My Experience of the Online Advanced Licence Exam

Currently the RSGB are offering entrants the option of taking their advanced exam in either a written or online format. Both consist of 62 multiple choice questions and is taken at a Test Centre with invigilators etc.

My choice of taking the online exam was made into a “no-brainer” when I realised that you get an instant pass/fail when you finish and submit your answers. With the written there’s the agony of waiting for at least a week before you know whether you have passed while the papers go to the RSGB for marking, and the results are sent out by post.

I chose to take the exam at Martin Lynch Ham Radio Training facility in Staines, West London. MLS (Martin Lynch & Sons) run advanced training courses at the facility, however anyone can book up to do the exam there, whether on a course or not. Advanced Exam places are available monthly on the second Tuesday at 6:30 in the evening. I booked up and paid my £39.99 on the MLS website about 8 weeks before the exam. MLS sent out a confirmation e-mail, which I followed up to let them know I would like to do the exam online.

Interestingly the exam is taken on your own machine, so about a week before the exam I received an e-mail from TestReach providing me with Username & Password and the instructions for downloading and installing the exam application on my own machine, in this case a MacBook, but Windows is also supported. Once installed I was able to login to the application and see the exam there, although greyed out. There is also a tutorial on the navigation and use of the software which I found to be very straightforward and simple to use.

Having done the tutorial there was just some last-minute revision to do, and then ensuring I had the right identification documents ready.  It’s essential to arrive at least half an hour before the start time as there are a number of things to go through such checking ID etc. Because I was taking the online exam I needed wireless connection details.

Candidates are given the same documentation pack, whether doing the online or not, plus plenty of notepaper for calculations etc, which must be signed and handed in at the end.  At 6:30 the exam itself becomes available in the application, there is some leeway in that you have half an hour to start. Once started, navigation is straightforward. One of the most useful tools is the ability to “flag” any question you are unsure about or wanted to return to later. I used this a lot for any questions I felt needed more thought and didn’t have an immediate answer for. Also, if you have any questions flagged when you try to submit the completed exam it will remind you about the flags you have and give the opportunity to revisit them before finally submitting. If you try to submit your exam with incomplete questions, then once again you will be reminded before being allowed to complete the exam.

Once you click that submit button and answer the “Do you really want to do this?”, I got an immediate banner to say I had passed. As I quietly started to collect my bits and pieces together, one of the invigilators came over, congratulated me, and showed me my score. Personally, I would thoroughly recommend taking the exam using the online option. Getting an immediate indication about whether you passed or failed is brilliant, the simplicity of the navigation tools, and the ability to flag questions to return to later make using good exam technique a breeze.

Trevor (G7PEE) has been a great help to me in preparing and revising for the exam, often helping me to see through unnecessary detail (especially when it comes to Licensing Conditions!). He travelled with me on the day to London, combining a visit to the MLS shop in the afternoon with my exam in at the same venue in the evening. This helped me to remain relaxed and calm for the exam, we were there nice and early, had time to wander into Staines for a cup of coffee, and have an enjoyable discussion about anything but exam topics.