The RAE Examination
RAE 2025 – Online registration system Examination registrations for the 10th May 2025 examination opens on 24th January 2025 and will close on 18th April 2025. RAE Examination for the 18th October 2025 will open on the 1st July 2025 for registrations. The closing date is the 19th September 2025 No late registration will be accpeted. Candidates should go to the following address to register for the RAE: http://www.sarl.org.za/Web3/RAE/RAERegistration.aspx If you previously registered using the online system and wish to re-enter for the examination please use your original User Name and Password to log on, and update your information for the current Exam Session. Please ensure that you download and read the RAE Registration Information Sheet, which contains useful information on the online registration system and how to register for the examination. All examination centres should ensure their information is correct and up to date. Registration and corrections may be made at http://www.sarl.org.za/Web3/RAE/ExamCentreRegistration.aspx
RAE Manager
|
PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOU READ THIS WHOLE PAGE FROM TOP TO BOTTOM
Which Class License should I write?
Class A (ZS, ZR): An international recognized license with full rights and privileges as set out in the South African Radio Regulations, which can be found on this webpage. Any person can write this examination, there is no age restriction.
Class B (ZU): Entry level license for persons under the age of 25. You are allowed to write the Class B examination up to the age of 20. A holder of a Class B novice licence should write and pass the Class A examination before his/her 25th birthday after which the Class B novice licence will be cancelled.
Procedures for Class A (ZS, ZR) and Class B (ZU) License assessments
The Radio Regulations specify that in order to be awarded a Class A (ZS, ZR) or Class B (ZU) License, the applicant must satisfactorily complete an assessment prescribed by the SARL. Assessments may only be conducted by an assessor who has been officially appointed by the SARL for this purpose, and whose appointment is valid at the time when the assessment is conducted. All applications for assessment must be made on the official SARL form.
Pass mark for Class A (ZS, ZR) and Class B (ZU)
An overall pass mark of 65% with a sub minimum of 50% in both the regulations and technical sections in the Radio Amateur Examination (RAE) is a requirement to become a radio amateur in the South Africa.
General information
The RAE examination is written during the months of May and October each year. Candidates need to pass the Class A or Class B examination.
In addition to the RAE examination all candidates must also pass a practical operating test, complete a HF Assessment examination with a pass mark of 75%, and make a minimum of 5 HF contacts, to obtain the HF Operating Assessment Certificate. The practical operating test, HF assessment examination, and the 5 QSO's must be completed on or before the date of the examination. The signed assessment documentss must be uploaded to the candidates documents file on their profile. HF Assessment documents will not be accepted with the exam answer sheet. Successful Class A examination candidates will receive a Harmonized Amateur Radio Examination Certificate (HAREC). Successful Class B examination candidates will receive an Amateur Radio Station License Introductory Level (Class B) certificate.
The examination is conducted by the South African Radio League on behalf of ICASA, and is written at various centres around South Africa. Note that examinations are written on a Saturday morning and start at 10:00 and end at 13:00.
Candidates must produce their ID Book (or other official photo identification) and provide their own writing materials. No pencils may be used and only non-programmable calculators are permitted.
The examination is in two sections:
(a) Regulations and Operating Practices
(b) Technical (Theory).
To pass the examination candidates are required to attain a minimum mark of 50% in (a) and 50% in (b) and obtain an overall average pass of 65%. The two sections of the examination are presented in one paper.
The Class A examination is based on the CEPT Harmonised Amateur Radio Examination Certificate syllabus, and is recognised by all CEPT countries (this includes most European countries) and some non-CEPT countries for the purpose of obtaining an amateur radio license or reciprocal operating privileges.
The syllabus for the Class B examination is at an introductory level. It is only valid in South Africa and is not recognised in other countries and can only be used to obtain a ZU license in South Africa.
Any person can write the Class B examination but only persons under 20 years of age can apply for a class B (ZU) license. A holder of a Class B novice licence should write and pass the Class A examination before his/her 25th birthday after which the Class B novice licence will be cancelled.
Although you can study for the examination on your own using the SARL Radio Amateur Examination Study Guide that can be downloaded free of charge from this web site, it is recommended that you enquire about RAE classes, which are held regularly in most major centres. There you will benefit from a knowledgeable instructor who will be able to assist you with all aspects of the syllabus.
This part that follows is important but have you read the previous parts?
SARL Amateur Radio Examination
The SARL conducts two regular examination sessions at designated centres around South Africa each year. Examination in non-designated centres can be arranged at an additional administration fee. Click on Exam Centres in the left-hand menu for the current list of designated examination centres.
If an affiliated club is holding a course and there are 6 or more candidates entering the RAE examination, the club can request the SARL that their venue can be added to the list of designated centres for that examination. Send an email with your request to rae@sarl.org.za.
Examination Dates
Class A and B examinations - 2025
May Examination
| Registrations open | 24 January 2025 | Returning students who want to write the examination need to register as re-writes. |
| Registration closing date | 18 April 2025 No late registrations
will be accepted after this date. | All candidates must register online - see Exam Registration section below.
All additional documents plus required examination fees must be submitted by this date.The signed HF Assessment forms must be uploaded to the candidates registration page. |
| Examination | 10 May 2025 | Exam takes place on Saturday morning from 10:00 to 13:00. Administration starts at least 30 minutes before the time. |
October Examination
| Registrations open | 1 July 2025
| Returning students who want to write the examination need to register as re-writes |
| Registration closing date | 19 September 2025 No late registration will be accepted after this date.
| All candidates must register online - see Exam Registration section below.
All additional documents plus required examination fees must be submitted by this date.
The Signed HF Assessment form must be uploaded to the candidates registration page. |
| Examination | 18 October 2025
| Exam takes place on Saturday morning from 10:00 to 13:00. Administration starts at least 30 minutes before the time. |
No late registrations will be accepted
If you are studying on your own please make contact with a local club or operating test assessor before the examination to complete the HF operation assessment and the assessment form, which must be up loaded to your RAE registration page. Note, we only require the log sheet and the RAE Practical Assessment form. These forms will not be accpted with the exam answer sheets.
RAE results are emailed to each candidate within 2 -3 weeks after the examination.
Fees
The fees for examinations conducted at any of the designated centres are:
| Class A examination | R700
|
| If under 25 years of age* | R650 |
| Class B examination | R550 |
* To qualify for the reduced fee the candidate must be under 25 years of age on the date of the examination.
The RAE Registration fee is to be paid on or before the closing date for the examination and is not refundable. If the candidate can, for some valid reason, not write on the designated date and gives 14 days notice the candidate will be allowed to write the next examination.
If a candidate fails, he/she will be able to write again on the next examination date without a charge. It is important that the candidate has to re-register for the next examination. If he/she passed their HF assessment it need not be redone. If he or she fails again, full fees and registration are payable for the following examination.
Free tutorial material for both Class A and B examinations is available on www.sarl.org.za for download.
Candidates are urged to make arrangements to write the examination at one of the designated venues. In exceptional cases the candidate can apply to the SARL RAE manager to write the examination in another venue than one of the designated venues.
What does the Examination Fee include?
The fee includes all the license costs and the ICASA radio license fee for the first year (The ICASA year runs 1 April – 31 March), the examination cost and a HF and HAREC certificate for Class-A and a HF and .Amateur Radio certificate, for Class-B
Complimentary SARL Membership
Candidates, at registration, receive complimentary SARL membership with full access to the web and the electronic version of Radio ZS. At the end of the SARL financial year (30 June), the SARL will automatically renew the membership and send a membership invoice.
Complimentary access to the SARL website as an SARL member is provided automatically after registration for the examination, and no additional application is required. This extends until the examination results become available, after which candidates who pass the examination are automatically added to the SARL database. The following are the membership periods:
May examination – Free membership will end on 30 June the following year
October examination – Free membership will end on 30 June the following year
Example
May 2025 examination: Free SARL membership till 30 June 2026
October 2025 examination: Free SARL membership till 30 June 2026
Exam
Registration
Registration for the Radio Amateur's
Examination is now an entirely online process. The previous manual forms
have been entirely replaced by the online system, although some additional
documents are still required.
You will need access to the internet, and you
will need an email address to receive important information about your
application. If you do not have internet access then please make
arrangements with someone else, or contact your local Club for assistance.
Before you start, please download the RAE Registration Information sheet which contains important information
about the registration process, as well as a list of the information you
will need to complete your registration. Click on the document title to
download your copy:
To register for the RAE go to the following
address:
http://www.sarl.org.za/Web3/RAE/RAERegistration.aspx
If you have any queries please contact the
RAE Manager at rae@sarl.org.za, or ask
your lecturer or local club for help.
The Operating Assessment Certificate may be submitted to the Examiner and attached to the answer papers if it is not available at the time of registration for the RAE.
On passing the RAE, the SARL will
apply on your behalf for your appropriate licence.
Tutorial Matter
Class A Examination - ZR/ZS licence
An extensive study guide is available for download free of
charge.
The Class A Study Guide was updated in May 2016 and no previous editions should be used as it does not include all the study material required for the
current Examination.
A formula sheet will be provided to candidates in the Class A examination and may be used to answer any question. Students therefore do not need to memorise formulae. However the student will need to know which formulas to use to solve a particular calculation and will also require the skill to correctly apply the formula. In some instances however you may need to use a combination of formulae to solve a problem.
The following
documents are available. Click on the document title to download a copy.
Class B Examination - ZU Licence
The following documents are available. Click on the document
title to download a copy.
RAE Contacts
For all RAE
matters please contact the RAE manager as follows:
The
Radio Amateur's Examination in South Africa