Volunteer Examiners | ExamTools | Documentation

How ExamTools Works

Fri, 17 Sep 2021 18:06:08 -0700

Overview of the ExamTools system

ExamTools is designed to make administering Amateur Radio exams a more modernized and streamlined process used for in person and fully remote exam sessions. Tests can be administered in a web browser on a computer or tablet, manually graded on paper, or graded by a laptop or smartphone camera using GradeCam™️ grading software.

User Types

Users of ExamTools are broken into 4 different groups

Candidate - Candidates are people taking exams. They will log in through a different portal to be presented exams to take, and not see the session management information
Team Lead - Team Leads or Owners as they are called in ET are VEs that are authorized by the VEC to manage exam sessions. In the ExamTools system, they are able to create and edit session information, add and remove Volunteer Examiners from the session manifest, edit candidate information as needed, and export all session documents for submission to the VEC.
Co-Owner - A Co-Owner can do everything that a Owner can with the exception of creating the session. Once the session is created the Co-Owner can edit it. A VE will need to have Co-Owner permissions in order to add/remove VEs in a session and mark applicants complete. Both are simple tasks, but require a higher level of permissions.
VE Admin - VE Admins are assistants to the Team Lead at a session. They can help assign other VEs to candidates and edit candidate information as needed.
Volunteer Examiners - VEs are standard users in the system. They are responsible for starting and stopping exams and signing candidate exams.

VE Overview and Training Videos

Fri, 18 Dec 2020 09:43:21 -0500

Overview of an ExamTools sessions

For an overview of what an ExamTools session looks like, watch these videos:

Training Videos

These videos are extensions of the overview videos above, designed to go more in depth prior to training on a live session.

Create an ExamTools Account

Fri, 11 Feb 2022 19:35:23 -0600

The ExamTools ecosystem has two distinct environments for Volunteer Examiners.

The primary website is found at http://exam.tools, and is considered the Production environment. This is where all active Volunteer Examiners need to have an account in order to perform live exams.
ExamTools also maintains a Sandbox environment that is used for troubleshooting program errors and general VE training. This is a separate database, with different user names and passwords from the Production environment.

Follow these steps to create an account for use with ExamTools Production Environment

Create an account on ExamTools. If you have a previously existing HamStudy account, you may skip this step and use the same login information for ExamTools
You will receive a confirmation email; click the link in the email or enter the number in the email to confirm your account
Enter your personal details. For clarity, we recommend using your call sign as the username.
It will then redirect you to ExamTools.
Login with your newly created account and note the instructions on how to verify your ExamTools account in the middle of the page.
Once logged in, head to your profile to verify your ExamTools account.
Carefully fill out the Verify Callsign form.
Wait for an email from Examtools stating your account has been verified.
Inform your Team Lead that you are set up on ExamTools and ready to participate in sessions.

If you plan to run practice exam sessions, setup your sandbox account once you have completed the production account process above.

Create an ExamTools Sandbox Account

Fri, 11 Feb 2022 19:35:23 -0600

The ExamTools ecosystem has two distinct environments for Volunteer Examiners.

The primary website is found at http://exam.tools, and is considered the Production environment. This is where all active Volunteer Examiners need to have an account in order to perform live exams. Make sure to sign up for your production account, if you plan on participating in live sessions.
ExamTools also maintains a Sandbox environment that is used for troubleshooting program errors and general VE training. This is a separate database, with different user names and passwords from the Production environment. It is not required to create a Sandbox account to perform live testing; however, your Team Lead may require training sessions in the Sandbox. You might also be interested in using it to follow along with documentation and walk-through videos.

Follow these steps to create an account for use with ExamTools Sandbox / Training Environment

Create an account on ExamTools Sandbox.
You will receive a confirmation email; click the link in the email or enter the number in the email to confirm your account
Enter your personal details. For clarity, we recommend using your call sign as the username.
It will then redirect you to ExamTools.
Once logged in, head to your profile to verify your ExamTools account.
Carefully fill out the Verify Callsign form.
Wait for an email from Examtools stating your account has been verified.
Inform your Team Lead that you are set up on the ExamTools Sandbox and ready to participate in training sessions.

Want to run a practice session by yourself or short on VEs? Check out documentation on Sandbox Exams and dummy VEs in your training sessions.

Add a Signature to your Profile

Fri, 17 Sep 2021 16:07:41 -0700

Add a saved signature to your profile

Pro Tip: Use a smart phone or tablet for best looking results.

Go to https://exam.tools
Under Assist with an Exam sign in with your HamStudy credentials
Click on Profile
Look for a white box at the top of your screen that says Sign Here. Use your mouse or a touchscreen device to draw your signature
When you are happy with the image click Save

Adding Additional VEC Accreditation

Fri, 13 May 2022 07:54:34 -0700

Adding an additional VEC is automatic in ExamTools, if you have an existing ExamTools account and become accredited with one or more additional VECs.

Make sure you already have an ExamTools account and your call sign is current.
Once your accreditation is officially confirmed by your additional VEC(s), they should add you to a list accessed by ExamTools.
Wait until ExamTools syncs with the list. This waiting period could vary depending on the VEC. If we do not see your new accreditation in a day or two, contact your VEC.
Confirm your accreditation is active by visiting your Profile at the top of the left navigation menu in ExamTools. Toward the bottom, look for Volunteer Examiner Credentials and click the down caret (arrow) on the right side to expand out and view your accreditations.
Inform your Team Lead/CVE that your accreditation is displaying in ExamTools and you are ready to participate in sessions.

Change Your Call Sign

Thu, 11 Dec 2025 10:49:33 -0800

Updating Your Call Sign:

After the FCC has granted your new call sign, notify your team lead(s) and all VECs with which you are accredited of the change. ExamTools automatically updates.

Important Notes:

Wait for your existing ExamTools account to update and do not create a new account when you get a new call sign. Creating multiple accounts will cause not only future problems for you, but delays as well.
Confirm that your call sign has been updated in the profile of both your production and sandbox accounts, if you have one.
ExamTools automatically syncs with the FCC and VECs. ExamTools staff does not need to be notified of the call sign change.
Your ExamTools account may to continue to work normally for a bit (under old call sign), then not work (accreditation with old call sign removed), then work again (accreditation with new call sign added) as it transitions to the new call sign.
If your ExamTools account continues works under your old call sign, do not use your account or sign paperwork. Best practice would be to make sure that you do not appear on any sessions while the account is in transition.
After the account has been updated, your old call sign may still reappear on a session, if a lead clones a session that you were on in the past. If that happens, have them delete you and add you back.
You will likely not be able to participate in exam sessions until your ExamTools account is completely updated. Check with your team lead.
Since being added to and viewing sessions will be an issue, you may consider just taking a break from assisting with exams.
Expect to wait a few days to a week for this change over to happen. The delay is often on the VEC side and they should be given time to process the change.
All of your accreditations will appear under Volunteer Examiner Credentials in your Profile.