C27: I can’t read the exam booklet

A comment from one of our candidates about the 4-page Foundation Exam Booklet:

“I really struggled with the schedule and band plan questions. Finding it a bit confusing though the corrections to the first attempt have made things a bit clearer. I was having to work with the pdf on screen as printer is not working. Even with the pdf at 180% the mauve print is not completely clear, which didn’t help.”

Some of our students have reported that the booklet is difficult to read. Here are some ideas:

All of the content in the 4-page booklet can be found within the pages of the Foundation Manual, which is recommended for all students studying Foundation.

The booklet can be viewed on-screen using a PDF viewer and “zoomed in” as needed

Users of Windows 10 can make use of a built-in feature called “Magnifier”, which you can access by typing in “Magnifier” – This will allow you to toggle an on-screen zoom:

Windows 10 Magnifier
Windows 10 Magnifier

Some larger printers can scale up and print on A3, or print zoomed-in extracts

If printing the booklet, you can try printing in greyscale, and also get the print quality to “best” or “high”

Print quality settings
Print quality settings

If your printer is still not printing a good copy, you may need to try on another printer – a laser printer may be better than a cheap inkjet printer

If you feel that, for the actual exam, you might struggle to read the print on the 4-page booklet, you should bring this to the attention of your exam secretary, giving as much notice as possible. They may be able to contact the RSGB to obtain a large-print version. You may also be allowed to use a magnifying glass or other tool.

Hopefully that gives you some ideas.

Pete M0PSX

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