Testing Tips and Aids

This information should help you studying for your exams. If you find any helpful information on the internet, please email us a link to that information so we can post it here.

Written Test (Technician, General and Extra Classes)

First of all, it is best if you purchase a book that has all the test questions. The best books on the market are the Gordon West books. These books are available here locally or at www.w5yi.org. If you are local in Laredo, you can save on Shipping and Tax as we give a discount for local pickup only. Please contact us to get all the books need for all classes of licenses.

How to study? The Gordon West books are setup so that you have all the possible test questions that can be asked on the exam. I have talked with many people and gave them ideas on how to study. They all studied for the test the way I told them, and they all passed. This is the simplest and cheapest way to pass your test. Here is what you do. 1) Get the Book, 2) Get a yellow high lighter, 3) Open book and highlight all the correct answers. At this point, do not read anything yet. This will take you about 10 minutes. After done highlighting, take a rest, get comfortable and get your book. Start reading each question, then the highlighted answer, then the reason why it is that answer. Do not read the wrong answers. Here is the trick, when you take the test, it will be worded the Exact same way as the book. If you read the question several times, you will memorize all the answers. Is this legal? It sure is! Use it to your advantage. The book the divided into several sections. Take each section at a time. If you do not understand anything, go back and read the questions again. When you take your test, you will be AMAZED how much you can remember. Really!

How can I tell if I am ready to take my exam? You can visit www.qrz.com and take their free practice test. If you are getting a passing score at least 4 times in a row, then you are ready, if not, then you may want to brush up on the sections. It will let you know what sections you need to work on. The Gordon West books have the sections listed and they are easy to find.

Morse Code (aka CW)

Morse Code is a very fun mode. Believe me, when I was going for my General Class, I was dreading having to take my Morse Code/CW test. I was all against it. Then someone got me onto a great program to learn Morse Code. It was called Code Quick 2000. Next thing you know, I knew 10 letters the first day! WOW, this is COOL!! The only way you will like CW is how it is presented to you. The Test is 5 WPM (Words Per Minuet). 5WPM is very easy. Anyone can do it. Just think, when you are watching a movie and they are doing Morse Code, you will actually be able to decode it. You will be surprised what you actually hear in the movies. I was shocked what I heard when I saw a couple of them. Here are a couple of web sites that will help you learn it.

www.CW2K.com - This is the program that teaches you Morse Code. All you need to get is the audio CDs. The computer programs and other material is good, but the audio is the best.

www.LearnMorseCode.com - This website has a visual of how Morse code is constructed. It really shows how easy it is.

If you have any questions, ideas on studying or anything else, please let us know. We will be glad to help