so ive been interested in ham radio for a while now, mostly cause my neighbor does it and it seems really cool, and i finally decided to just go for it and get my technician license. problem is i have no idea where to start with studying. i looked at the ARRL handbook at the library and that thing is like a thousand pages, is that what im supposed to be reading or is there something more focused on just passing the exam?

also i heard the question pool is public, is that actually true? like the real questions are just out there? feels like cheating almost but i dont know if thats how it works or im misunderstanding something. any advice appreciated, i learn better from reading than videos but whatever works i guess

yeah the question pool is completely public, its not cheating at all, thats just how the FCC amateur licensing system works. the pool has something like 400 questions and the actual exam pulls 35 from it, so if you know all the questions in the pool youre basically guaranteed to pass. HamStudy.org is what most people use now, its free and does flashcard style learning with spaced repetition so it focuses on the ones you keep getting wrong. theres also the ARRL Tech study guide which is way more manageable than the full handbook, its specifically written for people trying to pass the tech exam and explains the why behind the answers which honestly helps it stick better than just memorizing.

dont stress too much about the electrical theory stuff at first, a lot of people get hung up on ohms law and the antenna questions but once you do a few practice exams it starts clicking. most people study for a couple weeks casually and do fine.

passed mine like 8 months ago, used hamstudy almost exclusively and got a 32 out of 35. the only thing id add is do timed practice exams toward the end of your studying, like simulate the actual test conditions because some of the wording on certain questions is a little tricky and you dont want to second guess yourself when its real. good luck with it