Get your Radio Amateur License!

It’s the smart thing to do.

It’s an Interesting and Diverse hobby and quite addictive, I must warn you!

More Than 1,000 aspirant Hams made use of this site to prepare for the RAE exam.

This service is no longer free wef 1 June 2023- see below

Registration Fee from 1 Nov 2023 is R130 once-off

Before

To operate legally You need to pass the Radio (R) Amateur’s(A) Examination (E) or the RAE.

You need to attend classes, Do some practical exercises, and write and pass the RAE Exam

The RAE examination is written during the months of May and October each year. Candidates need to pass the Class A or Class B examination.

Join a Club- Most clubs run RAE classes one or twice a year.

The course takes around 4 months and consists typically of 17 Lectures. It includes some very important hands-on practical sessions where you will, at some stage need to demonstrate your proficiency at setting up a radio and making initial contact. The study material is all downloadable from the SARL website.

From personal experience, I can recommend Hammies for the younger set and or the West Rand Amateur Radio Club for all ages but there is almost certainly a great club near to your home. Use the SARL website to find a club and support them. Absolute beginners are always most welcome!

After joining the Club of your choice, you will need to Register for the Exam on the SARL website. Your Lecturers at the Club will guide you through the process.

Which Class License should I write?

Class A (ZS, ZR): An internationally recognized license with full rights and privileges as set out in the South African Radio Regulations. Any person can write this examination, there is no age restriction.

Class B (ZU): Entry-level license for persons under the age of 25. You are allowed to write the Class B examination up to the age of 20. A holder of a Class B novice licence should write and pass the Class A examination before his/her 25th birthday after which the Class B novice license will be canceled.

Getting Started

Register on the SARL website
First, Download the latest curriculum /study guide from the SARL Website or the Downloads section of this website. Typically for adult students – The SARL Class A study guide is one you need!-The study guide was substantially upgraded in 2024 so make sure you have the latest version.
Sometimes a written explanation of a topic will clear up confusion and help you to understand it. You will need these notes to follow your Lectures anyway. There is also a download of this material available under Downloads/Files on this website. It is a lengthy document.!
Most adults will require the Class A Notes. download.
With regard to basic electronics and component functionality. There is a host of material available in a short lecture format on YouTube. Also, download or read through the Class B study guide for an excellent compact and simplified overview of the basics of Ham Radio.- highly recommended for the novice or those less technical irrespective of which exam you are attempting.
Once you have completed the first 6 chapters of your SARL notes or the first 3 or 4 lectures, start to take the online practice tests in HAM STUDY/TEST INDEX on this website or try the Flash Cards. I can’t stress this enough. Start with the Basic Test and once you are consistently passing, move on to the more advanced RAE-level Tests. Try to do at least one test or two a week and then increase the frequency as you get closer to the exam date. Don’t get discouraged by low scores when you first start. Keep at it and very quickly you’ll see your scores improve as you remember the correct answers. You can even run the tests on your mobile phone!
The questions and answers in the Exam will be similar or identical to those in the practice Tests although the answers may not be in the same order. Don't get into the habit of remembering the answer number or sequence but rather focus on the keywords of the correct answer.

About The RAE Exam

The official harmonised Class A -RAE Exam consists of 90 questions and you are required to get a 65% aggregate in order to pass.

There are actually two parts to the exam:

Regulation & Procedures -40 Questions
Radio Technical- 60 Questions

For most newcomers, the 2nd part of the Exam is the more difficult part and includes mathematical questions- but don't stress.

Each part is evaluated separately and you require 50% to achieve a pass in each separate section. It is generally a smart idea to attempt a maximum score on the Regulations & Procedures section in order to achieve the overall required aggregate of 65% with the minimum score on the TECHNICAL part (30 correct answers). So by deduction, you need to achieve 35 correct answers in the Regulations & Procedures section to make it easy on yourself. That leaves you with a minimum target of 30-31 points to be achieved in the TECHNICAL exam.

But keep in mind that our goal here is to Pass That Test... so, if a particular topic in the exam, is giving you trouble, don't spend too much time on it. Go on to areas that you'll do better in. Usually, there is plenty of time to come back to those where you are unsure.

In the Exam

Tips to pass your SA RAE Exam.

The test question pools are arranged in “groups” of questions on related topics. In all cases, there will only be one or two questions from each group/chapter on your exam. So if there is a topic that you just can’t grasp, concentrate on areas where you are stronger.

Of course, when you come to that tough question in your exam that stumps you completely, take a guess! There are no penalties for wrong answers, so give it a shot!

For the Exam, in particular, where there are formulas and maths involved, concentrate on a few of the formulas that you understand well. The Formulas themselves are supplied to you on as part of the exam- so you don't have to know them in detail.
As noted above, there will only be a few questions from each group, so if a particular equation gives you trouble, skip it and move on.
In the exam itself and where you are not sure about the answer, delete all of the wrong answers, and you are left with just the question and correct
Answer every question on your Exam. Start by answering the questions you know for certain. Go through the questions again, and answer the ones you're reasonably sure of. If there are still a few that you just don't know, take an educated guess. In many cases, you can eliminate one or two of the choices as obviously wrong. That will greatly increase your odds of a correct guess. Again, there is no penalty for a wrong answer. Finally, go through the test once more and make certain that every question is answered, and that you filled in the answer that you intended to.
Don't overthink your answers. If you're not sure, go with your first guess -- it's most likely to be correct.
Make sure your question numbers and answer numbers are in sync! NB
Get a good night’s sleep before your Exam. Don’t stay up all night cramming. Tiredness leads to careless mistakes. In the very unlikely event that you don’t pass, even after using these tips, there will be another test session. But if you’ve prepared, YOU WILL PASS!!

Disclaimer:
I do not claim any official endorsement from the SARL or any Amateur Radio Club or Authority. This is and remains a private initiative but finally in 2023 the site and its Value to the Ham Radio community was acknowledged.

Some may complain that my approach teaches very little and its only purpose lies in memorizing answers in order to pass the test. My answer is “You are largely correct”. I view the important step of passing your RAE Exam as just the FIRST step in a lifelong learning process. Actual learning will accelerate through practical experience AFTER you have begun to participate in your new hobby.

For more than 5 years, the Test Index and the Practice Exams were available free of charge. Unfortunately, costs, largely as a result of the depreciation of the Rand have escalated and access to the site will require Registration and the payment of a Once off fee of R100 ( R130 wef 1 Nov 2023). You may do this by EFT or through Pay Fast if you prefer..

Payment Details

Email Pop to radio@reynoldsbcs.co.za

After sending POP to info@weprepare.co.za, you will be granted access to the Practice exams and Ham Study/ Test Index and other menu items. You will have this access usually within 24 Hours.

For The Future

Over time, I intend to add more learning material and presentations. This will take the form of improved answer explanations. This is already underway and will increase the value of the site as an adjunct to your lectures. The questions database is based largely on the study material available before 2024 although some questions relating to the newer material are already included and will be added to during 2024.

.A number of questions already have detailed explanations in the Answer section. This has improved the learning experience.