Direct to Full Licence

Enrolments for the Direct to Full examinations opened in January 2023, six months after the publication of the new syllabus.

The examination is specifically aimed at aspiring amateurs who are already competent in related technical subjects. However, it is open to all, and Foundation and Intermediate amateurs are free to enrol for the Direct to Full examination or continue along the three-tier route as they wish. No credit transfer between the two routes will be possible.

Although the Direct to Full syllabus draws heavily on the existing syllabus it is a separate examination with a different syllabus item numbering scheme. In particular, the Operating section has moved to Section 2 after licensing. This is to facilitate the split marking of the examination. Part 1, Licensing and operating comprises at total of 18 questions with a pass mark of 14 (77.7 percent). Part 2, the remaining more technical topics, comprises 57 questions with a pass mark of 36 (63.2 percent). Two and a half hours are allowed for both parts which must be passed in one sitting.

The only new item, compared to the three-tier syllabus version 1.5 which introduced EMF—electromagnetic field—compliance, is the addition of aperture antennas in section 5D1.

We would like to thank everyone who contributed to the creation of the Direct to Full syllabus including the Examinations and Syllabus Review Group and the Examination Standards Committee who participated in the consultation exercise, and the technical and training specialists who provided detailed feedback.