Anchorage ARC VEC Policy Statement
Every VEC group has somewhat different policies, depending on its needs and philosophies. The following is a short summary of our program:
We employ a team concept. Any group of 3 or more AARC accredited VEs who give an exam are considered a team. One of these team members will be designated the “lead” or “contact” VE, who will be responsible for obtaining and returning exam materials (kits or electronic documents) to and from VEC headquarters, and who is also responsible for ensuring all of the testing materials remain confidential before, during, and after the exam session. The contact VE assumes the primary responsibility for the correct handling of the exam, including making sure all the documentation is prepared properly and making sure none of the examinees is allowed to give/receive unfair advantage to/from another individual.
To be a VE under our program, simply complete the online VE application form to get started. Here is a link to our “Becoming a Volunteer Examiner” page.
VEs may be reimbursed for their expenses involved in administering exams. The AARC initiated an examination fee effective January 1, 2018 (the fee amount is adjusted periodically). All examination fees are to be paid by the examinee on this website; VEs are not permitted to accept cash or checks at testing sessions. However, applicants are free to pay the fees real-time at the test session if an appropriate device is available to allow them access to our website. Applicants must present a receipt showing proof of payment for the session and VEs are required to record the unique receipt number on the session documentation. VEs are requested to submit an expense report to the AARC Treasurer to recover their costs for shipping test kits back to Anchorage Headquarters.
Applicants who fail an exam are permitted to retake the exam immediately, if a different exam than the one they just failed is available, and in the opinion of the VE team, retesting would be appropriate. The decision of the VE team is final. Immediate retesting is usually considered if the examinee has failed by only a a few questions, or if the examinee has traveled a long distance at some expense to take the exam or both.
Morse Code testing: Morse Code tests are no longer required for any class of amateur radio license. However, being able to communicate using Morse Code is a valuable skill and remains very popular with amateur radio operators worldwide. Click here for more information about learning the Morse code.