[W6DCS]

I do find it believable. I was on 6 meters the other day and overheard 2 old timers talking about how "Those no code folks are on our bands and think this is CB radio". According to them it is because of the no code requirement, and the requirements need to be what they had to study to pass. With vanity calls it is hard to tell who is new and who is old, until they tell you how they built their first radio. I did have to pass a code test to get my novice, and don't regret it. I don't mind they changed the rule to no code, as I probably would have been licensed earlier. Code or not, the reason was to allow more folks to get licensed. The original club I belonged to, and many others have folded due to lack of new folks wanting to get a license. Code or no code are both allowed in my campsite, and I will talk to either.
As for the testing, general knowledge is good to know, but today's rigs are built on circuit boards by robots. Most are not user repairable anyway. Other than basic electronic design knowledge, antenna design, rules and propagation, the rest is a bit useless.