FCC Exams - Too Easy
Jan 4, 2019 6:48:20 GMT -8
Post by ke0lmx on Jan 4, 2019 6:48:20 GMT -8
This post pertains to the great discussion this week regarding licensing levels and their relative difficulty, specifically a rumor that there is a push to add code back into the Amateur Extra license level.
First I will mention that I am a "no code" amateur. I took the tests one at a time at different VE sessions. For the Technician license, I did what many do and "crammed" to learn all the answers and passed the test very easily. There are many discussions regarding this approach and many find it to be a very poor way to pass the exam. I would agree with that statement. To pass General, I used a study guide and rather than just memorizing the answers, I actually learned the material and enjoyed doing so. This was also the approach I took to Amateur Extra, and also found the process extremely enjoyable. I have since gone on to work on learning code, as well as engage in other interesting experiments to explore more about the basics that I learned while studying.
Back to the discussion at hand, are the exams to easy? I don't think so, but they are easier than they were in the past. I believe the intent of the exams is to make sure there is a basic understanding of the rules, regulations, and operating requirements to ensure that new stations know how to operate within the rules and safely. The real learning isn't in the exam, it is what happens after the person passes the exam and starts operating that matters. Learning from a book is good for learning facts and figures, but application of that knowledge is what really matters. Rather than adding proficiency in any specific mode or operating technique, a simple change of adding time and operating requirements between the exams might be a better idea.
Imagine that there were operating achievements added as requirements between the exams. Once a person achieves Technician, they would be required to wait some amount of time before they were allowed to attempt the General exam. During that time they would be required to provide documentation regarding how they applied and practiced the knowledge and privileges they earned/learned. At the Technician level, this could be something as simple as logging some number of contacts on 146.520, and some number of contacts on a local repeater. Whatever the requirement, it should be something relevant to using the privileges of the license level. After passing General, additional operating achievements on the HF bands would be required before attempting Amateur Extra.
I believe that this might address what seems to be the primary complaint from existing operators who feel things are easier now than they were in the past (which I also believe to be true) by adding some degree of practical application of knowledge which might be the function that learning code served in the past. Since I "crammed" to pass Technician, I feel that I lost some degree of knowledge which I attempted to regain with traditional study in the following two exams. Adding time and operating requirements would be one way to circumvent the "cramming to Extra" which happens today. In the IT industry we refer to these individuals as "paper tigers" as they lacked the practical experience to apply the knowledge the test claimed to demonstrate.
First I will mention that I am a "no code" amateur. I took the tests one at a time at different VE sessions. For the Technician license, I did what many do and "crammed" to learn all the answers and passed the test very easily. There are many discussions regarding this approach and many find it to be a very poor way to pass the exam. I would agree with that statement. To pass General, I used a study guide and rather than just memorizing the answers, I actually learned the material and enjoyed doing so. This was also the approach I took to Amateur Extra, and also found the process extremely enjoyable. I have since gone on to work on learning code, as well as engage in other interesting experiments to explore more about the basics that I learned while studying.
Back to the discussion at hand, are the exams to easy? I don't think so, but they are easier than they were in the past. I believe the intent of the exams is to make sure there is a basic understanding of the rules, regulations, and operating requirements to ensure that new stations know how to operate within the rules and safely. The real learning isn't in the exam, it is what happens after the person passes the exam and starts operating that matters. Learning from a book is good for learning facts and figures, but application of that knowledge is what really matters. Rather than adding proficiency in any specific mode or operating technique, a simple change of adding time and operating requirements between the exams might be a better idea.
Imagine that there were operating achievements added as requirements between the exams. Once a person achieves Technician, they would be required to wait some amount of time before they were allowed to attempt the General exam. During that time they would be required to provide documentation regarding how they applied and practiced the knowledge and privileges they earned/learned. At the Technician level, this could be something as simple as logging some number of contacts on 146.520, and some number of contacts on a local repeater. Whatever the requirement, it should be something relevant to using the privileges of the license level. After passing General, additional operating achievements on the HF bands would be required before attempting Amateur Extra.
I believe that this might address what seems to be the primary complaint from existing operators who feel things are easier now than they were in the past (which I also believe to be true) by adding some degree of practical application of knowledge which might be the function that learning code served in the past. Since I "crammed" to pass Technician, I feel that I lost some degree of knowledge which I attempted to regain with traditional study in the following two exams. Adding time and operating requirements would be one way to circumvent the "cramming to Extra" which happens today. In the IT industry we refer to these individuals as "paper tigers" as they lacked the practical experience to apply the knowledge the test claimed to demonstrate.