What is a requirement of all marine transmitting apparatus used aboard United States vessels?
Based on: FCC pool 1-1A1
FCC commercial radio licences · GROL · GMDSS · 2026
FCC GROL & GMDSS Radio License Exams 2026
Study for five FCC commercial radio operator licences in one app: the GROL, the GMDSS Radio Operator's and Restricted licences, the Ship Radar Endorsement and the GMDSS Maintainer's licence. Pick your licence and it draws the right elements. Every question is the real, word-for-word FCC pool question with the official answer, plus an explanation we write ourselves, so what you study is exactly what the exam tests.
4,400+ Study items
124 Mock exam
0% To pass
100% Offline
The exam
What the FCC commercial radio exams involve
The FCC commercial radio operator licences let you operate, adjust, maintain and internally repair the radiotelephone transmitters used in the maritime and aviation services, and many radar and two-way radio jobs ask for one. They are not the amateur (ham) radio licence. Each licence is earned by passing a set of written exam elements, and every question is drawn from the FCC's published commercial operator question pools. This app covers five of these licences in one place.
Which FCC radio licences does this app cover?
It covers the five licences built from Elements 1, 3, 7, 7R, 8 and 9. Pick your licence in the app and the mock draws exactly the elements that licence requires, each at its official pass mark.
- GROL (General Radiotelephone Operator License): Elements 1 + 3
- GMDSS Radio Operator's License (DO): Elements 1 + 7
- Restricted GMDSS Radio Operator's License (RG): Elements 1 + 7R
- Ship Radar Endorsement: Element 8 (added to a GROL or GMDSS licence)
- GMDSS Radio Maintainer's License (DM): Elements 1 + 3 + 9
How many questions are on the GROL exam and what do I have to pass?
You must pass two separate elements. Element 1 (Basic Radio Law and Operating Practice) has 24 questions and you need 18 correct. Element 3 (General Radiotelephone) has 100 questions and you need 75 correct. Both work out to 75 percent, and you must pass both to be issued the licence.
- Element 1: 24 questions, 18 correct to pass (75%)
- Element 3: 100 questions, 75 correct to pass (75%)
- Combined: 124 questions across both elements
What do the GMDSS elements require?
The GMDSS licences add their own elements on top of Element 1, and each is passed at about 75 percent, the same bar as the GROL elements.
- Element 7 (GMDSS Radio Operating): 100 questions, 75 correct to pass (for the GMDSS Radio Operator's License)
- Element 7R (Restricted GMDSS Operating): 50 questions, 38 correct to pass (for the Restricted licence)
- Element 8 (Ship Radar Techniques): 50 questions, 38 correct to pass (for the Ship Radar Endorsement)
- Element 9 (GMDSS Radio Maintenance): 50 questions, 38 correct to pass (for the GMDSS Maintainer's License)
Where do the exam questions come from?
Every question is drawn from the FCC's public commercial operator question pools for Elements 1, 3, 7, 7R, 8 and 9. These pools are works of the United States federal government and are in the public domain, so this app reproduces the real questions word for word with the official correct answer, and adds an explanation of its own. It ships all 2,244 pool questions, including the Element 8 items that are answered from a printed radar diagram, which are shown with their diagrams.
- Element 1 + 3 (GROL): 744 questions across 21 subelements
- Element 7 / 7R (GMDSS operating): 600 + 300 questions
- Element 8 / 9 (radar & maintenance): 300 + 300 questions
- This app: 2,244 pool questions, plus 2,244 flashcards
What topics does Element 3 cover?
Element 3 is the technical element behind the GROL and the GMDSS Maintainer's licence. Its 600 questions span the full range of radiotelephone electronics, from basic theory to complete systems.
- Electrical principles and math: Ohm's law, power, reactance, impedance and the core calculations
- Components and circuits: resistors, capacitors, inductors, semiconductors, power supplies, amplifiers and oscillators
- Digital logic and receivers: logic gates, superheterodyne receivers, selectivity and demodulation
- Transmitters, modulation and antennas: AM, FM and SSB, emission types, feed lines and standing wave ratio
- Marine, aircraft, radar and satellite: the service-specific equipment, plus power sources, installation, maintenance and RF safety
Features
A complete study system, on one device
01 / PRACTICE
Practice mode
Work through all 2,244 real pool questions by topic, with a clear explanation and the FCC pool reference on every answer so you learn why it is right, not just which letter to pick.
02 / MOCK
Pick your licence
Choose GROL, GMDSS Operator, Restricted GMDSS, Ship Radar or GMDSS Maintainer, and the timed mock draws exactly that licence's elements at the official topic weighting, each element gated at its own pass mark.
03 / FLASHCARDS
Flashcards
Drill the formulas, definitions and rules, from Ohm's law and emission designators to the GMDSS distress procedures, with a deck of 2,244 cards.
What's inside
What to look for in an exam-prep app
| Based on the official public source | Yes, FCC commercial radio operator license question pools for Elements 1, 3, 7, 7R, 8 and 9 |
|---|---|
| Timed mock exam | 124 questions, 180 min |
| Pass rule applied | 0% to pass |
| Answer explanations mapped to the source | Yes |
| Weak-area review | Yes |
| Flashcards (spaced repetition) | Yes |
| Works fully offline, no account | Yes |
| Ads | None |
| Payment | One-time purchase |
| Last content review | 2026-08-20 |
In the app
Calm, focused study, nothing else
Sample questions
Try 13 real practice questions
Tap an answer to see why it is right, mapped to the official source, exactly as in the app.
What traffic management service is operated by the U.S. Coast Guard in certain designated water areas to prevent ship collisions, groundings and environmental harm?
Based on: FCC pool 1-7B1
The product of the readings of an AC voltmeter and AC ammeter is called:
Based on: FCC pool 3-1A1
What happens to the conductivity of photoconductive material when light shines on it?
Based on: FCC pool 3-19C1
What is the limiting condition for sensitivity in a communications receiver?
Based on: FCC pool 3-41F1
Which of the following could cause a high standing wave ratio on a transmission line?
Based on: FCC pool 3-63J1
What is the channel spacing used for VHF marine radio?
Based on: FCC pool 3-85N1
What is the normal range of pulse repetition rates?
Based on: FCC pool 3-90O1
Compliance with MPE, or Maximum Permissible Exposure to RF levels (as defined in FCC Part 1, OET Bulletin 65) for “controlled” environments, are averaged over _______ minutes, while “uncontrolled” RF environments are averaged over ______ minutes.
Based on: FCC pool 3-99Q1
What is the voltage range considered to be valid logic low input in a TTL device operating at 5 volts?
Based on: FCC pool 3-33E1
Repetition of a DSC Distress alert is normally automatic if not acknowledged after a delay of:
Based on: FCC pool 7-29E4
Which of the following has NO effect on the maximum range capability of a radar?
Based on: FCC pool 8-1A2
What is the normal voltage of a single NICAD battery cell?
Based on: FCC pool 9-37E1
Free on the web
Free practice questions and tools
Prefer to start in your browser? Work free, topic-by-topic practice questions and use our free calculators, no download needed, then unlock the full bank in the app.
Source & accuracy
Where the questions come from, and when we last checked
Built from FCC commercial radio operator license question pools for Elements 1, 3, 7, 7R, 8 and 9 (FCC Element 1, 3, 7, 7R, 8 and 9 commercial operator question pools), the official public source, used under Public domain (works of the United States federal government; 17 U.S.C. 105). Pools established under 47 CFR Part 13 (§§ 13.209 / 13.215 / 13.217).. View the official source .
Last checked against the source: 2026-08-20.
- Study items
- 4,400+
- Questions
- 2,244
- Flashcards
- 2,244
- Mock exam
- 124
- Pass mark
- 0%
All questions are original and written from the public source. No official exam questions are copied.
Content audit trail
- 2026-08-20 Completed the Element 8 pool: the 20 figure-dependent questions now ship with their radar diagrams (Fig. 8A1 to 8F12, extracted from the official FCC pool PDF), taking Element 8 from 280 to the full 300 and the app to 2,244 questions and 2,244 flashcards. Every element now matches the official pool exactly, and a pool-completeness check verifies that on every build.
- 2026-07-16 Expanded to five licences: added the Element 7 (600), 7R (300), 8 (280) and 9 (300) pools, bringing the app to 2,224 questions and 2,224 flashcards. Cross-model QA (independent second model) applied to every new explanation; one item with a duplicated distractor was corrected. Element 8 figure-dependent questions are held back until the app renders their radar diagrams.
- 2026-06-28 Cross-model QA: all 744 Element 1 and 3 explanations confirmed consistent with the official FCC keyed answer across multiple verification rounds; figure-dependent questions checked against the pool drawings.
- 2026-06-28 Initial release reproducing the complete public-domain FCC Element 1 (144) and Element 3 (600) question pools with the official answer key.
FAQ
Common questions
Is this the official FCC exam app?
No. This is an independent study aid. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Federal Communications Commission. The questions are reproduced from the FCC's public-domain commercial operator question pools, with answers and explanations we provide ourselves.
Which FCC radio licences can I study for in this app?
Five: the GROL (General Radiotelephone Operator License, Elements 1 and 3), the GMDSS Radio Operator's License (Elements 1 and 7), the Restricted GMDSS Radio Operator's License (Elements 1 and 7R), the Ship Radar Endorsement (Element 8) and the GMDSS Radio Maintainer's License (Elements 1, 3 and 9). You pick a licence in the app and the mock draws exactly the elements it requires.
What is GMDSS?
GMDSS stands for the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System, the international system of radio equipment and procedures that ships use to send and receive distress, urgency and safety messages. The FCC issues operator and maintainer licences for GMDSS equipment, and Elements 7, 7R and 9 are their written exams.
Is the GROL the same as a ham (amateur) radio licence?
No. The GROL and the GMDSS licences are commercial radio operator licences for operating, maintaining and repairing transmitters in the maritime and aviation services. The amateur (ham) licence is a separate thing with its own exams and question pools, and this app does not cover it.
Are these the real exam questions?
Yes. The FCC publishes the actual question pools for the commercial operator exams, and because they are United States federal government works they are in the public domain. This app reproduces all 2,244 pool questions word for word with the official answer key, and adds its own plain-English explanation to each. That includes the Element 8 items that are answered from a printed radar diagram, which are shown with their diagrams.
How many practice questions and flashcards are included?
The app includes 2,244 questions from the FCC Element 1, 3, 7, 7R, 8 and 9 pools, plus 2,244 flashcards, for more than 4,400 study items.
Does the app work offline?
Yes. Everything is stored on your device, so you can study without an internet connection and there is no login or account to create.
How do I restore my purchase on a new device?
Use the restore purchase option in the app. The one-time purchase unlocks every licence and is tied to your app store account, so you can restore it on any device that uses the same account.
What do I need to score to pass?
Each element is passed on its own. Element 1 needs 18 of 24 correct; Elements 3 and 7 need 75 of 100; Elements 7R, 8 and 9 need 38 of 50, about 75 percent in every case. When you pick a licence, the practice mock gates each of its elements at that element's own pass mark, the way the real exams work.
Who writes these explanations, and how do you check the answers are right?
The questions and the correct answers come straight from the FCC's published pools. We write the explanations, and before they ship a second, independent AI model from a different family confirms that each explanation correctly supports the official keyed answer, with a human reviewing anything the two models disagree on. You can read the full process at rivermaplearning.com/how-we-build-questions, and the free sample questions above let you judge the quality before you buy.
If I pass the practice mock, will I pass the real exam?
No study tool can promise that. Our mocks mirror the official element format and pass marks, but combining a licence's elements into one sitting is our own rehearsal format rather than how the FCC schedules them. Use the app alongside the official FCC materials, not instead of them.
Guides
2 guides to the FCC GROL & GMDSS Radio Licence Exams
Free, in-depth answers written from the same official sources the app is built on.
- FCC GROL Exam Explained: Licenses, Format and Requirements
The FCC GROL is one of five commercial radio operator licenses built from public FCC question pools. Here is what each license covers and needs.
- FCC GROL Exam: How Many Questions and What Is the Pass Mark?
The FCC GROL exam is two separately scored elements totaling 124 questions. Here is the exact question count, pass mark, and question pool for each.
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