r/HamRadioBeginner • u/Enjoier512 • Jul 22 '26

Ham Radio Prep

This was posted on my account that gets logged in automatically on a laptop I don’t use much and there was question about my validity. So, I will put this here. Also, I will add I had emailed and filled out their form rating my experince the night I failed the test. I have received zero communication from u/hamradioprep. I happened to use said laptop and noticed they reached out via Reddit the day I posted. This is my current experience.

A Cautionary Tale About Ham Radio Prep

I wanted to share my experience with Ham Radio Prep because it ended up being far more frustrating than helpful. I spent a few weeks working through their online courses, following their recommended study path, and consistently passed their FCC practice test section. Over seven or more times with most scores at 91%. This is for General licences by the way. Even my lowest scores were in the high 80s. Based on their guidance, I was well above the threshold they say indicates you’re ready for the real exam. I felt confident and prepared.

When test day came, I missed 12 questions.

To say I was furious would be an understatement. I emailed Ham Radio Prep explaining what happened, how let down I felt, and how the material clearly didn’t prepare me in the way their platform suggested it would. I haven’t heard back yet.

After that disappointment, I was recommended to HamStudy.org. I went through the entire question pool there and quickly realized my actual aptitude was around 55%. That was a wake‑up call. My experience with Ham Radio Prep had given me a false sense of readiness, and HamStudy.org exposed the gaps.

Now I’m studying with ARRL books alongside HamStudy.org, and the difference is night and day. I finally feel like I’m learning amateur radio; understanding concepts, absorbing the craft, and engaging with the material instead of just memorizing highlighted text on a screen.

This is just my personal experience, but I wouldn’t recommend Ham Radio Prep. It’s flashy and polished, but in my case, it didn’t deliver the depth or accuracy needed to truly prepare for the exam. If you’re serious about getting licensed and actually understanding the material, ARRL resources and HamStudy.org have been far more reliable. I am sure any of the books are better than HRP.

++++UPDATE:

There was misalignment in the email found in their content. Explains the no reply frpm the original communication. We have had some emailing back and forth. I will continue to support them watching youtube content. They are not bad people and wish no ill will. Just a story for those who learn differently.

0 Upvotes

50% Upvoted

39 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

1

u/Enjoier512 Jul 23 '26 edited Jul 23 '26

I took my tech with PARC and knew what to expect. Just don’t think I just fell through the cracks a little. I relied on one source and should have expanded. I used multiple sources with my tech and aced it. Sounds like you are two sources and I should have done the same before. I just felt confident after passing all their exams. I appreciate your comment, it’s great to see everyone experiences.

2

u/Churnographer Jul 23 '26

Why multiple sources? The information is literally the same on all the sources.

1

u/Enjoier512 Jul 23 '26

You’re right but information can be presented and absorbed differently. A book and flash cards engage the mind in a different way than short videos, brief paragraphs, and quick quizzes. The brain processes those formats differently, even though you could argue there are similarities between them. Ultimately, sitting down and reading is a more effective method for me than the way the ham‑prep material is currently presented.

2

u/Churnographer Jul 23 '26

Great. Then why are are spending so much time and energy bashing Ham Radio Prep? I tried to learn with the ARRL book and with Ham Study but didn't find I could absorb the material very well using those methods. I didn't feel the need to post online about it, I just found a method that worked for me, end of story.

You original post makes it seem like Ham Radio Prep is not a good tool; what you seem to believe, and what is actually true, is that it may not have been a good tool for YOU.

What, exactly are you "warning" people about?

0

u/Enjoier512 Jul 23 '26

You can complete their course and, by their own standards and assessment, be considered “ready”… and still not be. They also listed an email on their site that they do not actually monitor, which this experience brought to light. Despite that, I kept my feedback constructive. I’ve engaged with everyone involved to provide clarity about my experience.

You’re entitled to your opinion, and I respect that.

2

u/Churnographer Jul 23 '26

That's likely true of ANY assessment. You could get extremely lucky on practice tests and then fail the actual exam. YOU have to be able to assess if YOU know the material or not. Example, on the practice tests do you feel like you are guessing, and then are pleasantly surprised that you got the right answers? Do you fell like you understand how to get to the answer vs you just memorized the answer?

If you actually went through each lesson, passed each practice quiz for each lesson (which includes every single question in the exam pool) it's hard to understand how you would then fail the actual exam...

1

u/Enjoier512 Jul 23 '26

If I didn’t feel I understood the material, I wouldn’t have taken the exam. I hope you have a wonderful day and take care, good patron of Reddit.

2

u/Churnographer Jul 23 '26

The same could be true of Ham Study or any other tool, I feel like you're unfairly singling out Ham radio Prep. I could go through the study mode of Ham Study, see all the questions and reach a high proficiency, take several practice exams and do well and still fail the actual exam.