HamTestOnline™ How To...
How do I get started?
If you already have an account:
Click Login, and sign in using the email address and password you specified when you created your account.
If you don't have an account yet:
Click Create account, fill in the fields, and click Create account at the bottom of the page.
Or you can use the website without creating an account. Be sure to create an account before leaving the site, so we can store your study history, and on your next visit you can resume your studies where you left off.
Click Try it, and select which exam you're studying for. If you don't yet have a ham license, you need to start with the Technician exam.
How do I get to the study materials?
Press the Study button.
How do I get past the study texts?
After reading a study text, click the OK button to continue.
How do I answer the drill questions?
If you think you know the answer to the question, click anywhere within that answer text region. (It is not necessary to click inside the tiny circle.) A single click records your correct answer and brings up the next question.
If you do not know the answer, you have options. You can:
- Make your best guess. (You can keep guessing until you get the right one.)
- Click a hint button (with red letters on a white background) and re-read the study text. This should help you pick the right answer.
- Click Show answer, and it will tell you the right answer. Try to learn the correct answer, then click on the correct answer to continue.
- Click 50/50 to eliminate half of the wrong answers (as on Who Wants to be a Millionaire?). Click on the correct answer to continue.
- Click one of the skip buttons if you don't want to answer these questions right now.
Be sure to read all of the program's responses. They contain useful additional information!
How do I switch over to study for a different exam?
- Click Choose topics.
- Select the checkbox for the topics in the exams you want to study for. (Setting or clearing a group topic affects all topics under that group.)
- Uncheck any topics you don't want to study right now.
- Click Study to get back to the questions.
How do I make the question text larger (or smaller)?
Your browser gives you control over the size of our question, answer, and explanation texts.
In Internet Explorer you set the text size by selecting View on the Menu Bar, choosing Text Size, and then selecting the desired value. A shorthand way of changing this selection is to scroll using the mouse wheel while holding down the Ctrl key. This is more frequently used by accident to mess up the settings than on purpose to set them.
Other browsers have other methods to change the text size.
How do I make it repeat the questions more (or less) often?
The Repetition delay factor on the Options screen gives you control over how soon the program repeats questions. Increase the factor to increase the time between question repetitions, or decrease it to see the questions sooner. If you want noticeable results, make large changes to this factor. For example, if a factor of 1 gives too much repetition, try setting it to 5 or 10.
No matter what factor you choose, the program always uses "intelligent repetition", showing you questions with low scores sooner than questions with high scores.
How do I get the program to only ask me questions in a specific score range?
You cannot directly control which questions the program asks. However, if you want to see a higher percentage of new questions, increase the Repetition delay factor on the Options screen. If you want more review questions, decrease the factor.
Also, you can enable or disable specific subtopics on the Choose topics screen to concentrate on a specific study area.
How do I save my session?
First, you must create an account. (It's free!)
- Click Create account.
- Enter all required fields and any desired optional fields.
- Click Create account at the bottom of the page.
- Correct any errors until you see the "Account for ... successfully created" message at the top of the screen.
- Click Study to return to the questions.
Your scores are permanently saved as each question response is processed. Once you have created the account, it is not necessary to save your session ever again. Just be sure to sign in to the same account each time you return to the site.
How do I subscribe?
Once you have created an account, press the Purchase button and follow the instructions.
How do I end a session?
If you have not yet created an account, create one now so that you can resume studying where you left off. Then, press Logout, or just close your browser window or leave the website. Your session is automatically saved.
How do I change my email address, password, or other account information?
You can change your email address, password, and other information in your account on the My account screen.
How do I update the statistics on the Choose Topics and other screens?
The system automatically updates all statistics on the fly. However, when the system is really busy, we sometimes delay statistics recalculation by as much as 5 minutes. (We figure that excellent response time is more important than up-to-the-second statistics.)
If you want your statistics to change, spend more time studying on the website!
How do I create a desktop icon that automatically logs me in?
All of our "thank you" and "reminder" messages include automatic login hyperlinks. Click on one of those automatic reminder hyperlinks to automatically log you in to the website, then use the facilities of your browser to provide easy access to that automatically login page.
For example, on Internet Explorer, Edge, Firefox, and Chrome, drag the website icon from the address bar of your browser to your desktop to create an automatic login icon.
On an iPad or iPhone, click the "share" button, which looks like a square with an up arrow, and click "Add to Home screen".
