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FCC GROL Exam: Elements 1, 3 and 8 Explained

What the FCC General Radiotelephone Operator License (GROL) exam covers: Element 1, Element 3 and the Element 8 radar endorsement, with pass marks and a study plan.

What does the GROL require?

Passing Element 1 (Basic Radio Law and Operating Practice) and Element 3 (General Radiotelephone).

What is Element 8?

The Ship RADAR Endorsement, an optional extra exam on radar techniques.

How many questions and what pass mark?

Element 1: 24 questions, 18 to pass. Element 3: 100 questions, 75 to pass. Element 8: 50 questions, 38 to pass.

How big are the question pools?

Element 1 has 144 questions, Element 3 has 600 and Element 8 has 300.

Study plan

Allow about two weeks: Element 1 first (short), then Element 3 a few subelements a day, then Element 8 if you want the radar endorsement.

Practice

The free Android app FCC GROL Exam Prep has every question in the pool with practice exams and a readiness score. For a printable version, the GROL Study Guide (PDF) lists every question with only the correct answer.