Documents, Element Credit & Post-Exam Procedures
Form 605 and CSCE review, element credit verification, felony question handling, and what to tell applicants before they leave.
Lesson objectives
- Verify Form 605 and CSCE completeness and accuracy as a certifying VE
- Apply the correct correction rule: white-out on 605, destroy-and-replace on CSCE
- Determine valid element credit from expired licenses and CSCEs from other VECs
- Handle the felony question correctly during registration and post-exam notification
- Deliver required post-exam information to applicants before they leave
Your duty before you sign
Before signing the Form 605 or CSCE as a certifying VE, each of the three certifying VEs must independently review all of the applicant’s paperwork and confirm the results are 100% complete and 100% correct. This is not a rubber stamp. App. 8 §10.2.
Form 605 errors may be corrected with white-out, correction tape, or pen-and-ink changes before re-signing. CSCE errors require the CSCE to be destroyed and a new one prepared. White-out, correction tape, and pen-and-ink changes on a CSCE are prohibited. App. 8 §9.1.5 and §10.2.1–10.2.2.
What to verify on the CSCE
- Applicant name, call sign (if any), address, city, state, ZIP are correct
- Each element the applicant passed is circled; elements not taken or failed are crossed out
- The class of license for which the applicant is qualified is circled
- If the applicant passed an element but did not earn a license or upgrade, circle “None” for the license class and cross out the remaining classes
- The three certifying VEs sign in the same order as they signed the Form 605
- The applicant signs the CSCE before it is issued and they depart
Before issuing the CSCE, have the applicant review both the Form 605 and CSCE and confirm all information is correct. Specifically have them confirm: name, address, FRN, email address, felony question answer, and whether they have any FCC applications not yet acted upon. App. 8 §11.1.2.
A certifying VE notices a misspelled street address on a completed CSCE that has already been signed by two other VEs. What is the correct action?
Three certifying VEs sign the Form 605 in the order Smith, Jones, Brown. In what order should they sign the CSCE?
The element credit table
Element credits from previously granted FCC licenses do not expire. CSCEs expire 365 days from the issue date. The table below governs which credit applies. App. 8 §5.3.1.
| License class | Unexpired (or in renewal grace period) | Expired & beyond grace period |
|---|---|---|
| Amateur Extra | N/A — already holds highest class | Elements 3 and 4 |
| Advanced, General, or Technician granted before 21 Mar 1987 | Elements 2 and 3 | Element 3 only |
| Technician Plus or Technician granted on or after 21 Mar 1987 | Element 2 only | No credit |
Licenses issued by the US Navy, US Army, US Air Force, former territories, or trusts — even if FCC-authorized — are not acceptable for element credit. App. 8 §5.3.2.2.
Accepting CSCEs from other VECs
VEs are required to accept unexpired, unaltered CSCEs issued by any other VEC as proof of element credit. You cannot refuse a valid ARRL VEC, W5YI VEC, or other VEC CSCE simply because it was not issued by Laurel. Examples of other VECs’ CSCEs are available in the Resources section of the VE Portal. App. 8 §5.3.2.1.
What to retain vs return
- CSCE: Retain the copy, return the original to the applicant
- Expired license: Retain a copy, return the original to the applicant
- Call sign book page / QRZ printout: Retain the copy
An applicant presents an expired Technician class license issued by the FCC on 15 June 1990 (after 21 Mar 1987). They want to upgrade to General. What element credit, if any, do they receive?
An applicant presents a valid, unexpired CSCE issued 200 days ago by the ARRL VEC showing they passed Element 3. Your team is Laurel VEC. Must you accept it?
When an applicant answers “Yes”
An applicant who answers “Yes” to the Basic Qualification Question (the Felony Question) on their Form 605 may still take and complete the exam. The felony question answer does not disqualify an applicant from sitting for the exam or receiving a CSCE if they pass. What it triggers is a post-session obligation. App. 8 §12.1.4.
Inform the applicant that they must submit an explanation of the circumstances of their felony conviction to the FCC within 14 days of their application being assigned a file number by the FCC. Failure to do so will result in their application being dismissed, even if they paid the fee, and the fee will not be refunded. App. 8 §12.1.4.
The Code of Conduct (Appendix 2) explicitly prohibits VEs from discriminating against an applicant based on their answer to the felony question. Process their application exactly as you would anyone else’s.
An applicant answers “Yes” to the felony question and passes their Element 2 exam. What does the VE team do?
Before the applicant leaves
Before an applicant departs the exam session, the Session Leader or a designated VE must provide the following information as applicable. App. 8 §12.1.
- CSCE validity: Inform any applicant who received a CSCE that element credit is valid for 365 days from the date it was issued. §97.505(b)
- Application fee: Inform applicants who earned a new license or renewal that they must pay the application fee within 10 days of receiving an FCC file number. The FCC will not process the application until the fee is paid; failure to pay within 10 days results in dismissal. App. 8 §12.1.2–12.1.3.
- Felony explanation: If the applicant answered “Yes,” remind them of the 14-day explanation window. App. 8 §12.1.4.
- Do not amend online: Inform applicants not to attempt to amend their application online — doing so may cause a 2–3 week processing delay. App. 8 §12.1.6.
- Laurel VEC email: Applicants who must pay a fee or who answered “Yes” to the felony question will receive an email from the Laurel VEC with attachments explaining the next steps. App. 8 §12.1.5.
An applicant just passed their Element 2 exam and is about to leave. They ask when they can start using their new call sign. What must you tell them about the application fee?
Need to check the source document? Full P&P Reference →