so ive been interested in ham radio for probably two years now and keep putting it off but my buddy just passed his technician and now im actually going to do it. problem is i dont really know where to start like i looked at the FCC stuff and got overwhelmed pretty quick. is there a specific book people use or do most folks just use the online practice tests? i heard there are 35 questions on the actual test but i dont know how many you need to get right or how the whole thing even works logistically. do i just show up somewhere or do i have to register ahead of time. sorry if these are dumb questions just trying to figure out the path of least resistance here

not dumb questions at all, everyone starts exactly where you are. the question pool is public so everything on the test comes straight from it, no surprises. HamStudy.org is honestly where i'd send anyone starting out, just make flashcards and grind through them, it tracks your weak spots too which helps. the gordon west book is popular but i personally just used the website and passed fine. you need 26 out of 35 correct which is pretty doable once you've gone through the pool a few times. for the actual exam you want to find a VE session near you, ARRL has a search tool on their site, most are run by clubs and some are walk-in but a lot want you to register beforehand so definitely check that. bring two forms of ID and your FCC FRN number which you get for free off the FCC website before you go, dont wait till the day of to do that part

yeah i passed mine like three months ago and honestly hamstudy was all i used. just did it on my phone whenever i had a few minutes. took me maybe two weeks of casual studying. the test itself felt easier than the practice ones for some reason, maybe nerves made the practice feel harder i dunno. one thing nobody told me was that after you pass you have to wait for your callsign to show up in the FCC database before you can actually transmit, took about a week for mine. so dont freak out if you pass and then cant find yourself in the system right away