BICSI Technician Exam Flashcards

Q: What is the BICSI Technician exam format?

The BICSI Technician (TECH/INST2) exam is two-part: a 100-question, 2-hour computer-based written exam at Pearson VUE, plus a separate 12-task hands-on performance exam with a 20-minute-per-task limit. The hands-on exam must be passed before the written exam can be attempted.

Q: What is the BICSI Technician passing score?

BICSI reports a scaled passing score rather than a fixed percentage. Candidates must pass both the hands-on performance exam and the written exam. BICSI does not publish the exact scaled cut score or an official pass rate; an estimated 55-65% first-time pass rate is widely referenced.

Q: How much does the BICSI Technician exam cost?

The exam application fee starts around $200 and varies by pathway and BICSI membership status. Additional costs include study materials (ITSIMM/ICT Cabling Installation Handbook, $100-$250) and any required TE350 training. Total estimated cost is typically $300-$450+.

Q: What is the retake policy for the BICSI Technician exam?

BICSI requires a 30-day wait between exam attempts, with a retake fee applying each time. There is no published extension after three failures (the same 30-day wait continues). Candidates must pass the hands-on performance exam before sitting the written exam.

Q: How long should I study for the BICSI Technician exam?

Most candidates study 75-125 hours over 8-12 weeks. BICSI recommends at least 50 hours with the ITSIMM (Information Technology Systems Installation Methods Manual), plus hands-on practice of all 12 performance tasks. Study time is split across copper (25%), fiber (25%), troubleshooting (20%), bonding/grounding/firestopping (15%), and safety/documentation (15%).

Q: Is there a hands-on requirement for the BICSI Technician certification?

Yes. The 12-task hands-on performance exam is mandatory and must be passed before the written exam. Tasks include copper and fiber termination, OTDR troubleshooting, bonding/grounding installation, and firestopping, all performed to industry standards within a 20-minute-per-task limit.

Question 1

T568A color code (pin 1 to pin 8)

Accepted Answer

The T568A wiring pinout is: white/green, green, white/orange, blue, white/blue, orange, white/brown, brown. It is required in U.S. federal contracts and common in legacy installations; the key rule is to keep the same scheme on both ends of a run.

Question 2

T568B color code (pin 1 to pin 8)

Accepted Answer

The T568B wiring pinout is: white/orange, orange, white/green, blue, white/blue, green, white/brown, brown. It is the most common commercial scheme in the U.S. Performance is identical to T568A; the critical rule is to terminate both ends of a run with the same scheme.

Question 3

Category 6A bandwidth and channel length

Accepted Answer

Category 6A is rated for 500 MHz and supports 10GBASE-T to the full 100 m channel. Cat 6 is rated to 250 MHz and supports 10GBASE-T only to roughly 37-55 m due to alien crosstalk. Cat 5e is rated to 100 MHz and supports 1GBASE-T.

Question 4

UTP, FTP, STP shielding types

Accepted Answer

UTP (Unshielded Twisted Pair) has no shielding. FTP (Foiled Twisted Pair) wraps all pairs in a single foil shield. STP (Shielded Twisted Pair) shields each pair and/or the overall bundle. Shielded cables must be bonded at both ends to drain EMI and prevent antenna effects.

Question 5

Permanent link vs. channel (TIA-568 horizontal)

Accepted Answer

The permanent link is the fixed cabling from the work-area outlet to the TR, max 90 m (295 ft). The channel adds patch and equipment cords to a total of 100 m (328 ft). Certification testers use separate permanent-link and channel adapters.

Question 6

Near-End Crosstalk (NEXT)

Accepted Answer

NEXT is signal coupled from a transmitting pair into a neighboring pair measured at the same (near) end of the cable. Lower NEXT in dB is better. Cat 6A has stricter NEXT limits than Cat 6 because higher frequencies couple more strongly between pairs.

Question 7

Return loss (copper cable)

Accepted Answer

Return loss is signal reflected back to the transmitter from impedance mismatches in the cable or connectors, measured in dB. Higher return loss is better. Large reflections indicate poor terminations, kinked cable, or mismatched category components.

Question 8

Insertion loss (attenuation)

Accepted Answer

Insertion loss is the reduction in signal strength as it travels through the cable, in dB. It increases with cable length, temperature, and frequency. Cat 6A links must meet tighter insertion loss limits at 500 MHz than Cat 5e/6 at their rated frequencies.

Question 9

Wire map test

Accepted Answer

A wire map test verifies pin-to-pin continuity on all eight conductors of an RJ45 run. It detects opens, shorts, crossed pairs, split pairs, and miswires. It is the most basic copper test and must pass before performance tests (NEXT, return loss, insertion loss) are run.

Question 10

Alien crosstalk (AXT)

Accepted Answer

Alien crosstalk is noise coupled from adjacent cables external to the link under test, distinct from internal NEXT. It is the limiting factor for 10GBASE-T over Cat 6 and the reason Cat 6A adds shielding and tighter spacing requirements. ANEXT and AFEXT are measured at the near and far ends respectively.

Question 11

RJ45 / 8P8C modular connector

Accepted Answer

The RJ45, more precisely 8P8C (8 positions, 8 contacts), is the standard modular plug/jack for terminating twisted-pair cabling at work-area and patch-cord ends. It is crimped to T568A or T568B pinout and mates with keystone jacks and patch-panel ports.

Question 12

110 insulation-displacement block

Accepted Answer

The 110 block is an IDC punchdown block used to terminate twisted-pair copper on patch panels and cross-connects. Wires are seated into slotted contacts with a 110 punch-down tool. It is the most common block in modern LAN cabling and is rated by category (5e/6/6A).

Question 13

Krone LSA-PLUS block

Accepted Answer

Krone blocks use an LSA-PLUS IDC technique that bends the wire into a V-shaped slotted contact for a gas-tight connection. They are common in European and telecom cross-connects. The Krone punch tool seats and trims the wire in one motion, with a different blade geometry than 110.

Question 14

BIX termination block

Accepted Answer

BIX is a Canadian-developed (Nortel-origin) IDC punchdown block using a 25-pair layout and a distinct BIX punch-down tool. It is found mostly in legacy Canadian telecom cross-connect fields. Like 110 and Krone, it forms a gas-tight connection without stripping insulation.

Question 15

66 block (M-block)

Accepted Answer

The 66 block is an older IDC punchdown block with 50 rows of 4 contacts, historically used for telephone cross-connects. It is not rated for high-frequency LAN performance and is now mostly obsolete for data cabling, replaced by 110-style and modular patch panels.

Question 16

Singlemode optical fiber (OS1/OS2)

Accepted Answer

Singlemode fiber has an 8-9 µm core that supports only one light mode, eliminating modal dispersion. OS1 is indoor tight-buffered (legacy); OS2 is outside-plant loose-tube with lower attenuation (~0.4 dB/km at 1310 nm). Singlemode carries long-haul, high-bandwidth links at 1310 and 1550 nm.

Question 17

OM1 / OM2 / OM3 / OM4 / OM5 multimode fiber

Accepted Answer

OM1 (62.5/125, ~300 MHz·km) and OM2 (50/125, ~500 MHz·km) are legacy LED fibers. OM3 (2000 MHz·km) and OM4 (4700 MHz·km) are laser-optimized 50/125; OM4 supports 10GbE to 400 m and 40/100GbE short-reach. OM5 is WBMMF adding a 953 nm band for SWDM4.

Question 18

Common fiber wavelength windows

Accepted Answer

Multimode typically operates at 850 nm (VCSEL lasers). Singlemode uses 1310 nm (zero-dispersion window, shorter reach) and 1550 nm (lowest attenuation, long-haul and DWDM). The 1625/1650 nm band is reserved for OTDR monitoring on live links without interfering with traffic.

Question 19

Optical loss budget

Accepted Answer

An optical loss budget is the maximum allowable end-to-end attenuation of a fiber link, calculated from cable attenuation plus connector and splice losses at the operating wavelength. It is compared to the receiver sensitivity to confirm adequate system margin. Tier 1 certification verifies the budget with an OLTS.

Question 20

Fusion splice

Accepted Answer

A fusion splice welds two cleaved fiber ends with an electric arc, producing the lowest-loss (~0.05 dB) and most permanent joint. It requires a precision cleaver and a fusion splicer. The finished splice is protected with a heat-shrink sleeve and stored in a splice tray or closure.

Question 21

Mechanical splice

Accepted Answer

A mechanical splice aligns two cleaved fiber ends inside a precision fixture sealed with index-matching gel. Typical loss is 0.1-0.3 dB, higher than fusion. It is faster and needs no fusion splicer, so it is used for emergency restorations and small jobs, but is less permanent.

Question 22

Cleave quality and splice loss

Accepted Answer

A proper cleave must be a clean, flat perpendicular break (typically 0.5° or less off vertical) with no lips or shards. Poor cleave angle is the most common cause of high splice loss. Technicians verify cleave geometry visually before placing fibers in the fusion splicer.

Question 23

LC (Lucent / Little Connector)

Accepted Answer

The LC connector uses a 1.25 mm ferrule and a small-form latch resembling a miniature RJ45. It is the most common small-form connector in modern singlemode LAN and data-center links and supports duplex and duplex-latch configurations. LC = 'Little Connector'.

Question 24

SC (Subscriber / Square Connector)

Accepted Answer

The SC connector uses a 2.5 mm ferrule and a push-pull latching mechanism in a square plastic housing. It is widely used in singlemode telecom and older multimode installations. Its push-pull action suits dense patch panels and is easy to insert and remove.

Question 25

ST (Straight Tip) connector

Accepted Answer

The ST connector has a 2.5 mm ferrule and a bayonet-style twist-lock coupling. It is an older design common in legacy multimode Ethernet and FTTD installations, now largely replaced by LC and SC. ST = 'Straight Tip'.

Question 26

MTP / MPO multi-fiber connector

Accepted Answer

MPO (Multi-fiber Push-On) is a multi-fiber connector with 12 or 24 fibers in a single ferrule; MTP is the US Conec premium version compatible with MPO. Both are used in 40/100GbE parallel-optic and high-density data-center links, with polarity methods A/B/C defined by TIA-568.

Question 27

OTDR (Optical Time Domain Reflectometer)

Accepted Answer

An OTDR sends a light pulse into a fiber and measures backscattered light and reflections versus distance. It locates connectors, splices, breaks, bends, and macrobends by their signature events and reports their loss and reflectance. OTDR is the Tier 2 certification tool complementing the Tier 1 OLTS.

Question 28

OLTS (Optical Loss Test Set) — Tier 1

Accepted Answer

An OLTS measures end-to-end optical loss at the operating wavelength using a light source at one end and a power meter at the other. Tier 1 certification is the mandatory baseline test for installed fiber links, verifying the loss budget per TIA-568. It does not locate faults like an OTDR.

Question 29

Copper cable certification tester

Accepted Answer

A copper certifier runs a full suite — wire map, length (TDR), insertion loss, NEXT, PSNEXT, return loss, propagation delay, delay skew — against the category limits (Cat 5e/6/6A) and reports Pass/Fail per TIA-568. It is distinct from a simple continuity tester or qualifier.

Question 30

TDR length measurement and NVP

Accepted Answer

A TDR sends a pulse down a copper pair and times the reflection from the far-end open or short to calculate length using NVP (Nominal Velocity of Propagation). NVP is a cable-specific value (~0.6-0.72c) that must be set correctly in the tester or length readings will be wrong.

Question 31

OTDR 'gainer'

Accepted Answer

A gainer appears as an apparent signal increase on an OTDR trace when splicing a smaller-core fiber into a larger-core fiber. The larger core produces more backscatter, so the trace rises after the splice. It is a one-way measurement artifact; testing from both ends and averaging gives the true splice loss.

Question 32

Propagation delay and delay skew

Accepted Answer

Propagation delay is the time a signal takes to travel the cable; delay skew is the difference in delay between the fastest and slowest pairs. TIA-568 limits skew to 45 ns per 100 m for Cat 5e/6/6A to protect Gigabit and faster signaling that transmits in parallel across all four pairs.

Question 33

NEC — National Electrical Code (NFPA 70)

Accepted Answer

The NEC, published by NFPA as NFPA 70, is the U.S. electrical code adopted locally. Article 770 covers optical fiber cables, Article 800 communications circuits, and Article 725 Class 1/2/3 signaling circuits. Chapter 3 governs wiring methods and cable markings.

Question 34

CMP, CMR, CM cable ratings

Accepted Answer

CMP (plenum) is rated for air-handling plenum spaces with the strictest flame/smoke limits. CMR (riser) is rated for vertical shafts between floors. CM (general) is the base rating for non-plenum, non-riser runs. OFNP and OFNR are the corresponding optical-fiber plenum and riser ratings.

Question 35

ANSI/TIA-568 commercial cabling standard

Accepted Answer

TIA-568 defines commercial building cabling: 100 m max channel (90 m permanent link), recognized copper (Cat 5e/6/6A/8), recognized fiber (OM1-OM5, OS2), color codes (T568A/B), and connector pinouts. Widely referenced sub-standards include TIA-568.2-D (copper) and .3-D (fiber).

Question 36

ANSI/TIA-607 bonding and grounding

Accepted Answer

TIA-607 defines the telecommunications bonding and grounding infrastructure: TMGB, TGB, TBB, and the bonding conductor. It requires all telecommunications grounding to be bonded to the building electrical service ground, ensuring a common reference and a low-impedance fault path.

Question 37

ANSI/TIA-569 pathways and spaces

Accepted Answer

TIA-569 specifies design and sizing of telecommunications spaces (entrance facility, equipment room, TR, work area) and horizontal/backbone pathways (conduit, tray, raceway). It works with TIA-568 and TIA-607 to form the structured cabling framework.

Question 38

IEEE 802.3 Ethernet standard

Accepted Answer

IEEE 802.3 defines wired Ethernet at the physical and MAC layers, including 10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE-T, 10GBASE-T, and fiber variants. It specifies signaling rates, distance limits, and supported media; installers reference 802.3 to match cabling categories to the LAN speeds they must carry.

Question 39

TMGB — Telecommunications Main Grounding Busbar

Accepted Answer

The TMGB is the central reference grounding point for the telecommunications bonding infrastructure, typically in the entrance facility. It is bonded to the electrical service grounding electrode system. All TGBs and the TBB connect back to the TMGB per TIA-607.

Question 40

TGB — Telecommunications Grounding Busbar

Accepted Answer

A TGB is a grounding busbar in each telecommunications room that bonds racks, equipment, and cable shields to the building grounding system. It is connected to the TMGB by the Telecommunications Bonding Backbone (TBB). TGBs may be daisy-chained only along the TBB.

Question 41

TBB — Telecommunications Bonding Backbone

Accepted Answer

The TBB is the copper conductor that bonds each TGB back to the TMGB, providing a common reference throughout the building. Per TIA-607 it must be at least #6 AWG and may be supplemented by a TBBIBC (interconnecting bonding conductor) in high-rise buildings to reduce impedance.

Question 42

Bonding vs. grounding

Accepted Answer

Grounding connects equipment to the earth (safety reference). Bonding electrically joins metallic parts so they are at the same potential and provides a low-impedance fault path. In ICT cabling, bonding racks, trays, and cable shields together and to ground prevents potential differences and drain currents.

Question 43

Firestopping (firestop system)

Accepted Answer

Firestopping uses approved materials and assemblies to restore the fire-resistance rating of a wall, floor, or ceiling penetrated by cable, conduit, or sleeves. It prevents fire, smoke, and toxic gases from spreading between compartments. Only listed systems tested with the specific penetrating items are code-compliant.

Question 44

Through-penetration vs. membrane penetration

Accepted Answer

A through-penetration passes completely through a fire-rated assembly (both sides of a wall, or top-to-bottom of a floor). A membrane penetration breaches only one surface, such as a back-to-back outlet box in a wall. Both must be firestopped to maintain the assembly's fire-resistance rating.

Question 45

F-rating, T-rating, L-rating, W-rating

Accepted Answer

F-rating = flame spread resistance time (hours). T-rating = temperature-rise limit on the unexposed side. L-rating = air-leakage limit (smoke containment). W-rating = water resistance (hose-stream test). All are measured in hours; an F-rated 2-hour firestop matches a 2-hour-rated assembly.

Question 46

Telecommunications Room (TR) per TIA-569

Accepted Answer

A TR houses cross-connects, patch panels, and active equipment serving horizontal cabling to work areas. TIA-569 specifies a minimum 36-in-wide door swinging outward, lighting at least 500 lux at 1 m, one air change per hour, and a dedicated electrical branch circuit with 15-A minimum.

Question 47

Maximum conduit fill ratio for cabling

Accepted Answer

NEC limits conduit fill to 40% for three or more cables, 31% for two cables, and 53% for a single cable by cross-sectional area. For ICT work, installers often apply a 40% fill target plus a 25% future-growth allowance so additional cables can be pulled later without exceeding limits.

Question 48

PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) for ICT installers

Accepted Answer

PPE for ICT installers includes ANSI Z87 safety glasses for fiber-cleaving and termination, cut-resistant gloves for cable handling, and hard hats/steel-toe boots on construction sites. For arc-flash tasks covered by NFPA 70E, flame-resistant clothing and voltage-rated gloves are required.

Question 49

Lockout/Tagout (LOTO)

Accepted Answer

Lockout/Tagout is the safety procedure that isolates hazardous energy before service. The authorized worker places a lock and tag on each energy-isolating device and verifies zero voltage with a tested meter. LOTO is required by OSHA (29 CFR 1910.147) before working on energized electrical equipment above 50 V.

Question 50

As-built documentation

Accepted Answer

As-builts are the record drawings and documents showing the installed cabling plant as actually built: cable routes, lengths, termination labels, test results, and deviations from design. They are delivered at project closeout and are the basis for future maintenance, MACs (moves/adds/changes), and warranty claims.

Free BICSI Technician Exam Flashcards

Filter by Topic

Jump to Card

About These BICSI Technician Flashcards

Topics Covered

Frequently Asked Questions

BICSI Technician

Explore More BICSI Certifications

BICSI RCDD Registered Communications Distribution Designer

BICSI Installer 1 Copper

BICSI DCDC Data Center Design Consultant

BICSI Installer 2 Copper

BICSI Installer 2 Optical Fiber

BICSI OSP Outside Plant Designer

More From This Family