The two roles
What is a Volunteer Examiner Coordinator?
An organization that has entered into an agreement with the FCC to coordinate, prepare, and administer amateur operator license examinations.
Who is tasked by Part 97 with maintaining the pools of questions for all US amateur license examinations?
The VECs.
The VECs write the question pool — the very document these lessons are built from. It is not written by the FCC. That is why the pools are revised on their own four-year cycle, published in advance, and released for anyone to use: an examination whose questions are public, with the answers, and which still works because there are 400 to 600 of them.
A VEC is the organisation; a VE is an individual examiner accredited by one.
What is required to be accredited as a Volunteer Examiner?
A VEC must confirm that the VE applicant meets FCC requirements to serve as an examiner.
Accreditation runs through the VEC, not the FCC directly.
Running an examination
Who is responsible for the proper conduct and necessary supervision during an amateur operator license examination session?
Each administering VE.
Note each — responsibility is not delegated to a session leader. Every VE in the room is accountable.
What should a VE do if a candidate fails to comply with the examiner’s instructions during an amateur operator license examination?
Immediately terminate the candidate’s examination.
Immediately. Not a warning, not a discussion.
To which of the following examinees may a VE not administer an examination?
Relatives of the VE as listed in the FCC rules.
A conflict-of-interest rule, spelled out in the regulations rather than left to judgement: spouse, child, grandchild, stepchild, parent, grandparent, stepparent, brother, sister, stepbrother, stepsister, aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, and in-laws of those relationships.
After the examination
What must the VE team do with the application form if the examinee does not pass the exam?
Return the application document to the examinee.
What must the VE team do if an examinee scores a passing grade on all examination elements needed for an upgrade or new license?
Three VEs must certify that the examinee is qualified for the license grant and that they have complied with the administering VE requirements.
What must the administering VEs do after the administration of a successful examination for an amateur operator license?
They must submit the application document to the coordinating VEC according to the coordinating VEC instructions.
Fail → the paperwork goes back to the candidate. Pass → three VEs certify, and the document goes to the VEC — never directly to the FCC. The VEC forwards it, which is what “coordinating” means.
Three is the number throughout: three accredited VEs must be present, and three must certify.
Money
For which types of out-of-pocket expenses do the Part 97 rules state that VEs and VECs may be reimbursed?
Preparing, processing, administering, and coordinating an examination for an amateur radio operator license.
Reimbursement covers the examination itself and nothing else. Not teaching a preparation course, not producing study materials — those are separate commercial activities, and a VE cannot be paid for them out of examination fees.
What may be the penalty for a VE who fraudulently administers or certifies an examination?
Revocation of the VE’s amateur station license grant and the suspension of the VE’s amateur operator license grant.
The volunteer system works entirely on trust, so the penalty for abusing it takes your licence.
Why this is on the Extra exam
Extra class operators are the only ones who may examine at every level, so the syllabus covers the system you are about to be eligible to run. If you sit the Extra exam and then volunteer — which is how the system sustains itself — this becomes the part of the rules you use most.
Check yourself
- A candidate passes Element 4. Who certifies, and where does the paperwork go?
- Your nephew wants to test at your session. May you administer his exam?
- Who writes the question pool?
Answers
- Three VEs certify that the examinee is qualified and that the administering requirements were met, and the application goes to the coordinating VEC — not the FCC.
- No. A nephew is on the FCC’s list of relatives a VE may not examine.
- The VECs, as tasked by Part 97 — not the FCC.