Copper and fibre cabling, terminations, pathways, grounding, power-limited circuits, security and access systems, testing and safety for limited energy licences and cabling certifications.
10 questions, graded as you go, with the reason for every answer. No sign-up.
50 questions in 60 minutes, drawn from every topic. No answers shown until the end, then a score, your weakest topics and a review of what you missed.
Which pair lands on pins 4 and 5 in both the T568A and the T568B wiring schemes?
A. The blue pair
The blue pair (pair 1) sits on the centre pins 4 and 5 in both schemes, and the brown pair is on 7 and 8 in both. Only the orange and green pairs change places between T568A and T568B.
Reference: ANSI/TIA-568 series, pin and pair assignments (T568A and T568B)
What jacket colour identifies indoor OM3 or OM4 laser-optimised multimode cable?
B. Aqua
OM3 and OM4 are jacketed aqua. Orange is used for the older OM1 and OM2 multimode, yellow for single-mode and lime green for OM5 wideband multimode.
Reference: ANSI/TIA-598, fibre colour coding
Under the telecommunications pathway standard, what is the most bending allowed in a conduit run between pull points?
D. Two 90-degree bends (180 degrees total)
Telecommunications conduit is limited to the equivalent of two 90-degree bends between pull boxes so that cable can be pulled without exceeding its tension limit. Four quarter bends (360 degrees) is the general limit in the electrical code for power raceways, and it is too many for data cable.
Reference: ANSI/TIA-569, conduit pathways
Which NEC article covers the wiring of fire alarm systems, including power-limited fire alarm circuits?
C. Article 760
Fire alarm circuits have their own article, 760, with their own cable types such as FPL, FPLR and FPLP. Article 725 covers Class 2 and Class 3 circuits, which is where many people look first.
Reference: NEC 2023, Article 760
Why is a dual-technology (PIR plus microwave) motion detector less prone to false alarms than a PIR alone?
B. Both technologies must detect at the same time to trip
The two sensors react to different things, so requiring both to agree rejects causes that fool only one of them, such as a heating vent (PIR) or movement behind a thin wall (microwave). If either one alone could trip the alarm, false alarms would increase.
Reference: Intrusion detection principles; sensor manufacturer data
| Exam | Who runs it | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Limited energy / low voltage technician ready | State boards | United States (varies by state) |
| Installer 1, Installer 2 and Technician ready | BICSI | United States |
| Fiber optics installer / technician ready | ETA, FOA | United States |