Jim, WP3JQ wrote:

... Since the question pool has changed, has the material changed? Should I
go buy the 8th printing to make sure I have a manual that focuses on newer
requirements?

Jim,

Mike, KB3EIA suggests using
http://www.arrl.org/arrlvec/2002_Extra_Pool3.pdf. This is a good idea.
You also will need the graphics
http://www.arrl.org/arrlvec/2002_Extra_Graphics.pdf that go along with
the question pool.

Actually the questions of the pool are arranged very nicely for
organizing your studies. And they contain indication of how many
questions on the exam are related to each general area. Basically one
question from each group. If you can answer all the questions in each
group, you should be able to answer all the exam questions.

SUBELEMENT E1 -- COMMISSION'S RULES [7 Exam Questions -- 7 Groups]
Download the Part 97 rules from
http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/w...7cfr97_02.html

SUBELEMENT E2 -- OPERATING PROCEDURES [5 Exam Questions - 5 Groups]
SUBELEMENT E3 -- RADIO WAVE PROPAGATION [3 Exam Questions - 3 Groups]
SUBELEMENT E4 -- AMATEUR RADIO PRACTICES [5 Exam Questions -- 5 Groups]
SUBELEMENT E5 -- ELECTRICAL PRINCIPLES [9 Exam Questions -- 9 Groups]
SUBELEMENT E6 -- CIRCUIT COMPONENTS [5 Exam Questions -- 5 Groups]
SUBELEMENT E7 -- PRACTICAL CIRCUITS [7 Exam Questions -- 7 Groups]
SUBELEMENT E8 -- SIGNALS AND EMISSIONS [4 Exam Questions -- 4 Groups]
SUBELEMENT E9 -- ANTENNAS [5 Exam Questions -- 5 Groups]

For your studies, since you don't want to depend on rote memory of the
answers, I suggest that you go throught all the questions as if you were
taking an open book exam. If you have a good knowledge, two hours per
day for two weeks or less should get you through the questions.

During my review, for those questions where I didn't know answer or had
forgotten the equations, I looked up the material in references. The
ARRL Handbook served as a reference for more than 80 percent of
subelements E2 through E9. A calculator that can convert between
rectangular and polar coordinates proved very useful. While most of my
review just refreshed that which I knew before, in answering questions
on Q, I actually learned something new.

Best wishes,

Duane, N6JPO