E1E: Volunteer Examiner Program

E1E covers the regulatory structure of the Volunteer Examiner (VE) system: how VECs and VEs relate to each other and to the FCC, the accreditation process, what expenses may be reimbursed, who maintains the exam question pools, how VEs must conduct examination sessions, what happens when a candidate passes or fails, restrictions on who a VE may examine, and the consequences of exam fraud.

These rules are tested with specific detail on the Extra class exam. Understanding the chain of authority from FCC → VEC → VE is essential for answering these questions correctly.

VEC Structure and Question Pool Maintenance

A Volunteer Examiner Coordinator (VEC) is an organization that has entered into an agreement with the FCC to coordinate, prepare, and administer amateur operator license examinations. VECs are not individuals — they are organizations. Common examples include the ARRL VEC, W5YI-VEC, and several others.

The VECs are tasked by Part 97 with maintaining the pools of questions for all US amateur license examinations. This is not the FCC's responsibility, the ARRL's responsibility as a single organization, or the VEs' responsibility as individuals — it belongs to the VECs collectively. The FCC oversees the process but does not write or maintain the question pools.

VE Accreditation

To become accredited as a Volunteer Examiner, an applicant must be confirmed by a VEC. Specifically, a VEC must confirm that the VE applicant meets FCC requirements to serve as an examiner. Amateur operators are not automatically accredited when they receive their license upgrade — even an Extra class licensee must apply and be accredited by a VEC before serving as a VE. The FCC does not conduct a separate VE examination or grant direct accreditation to individual VEs.

VE Reimbursement

VEs and VECs may be reimbursed only for out-of-pocket expenses directly related to preparing, processing, administering, and coordinating an examination for an amateur radio operator license. Teaching a license preparation course is not a reimbursable activity under the Part 97 rules. Providing study materials is also not covered. The reimbursement authority is specifically limited to the examination process itself — not to the broader educational activities that may precede it.

Exam Session Conduct and Responsibility

Responsibility for the proper conduct and necessary supervision during an amateur operator license examination session falls on each administering VE. This is a distributed responsibility — it is not the sole responsibility of a single session manager, and it is not the VEC's direct responsibility during the session. Every VE at the table bears individual responsibility for the integrity of the examination.

Non-Compliant Candidates

If a candidate fails to comply with a VE's instructions during an examination session, the VE should immediately terminate that candidate's examination. There is no warning step required — the correct action is immediate termination of the candidate's session. This does not extend to closing the entire session or invalidating other candidates' exams.

Who a VE May Not Examine

A VE may not administer an examination to relatives as listed in the FCC rules. The specific list of prohibited relatives is defined in the Part 97 rules. Friends and employees of the VE are not listed as prohibited examinees — the restriction applies to family relationships specifically, not to other personal connections.

When a Candidate Fails

If a candidate does not pass the examination, the VE team must return the application document to the examinee. The application is not sent to the FCC, not retained by the VEC, and not destroyed — it goes back to the candidate. A failed exam produces no license action, so there is nothing to submit to any regulatory authority.

When a Candidate Passes

When a candidate scores a passing grade on all elements needed for an upgrade or new license, the VE team must take two actions:

1. Three VEs must certify that the examinee is qualified for the license grant and that they have complied with all administering VE requirements.
2. The VE team must then submit the application document to the coordinating VEC according to that VEC's instructions.

The VE team does not send documents directly to the FCC — they go to the VEC first. The VEC then processes and forwards the application to the FCC. The VE team also does not issue the license; only the FCC grants license authority.

VE Fraud Penalties

A VE who fraudulently administers or certifies an examination faces a severe penalty: revocation of the VE's amateur station license grant and suspension of the VE's amateur operator license grant. Both the station license and the operator license are affected. This is not simply a fine or a warning — it directly terminates the VE's operating authority.

E1E Practice Questions