If you’re a student taking an amateur radio exam with the RSGB, remember that it pays to prepare and take some mocks. All the prep in world can’t prepare you for curveball questions, which is why we now include “Students Beware” as a part of our Foundation Online course.
RSGB has released a small number of sample mock exam questions to the community, and these help to highlight what you can expect – in some cases, trick questions, unanswerable questions, or questions covering material outside the scope of the exam. As part of our course, we do our best to warn you about some of the RSGB’s poorer questions, to save you losing unnecessary marks.
We also encourage students to report dodgy RSGB questions, so that we can challenge these on your behalf, and warn other students.
Unsafe Safety Questions
Special care should be taken when answering RSGB safety questions, as the question-writers have a habit of asking questions with multiple correct answers. You can potentially fail an exam by answering a safety question with a sensible answer. Here are some classic examples from genuine papers:
Question: When using power tools it is
- A. advisable to wear eye protection.
- B. advisable to wear ear protection.
- C. essential to wear breathing protection.
- D. essential to wear gloves.
Multiple correct answers – depending on the tool. Out-of-scope as the syllabus only states that tools “should be handled with care and appropriate precautions taken.”
Question: To prevent cuts from hand tools you must
- A. hold pieces of metal in a vice
- B. keep both hands behind the cutting edge
- C. use a soldering iron stand
- D. wear eye protection
Multiple correct answers – A and B would apply. D would also not be wrong. Out-of-scope as the syllabus only states that tools “should be handled with care and appropriate precautions taken.”
Question: To help prevent cuts to yourself when using knives and files you should
- A. Keep your hands away from the ‘sharp end’
- B. Store them in a tool box
- C. Clean them after use
- D. Keep them sharp
Multiple correct answers – depending on the tool. Out-of-scope as the syllabus only states that tools “should be handled with care and appropriate precautions taken.”
Question: Using a tool belt when working at heights will
- A. minimise the chance of dropping things.
- B. allow two hands to be used to complete the work.
- C. avoid the need to wear hard hats.
- D .ensure repeated trips up and down the ladder
Multiple correct answers – A and B would both apply
Question: Overreaching when on a ladder may cause
- A. concern to passers by
- B. the person to fall off the ladder
- C. a hard hat to give less protection
- D. a poorly constructed or loose fitting job
Multiple correct answers – A, B and D would be true.
Power Questions
Question: To whom do EMF restrictions apply?
- A. Members of the general public.
- B. Foundation licence holders.
- C. Intermediate licence holders.
- D. Full licence holders
Multiple correct answers – Restrictions apply at 6.1 watts ERP and above, so applies to all 3 licence levels
Question: At what power levels do EMF restrictions apply?
- A. 5W ERP.
- B. 6.1W ERP.
- C. 10W ERP.
- D. 50W ERP
Multiple correct answers – Restrictions apply at 6.1 watts ERP and above, so B, C and D are all correct
Question: The peak transmit power above which an EMF assessment must be carried out is
- A. 10W e.r.p.
- B. 10W e.i.r.p.
- C. 100W e.r.p.
- D. 100W e.i.r.p.
Multiple correct answers – Restrictions apply at 6.1 watts ERP and above, so tests mus be carried out at all of these power levels
Question: Which suffix is used to indicate that the antenna is referenced to an ideal antenna which radiates equally in all directions?
- A PEP.
- B ERP.
- C EIRP.
- D dBd.
No correct answer. The correct suffix would be “dBi”
Question: An amateur is transmitting 50W FM to a simple ground plane vertical antenna on the roof of the car. If stuck in traffic with loitering pedestrians likely to remain around for some time, then the amateur must
- A. check that nobody touches the antenna.
- B. disconnect the antenna.
- C. keep overs to no more than 6 minutes.
- D. cease transmitting.
CRAZY. The syllabus does state that “antenna elements and other conductors carrying RF should not be touched whilst transmitting” – but do pedestrians routinely touch car antennas? Or is this an EMF question, which requires assessments of exposure?
Other Questions
Question: 2M3XYZ is in your shack talking to GM6ABC on 5MHz to try out high angle sky wave contacts. If you leave the room 2M3XYZ
- may continue to operate but is limited to 10W transmit power.
- must immediately stop operating on 5MHz.
- may continue as normal because you are still in the house.
- must start using her own callsign to continue the contact.
Flawed question. Firstly, there is no such callsign prefix as “2M3”. Secondly, it is not clear if whatever station 2M3 is, is operating under your supervision or not. Thirdly, is is testing multiple syllabus points in one question (5MHz licence conditions and supervision. Finally, who is “you” in this context?
Question: You answer a CQ call which is calling for a contact in your home town. You are then asked to pass on a message to a person who may not be an amateur. You may
- A. not pass the message under any circumstances
- B. pass the message if it relates to an international disaster
- C. pass the message if the originator or recipient is an amateur
- D. pass the message if the originator is an amateur
Unfair – what licence condition clause exactly are we testing here?
Question: A digital meter
- A. is operated from a keyboard
- B. moves a pointer over a scale
- C. contains a digital computer
- D. displays the reading as numbers
Multiple correct answers – C and D can both be correct
Question: The Salvation Army is an example of
- A. an emergency service.
- B. a licensed service.
- C. a military service.
- D. a user service
UNFAIR. The syllabus states that the “identity of the User Services are not examinable.”
Question: If your reply to a transmission is of a menacing character, then it is possible that you will have contravened the
- A. Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006.
- B. Communications Act 2003.
- C. Wireless Telegraphy (Content of Transmission) Act 1988.
- D. Wireless Telegraphy (Content of Transmission) Regulations 1988
OUT-OF-SCOPE – There is nothing in the syllabus that requires this level of legal understanding. Why is this question in any way of practical value?
Question: When seeking insurance cover for an event open to the public the insurers will expect
- A. you to advise the emergency services of the nature and location of the event to allow a speedy response if it is required.
- B. to see evidence you have identified the risks involved, sought to minimise risk and outcome and kept records of that process.
- C. you to take all due precautions and remember to advise the visiting public what they can and cannot do.
- D. you to have guides to keep visitors at a safe distance from masts and other structures that could cause injury
Relevance – Is this an insurance exam or an amateur radio exam?
Question: Before transmitting you should first listen on a frequency and then ask if the frequency is clear because
- A. the frequency may be in use but one of the stations may be in a location where you can’t receive their signal.
- B. it is a requirement of the amateur radio licence.
- C. this lets other amateur radio operators know that you are about to commence a QSO.
- D> it is considered to be polite to commence all new QSO’s in this way.
Wording / Multiple Correct Answers. You can’t ask if the frequency is clear BEFORE you start transmitting(!). Technically all 4 answers are true (B non-interference to other radio users)
Question: You are having a contact (QSO) with another amateur and he reports your signal as ‘5 and 5’. This means that he is reading your transmission:
- A. Excellent audio and very strong signal strength
- B. Average audio and a very strong signal strength
- C. Excellent Audio with an average signal strength
- D. Average Audio with an average signal strength
Out-of-scope, unfair and subjective – The syllabus requires students to “recall the meaning of the RST code, the number of divisions of each of the three items, and their order of merit.” Terms such as a “average” do not appear in training material
Question: One feature of Nicad (NiCad), Nickel Metal Hydride (NIMH) and Lithium batteries is that
- A. they all have different charging requirements and must only be used with the recommended charger.
- B. the terminal voltages are all the same allowing almost any charger to be safely used.
- C. they may be safely discarded in the household waste or a litter bin in the street.
- D. they must be kept fully charged at all times to ensure a long life.
Out-of-scope / Unfair. Syllabus states “Understand that a rechargeable (secondary) battery has a reversible chemical process”, but there is no requirement to know the types of rechargeable batteries that are on the market
Interference Questions
Question: A radio amateur’s transmission is LEAST likely to cause interference to
- A. other amateurs.
- B. other radio users.
- C. an electric drill.
- D. an electronic security alarm.
Irrelevant. The syllabus states “Recall that the ability of any piece of electronic or radio equipment to function correctly in the presence of strong RF signals is known as immunity.”, so what is this question testing? And what possible practical use is it to know that a drill is the answer here?
Question: An amateur radio transmitter can cause electromagnetic interference to
- A. Electric drills
- B. Vacuum cleaners
- C. Lawn mowers
- D. Electronic equipment
Irrelevant/ Multiple Correct Answers. The syllabus states “Recall that the ability of any piece of electronic or radio equipment to function correctly in the presence of strong RF signals is known as immunity.”. All answers are true (as they are ALL commonly “electronic equipment”. What possible practical relevance does this question have? B and C may be subject to interference, but the effect may be minimal. It’s possible that some models of automated robotic vacuum cleaners, or ride-on mowers may potentially get upset in the presence of strong RF. This feels like a question for questions-sake, not to actually test practical knowledge
Question: An elderly relative in a care home enjoys using headphones to listen to her small medium wave radio. It is occasionally interrupted by a rasping buzzing noise which is most frequent at the beginning and end of visiting times. A likely cause is
- A. more frequent use of the tea making facilities for visitors
- B. overloading of the local phone cell site due to the number of users
- C. electronic games devices belonging to the younger visitors
- D. faulty suppression components in the lift motor control system.
Relevance? Whilst this does test 6B2 of the syllabus, this a) is not relevant to amateur radio, b) contains out-dated references, and c) has been publicly derided on social media as an exam of a poor and out-of-touch question by the amateur radio community.
Question: The first action in dealing with an EMC complaint should be to
- A. cease all amateur radio activity until the problem is resolved
- B. carry out test transmissions on all bands at maximum power
- C. seek details of times and days that the problem occurs
- D. complete a report form and send it to the local office of Ofcom
Multiple correct answers. Ceasing to prevent interference complies with the licence term “non-interference”, and the syllabus suggests the importance of logging to resolve interference
Question begins: “To simplify the installation of an alarm system a single wire is run from the control unit through each sensor…”
Relevance? Installing sensors for alarm systems has nothing to do with amateur radio. What is being tested here? Can we not find an amateur radio-specific example to use? And if not, should we actually be asking this in an amateur radio exam?
Question: During a content, radio amateurs usually exchange signal strength and which of the following?
- A. Serial number
- B. Postal address
- C. Postcode
- D. Frequency
Multiple correct answers. Syllabus states “Recall that amateur radio contests require the exchange of information such as signal report, serial number and location.” A is correct. B and C provide “locations”, so also correct. Some contents use postcodes
Question: You are in a CW contact and change sending speed. Do you need to send your callsign again at this point?
- A. Yes if it is at a slower speed.
- B. Yes if it is at a faster speed.
- C. No.
- D. Yes
Multiple correct answers. Relevance? The licence is silent on CW speed, so no answer is correct or incorrect, although C would initially seem most likely. What is RSGB testing here?
Handy Links
Comments on comments on bad questions.
Question: Using a tool belt when working at heights will
A. minimise the chance of dropping things.
B. allow two hands to be used to complete the work.
C. avoid the need to wear hard hats.
D .ensure repeated trips up and down the ladder
Multiple correct answers – A, B and D would all apply
Actually, if read with only a little care, D is clearly wrong.
Question: Before transmitting you should first listen on a frequency and then ask if the frequency is clear because
A. the frequency may be in use but one of the stations may be in a location where you can’t receive their signal.
B. it is a requirement of the amateur radio licence.
C. this lets other amateur radio operators know that you are about to commence a QSO.
D> it is considered to be polite to commence all new QSO’s in this way.
Wording / Multiple Correct Answers. You can’t ask if the frequency is clear BEFORE you start transmitting(!). Technically all 4 answers are true (B non-interference to other radio users)
The item stem separates the important part of ‘listening’ from ‘asking’ (transmitting) by the use of the words “and then”. To make it clearer a full-stop and new sentence or a comma could have been used but making the item crystal clear in respect of the logic behind this challenge would involve more words so then the writer is accused of wordiness.
Question: You are having a contact (QSO) with another amateur and he reports your signal as ‘5 and 5’. This means that he is reading your transmission:
A. Excellent audio and very strong signal strength
B. Average audio and a very strong signal strength
C. Excellent Audio with an average signal strength
D. Average Audio with an average signal strength
Out-of-scope, unfair and subjective – The syllabus requires students to “recall the meaning of the RST code, the number of divisions of each of the three items, and their order of merit.” Terms such as a “average” do not appear in training material
I am interested to know how, without using actual numbers, an order of merit can be referenced. To me the sense of this item is that Excellent is one end of a continuum, Poor would be the other end and Average is somewhere in between. Without using words, whatever they are, this syllabus item is not examinable.
Question: One feature of Nicad (NiCad), Nickel Metal Hydride (NIMH) and Lithium batteries is that
A. they all have different charging requirements and must only be used with the recommended charger.
B. the terminal voltages are all the same allowing almost any charger to be safely used.
C. they may be safely discarded in the household waste or a litter bin in the street.
D. they must be kept fully charged at all times to ensure a long life.
Out-of-scope / Unfair. Syllabus states “Understand that a rechargeable (secondary) battery has a reversible chemical process”, but there is no requirement to know the types of rechargeable batteries that are on the market
I am tempted to argue that the item does not require students to know the different types available to respond correctly. Would the stem be any clearer if it simply said ‘One feature of rechargeable batteries is that’. I am convinced, using the same level of logic as this challenge, that somebody would then say that batteries do not ALL have different charging characteristics.
Question begins: “To simplify the installation of an alarm system a single wire is run from the control unit through each sensor…”
Relevance? Installing sensors for alarm systems has nothing to do with amateur radio. Alarm systems are out-of-scope, and not required knowledge.
Whether it is an alarm system or not has nothing to do with the item. An alarm cable has been used simply as an in character example of a reason why there is a cable running around that might pick up RF interference. That alarm systems are not covered in the syllabus is an extremely weak basis for a challenge.
Otherwise I agree with the challenges. As an Ex item writer and vetter I wonder who on earth dreamt these items up in the first place. Most would never have got through when I was involved.