so i got my tech license about a year ago and have mostly just been on 2m and the local repeater. been wanting to get on HF but honestly im not sure where to start with studying. i bought the ARRL general manual (the big one) and got through like 3 chapters and then life happened lol

is it really necessary to read the whole thing or can i just do the practice tests on one of those websites till i start passing? i keep hearing people say you can just memorize the question pool but that feels kinda like cheating myself. also not sure if i need to know all the band plan stuff by heart or if thats mostly for extra. sorry if this is a dumb question

Not a dumb question. Lots of people do exactly what you describe. The question pool is public so there's nothing sneaky about using it, but I'd say do both. Read a chapter, then do practice questions on that topic, and when you miss one go back and figure out why it's the right answer instead of just memorizing the letter. The stuff that actually sticks is the stuff you'll use on the air, like what frequencies you can use on which bands, power limits, and how propagation changes through the day.

You do need to know the General sub-band edges to a degree, but the test mostly asks things like which of these frequencies is legal for a General on 20m phone, so it helps to make yourself a little chart and look at it every day for a week. Once you're getting 85 or 90 percent on the practice exams consistently you're probably fine to go sit for it.

i did the hamstudy app for like 2 weeks, 20 mins a day on the bus basically, and passed first try. didnt touch the book till after honestly. then i read it after i got on HF and it made way more sense lol