1.4   The Examination

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Basic Qualification Examination

An examination of 100 questions is prepared by drawing one question from a series of questions applicable to 100 topic areas. The pass mark is 70%. A score of 80% or above will grant the individual additional privileges commensurate with the Basic Qualification with Honours.

Morse Code Qualification Examination

The examination for this qualification consists of sending and receiving Morse Code at a speed of not less than 5 words per minute (w.p.m.) for three consecutive minutes.

The Morse Code examination is in plain language and may include the 26 letters, the 10 numbers, comma, period, question mark, dash, fraction bar, Q-signals and emergency signals. In both the sending and receiving examinations, each character omitted or incorrectly sent or received is counted as one error. A mark of 100% is awarded for five errors or less, 99% for six errors, 98% for seven errors, 97% for eight errors, etc. The examiner will allow candidates two minutes to review and correct their copy before it is graded. The pass mark is 100%.

Advanced Qualification Examination

An examination of 50 questions is prepared by drawing one question from a series of questions applicable to 50 topic areas. The pass mark is 70%.

Examination procedures

Examinations are closed book. Reference material must not be made available during the examination. The use of calculators or any other similar device that is capable of storing information in memory is prohibited during the examination.

There is no time limit specified for examinations. Most examinations are completed within one hour and would normally not take more than two hours to complete. Examiners will use their discretion to ensure reasonable time is made available for candidates to complete the examination.

Re-examination

A candidate who fails a written test may retake the test as often as necessary, at the convenience of both the examiner and the candidate. The examiner is required to provide a different examination for each re-examination.