so i decided i want to get into ham radio and everyone keeps telling me to just get my technician license first. ok fine. but i looked up the question pool and theres like 400+ questions and i dont even know what half of them are talking about. like whats the best way to actually study for this thing without spending months on it

i downloaded a couple apps and theyre ok i guess but some of the questions i get wrong even after reviewing the answer i still dont really understand WHY that answer is right. like the electrical stuff especially. im not an electronics person at all, just someone who wants to get on the radio. is there a guide or something that actually explains the concepts or do most people just memorize the pool

honestly most people just memorize the pool and thats totally fine, dont let anyone make you feel bad about it. the test is 35 questions pulled from the pool so if you can consistently get 80%+ on practice exams youre going to pass. HamStudy.org is probably the best free tool out there, it tracks which questions you keep missing and drills you on those specifically.

that said if you actually want to understand the electrical stuff, the ARRL Technician manual isnt bad but its a bit dry. gordon west also has a study guide thats written more conversationally, some people find it easier to follow. i used ham study plus the gordon west book when i did mine a few years back and passed first try with room to spare. the math questions look scarier than they are, theres really only a handful of actual formulas you need and theyre always the same ones.

yeah i was in the same boat like three months ago lol. i just used hamstudy every day for maybe 20-30 minutes and took the test after about 3 weeks. passed with a 30 out of 35 i think. some of the questions about like regulations and band plans i just flat out memorized because trying to understand the logic behind why certain frequencies are allocated how they are is kind of a rabbit hole you dont need to go down before the test

the electrical stuff i actually found a youtube channel that explained ohms law and the basic concepts in plain english, cant remember the name but just searching something like ham radio tech exam ohms law explained should get you there. once i saw it visually it clicked way faster than reading about it