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FCC · Last updated November 2026

FCC Element 3, General Radiotelephone Operator License (GROL): free practice test

Element 3 is the technical half of the GROL: electronic fundamentals and the techniques used to adjust, repair and maintain radio transmitters and receivers. The 100 questions follow the pool's 17 subelements, from electrical math, components and digital logic through receivers, transmitters, antennas and test equipment to aircraft navigation aids, marine radio, radar, satellite systems and RF safety. With Element 1 it gives a lifetime license.

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About the FCC Element 3 (GROL) exam

Element 3 is the technical half of the GROL: electronic fundamentals and the techniques used to adjust, repair and maintain radio transmitters and receivers. The 100 questions follow the pool's 17 subelements, from electrical math, components and digital logic through receivers, transmitters, antennas and test equipment to aircraft navigation aids, marine radio, radar, satellite systems and RF safety. With Element 1 it gives a lifetime license.

What's on the exam

FCC Element 3 (GROL)
Electrical Principles and Math
8 key facts
Components and Circuits
7 key facts
Digital Logic and Communications Technology
7 key facts
Receivers, Transmitters and Modulation
8 key facts
Power Sources, Antennas and Feed Lines
7 key facts
Aircraft Radio Navigation
7 key facts
Installation, Test Equipment and Safety
7 key facts
Marine, Radar and Satellite Systems
8 key facts

Each branch is a topic in the official outline. Members see every key fact on the full mind map. Read the free study guide →

How to pass the FCC Element 3 (GROL) exam

  • Every key topic gives exactly one question, so a 3-question subelement like modulation counts as much per topic as electrical math. You can miss 25.
  • About a fifth of the exam is calculation: Ohm's law, power, RC time constants, resonance and impedance. Practice them until each takes under a minute.
  • Don't skip the aircraft subelement (6 questions) because you work on boats. VOR, ILS, DME and transponder frequencies are quick marks once learned.
  • The pool is public and dates from 2009, including older technology such as Inmarsat-B. Learn the reasoning behind each keyed answer, because COLEMs can reorder the options.

Save your results and get your Readiness Score

Create a free account after the test: your score by topic, a mistakes bank, the complete study notes for the first topic, flashcards and the ABYC Numbers & Formulas Sheet.

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What's in the premium FCC Element 3 (GROL) prep

Premium FCC Element 3 (GROL) prep is studied one topic at a time. Each step starts with that topic's key notes and flashcard deck, then its own question sets of 25, so you master one topic before you move to the next. When every topic is strong, the 6 full mock exams show you're ready.

3,000practice questions, every answer explained
6full-length mock exams, 100 questions each, timed
800flashcards with spaced repetition, sorted by topic
60comprehensive key notes across 8 topics

Your step-by-step study path

  1. 1
    Electrical Principles and Math8 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
    Notes free with an account
  2. 2
    Components and Circuits8 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
    Premium
  3. 3
    Digital Logic and Communications Technology8 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
    Premium
  4. 4
    Receivers, Transmitters and Modulation8 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
    Premium
  5. 5
    Power Sources, Antennas and Feed Lines7 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
    Premium
  6. 6
    Aircraft Radio Navigation7 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
    Premium
  7. 7
    Installation, Test Equipment and Safety7 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
    Premium
  8. 8
    Marine, Radar and Satellite Systems7 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
    Premium
  9. Final step: 6 full mock exams100 questions each, timed like test day. Pass them, then book your exam.
    Premium
Free with an account

Read the complete FCC Element 3 (GROL) study notes for “Electrical Principles and Math”

Our first full set of comprehensive notes, about 16 minutes of reading: Ohm's law and power · AC values, frequency and wavelength · Time constants · Reactance, impedance and resonance · Decibels, a worked exam example, the traps examiners use and a one-minute recap. Create a free account to read it and see how premium notes work before you decide.

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Study tools included

3,000 practice questions

3,000 exam-style questions per exam, organized topic by topic in sets of 25. Every answer explained, with the rule it comes from.

6 full mock exams

6 full-length timed mock exams per exam, with real question counts and time limits, so test day feels like practice day.

Exam Readiness Score

One 0 to 100 number that tells you when you're ready to book. Reach 80 and you're covered by our Pass Guarantee.

800 flashcards + spaced repetition

800 flashcards per exam, in a deck for each topic, that come back right before you'd forget them. Five minutes a day keeps every number fresh.

60 comprehensive key notes

60 key notes per exam, split across its topics and each explained in full: the concepts, worked exam examples, the traps examiners use and a quick recap. Your first set is free with an account.

Mind maps

See the whole exam on one screen: every topic and the facts under it.

Sample questions with answers

These are the questions in the free test above, with answers. Try the test first. You'll learn more by getting some wrong.

1. A 12 V DC source charges an uncharged 10 µF capacitor through a 100 kΩ resistor. What is the capacitor voltage 1 second after the switch closes?
Answer: About 7.6 V. The time constant is R × C = 100,000 × 0.00001 = 1 s, and after one time constant a charging capacitor reaches about 63.2% of the supply: 0.632 × 12 = 7.6 V. 4.4 V is the 36.8% left to charge, and 11.4 V (95%) needs three time constants.
2. A series tuned circuit has a 10 µH inductor and a 100 pF capacitor. What is its resonant frequency?
Answer: About 5.03 MHz. f = 1 ÷ (2π√(LC)) = 1 ÷ (2π√(10 × 10⁻⁶ × 100 × 10⁻¹²)) = 1 ÷ (2π × 3.16 × 10⁻⁸) ≈ 5.03 MHz. Answers off by a factor of √10 or 10 come from mishandling the powers of ten under the square root, so write the exponents out.
3. A sine wave of 100 V peak is applied across a 50 Ω resistor. How much average power does the resistor dissipate?
Answer: 100 W. Use RMS voltage for power: 100 × 0.707 = 70.7 V RMS, and P = V² ÷ R = 5,000 ÷ 50 = 100 W. Using the peak voltage directly gives 200 W, double the true figure. Peak power is not average power.
4. A 5.1 V Zener regulator is fed from 12 V through a 100 Ω series resistor and supplies a 510 Ω load. How much current flows through the Zener diode?
Answer: 59 mA. The resistor drops 12 − 5.1 = 6.9 V, so it carries 6.9 ÷ 100 = 69 mA. The load takes 5.1 ÷ 510 = 10 mA, leaving 69 − 10 = 59 mA through the Zener. 69 mA is the total, not the Zener's share.
5. An inverting op-amp amplifier has a 10 kΩ input resistor and a 100 kΩ feedback resistor. A +0.2 V DC input is applied. What is the output voltage?
Answer: Negative 2.0 V. Inverting gain is −Rf ÷ Rin = −100 k ÷ 10 k = −10, so the output is −10 × 0.2 = −2.0 V. Dropping the minus sign is the classic error; the non-inverting gain (1 + Rf ÷ Rin = 11) would give +2.2 V.
6. A two-input logic gate gives a LOW output only when both inputs are HIGH; every other input combination gives HIGH. Which gate is it?
Answer: NAND. That is the inverse of AND, which is HIGH only when both inputs are HIGH, so it is NAND. A NOR output is HIGH only when both inputs are LOW, and exclusive-OR is HIGH when the inputs differ. Write the truth table to check.
7. A VHF receiver with a 10.7 MHz IF is tuned to 156.8 MHz, with its local oscillator above the signal. On what frequency is its image?
Answer: 178.2 MHz. The local oscillator is at 156.8 + 10.7 = 167.5 MHz. The image is the other frequency that mixes to the IF, an IF above the oscillator: 167.5 + 10.7 = 178.2 MHz, or signal + 2 × IF. The image must be rejected before the mixer, by RF stage selectivity.
8. An FM transmitter has a peak deviation of 5 kHz and a highest audio frequency of 3 kHz. Using Carson's rule, what bandwidth does it occupy?
Answer: 16 kHz. Carson's rule: bandwidth ≈ 2 × (peak deviation + highest modulating frequency) = 2 × (5 + 3) = 16 kHz. Doubling only the deviation (10 kHz) or only the audio (6 kHz) leaves out half of the sidebands that carry the signal.
9. Why is a Class C amplifier unsuitable as the final stage of a single-sideband transmitter?
Answer: It is nonlinear and would distort the amplitude-varying SSB signal. A Class C amplifier conducts for less than half the cycle, so its output does not follow the input amplitude. That is fine for constant-amplitude FM or CW but distorts SSB, which needs a linear (Class A, AB or B) amplifier. Class C is in fact the most efficient class.
10. A 100 W transmitter feeds an antenna with 10 dB gain through a feed line with 3 dB loss. What is the effective radiated power, relative to the same reference as the antenna gain?
Answer: 501 W. Net gain is 10 − 3 = 7 dB, a power ratio of about 5.01, so ERP = 100 × 5.01 ≈ 501 W. Ignoring the feed line loss gives 1,000 W; treating the 3 dB as the only figure gives 50 W. Add and subtract in decibels, then convert once.
11. An aircraft flies directly over a DME ground station at 6,000 ft. What distance does its DME indicate?
Answer: About 1 nautical mile. DME measures slant range, the straight-line distance from aircraft to station, not ground distance. Overhead at 6,000 ft the slant range is about 6,000 ft, close to 1 nmi (6,076 ft). DME works in the UHF band of 962 to 1213 MHz.
12. A technician must measure the output power of a 25 W VHF marine transmitter on the bench without radiating a signal. Which setup is correct?
Answer: Transmitter to an in-line RF wattmeter, then into a 50 Ω dummy load. The wattmeter goes in line between the transmitter and a dummy load rated for the power, so it reads the forward power while nothing is radiated. A field-strength meter needs an antenna and shows only relative levels; a DC meter can't measure RF power, and nothing reaches a meter placed after the load.
13. A technician will climb a mast to service a ship's VHF antenna mounted near the radar scanner. Which step best controls RF exposure?
Answer: Switch off and lock out the radar and radio transmitters before climbing. Removing the source is the most effective control: turn off and lock or tag out every transmitter that can expose the worker. Gloves and boots don't block RF energy. Six minutes is the averaging period for controlled MPE limits, not a safe working time.
14. A radar pulse's echo returns 123.6 microseconds after it was transmitted. How far away is the target?
Answer: 10 nautical miles. A radar mile, the round trip for 1 nmi, takes about 12.36 µs, so 123.6 ÷ 12.36 = 10 nmi. Forgetting that the pulse travels out and back gives 20 nmi. The same rule sets pulse repetition rate: longer ranges need more time between pulses.
15. A research vessel at 78° N loses its Inmarsat geostationary connection. Which satellite system can still provide voice and data there?
Answer: Iridium, using low-earth-orbit satellites in polar orbits. Geostationary satellites sit over the equator, so coverage fades above about 70° latitude. Iridium's low-earth-orbit constellation in near-polar orbits covers the whole globe, including the poles. GPS is navigation only, and NAVTEX is an MF broadcast, not a satellite service.

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FCC Element 3 (GROL) exam FAQ

How many questions are on the FCC Element 3 (GROL) exam?

100 multiple-choice questions, one from each of the 100 key topics in the published 600-question Element 3 pool (approved 25 June 2009). The GROL also requires Element 1 (24 questions), with a time limit of no time limit is set by the fcc; each colem sets its own session length. Format: closed book: the fcc does not allow reference materials. the fcc doesn't publish a calculator rule, so ask your colem. written exam only. this practice set covers element 3; element 1 has its own practice set on this site.

What is the passing score for FCC Element 3 (GROL)?

At least 75 of 100 correct (75%). Element 1 needs 18 of 24.

How much does the FCC Element 3 (GROL) exam cost?

Exam fee set by each COLEM: from about US$25 to US$100 per element or session on the FCC's COLEM list (updated 10 Dec 2025), and several COLEMs charge one fee for up to two elements in one sitting; NMEA charges US$50 per element. The FCC application fee for a new license is US$35 (fee schedule effective 23 May 2025). ABYC charges members less than nonmembers, so confirm current fees with ABYC before you book.

Which languages is the FCC Element 3 (GROL) exam offered in?

English (applicants must be able to send and receive spoken messages in English).

Where do I take the FCC Element 3 (GROL) exam?

FCC-authorized Commercial Operator License Examination Managers (COLEMs), in person or online depending on the COLEM; the FCC does not give the exam itself.

Is this FCC Element 3 (GROL) practice test free?

Yes. The 15-question practice test on this page is free, with an explanation for every answer and no signup. A free account also unlocks the complete study notes for the first topic. The full FCC Element 3 (GROL) prep is Premium at $147 a month for this exam.

What's in the premium FCC Element 3 (GROL) prep?

3,000 practice questions organized topic by topic (Electrical Principles and Math: 375; Components and Circuits: 375; Digital Logic and Communications Technology: 375; Receivers, Transmitters and Modulation: 375; Power Sources, Antennas and Feed Lines: 375; Aircraft Radio Navigation: 375; Installation, Test Equipment and Safety: 375; Marine, Radar and Satellite Systems: 375), 6 full-length timed mock exams of 100 questions, 800 flashcards and 60 comprehensive key notes split across all 8 topics, plus a mistakes bank and the Readiness Score.

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Exam details are summarized from the official candidate information available in November 2026. ABYC changes formats and fees, so confirm with Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Wireless Telecommunications Bureau before you book. ABYCExamPrep is not affiliated with the American Boat & Yacht Council.

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