Then you can't say that you didn't study. You simply used a different study
path. No one is born knowing Ohm's law, etc. There is not and never has
been any requirement to use the common study guides such as those put out by
the ARRL or W5YI. The requirement is to pass the test. If you studied the
material in a different venue that is still studying. It does not count as
"having passed the test without cracking open a book." Though knowing just
the electronics is not enough to pass the test. To get a passing grade, it's
necessary to know some of the FCC rules, some of the standard amateur
practices, antenna theory (not general taught in most electronics text
books), propagation (again not covered in most electronics text books), etc.
So one way or another, you learned that too as you're not born knowing that
either.


My brother had an electronics workshop in the basement when I was growing up.
I took electronics at a Vo-Tech in high school. I have been on CB since 1977.

All the stuff you mentioned has been covered by my life's experience.

Remember, all larger items can be broken down into simpler items. Knowing
how they all interact to create a complex system, is important. If you
don't understand the simple concepts, you can't understand the big picture.