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AVIXA · Last updated November 2026

CTS-Design (CTS-D): free practice test

CTS-D is AVIXA's design specialty certification for professionals who assess client needs, design AV systems and verify them. A valid CTS is required before you apply. The exam has 110 questions at Pearson VUE test centers, of which 100 count, weighted Needs Assessment 20%, Coordination 28%, Design and Documentation 38% and Deployment 14%.

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About the AVIXA CTS-D Exam exam

CTS-D is AVIXA's design specialty certification for professionals who assess client needs, design AV systems and verify them. A valid CTS is required before you apply. The exam has 110 questions at Pearson VUE test centers, of which 100 count, weighted Needs Assessment 20%, Coordination 28%, Design and Documentation 38% and Deployment 14%.

What's on the exam

AVIXA CTS-D Exam
Needs Assessment and Program Report
7 key facts
Coordinating Architecture, Structure and MEP
7 key facts
Coordinating IT, Acoustics and Life Safety
8 key facts
Conceptual Design and Site Compatibility
8 key facts
Final Design and Drawing Package
7 key facts
Project Documentation
6 key facts
Deploying and Verifying AV Designs
7 key facts

Each branch is a topic in the official outline. Members see every key fact on the full mind map. Read the free study guide →

How to pass the AVIXA CTS-D Exam exam

  • Developing and documenting designs is 38% of the scored items, and coordinating with other professionals is 28%. Together those two duties are two-thirds of the exam.
  • Learn when to use each formula, since AVIXA shows formulas on screen. Practice PAG and NAG, loudspeaker coverage and power, projector brightness, conduit capacity and data rate.
  • 110 questions in 150 minutes is about 82 seconds each. Calculate on the note board and check that each input is in the unit the formula expects.
  • You need a valid CTS before you apply. After a failed attempt there is a 30-day wait, and a retest application filed within 120 days gets the US$150 fee.

Save your results and get your Readiness Score

Create a free account after the test: your score by topic, a mistakes bank, the complete study notes for the first topic, flashcards and the RCDD Numbers & Formulas Sheet.

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What's in the premium AVIXA CTS-D Exam prep

Premium AVIXA CTS-D Exam prep is studied one topic at a time. Each step starts with that topic's key notes and flashcard deck, then its own question sets of 25, so you master one topic before you move to the next. When every topic is strong, the 6 full mock exams show you're ready.

3,000practice questions, every answer explained
6full-length mock exams, 110 questions each, timed
800flashcards with spaced repetition, sorted by topic
60comprehensive key notes across 7 topics

Your step-by-step study path

  1. 1
    Needs Assessment and Program Report9 key notes, 115 flashcards, then 450 practice questions in 18 sets of 25
    Notes free with an account
  2. 2
    Coordinating Architecture, Structure and MEP9 key notes, 115 flashcards, then 425 practice questions in 17 sets of 25
    Premium
  3. 3
    Coordinating IT, Acoustics and Life Safety9 key notes, 115 flashcards, then 425 practice questions in 17 sets of 25
    Premium
  4. 4
    Conceptual Design and Site Compatibility9 key notes, 115 flashcards, then 425 practice questions in 17 sets of 25
    Premium
  5. 5
    Final Design and Drawing Package8 key notes, 115 flashcards, then 425 practice questions in 17 sets of 25
    Premium
  6. 6
    Project Documentation8 key notes, 115 flashcards, then 425 practice questions in 17 sets of 25
    Premium
  7. 7
    Deploying and Verifying AV Designs8 key notes, 110 flashcards, then 425 practice questions in 17 sets of 25
    Premium
  8. Final step: 6 full mock exams110 questions each, timed like test day. Pass them, then book your exam.
    Premium
Free with an account

Read the complete AVIXA CTS-D Exam study notes for “Needs Assessment and Program Report”

Our first full set of comprehensive notes, about 12 minutes of reading: Identifying functional requirements (7%) · Client technology master plan (7%) · Generating and reviewing the program report (6%) · Regulatory and project goals, a worked exam example, the traps examiners use and a one-minute recap. Create a free account to read it and see how premium notes work before you decide.

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Study tools included

3,000 practice questions

3,000 exam-style questions per exam, organized topic by topic in sets of 25. Every answer explained, with the rule it comes from.

6 full mock exams

6 full-length timed mock exams per exam, with real question counts and time limits, so test day feels like practice day.

Exam Readiness Score

One 0 to 100 number that tells you when you're ready to book. Reach 80 and you're covered by our Pass Guarantee.

800 flashcards + spaced repetition

800 flashcards per exam, in a deck for each topic, that come back right before you'd forget them. Five minutes a day keeps every number fresh.

60 comprehensive key notes

60 key notes per exam, split across its topics and each explained in full: the concepts, worked exam examples, the traps examiners use and a quick recap. Your first set is free with an account.

Mind maps

See the whole exam on one screen: every topic and the facts under it.

Sample questions with answers

These are the questions in the free test above, with answers. Try the test first. You'll learn more by getting some wrong.

1. After interviewing users, a designer must give the owner and architect a document for sign-off stating required functions, room-by-room AV needs and their effect on space, power and budget, before any system is drawn. What document is this?
Answer: A program report. A program report turns user needs into documented functional requirements and shows the implications for other trades and budget before design starts. A bid specification and bill of materials come after the design. A request for proposal seeks offers, which is not this purpose.
2. A client's technology master plan requires one standard user interface in every room. One department head asks for a custom interface for a single room. What should the designer do?
Answer: Document the conflict for the master plan owner to decide. A master plan sets the client's standards, so a departure is the owner's decision, made with the cost and support impact in view. Building it quietly weakens the standard, and refusing dismisses a real need. The designer's job is to surface the conflict and record the decision.
3. Which statement is written as a functional requirement rather than a product selection?
Answer: Remote staff can see the presenter and shared content. A functional requirement states what users must be able to do and leaves the means open, so options remain during design. Display sizes, camera brands and switcher inputs are solutions, which come later. Writing needs this way also gives verification something to measure against.
4. An AV equipment room load is 4,200 W continuous on 120 V circuits. Applying the 80% continuous-load limit, how many 20 A circuits are required at minimum?
Answer: 3 circuits. Current is 4,200 / 120 = 35 A. Each 20 A circuit carries 16 A continuously, and 35 / 16 = 2.19, which rounds up to 3 circuits. Ignoring the 80% limit gives 35 / 20 = 1.75, or only 2 circuits, which overloads them under continuous use.
5. A 16:9 image 3.2 m (10.5 ft) wide has its bottom edge 1.2 m (47 in) above the floor. The screen housing needs 150 mm (6 in) above the image. What minimum clear ceiling height should be coordinated with the architect?
Answer: 3.15 m (10.3 ft). Image height is 3.2 x 9 / 16 = 1.8 m, so the top is at 1.2 + 1.8 = 3.0 m, and the housing brings it to 3.15 m. Leaving out the housing gives 3.00 m. A 4:3 height of 2.4 m produces the 3.75 m figure.
6. Uncompressed video at 3840 x 2160, 24-bit color and 30 frames per second must cross a network. Using the AVIXA digital video data rate formula, what is the result?
Answer: About 7.5 Gbps, so use 10 Gb links or compression. The rate is 3840 x 2160 x 24 x 30 x 1.25 = 7.46 Gbps. Leaving out the 1.25 factor gives 5.97 Gbps. Either way it exceeds a 1 Gb link, so raise the link speed or compress, and bring the IT team this figure early.
7. An acoustician reports a reverberation time of 1.8 seconds in a room intended for speech. The client wants the problem fixed in the DSP. What should the designer recommend?
Answer: Adding absorption, coordinated with the acoustician. Reverberation is a property of the room, so absorption and acoustic treatment are the proper fix. EQ alters frequency balance but cannot remove reflected energy arriving late. Raising the level excites the room more, and extra open microphones reduce gain before feedback.
8. A projected image has a 4 m2 (43 sq ft) area, with 100 lux ambient light at the screen. For 15:1 contrast, with a screen gain of 1 and a derating value of 0.75, what brightness is needed?
Answer: 8,000 lumens. Brightness = (L x C x A / Sg) / Dr = (100 x 15 x 4 / 1) / 0.75 = 8,000 lumens. Skipping the derating gives 6,000, and multiplying by it gives 4,500. The 26,667 figure comes from using the 50:1 analytical contrast target.
9. A speech system has D0 16 m, D1 6 m, D2 8 m, Ds 0.5 m, EAD 2 m, two open microphones and a 6 dB feedback stability margin. Using the full PAG and NAG formula, is it stable?
Answer: Stable, with about 0.5 dB to spare after NOM and FSM. PAG is 20 log(16 x 6 / (8 x 0.5)) = 27.60 dB, and NAG is 20 log(16 / 2) = 18.06 dB. Subtract 10 log(2) = 3.01 dB for NOM and the 6 dB FSM: 27.60 - 3.01 - 6 = 18.59 dB, which is 0.53 dB above NAG. Leaving out NOM or FSM inflates the margin.
10. Ceiling loudspeakers with a 90-degree coverage pattern are planned in a room with a 3.0 m (10 ft) ceiling, with seated ears at 1.2 m (4 ft). What spacing gives minimum overlap?
Answer: 2.55 m. The coverage radius is (3.0 - 1.2) x tan(45) = 1.8 m. Minimum overlap spacing is r x 1.414 = 2.55 m. Edge-to-edge spacing is 2r = 3.60 m and center-to-center is r = 1.80 m, which give less even coverage or need more loudspeakers.
11. Two cables of 8 mm and 10 mm outside diameter will share a conduit. Using AVIXA's conduit capacity formula, which is the smallest inside diameter from this list that passes?
Answer: 25 mm. For two cables, ID must exceed the square root of (8 x 8 + 10 x 10) / 0.31, which is the square root of 529, or 23 mm, so 25 mm is the first size that passes. Using the 0.40 factor for three or more cables gives about 20 mm and wrongly accepts 21 mm.
12. The electrical contractor needs the locations of floor boxes and the conduit runs and sizes for an AV project. Which part of the drawing package provides this?
Answer: An infrastructure plan showing boxes and conduit. Infrastructure plan views show physical locations of boxes and pathways, with sizes, so other trades can build them. A signal flow diagram shows connections but not where they run. Rack elevations and mounting details address other questions.
13. A public owner requires competitive bidding, but a draft specification names a single DSP model with no alternatives. What should the designer change?
Answer: Write performance criteria and allow approved equals. A performance specification states what the device must do and lets bidders propose equals, so bidding stays competitive while requirements hold. Removing the DSP abandons a required function. Asking to waive the owner's procurement rules is outside the designer's role.
14. The owner asks how the project will prove the installed system meets the program report. What should the designer propose?
Answer: Testing to agreed verification items and recording results. Performance verification (ANSI/INFOCOMM 10:2013, now maintained by AVIXA) checks agreed items against documented criteria and records results. A delivered parts list proves nothing about performance, and a trial week catches only what users happen to notice. Agree the verification items early in the project.
15. During construction, the contractor installs a different microphone from the one specified, with no submittal. What should the designer do?
Answer: Require a submittal and evaluate it against the criteria. Substitutions go through the submittal process, so the designer reviews whether the item meets the design criteria before accepting it. Equal cost says nothing about performance. Rejecting without review or changing the drawings quietly each skip the control the contract provides.

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AVIXA CTS-D Exam exam FAQ

How many questions are on the AVIXA CTS-D Exam exam?

110 four-option multiple-choice questions: 100 scored and 10 unscored pilot questions you cannot identify, with a time limit of 150 minutes, plus a brief on-screen tutorial before and a brief survey after. Format: closed book; an on-screen calculator, on-screen math formulas and a non-erasable note board are provided, and no references or personal calculators are allowed.

What is the passing score for AVIXA CTS-D Exam?

Scaled score of 350 on a 0 to 500 scale, set by a criterion-referenced process. The scale is fixed, so 350 is not exactly 70% of questions on every form.

How much does the AVIXA CTS-D Exam exam cost?

US$590 nonmember, US$490 paid AVIXA member (also EUR 570/475, GBP 475/395, AUD 940/780); reduced emerging-economy fees apply in listed countries; retest US$150. VAT and taxes are extra. BICSI fees can change without notice, so confirm on bicsi.org before you apply.

Which languages is the AVIXA CTS-D Exam exam offered in?

English only.

Where do I take the AVIXA CTS-D Exam exam?

Pearson VUE test centers only (secure, in person; no remote option).

Is this AVIXA CTS-D Exam practice test free?

Yes. The 15-question practice test on this page is free, with an explanation for every answer and no signup. A free account also unlocks the complete study notes for the first topic. The full AVIXA CTS-D Exam prep is Premium at $147 a month for this exam.

What's in the premium AVIXA CTS-D Exam prep?

3,000 practice questions organized topic by topic (Needs Assessment and Program Report: 450; Coordinating Architecture, Structure and MEP: 425; Coordinating IT, Acoustics and Life Safety: 425; Conceptual Design and Site Compatibility: 425; Final Design and Drawing Package: 425; Project Documentation: 425; Deploying and Verifying AV Designs: 425), 6 full-length timed mock exams of 110 questions, 800 flashcards and 60 comprehensive key notes split across all 7 topics, plus a mistakes bank and the Readiness Score.

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Exam details are summarized from the official candidate information available in October 2026. BICSI changes formats and fees, so confirm with AVIXA Certification Committee before you book. RCDDQuizBank is not affiliated with BICSI or Pearson VUE.

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