The new 2016 US Amateur Extra class license pool has been released and we’ve been working over the last week on processing it to link new questions with old so we know exactly what was added, removed, updated, or moved. This question pool will be used for all US Amateur Extra exams taken from July 1, 2016 to July 1, 2020.
UPDATE: On Jan 22, 2016 the 2016 extra class question pool document was officially withdrawn but it was then officially re-released on Feb 6, 2016. The changes between the two were relatively minor and the withdrawal seems to have been more to reduce the email volume for things they already knew about. This article is still valid, and the new pool has been updated on HamStudy.org.
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From my analysis, I expect most people will consider the new pool to be more difficult than the previous ones, so if you’re on the fence trying to finish up getting ready I’d recommend testing before the pool changes in July.
If you want to see exactly what has changed, check out the full graphical diff. If you just want the summary, read on!
This is a much more significant change than the last extra class pool change; the 2012 pool introduced only 63 new questions and decreased the total questions in the pool from 736 to 700, whereas this (2016) pool change adds 143 new questions (126% more than the previous) and increases the pool size up to 713.
The pool is actually available on HamStudy.org but you’ll need to use the Direct Link until April 1 (not a joke) when it will start appearing in the main list.
Here are the numbers:
- Total questions in the (old) 2012-2016 pool: 700
- Total questions in the (new) 2016-2020 pool: 713
- Questions removed from the pool: 132
- New questions added to the pool: 143
- Questions which have been updated: 60
As usual, we’ve had some questions reorganized but left in the pool; E1B07 from the old pool is word for word the same as E1A06 in the new pool, for example. Most of the wording changes are simple clarification of previous language or improvement to grammar or punctuation, sometimes dropping out confusing terms (e.g. the superfluous word “DX” being removed from E1A03) and other times updating to be less likely to become obsolete as rules change (e.g. “What is the only amateur band where…” became “Which amateur band requires…”). Some may also be updated to reflect minor changes to those rules. We spotted at least one spelling correction as well (E1F06 moved to E1B05 and a distractor corrected the spelling of “Aricebo” to “Arecibo”)
There have been a lot of technically challenging new questions added as well. The topics which have received the most attention are solar weather/propagation, digital operation, and SDR operation (and related), but there are enough other technically complex little tidbits floating around to keep you on your toes.
Here are the topics which have been expanded on:
- International operation: 3 questions added
- Space Station rules – 1 question added
- VE rules (including remote proctoring) – 1 question added
- APRS operation – 1 question added
- Mesh networks – 2 questions added
- US QSL bureau system – 1 question added
- Remote control operation – 1 question added
- Digital operation – 12 questions added
- Automatic control – 1 question added
- Solar weather and propagation – 23 questions added
- These cover advanced topics such as ordinary/extraordinary waves, chordal hop propagation, microwave-specific propagation, the effects of solar events such as flares (including different types of flares), geomagnetic storms, temperature fronts, the effects of both ground and air water on signal propagation, ray tracing, A or K indexes, VOACAP, etc
- Digital/Computer Instruments (digital oscilloscopes, etc) – 7 questions added
- S parameters – 3 questions added
- Instrument calibration – 1 question added
- SDR/DSP function and operation – 21 questions added
- Cable line loss, shielding, etc – 2 questions added
- Susceptance and admittance – 5 questions added
- Rectangular vs Polar Coordinates for reactance (and related) – 7 questions added
- Electrical length of conductors as related to higher frequencies – 4 questions added
- PN-junction diode – 1 question added
- TTL / Logic gates – 8 questions added
- Inductors and winding – 6 questions added
- Snubber capacitor – 1 question added
- Integrated Circuits / packages – 5 questions added
- Power supplies / voltage regulation – 5 questions added
- Oscillation and accuracy – 3 questions added
- CW operation – 2 question added
- Antenna types and radiation patterns – 8 questions added
- Q of antennas – 6 questions added
- Misc – 2 questions added
- LCD displays, ground rods
Uneven weight of questions:
There are some interesting things to note in this pool. The common methodology for generating exams is to take one question at random from each section in the pool. This isn’t actually what any of the rules say to do, but it’s a valid subset and it’s how everyone does it, so we (reluctantly) do the same thing.
The reason this is important to note is that it means not all sections are equal in the Extra pool; the largest section in the pool, section E2B, has 19 questions in it. That means the chance of seeing any single question in that section is about 5.3%. The smallest sections in the pool (E8B, E8C, E9G, E9H, and E0A) each have 11 questions, which means each of those questions has a 9% chance of appearing on your exam.
Moral of this story? All other things being equal, the value of learning the 11 questions in one of the smallest sections will improve your test score just as much as learning all 19 questions in E2B. Weird, eh?
Actually, though, the question pool committee (and note that it isn’t the ARRL that builds the tests) is visibly working to even out those numbers; the previous pool had a spread of 10 questions in the smallest to 23 questions in the largest and the efforts to even that out are very visible. This also means they are narrowing a loophole of sorts you could use in the current pool to hedge your bets, which is another reason you might try to get in before it changes =].
A few final stats for the interested
For those of you who, like me, are information junkies, I present this list. Note that where a section fits multiple criteria it is only displayed with the first (most specific) group:
- Sections which were untouched:
- Sections which had no new or removed questions (only wording or punctuation updates):
- Sections which have new questions and no removed questions:
- Sections which had questions removed and no new questions added:
- Sections which had questions replaced (removed and added counts are the same):
- Sections with the biggest change:
- E3A with 3 removed, 6 added, 2 updated
- E3B with 3 removed, 6 added
- E3C with 5 removed, 11 added, 1 updated
- E4A with 7 removed, 7 added, 2 updated
- E5C with 13 removed, 7 added, 1 updated
- E6C with 4 removed, 5 added, 3 updated
- E6D with 6 removed, 7 added, 4 updated
- E7F with 7 removed, 13 added, 2 updated
- E7H with 8 removed, 3 added
- E8A with 7 removed, 5 added, 1 update
- E8C with 4 removed, 5 added
- E8D with 13 removed, 6 added
- E9C with 2 removed, 5 added
By Dan KB6NU January 14, 2016 - 14:22
Interesting analysis. Thanks.
I concur that this question pool is a bit harder. That just means people will have to study more.
By kd7bbc February 6, 2016 - 18:53
… and that’s probably not a bad thing. Thanks for all the resources you provide to help people do that!
By Dan Knutson January 23, 2017 - 08:02
I passed extra class in 1980’s it was easier than advance class, that I have. The 20 wpm busted me.
By Randy NC4RT January 14, 2016 - 15:37
Um, your statistics on the increase in questions is a bit off.
Assuming you’re comparing the 143 new questions this time, vs the 63 new questions last time.
That’s an increase of 80, or 127%.
Many people make that error: the ratio of the new value to the old value, rather than the ratio of the increase vs the old value.
By kd7bbc February 6, 2016 - 18:54
You’re right; I would argue that the statistics were not off, but they were worded unclearly. I’ll fix that.
By Louis mclaughlin February 13, 2016 - 17:27
I have an ARRL license manual for july 1,2010 to June 30,2014. Is it still relevant or do I need to get a new one?
By kd7bbc February 14, 2016 - 21:01
That would be the Technician license, if those are the dates, and it is outdated. There is a new technician pool with quite a few changes. That said, most of the material is the same, so you could still study with it and then use HamStudy.org to do flashcards, read questions, and take practice exams to make sure you know the new questions. There might be a few areas missing in the old manual but probably nothing really significant.
By James February 25, 2016 - 20:49
I wish they leave it along. Why do they make it harder to take the extra class when some have trouble to learned to take test. I am one of them,it toke me along time to take the morse code test and getting my general license. I have try to pass the extra class license about four time and onle miss 14 guestion now I made have to give it up if I do not pass it by June .
Best Whishes
73
KI4HTC
By kd7bbc February 25, 2016 - 21:24
James,
I can completely understand your frustration! The Amateur Extra exam is not an easy one, and it has a *lot* of questions in it. On the other hand, it is the most advanced Amateur Radio license and isn’t really intended to be easy, and I think the main reason that they continue to update it is to keep it relevant with new aspects of the hobby (such as SDRs).
What method are you using for studying? For people in a similar situation to yours I have found that one of the most effective methods is this:
You can obviously adjust this to fit your own preferred study methods, but I’ve found it to be very effective.
By John March 9, 2016 - 22:15
I completely agree it’s getting to hard, I guess one has to be a physicist to be able to pass the extra class test, I also guess they just want fewer and fewer people becoming extra class operators also when a lot of the questions on the flash cards dont have explanations is also a problem. I am glad this is only a hobby and not a living but still I dont understand why they want to make it so hard to become an extra class operator and I dont believe anyone can know all those answers, I spent 8 months studying for the general class license and was hoping to get the extra class but now I dont believe I will ever get it.
By Edward Cate April 20, 2016 - 08:37
I use the ARRL Extra book and ham study together. Doing that has helped me greatly In the flash cards if I find something I do not understand and there is no explanation then I go to the extra book and look it up or if I do not understand something same thing. Like math most of the math in the book and on the test I have problems with. I am over 60 wasn’t taught in school so I look it up and go ask one of my grand kids to explain it to me.
I listen to guys complain all the time that new hams are just test takers and some are, but do not understand the theory behind the test why somethings work the way they do. In most part I agree I do not think you should just practice until you get enough right then go pass the test. That makes it kind of like CB radio. If you want something to just get on and rant and rave and use bad language then go to 11meters and have at it.
Just my thoughts thank you to the operators of hamstudy for the time and effort you put into this site
Ed Cate
N4CFR
By KG7YCE - Mike Davidson May 9, 2016 - 07:51
It makes me glad that I already passed it!
By Michael Connell June 30, 2016 - 16:23
I was going to say the same thing. Passing the old Extra test about a year and a half ago this set seems a little more in depth and complicated. Nothing that you could not pass though. Just a lot more studying and retention required. I kept telling my wife who’s a General to upgrade before it changes. She will now have to take the new one.
By R. K. Brumback July 3, 2016 - 21:34
I took the Extra exam that was proctured by Mo, Curley, and Larry a few months back. What a disorganized mess that was. I felt good about my answers but was told I failed it. I left but later that day I happened to see another person that was taking his extra exam also. It seemed no one was passing the extra exam. On a closer look they found the examiners were using the wrong answer sheet to grade the tests. I went back but by then everyone had left. Now I am back to square one with a lot harder road to travel.
By kd7bbc July 5, 2016 - 21:07
Well, unfortunately fact is that the VE teams are made up of normal people just like anything else — and normal people make mistakes. Sorry you had to deal with that!
I’ve been trying to get VE teams to take test integrity more seriously for years — we even have a sister site, ExamTools.org, but for the most part very few seem to be interested.
By Mary January 31, 2017 - 07:44
I know the xtra test is a total of 50 questions from a pool of 713 but I’m curious to know how those 50 questions are broke down into each section.How many of the 50 questions are on each area (e1,e2,e3 ect) I’m going to be taking the test and was trying to get an idea.
By kd7bbc April 2, 2017 - 18:52
Generally speaking there is one question chosen from each of the sections in the pool; each section has between 11 and 14 questions in it. Statistically the difference in how likely you are to see any given question verses any other question is so close as to not be worth considering. Sorry it took me so long to see and respond to your comment! The email notifications have been broken and I just today realized it.
By Jeff Parker kf4sci March 14, 2017 - 17:28
Personally I don’t care how difficult the written test is, if I have to work harder to upgrade my ticket than so be it. Breaking the 10 wpm barrier is my problem! I believe the cure for that is hours upon hours of copy then practice sending. I also believe that Extra Class operators not only have better sending skills but can spell (huge plus there!) and are willing to work with those of us who need help.
My ultimate goal is proficiency with CW and a rock solid QRP station! Once I achive that, I’ll certainly set time aside helping others in an attempt to pay back those who helped and inspired me.
By Cliff July 18, 2017 - 02:42
Thanks to Hamstudy.org, I passed Extra in July 2017 with flying colors. Excellent resource and yes, I donated to this worthy organization. Your flash card feature is the best I have seen and used. Your explanations were well thought through and conveyed. I used no other study material than this site. I’m not an electronics expert. FB OMs.
73
KB3VQU