Subj : Classes And Exams (C)
To   : All
From : Daryl Stout
Date : Mon Jun 13 2022 00:05:43

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  A prospective VE must go through the accreditation process. For the
ARRL/VEC, it's an OPEN BOOK TEST, that you take at your leisure. When
done, you return the test sheet to the ARRL for processing...which
takes 3 to 6 weeks. The prospective VE *MUST* have either a valid
General, Advanced, or Amateur Extra Class license *IN HAND*, or in the
FCC database (such as on www.qrz.com) BEFORE applying to become a VE.
ARRL VE Accreditation is free. There are other VEC groups, and their
accreditation processes may be different.

  Once accredited, the following tests may be administered:

VE/Ham License Class: Amateur Radio Exam That May Be Given:

Novice                NONE -- not eligible to become a VE.

Technician            NONE -- not eligible to become a VE.

General               Technican Class Exam ONLY.

Advanced              Technician or General Class Exam ONLY.

Amateur Extra         ANY exam (Technician, General, or Amateur Extra).

Note: It is REQUIRED that 3 VE's be at an exam session...preferably 4
or more...in case the team has to test in one room, and grade in
another...or if a VE has to step out of the room for a short time. It
is also preferred that the MAJORITY of the team include a MINIMUM of
3 Amateur Extra Class licensees. That way, all exams can be given, as
noted below.

On June 9, 2014, the FCC issued a "Report And Order" (R&O) in response to
a previously issued Notice Of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), which sought
comments on revising the exam procedures. The following changes to exam
sessions took effect on July 21, 2014:

1) A holder of a General, Advanced, or Amateur Extra Class license which
is EXPIRED MORE THAN 2 YEARS, can get back into the hobby, by passing
Element 2 (the Technician Class exam) at a license exam session.

The examinee will still have to provide proper identification (listed
elsewhere in this bulletin/message thread), provide proof of the prior
amateur radio license, provide their Social Social Security Number (if
a Federal Registration Number is not on the expired license), and pay
the appropriate test fee...and effective April 19, 2022...a $35 fee to
the FCC.

Upon passing the Technician Exam, they will be granted a Certificate Of
Successful Completion Of Examination (CSCE) for the license they held,
if it was a General or Extra Class license. However, Advanced Class
licensees are DOWNGRADED to General, since those licenses are no longer
issued. In any case, these licensees will be issued a NEW CALLSIGN about
10 to 14 days after the exam session.

Once they have their new callsign, they can apply for their old callsign
under the Vanity Callsign system, but there is a possibility that their
former callsign will have since been re-assigned to another amateur radio
operator, once the original license had lapsed (it had been more than 2
years since its expiration).

2) The valid time on a CSCE REMAINS at 365 calender days. The FCC
DECLINED a proposal for "lifetime CSCE credit". If one receives a CSCE
on July 1 in a non-leap year, that CSCE expires at 12 midnight local
time on June 30 of the following year. If the CSCE is issued on July 1
of a leap year, the CSCE expires at 12 midnight on June 29 of the
following year. One does NOT need a CSCE to prove they took and passed
a Morse Code Test...as the Morse Code requirement was ELIMINATED from
the U.S. Amateur Radio License Requirements as of Feb. 23, 2007.

3) The number of VE's required to proctor a session REMAINS at 3. The FCC
noted that the ARRL, the W5YI-VEC, and a large number of commenters were
AGAINST reducing the number from 3 to 2...because with 3 examiners, it
"increases the rate of accuracy and integrity, and reduces the chances
of fraud".

4) Created the capability for "remote exam sessions", with at least
one certified VE present, with the capability of monitoring, grading,
and certifying the exams through the internet. This is especially true
in remote locations, such as Alaska, Anarctica, etc. In these areas,
examinees are lucky to have an exam session either twice a year, or
even quarterly. The actual mechanics of the session "will vary from
session to session, and from location to location"...noting that setting
such could limit the flexibility of VE's and VEC's. However, the rule for
"administering exams responsibility" is in force, whether for remote tests
or not. With COVID-19, many groups are now doing "remote testing".

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