On this page, you’ll find information on what’s involved in sitting the UK amateur radio Foundation exam. This video is part of our Getting Started: Foundation Online course series.
Foundation Exam Video
We’ve created the following video to give you a feel for what to expect when taking the Foundation exam:
The Foundation Exam
To get your amateur radio licence and callsign, you’d normally need to complete a number of short practical exercises and take a multiple-choice exam at a club.
Due to the COVID19 situation, practicals are suspended, and you can take the exam from home. See: online exams
Foundation Practicals
These are currently suspended, but for information, used to involve connecting up an amateur radio station, tuning an antenna, a short appreciation session on Morse code (which you don’t have learn), and you have to make a couple of radio contacts on HF and VHF/UHF. More info: UK Foundation Practicals
The Exam
This is a 26 question multiple-choice test, and you’ll need to study for it. You can do this with the help of a local amateur radio course, using a free online course such as our Ham Train course, or self-study from the Foundation Licence Manual.
ID Check: Before you can sit the exam, you’ll need to prove your identity to the invigilator. The best option is to bring a current passport, a photo id driving licence, or another legal document showing your photo, name and signature. If you can’t provide those, you’ll need to bring two current legal documents showing your name and signature – this can include a credit card. If in doubt, check with the exam centre before turning up to the exam.
The Exam
In the exam, you’ll be presented with the exam paper, the optical marking sheet and the Reference Data booklet.
Before the exam starts, the invigilator will read out a set of rules and explain the process.
Once the exam starts, you’ll have 60 minutes to answer the 26 questions, which is usually plenty of time.
Got any questions? Please ask in the comments section below…