The ARRL VE Exam Maker software package is a program for Windows ® and Mac ® to generate printed exams. This software is capable of updating question pools, specifications and software updates directly online, easing the difficulties of staying up-to-date with changes as they occur. The page requires Adobe Flash Player.

You may be prompted to upgrade the installed version of Flash Player if you do not have a recent version installed. The installer WILL NOT work in Firefox. Mac users will need to access the link below using Safari. The complete list of instructions are shown below. The VE Exam Maker Software Download Page permits access to the ARRL VE Exam Maker Software.

The software requires Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR runtime. You may be prompted to upgrade Flash Player if you do not have a recent version.

It's safe, and doesn't interrupt the installation process. IMPORTANT: You must have a recent version of Adobe Flash Player installed and enabled in your Web browser. The installer WILL NOT work in Firefox. To enable Flash content in the web browser, please refer to these help links: Chrome help: Internet Explorer help: DOWNLOAD and INSTALL INSTRUCTIONS - NEW USERS Current users that already have the ARRL VE Exam Maker installed on a computer should refer to the section 'Update Question Pools' for instructions on adding new question pools or updating question pool versions. Go to the web page to download the current version of Exam Maker software. Click 'Install Now'. Choose “open” and then “install” to install the program on your computer or “save” to install the program at a later date.

Mac Practice Exam

Some operating systems will not offer a choice and will immediately install the program on your computer. Once installed, the new version of ARRL VE Exam Maker should open automatically.

When it opens, you will need to “Initialize the Exam Database” to download the current Amateur Radio question pools and specifications. Type your callsign in the “ARRL/VEC Username” box AND in the “Password” box. Then click the “Execute” button.

It will take several minutes for all the question pools to download. When completed, the screen will read “Exam Database Initialized“.

(If not prompted automatically by the program, select 'Update,” and then 'Initialize Database' on the menu bar. You must download the question pools database to initialize the exam database.) 4. VE teams who plan to use our blue overlay grading templates must also “download” the template files. The template database must be downloaded to utilize the template designs with the exam database.

From the menu bar, select “Update” and then “Initialize Templates”. Then click the “ok” button. Again, type your callsign in the “ARRL/VEC Username” box AND in the “Password” box. Then click the “Execute” button. It will only take several seconds for all the template files to download.

When completed, the screen will read “Loaded 36 ARRL/VEC templates“. Reminder: The blue plastic overlay grading templates, used to grade exams at test sessions, should never be thrown away or destroyed when new exam versions are introduced. We specifically designed the plastic templates so that they will always be useful, no matter what exams are created. They will never become obsolete. Exam software is ready to use! Please note: T he exam answer key does not appear on screen when an exam is generated. The answer key will print out as the last page of the exam.

Remember to keep all answer keys secure. Exam Maker will automatically prompt users to check for Softwareupdates. Question pools updates must be done manually.

Additional information, notes and instructions are located in the Help section. ARRL VEC exam session forms are available from the support page. Download or print individual forms as needed. All ARRL VEC forms, except for the Certificate of Successful Completion of Examination (CSCE) form, may be duplicated. Contact the ARRL VEC for a supply of CSCE forms. Questions or concerns should be directed to the VEC Department by phone on the toll-free VEC number 1-800-927-7583.

Update question pools, specifications and software in the “Update” section of the program. VEs that routinely check for these updates safeguard against using outdated exams at their test sessions. If the update does not work, the program will have to be uninstalled and then reinstalled on the computer. (For most users this is via the Control Panel and the “Add/Remove Programs” feature.) IMPORTANT: You must have a recent version of Adobe Flash Player installed and enabled in your Web browser. The installer WILL NOT work in Firefox. To enable Flash content in the web browser, please refer to these help links: Chrome help: Internet Explorer help: UPDATE QUESTION POOLS INSTRUCTIONS To upload new Question Pools or update existing question pools that have been modified, users must manually update the Exam Data database. In Exam Maker from the menu bar, select “Update” and then “Update Exam Data”.

A log-in area will appear on screen. Next type your call sign in the “ARRL/VEC Username” box AND in the “Password” box.

Then click the “Execute” button. It will only take several seconds for all the question pool files to download. The screen must read “Exam Database Initialized” when the task is complete for the question pools to be revised to the most up-to-date pools for exam generation. If the user’s question pool database contains the current information or if there are no recent pool changes, the screen will read “Exam Database is up-to-date”. Exam Maker will only automatically prompt users to check for Softwareupdates. Question pool updates must be done manually. Additional information, notes and instructions are located in the Help section.

ARRL VEC exam session forms are available from the support page. Download or print individual forms as needed. All ARRL VEC forms, except for the Certificate of Successful Completion of Examination (CSCE) form, may be duplicated. Contact the ARRL VEC for a supply of CSCE forms. Questions or concerns should be directed to the VEC Department by phone on the toll-free VEC number 1-800-927-7583.

After installing the ARRL VE Exam Maker Software and downloading the question pools (and template designs if needed), exams can be created. Click the “Generate” button.

The “Exam Specification” box will appear. Identification # – Leave this space blank when creating new exams. This feature may not be available on some computer s. If available, it will allow you to enter the identification number of a previously printed exam. It could be used to recreate and reprint a previously made test design.

Exam Type – choose one exam element: Technician, General or Extra. Template – For VE teams using the blue overlay grading templates, choose one of the 36 template designs. Braille mode (no graphics) – locks out questions with graphics. Answers not scrambled – each question’s answer and three distracters (wrong answers) will be positioned on the exam in the exact order as shown in the pool. After choosing the exam specifications, click the “OK” button. The generated exam will display in the ARRL VE Exam Maker window, where you can review it.

To highlight the correct answers, check the “Show Answers” box. This feature will highlight the correct answers in the display window not on the printed exam. Print the exam by clicking the “Print” button. Please note: The exam answer key does not appear on screen when an exam is generated. The answer key will print out as the last page of the exam. Remember to keep all answer keys secure. In the “Exam” section of the program, choosing “Batch” will generate and print multiple test design versions of one chosen exam type.

Exam Maker will automatically prompt users to check for Software updates. Question pools updates must be done manually. ARRL VEC exam session forms are available from the support page. Download or print individual forms as needed. All ARRL VEC forms, except for the Certificate of Successful Completion of Examination (CSCE) form, may be duplicated. Contact the ARRL VEC for a supply of CSCE forms.

Questions or concerns should be directed to the VEC Department by phone on the toll-free VEC number 1-800-927-7583. ARRL volunteer examiners using Exam Maker Software can update the 'Locked Out' list to include withdrawn questions.

To lock out or block questions from being used on your Exam Maker generated exams, please use the following INTERACTIVE instructions: 1. Open the Exam Maker program.

From the menu bar select 'Update' and then select 'Update Exam Data' on the pull-down menu. Log in using your username (usually your current call sign) and password and by clicking on the “execute” button to execute the update exam database command. A message will read: “Updating exam database. Please wait.” 4. After the update is completed, a message will read ” Exam Database Initialized”. The program will now be ready to generate exams with the new locked-out list for all the Pools. Pool questions may also be moved MANUALLY to the 'Locked Out' list.

Open the Exam Maker program. From the menu bar select 'File' and then select 'Preferences' on the pull-down menu. An “Options” box will appear. Click on the “Pools” tab and choose the required pool from the drop down box. In the “Questions” list scroll down to locate the question you would like to move. Highlight the question number then click on the “arrow” button to move the question over to the “Locked Out” list. You must click on the “Save” button to complete the update.

Follow the same instructions for questions in other pools that you would like to remove from use. After the update is completed, click “Ok”. The program is now ready to generate exams with the new locked-out list for the Pools. The current ARRL VE Exam Maker Software version is V 1.4. VEs using previous software versions will have to update the software before accessing some features and to make sure the current exams are in use. If the software update does not work, the program will have to be uninstalled and then reinstalled on the computer.

Exam Generator Software Free

(For most users this is via the Control Panel and the “Add/Remove Programs” feature.) Uninstall (remove) the VE Exam Maker program manually and then download and install the current version in order to have the most up to date program and before the locked-out file can be updated. Exam Maker will automatically prompt users to check for Software updates. Question pools updates must be done manually. ARRL VEC exam session forms are available from the support page. Download or print individual forms as needed.

All ARRL VEC forms, except for the Certificate of Successful Completion of Examination (CSCE) form, may be duplicated. Contact the ARRL VEC for a supply of CSCE forms. Questions or concerns should be directed to the VEC Department by phone on the toll-free VEC number 1-800-927-7583. Create an exam following the 'Generating Exams' instructions. You will have to print the exam at the normal size font to get the exam answer key to print out properly. Click on the tab 'FILE' then 'PAGE SET UP'. This opens the 'Exam Specifications' box.

Change the font size to a much larger size to accommodate visually impaired candidates. If you change the size to 20, it will print out two question per page. If you change the size to 25, it will print out one question per page. When done with large print exams, change the font size back to 11 (normal font setting). Exam Maker will automatically prompt users to check for Software updates. Question pools updates must be done manually. ARRL VEC exam session forms are available from the support page.

Download or print individual forms as needed. All ARRL VEC forms, except for the Certificate of Successful Completion of Examination (CSCE) form, may be duplicated. Contact the ARRL VEC for a supply of CSCE forms. Questions or concerns should be directed to the VEC Department by phone on the toll-free VEC number 1-800-927-7583.

APPLICATION ERROR: If you get an error after installing the Exam Maker when it is first run, your anti-virus software may be interfering with the application. Most AV clients have the option to set an exception for specific programs. For a default installation, the program that needs the exception is at: 'C: Program Files (x86) ARRL VE Exam Maker ARRL VE Exam Maker.exe' Please refer to the help information for your specific anti-virus tool. INSTALL ERROR: The software requires Adobe Flash Player and Adobe AIR runtime. You may be prompted to upgrade Flash Player if you do not have a recent version.

It's safe, and doesn't interrupt the installation process. IMPORTANT: You must have a recent version of Adobe Flash Player installed and enabled in your Web browser. The installer WILL NOT work in Firefox. To enable Flash content in the web browser, please refer to these help links: Chrome help: Internet Explorer help. Exam Maker version 1.4 updated and released! For ARRL VE teams who are using our VE Exam Maker - exam generating software, the updated version was released Wednesday June 27, 2018 and is available on the ARRL VEC's web page.

Exam Maker 1.4 contains the NEW Technician class pool that must be in use for exam sessions starting Sunday July 1st, 2018. Current users that already have the ARRL VE Exam Maker installed on a computer should refer to the section 'Update Question Pools' for instructions on adding new question pools or updating question pool versions. The update can be done in the program and should not need to be re-installed. FCC Report and Order RM-11325 The Question Pool Committee of the National Council of Volunteer Examiner Coordinators has detected one question impacted by the FCC RM-11325 Report and Order (R&O). As a result, Extra class question E1F13 must be removed from the Extra Class Question Pool and Extra class (Element 4) Exams by April 29 the day the R&O goes into effect. RM-11325 was posted in the Federal Register on March 30. The effective date is 30 days AFTER posting in the Federal Register.

Therefore, question E1F13 must be removed from all exams administered on or after April 29, 2011. For further information on the Report and Order go to the ARRL web news item.

Extra class question E1F13 has been moved to the locked out file within the program. ARRL volunteer examiner teams using Exam Maker software just have to update the exam file. To lock out or block the deleted question from being used on future Exam Maker generated exams, please use the following instructions: Users will run the Update - Update Exam Data command to import the updated data. Previous versions of Exam Maker Extra class exams that contain this question may not be used at any exam sessions administered on or after April 29, 2011.

For ARRL VE teams who are using our exam generating VE Exam Maker Software, the updated version will be released mid-June. When released, the new version will contain the NEW Technician class pool which takes effect on July 1st. The two withdrawn questions ( T2C02and T2C03 ) in the new Technician class pool will be included in the 'Locked Out' questions list in the software and will not be available for use on exams. The two withdrawn Extra class questions ( E1C04 and E1C05 ) will also be moved into the “Locked Out” questions list. VEs have the option of manually moving the questions into the 'Locked Out' list (see 'Locked Out' questions list instructions) before the new software is released.

Please make sure your previously randomly generated exams do not contain the two withdrawn Extra class questions. If any printed Extra exams contain these withdrawn questions, they must be discarded by July 1, 2010. For information concerning the withdrawn questions, please refer to the ARRL News item:. For ARRL VE teams who are using our exam generating VE Exam Maker Software, the current version already has the two general class withdrawn questions ( G1E10 and G0B14) moved into the “Locked Out” list. Please make sure your previously randomly generated exams do not contain these two questions. If any printed exams contain these withdrawn questions, they must be discarded.

ARRL volunteer examiner teams using Exam Maker Software just have to update the 'Locked Out' list to include the 2 withdrawn questions. To lock out or block the two questions from being used on your Exam Maker generated exams, please use the 'Lock Out Questions List' instructions above. The current ARRL VE Exam Maker Software version is V 1.1.

VEs using software version 1.2.1 beta must re-install the Exam Maker software on their computer before the locked-out file can be updated. If your team is using our exam generating software and will need any VE C forms please contact us at the.