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AVIXA · Last updated November 2026

CTS-Installation (CTS-I): free practice test

CTS-I is AVIXA's installation specialty certification for professionals who install, configure, test and close out AV systems. A valid CTS is required before you apply. The exam has 110 questions at Pearson VUE test centers, of which 100 count, and Install AV Systems alone is 39% of them.

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About the AVIXA CTS-I Exam exam

CTS-I is AVIXA's installation specialty certification for professionals who install, configure, test and close out AV systems. A valid CTS is required before you apply. The exam has 110 questions at Pearson VUE test centers, of which 100 count, and Install AV Systems alone is 39% of them.

What's on the exam

AVIXA CTS-I Exam
Pre-Installation Activities
6 key facts
Ongoing Project Responsibilities
6 key facts
Site Rough-In and First-Fix
6 key facts
Racks, Mounting and Termination
7 key facts
Configuration, Testing and Calibration
7 key facts
AV Systems Closeout
6 key facts
Post-Project Maintenance and Repair
6 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-I Exam exam

  • Install AV Systems is 39 of the 100 scored items: rack wiring, mounting, termination, network settings, control settings, testing and calibration. Spend the most time here.
  • Pre-installation work is the next largest duty at 17%. Expect questions on reading drawings, site surveys, facility readiness and staging before you arrive on site.
  • 110 questions in 150 minutes is about 82 seconds each. No formula sheet is provided, so know throw ratio, bend radius and basic IP addressing by heart.
  • You need a valid CTS before you apply. After a failed attempt there is a 30-day wait, and each retest costs US$150 with two retests allowed before a 90-day pause.

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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-I Exam prep

Premium AVIXA CTS-I 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
    Pre-Installation Activities9 key notes, 115 flashcards, then 450 practice questions in 18 sets of 25
    Notes free with an account
  2. 2
    Ongoing Project Responsibilities9 key notes, 115 flashcards, then 425 practice questions in 17 sets of 25
    Premium
  3. 3
    Site Rough-In and First-Fix9 key notes, 115 flashcards, then 425 practice questions in 17 sets of 25
    Premium
  4. 4
    Racks, Mounting and Termination9 key notes, 115 flashcards, then 425 practice questions in 17 sets of 25
    Premium
  5. 5
    Configuration, Testing and Calibration8 key notes, 115 flashcards, then 425 practice questions in 17 sets of 25
    Premium
  6. 6
    AV Systems Closeout8 key notes, 115 flashcards, then 425 practice questions in 17 sets of 25
    Premium
  7. 7
    Post-Project Maintenance and Repair8 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-I Exam study notes for “Pre-Installation Activities”

Our first full set of comprehensive notes, about 12 minutes of reading: Reviewing project documentation · Conducting the site survey · Evaluating facility readiness · Preparing for installation, 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. While reviewing drawings before mobilizing, an installer finds that the rack elevation shows a DSP that does not appear on the equipment list. What should the installer do?
Answer: Submit a request for information through the project manager. Conflicts between project documents are resolved by the designer through a request for information, so the answer is recorded and cost or schedule effects are known. Picking either document yourself is guessing, and buying a substitute skips the submittal process. Raise document conflicts before work starts, when they are cheapest to fix.
2. On the planned start date, the boardroom still has open ceiling tiles, wet paint and heavy drywall dust, and the AV equipment has just been delivered. What should the lead installer do?
Answer: Record that the room is not ready and keep electronics stored. Evaluating facility readiness means recording conditions that would damage equipment or force rework, and reporting them so the schedule can be adjusted. Dust and paint harm projectors and fans, and powered gear under plastic overheats. Leaving without a report gives the project nothing to act on.
3. A crew member cuts a hand on a ceiling grid edge. First aid is enough and the worker returns to work within minutes. What is required?
Answer: An injury report completed the same day. Every injury is documented on the day it happens, however minor, following company and site safety procedures. The record protects the worker if the wound becomes infected and shows hazards that need fixing. A punch list tracks incomplete work, not incidents.
4. A planned ceiling projector location sits directly beside a sprinkler head installed by the fire protection contractor, blocking its spray pattern. What should the AV installer do?
Answer: Stop and raise the conflict with the project manager. Clashes with allied trades are coordinated through the project manager and general contractor, and life-safety systems are never altered by the AV crew. Installing anyway or lowering the mount leaves an obstructed sprinkler that the inspector will reject. Any agreed relocation becomes a documented field modification.
5. A 14 kg (31 lb) projector will hang above a suspended acoustic ceiling. How should its mount be supported?
Answer: From an independent support to the structure. AV loads are carried by the building structure through independent supports, such as a structural ceiling plate with threaded rod, rated for the load with the required safety factor. Ceiling grids, sprinkler hangers and duct straps are designed only for their own systems. Attaching to them risks failure and code violations.
6. An installer is pulling unshielded 4-pair Cat 6A cable with an outside diameter of 7.6 mm (0.30 in). What is the minimum installed bend radius?
Answer: About 30 mm (1.2 in). For 4-pair unshielded twisted pair, TIA-568 cabling practice sets a minimum installed bend radius of 4 times the cable diameter: 4 x 7.6 mm = 30 mm. The 8 times figure applies to screened cable, and 10 times is a fiber figure. Tighter bends change the pair geometry and hurt return loss.
7. In an equipment rack, microphone-level audio cables must pass the AC power cords. What is the best way to dress them?
Answer: Keep them on opposite sides and cross at 90 degrees. Separating signal and power on opposite sides of the rack, and crossing at right angles where they must meet, minimizes magnetic coupling of hum into low-level circuits. Running them in parallel or bundled maximizes the coupled length. Mic-level signals are the most vulnerable because they are amplified heavily later.
8. A newly terminated network cable passes a continuity test, but a cable tester reports a split pair. What is the most likely cause?
Answer: Pins 3 and 6 use conductors from two different pairs. A split pair has correct pin-to-pin continuity, but one signal pair is carried on conductors from two different twisted pairs, so crosstalk is severe. A broken conductor fails continuity, and mixed T568A and T568B ends show as crossed pairs. Terminate both ends with one scheme and keep each pair together.
9. A projector has a throw ratio of 1.5:1, and the image must be 3.0 m (9.8 ft) wide. How far from the screen should the lens be mounted?
Answer: 4.5 m (14.8 ft). Throw ratio is throw distance divided by image width, so distance = 1.5 x 3.0 = 4.5 m. Dividing the width by the ratio gives 2.0 m. Check the lens data for the exact range, as zoom lenses give a range of ratios rather than one value.
10. A DSP is set to 192.168.10.45 with mask 255.255.255.0 and no default gateway. A laptop at 192.168.10.30 reaches it, but the control processor at 192.168.11.20 on the routed network cannot. What is missing?
Answer: A default gateway on the DSP. Devices on the same subnet talk directly, so the laptop works. To answer a device on another subnet, the DSP must send replies to its default gateway, which is not set. Take addresses, masks and gateways from the client's IP plan rather than guessing.
11. When setting the gain structure of a speech system, which device's level should be adjusted last?
Answer: The power amplifier. Gain is set from the source forward: preamplifier first, then the processor stages, so each stage runs at its proper level with headroom. The power amplifier is set last to reach the required level in the room. Setting it first forces the earlier stages to run too low, raising noise.
12. During testing, two side-by-side loudspeakers playing the same program sound thin, and the bass gets stronger when one is switched off. What is the likely fault?
Answer: One loudspeaker is wired out of polarity. When two nearby loudspeakers are out of polarity, low frequencies cancel, so turning one off restores the bass. Check each line with a polarity tester and correct the reversed connection. Clipping adds distortion, and mismatched taps change level, not low-frequency cancellation.
13. The client's executives and its in-house AV technicians both need training on a new system. What is the best approach?
Answer: Give each group a session matched to its role. Training is pitched at each audience: end users need simple everyday operation, while support staff need configuration, troubleshooting and maintenance. One technical session overwhelms users, and handing over manuals alone rarely changes how people use a room.
14. At the final walkthrough, the client finds missing cable labels and an unfinished touch panel page. How should these be handled?
Answer: List them on a punch list with owners and due dates. A punch list records each outstanding item, who will fix it and by when, and the client signs off once all items are cleared. Fixing items informally leaves no record, and pushing them to warranty treats incomplete work as a failure. Closeout ends with a clean punch list.
15. A projector fails three weeks after handover and is within the manufacturer's warranty. What should the service technician do?
Answer: Follow the manufacturer's RMA process and log the fault. Warranty repairs follow the manufacturer's return merchandise authorization process, and the fault is recorded in the service log. Opening the unit usually voids the warranty, and swapping models changes the approved design. Coordinate a loaner if the service agreement provides one.

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AVIXA CTS-I Exam exam FAQ

How many questions are on the AVIXA CTS-I 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 and a non-erasable note board are provided, and no references or personal calculators are allowed. written exam only, with no hands-on part.

What is the passing score for AVIXA CTS-I 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-I 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-I Exam exam offered in?

English only.

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

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

Is this AVIXA CTS-I 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-I Exam prep is Premium at $147 a month for this exam.

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

3,000 practice questions organized topic by topic (Pre-Installation Activities: 450; Ongoing Project Responsibilities: 425; Site Rough-In and First-Fix: 425; Racks, Mounting and Termination: 425; Configuration, Testing and Calibration: 425; AV Systems Closeout: 425; Post-Project Maintenance and Repair: 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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