Central North Carolina Amateur Radio Exams Are scheduled for the first Saturday of every month. Exam Registration
The first step to get your general class license is to get your technician class license.I highly recommend the Gordon West General Class study material ($19.89). For those of us on a budget KB6NU has a No Nonsense General Class Study Guide ($9.95).
My friends at the Roanoke Valley has excellent material at the W4CA website. Be sure to check out the online help. eHam has a online study exam at eHam. Be sure to select your general study. I get the privilege of hearing from students after taken their exam. They tell me that HamStudy has an excellent study tool.