When I took my test, two people in the room failed the tech level outright. The old folks monitoring it were amused and irritated. If you have IQ less than about 100, it's hard. All of the hams I know, even if they're lefty assholes, are pretty bright. Many hams are "engineering smart" , which is the kind of smart that can get stuff done and solve problems (and feel overly confident in ability and comprehension), but not deep or bright. They still watch CNN and FOX and believe it.