UK Amateur Radio Exam Pass Rates
How many people sit and pass each RSGB licence exam, from the RSGB's own figures.
2025
| Exam | Candidates | Passed | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foundation | 1,989 | 1,772 | 89.1% |
| Intermediate | 402 | 363 | 90.3% |
| Full | 275 | 211 | 76.7% |
| Direct to Full | 39 | 32 | 82.1% |
Pass Rate by Year
| Exam | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foundation | 89.1% (1,989) | 87.6% (2,166) | 85.5% (1,500) | 85.7% (1,646) |
| Intermediate | 90.3% (402) | 87.4% (459) | 86.8% (416) | 84.3% (534) |
| Full | 76.7% (275) | 63.5% (301) | 66.1% (289) | 64.4% (371) |
| Direct to Full | 82.1% (39) | 85.7% (21) | 44.4% (27) | – |
What the Numbers Show
- Full is the hardest of the four to pass: 76.7% passed in 2025 and 63.5% in 2024, against about nine in ten at Foundation and Intermediate.
- Far fewer people sit the higher exams. In 2025, 1,989 sat Foundation, 402 Intermediate and 275 Full.
- Intermediate passes in 2025 were 19% of the previous year's Foundation passes (363 against 1,898), the lowest in the RSGB's published figures since 2013.
- Direct to Full is still small: 39 people sat it in 2025, so its pass rate moves a lot from year to year (44.4% in 2023, 85.7% in 2024).
Frequently Asked Questions
Which UK amateur radio exam is the hardest to pass?
On pass rates, the Full exam: 76.7% of candidates passed in 2025, against 89.1% at Foundation, 90.3% at Intermediate and 82.1% at Direct to Full.
How many people pass the UK amateur radio exams each year?
In 2025, 2,378 people passed an RSGB licence exam: 1,772 at Foundation, 363 at Intermediate, 211 at Full and 32 at Direct to Full.
Sources
- RSGB Examinations Standards Committee, Annual Report 2025 (figures for 2022 to 2024)
- RSGB examination statistics for 2025, published in RadCom, April 2026