Posted: 6/20/2011 4:57:13 AM EDT
|
I have been in the process of preparing for my Extra test and wanted to comment about a couple of tools that have been very helpful for me. I have been using the Flash and Pass index card study method with great success. I would take about 30 or so cards at a time and study them. I would place the ones that I correctly answered in one pile and the incorrectly answered ones in another. This helped me focus my study to only the questions I had trouble with. This reduced my boredom and helped me to quickly learn the questions. The nice thing about the flash cards was that I could study at work without a computer. I know this is an old school method, but when things were slow at work I could sneak some time for study. Once I completed the flash cards, I moved on to an online test site for practice. For my online practice test, I have been using HamExam.org. I tried all of the online study sites, but I liked the way this one was set up the best. This site learns which questions you understand and which ones you don't. It does this by tracking your answers to every question. It then applies a weight to each question, using the following priorities:
Using this system, you are guaranteed that you will eventually see all of the questions from a given test. You are more likely to see questions that you need help with again and again until you get them right. Its taken me about a month or so for my 50 year old brain to absorb the Extra question pool, but YMMV. I've been ham for almost 20 years, so I thought it was about time to finish my climb to the top.  I'm taking my test Tuesday night, and if all goes well I should walk out with Extra. |
|
This may also help.
Good luck! http://kb6nu.com/extra-class-easypass-how-everybody-can-be-an-extra/ |
|
I signed up for hamtestonline.com, but found it wasn't very helpful. It seemed like their materials covered a couple of questions in the pool, but went no further than that. They also included a lot of links to things like wikipedia and the like which seemed kind of cheesy to me. The last thing I want after paying good money for a study guide is a link to Wiki.
|
|
Quoted: I signed up for hamtestonline.com, but found it wasn't very helpful. It seemed like their materials covered a couple of questions in the pool, but went no further than that. They also included a lot of links to things like wikipedia and the like which seemed kind of cheesy to me. The last thing I want after paying good money for a study guide is a link to Wiki. if you don't like it get your money back, they have a guarantee that you will pass, just tell them you failed. ETA: I liked ham test online, it kept track of what I knew and only let me learn new things once I mastered what had already been presented. you cant progress too fast with it. ya it costs money, but its worth it if you want to actually learn things not just pass a test.
|
|
Quoted:
I signed up for hamtestonline.com, but found it wasn't very helpful. It seemed like their materials covered a couple of questions in the pool, but went no further than that. They also included a lot of links to things like wikipedia and the like which seemed kind of cheesy to me. The last thing I want after paying good money for a study guide is a link to Wiki. Didja ya pay or just sign in for the freebie end of the site (free part is ltd)? I used for my General (passed missing 1 last week) and came away with a great deal more than I anticipated. The wiki links I found helpful, plus it broke the monotony of looking at the same page/format for hours. If I decide to try for Extra, I'll prolly use again (cost is same as ARRL study guide). YMMV |