The Charleston Amateur Radio Exam Team (CARET) volunteer exam team is based in the Charleston, SC area and serves the Charleston tri-county region (Charleston, Berkeley, Dorchester).
CARET is affiliated with the Laurel VEC and administers all classes of amateur radio licensing exams at no charge to the applicant.
Exam Schedule
Regular test sessions are held monthly alternating between two locations.
On the third Sunday of January, March, May, July, September, and November (the odd-numbered months), test sessions are held in the Reforge Charleston classroom at 3PM. Due to the small space, pre-registration for these sessions is required. Reforge Charleston is located in Citadel Mall, 2070 Sam Rittenberg Blvd Suite 474, Charleston, SC 29407
On the second Saturday of February, April, June, August, October, and December (the even-numbered months), test sessions are held at Tall Pines Baptist Church at 9AM. Pre-registration for these sessions is not required, but highly recommended. Walk-ins are welcome. Tall Pines Baptist Church is located at 645 Treeland Dr, Ladson, SC 29456.
CARET also conducts license test exams following classes held by the Charleston Amateur Radio Society. These classes are typically conducted upon request by an interested organization.
For our full schedule of test sessions, visit https://larc-vec.org/distancesessionlist.php?zipcode=29404&maxdistance=25&interval=365.
At this time, CARET does not hold any remote or virtual test sessions.
Exam Registration
To register for any of the CARET exam sessions, go to https://hamstudy.org/sessions/CARET/all and select the exam session you’d like to register for. Click the “Load More” button to see more upcoming sessions.
You will need an FRN from the FCC in order to register. Instructions for obtaining an FRN can be found at https://www.fcc.gov/new-users-guide-getting-started-universal-licensing-system-uls.
Becoming a Volunteer Examiner
If you’d like to be a VE with us, you’ll need to have your Amateur Extra class license and meet the Laurel VEC requirements. Contact us at CARET.VE@gmail.com.