RSGB launches “Direct-to-Full” Exam

In the biggest shakeup to UK amateur radio licensing in 20 years, the RSGB has unveiled details of “Direct to Full”, a new way to get a UK ‘Full’ amateur radio licence. On this page, we give you the basics of how this will work. We’d love your comments at the end of this article.

What is Direct-to-Full

An alternative way of getting a Full licence, without the need to go through the current 3-tier (Foundation > Intermediate > Full) route.

RSGB Direct To Full

Who is Direct-to-Full for?

It’s primarily aimed at people looking to get a licence who already have a solid knowledge of electronics and/or RF.

It’s also available to existing Foundation & Intermediate licence-holders looking to jump to ‘a Full’ licence who feel they have sufficient knowledge to pass this alternative exam.

How does Direct-to-Full work?

The exam has 75 questions, lasts for 2.5 hours and is only available online (no paper version available). No practical assessments.

This option will be online-only via “remote invigilation”. 

When will this be available?

From the 21st of January 2023

What’s the cost?

£95.

Direct-to-Full Mock Paper

The RSGB has released a mock exam paper – RSGB Mock Papers

Direct-to-Full Syllabus

The RSGB has released a 42-page syllabus, which broadly matches the current 3-tier syllabus (v1.5)

What is the structure of the exam?

The Direct-to-Full exam will consist of two parts, which are sat in the same session, both of which have to be passed. The first part has a higher pass mark, presumably to satisfy Ofcom that licence conditions are clearly understood – those from an electronics or RF background may potentially be ‘weak’ on the amateur radio specifics, which is why we guess the bar is a little higher for the first part.

Direct-to-Full Exam: Part 1

Part 1 has 18 questions with a pass mark of 14 questions (77.7% pass mark)

Syllabus Section # of questions
Licensing conditions and station identification 12
Operating practices and procedures 6

Direct-to-Full Exam: Part 2

Part 2 has 57 questions with a pass mark of 36 questions (63.2% pass mark)

Syllabus Section # of questions
Technical aspects 10
Transmitters and receivers 11
Feeders and antennas 8
Propagation 5
Electromagnetic compatibility 10
Safety 8
Measurements and construction 5

 

Back to RAE?

It’s not gone unnoticed that this could be seen as a return to an RAE-style system, and it will be interesting to see how popular this route is, both with newcomers looking for a single exam, and for existing amateurs looking for a potential “shortcut” to upgrade to a Full licence.

Direct-to-Full History

The idea of Direct-to-Full was put out for public consultation in February 2021. The results have yet to be shared by RSGB, but Essex Ham ran its own independent Direct-to-Full survey in 2021, which showed 85.8% of respondents supported the introduction of this route of entry. Read more here: Direct to Full

Video Overview

We put together the following video in 2022, answering some common questions:

Related links

Got any thoughts on the changes? Please add a comment below

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