power supplies, filters, and basic transmitter/receiver block diagrams.
G8 - Signals and Emissions
Bandwidth, digital modes, and signal characteristics relevant to HF operation.
G9 - Antennas and Feed Lines
Second-largest subelement at 4 questions; dipoles, feed line loss, SWR, and matching.
- Directly tied to the one schematic diagram in the current pool
G0 - Electrical and RF Safety
RF exposure limits, grounding, and tower/antenna safety.
2026 Rule Changes to Flag
Rule changes matter because Element 3 questions test current regulations, not historical ones. For 2026, make sure your explanations account for the updated 60-meter band rules - a topic that can shift the correct answer on related G1 questions if you're studying from an older manual. Always verify pool corrections against the official ARRL question pool and withdrawn-questions pages rather than relying solely on a secondhand app or forum post.
Final-Week Review Plan
In the last stretch before your session, structure review around subelement weight rather than alphabetical order. This is the one place a lightweight spaced-repetition approach pays off directly for Element 3.
Heavy Subelements First
- Drill G1, G2, and G4 - the three jointly-largest subelements (5 questions each)
- Re-check the withdrawn-question list so you're not memorizing dead answers
Mid-Weight Subelements
- Work through G9 (4 questions) and then G3, G5, G7, G8 (3 questions each)
- Pay special attention to the one schematic diagram tied to G9
Light Subelements and Full Mocks
- Finish G6 and G0 (2 questions each)
- Run full 35-question mocks built with one question per group, tracking your score against the 26-correct threshold
Session-Day Logistics
- Confirm your FRN, ID, email, and any CSCE paperwork
- Clear calculator memory in advance; leave phones out of the calculator role entirely
For a deeper walkthrough of pacing your prep across weeks rather than days, see the full FCC-AMATEUR-GENERAL Study Guide. And if you want to see how your practice scores compare to what candidates typically report, check the FCC-AMATEUR-GENERAL Pass Rate analysis.
Key Takeaway
Track progress by question group, not just overall percentage - a candidate scoring well overall but weak in G1 rules can still fail if rules questions cluster wrong on exam day.
Ready to turn this cheat sheet into real repetitions? Head back to the main practice test hub to run timed, group-balanced mock exams that mirror the actual Element 3 structure, then return here to re-check any subelement that gave you trouble.
FAQ
No. Existing Technician licensees have already passed or received credit for Element 2, so they normally sit for Element 3 only when upgrading to General.
The exam has 35 questions and requires 26 correct, meaning you can miss up to 9 and still pass.
You can retest, but repeating a failed element requires paying another examination fee to the Volunteer Examiner Coordinator administering the session.
A Certificate of Successful Completion of Examination (CSCE) credit is valid for 365 days from issuance, which is the window you have to complete any remaining elements.
No. No Morse-code test is required for General or any other current amateur license class.