Welcome to the Boston Amateur Radio Club’s Volunteer Examiner team and thank you for your willingness to serve as a VE. We operate under the auspices of the ARRL VEC, so you will need to be accredited by that organization. As part of the accreditation process you should have become familiar with the ninth edition of the Volunteer Examiner Manual and any supplements published by the League. The manual covers many topics, such as applying for partial credits, that are rarely seen in the field; the things you will need to know for almost every exam session are relatively simple and straightforward.
While it is possible to be accredited as a VE with a General—or even a Technician—license, the functions a VE who does not hold an Amateur Extra license can perform are limited.
We use an on-line system called ExamTools for managing exams and for giving the exams to candidates who have a suitable laptop. Candidates also have the option of testing on paper, though ExamTools provides tools for grading them automatically as well. Links to ExamTools and documentation can be found on the Volunteer Exam Team Resources page on the website. You will need to sign up for ExamTools to participate in test sessions as a VE; refer to VE Signup Instructions for more information. Note that there are completely separate production and development environments; it is the production environment that is used for tests.
The FCC expects us to maintain the integrity of the testing process, which entails keeping any test materials secure and making sure that the candidates complete the test without outside help or anything else that would give them an unfair advantage. In addition, we have to see that the materials we send into the League after a test session are complete. Remember that each VE individually accepts responsibility for validating each candidate’s credentials, supervising the test session, and grading the exams.
Beyond that, our goal will be to provide a friendly and helpful environment for the candidates. We may be the first members of the amateur radio community whom a candidate may meet, and we represent that community as well as BARC. Some people find tests stressful, and even the most well-prepared candidates will still be waiting for us to tell them they’ve passed.
Who’s who
The team’s Liaison VE (exam team lead) is Joe Chapman, NV1W. You will be provided an email address and phone numbers when you join the BARC VE team.
Other members of BARC’s core team are Jim Clogher, N1ICN, Ray Cielencki AC1BC, and Brendan Baldonado, NW1S.
A note on why things appear to be so complicated
In the old days when there was a Morse Code requirement, it was common for someone to pass the code portion of the test and fail the written one, or vice versa. The candidate would then be issued a CSCE for the parts of the test he or she did pass, and in subsequent tests the exam team would have to know what to do with it.
These days it’s much simpler: you take Element 2, and if you pass that you take Element 3, and if you pass that you take Element 4. You’re issued a license based on the highest element you passed: 2 = Technician, 3 = General, and 4 = Amateur Extra.
These days we rarely see people claiming credit via a CSCE or a previously held license. We also do ask anyone who is planning to do so to let us know in advance so we’re prepared.
Before a test
It’s best to let NV1W know if you’re planning on coming for planning purposes, but also so you’ll be notified if the test session is cancelled for some reason or another.
If you’ve made a commitment to attend the test session and won’t be able to make it or will be late, please let NV1W know as soon as possible. We need to have at least 3 Extra class VEs at every session, and we don’t always have more than that.
On the day of the test
Unless otherwise announced, exams will be at the 96 Holton St. building of the Artisans Asylum in Allston. Directions can be found here.
Plan on arriving at least 15 minutes before the advertised start time.
What happens in a test session — check-in
Each candidate will pre-register for a BARC VE session with ExamTools and be issued a PIN. The VE Liaison (NV1W) will collect the $15 test fee and take care of forwarding that on to the ARRL. The candidate may also choose pay via PayPal; NV1W will handle that as well.
All that individual VEs need to do is examine the IDs of the candidates. As in the past, either one photo ID or two non-photo IDs are acceptable.
NV1W will add VEs to the test session on-line and assign three to each candidate.
What happens in a test session — the test itself
One of the VEs will give the “standard spiel”:
- You have all the time you need but cannot leave (for example, to go to the bathroom).
- If you are taking tests on your own laptop, you must stay on the test website and not visit any other web pages or launch other applications.
- If you are taking tests on paper, fill the “bubble” on the answer sheet in completely and make it clear that’s the one you want.
- There are no points off for wrong answers, so if you have to guess, you should do so.
- There are no trick questions.
- You may have one sheet of scratch paper, which we will collect after the test. During the test, all you can have on the table is the your laptop or paper test and answer sheet, pencil, and a calculator (optional).
If the test is being taken on the laptop, the Liaison VE will go through the steps to allow the candidate to begin taking the test.
Then comes the hard part for the examiners: sitting around waiting. You also must not leave for the bathroom or another purpose. Please silence your phone and radio, and try to keep talking quiet and to a minimum. At least once in a while, we need to check on candidates taking the test on-line to make sure they’re adhering to the instructions. Note that the test questions are answered with the mouse, so any typing would be suspect.
For grading:
- On-line tests will be graded automatically when the candidate clicks the “finish” button.
- For paper tests, we will use the “GradeCam” application to grade the test.
- The three VEs assigned to the candidate will then electronically sign the test.
If the candidate passes the test, he or she may take the next element without paying an additional fee. Otherwise, the element may be repeated, but the candidate will have to pay another test fee.
Under ARRL VEC rules, you may tell the candidate how many answers were right (or wrong) but not which ones.
What happens in a test session — after the test
All signatures are now electronic, so VEs will not need to sign any paper forms.
We have found that licenses are issued much more quickly than they have been in the past, as early as the next day. The candidate may check the FCC ULS or qrz.com for the status. In case of upgrades, a new General or Extra may operate in those portions of the HF bands before the upgrade becomes official by using the special identifier AG or AE as appropriate.
If the candidate did not pass the test, please be positive and helpful.
Credentials
Please wear your ARRL VEC badge during the session. Your name on the VEC badge is fairly small, so another name tag would be nice. If you want to get an official tan ARRL VE badge, I (NV1W) use the Sign Man of Baton Rouge, https://www.thesignman.com/. For “appointment” choose “Volunteer Examiner – Division – TAN” and for “area” use “New England Division”. Rick will take care of getting the necessary approval from the League.