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ETA · Last updated November 2026

Data Cabling Installer (DCI): free practice test

DCI is ETA International's stand-alone certification for copper communications cabling installers. The written exam has 75 questions in 2 hours with a 75% pass mark and follows ETA's 22-area DCI competency list: safety and basic electricity, TIA-568 and NEC requirements, cabling structure, installation, termination, testing and documentation. A hands-on course from an ETA-approved school is also required; this prep covers only the written exam.

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About the ETA DCI exam

DCI is ETA International's stand-alone certification for copper communications cabling installers. The written exam has 75 questions in 2 hours with a 75% pass mark and follows ETA's 22-area DCI competency list: safety and basic electricity, TIA-568 and NEC requirements, cabling structure, installation, termination, testing and documentation. A hands-on course from an ETA-approved school is also required; this prep covers only the written exam.

What's on the exam

ETA DCI
Safety, Electricity and Data Communications Basics
8 key facts
Standards, Codes and Cable Listings
7 key facts
Network Design and Cabling System Structure
8 key facts
Copper Media, Cable Construction and Performance
7 key facts
Tools, Connectors and Termination
8 key facts
Cabling Installation, Bonding and Firestopping
7 key facts
Testing, Troubleshooting and Documentation
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 ETA DCI exam

  • ETA writes the DCI to its own competency list, which cites ANSI/TIA-568.0-E, 568.1-E, 568.2-D, TIA-569-E, TIA-606-C, J-STD-607-D and the NEC. Learn the numbers those clauses give: 90 m horizontal, 10 m of cords, 25 lbf pulling tension, 4x and 8x bend radius.
  • You need 75%, so about 57 of 75 correct, in 2 hours: well over a minute per question. Use the spare time on dB and Ohm's law arithmetic, and bring a non-programmable calculator.
  • Know your color codes cold: T568A and T568B pin-outs, the 4-pair order and the 25-pair tip/ring scheme. Several competencies turn on them.
  • Testing questions often hinge on what each tester can see: a wire map finds opens, shorts and miswires, but crosstalk, insertion loss and alien crosstalk need a certification tester.

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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 ETA DCI prep

Premium ETA DCI 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, 75 questions each, timed
800flashcards with spaced repetition, sorted by topic
60comprehensive key notes across 7 topics

Your step-by-step study path

  1. 1
    Safety, Electricity and Data Communications Basics9 key notes, 115 flashcards, then 450 practice questions in 18 sets of 25
    Notes free with an account
  2. 2
    Standards, Codes and Cable Listings9 key notes, 115 flashcards, then 425 practice questions in 17 sets of 25
    Premium
  3. 3
    Network Design and Cabling System Structure9 key notes, 115 flashcards, then 425 practice questions in 17 sets of 25
    Premium
  4. 4
    Copper Media, Cable Construction and Performance9 key notes, 115 flashcards, then 425 practice questions in 17 sets of 25
    Premium
  5. 5
    Tools, Connectors and Termination8 key notes, 115 flashcards, then 425 practice questions in 17 sets of 25
    Premium
  6. 6
    Cabling Installation, Bonding and Firestopping8 key notes, 115 flashcards, then 425 practice questions in 17 sets of 25
    Premium
  7. 7
    Testing, Troubleshooting and Documentation8 key notes, 110 flashcards, then 425 practice questions in 17 sets of 25
    Premium
  8. Final step: 6 full mock exams75 questions each, timed like test day. Pass them, then book your exam.
    Premium
Free with an account

Read the complete ETA DCI study notes for “Safety, Electricity and Data Communications Basics”

Our first full set of comprehensive notes, about 14 minutes of reading: Safety on the job · Ohm's law and power · Decibels · Signals and cabling performance, 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. An IEEE 802.3af switch port supplies 350 mA to a camera over a 100 m channel whose worst-case DC loop resistance is 20 ohms. How much power is lost in the cabling?
Answer: 2.45 W. Power lost in a resistance is I squared times R: 0.35 squared is 0.1225, times 20 ohms gives 2.45 W. That is why 802.3af allows 15.4 W at the switch but promises only 12.95 W at the device. Multiplying current by resistance gives 7 V of voltage drop, not watts.
2. A crew opens a new pulling lubricant and a firestop sealant on site. Where do they find the first-aid measures and the PPE required for each product?
Answer: In each product's Safety Data Sheet (SDS). Under OSHA's Hazard Communication Standard (29 CFR 1910.1200), every hazardous chemical comes with a Safety Data Sheet giving hazards, first aid, PPE, handling and spill steps. The NEC and TIA documents cover the cabling, not the chemicals used to install it. Keep SDSs available on site for every product.
3. An inspector rejects CMR cable laid loose above a suspended ceiling that serves as a return-air plenum. Which cable type should replace it?
Answer: CMP plenum communications cable. Spaces used for environmental air need plenum-listed cable (CMP, tested to NFPA 262) unless the cable is in a suitable raceway. CMR passes only the vertical riser flame test, so it cannot go loose in a plenum. Higher listings substitute for lower ones: CMP for CMR, CMR for CMG or CM, and so on down to CMX.
4. A designer plans 25GBASE-T between servers and a top-of-rack switch over Category 8 cabling. What is the maximum channel length the standards allow?
Answer: 30 m. Category 8 is specified to 2000 MHz but only over a 30 m channel (24 m permanent link plus cords) with up to two connections, aimed at data center server-to-switch links. The 90 m permanent link and 100 m channel apply to Category 5e, 6 and 6A horizontal cabling.
5. A horizontal cable is 90 m long. The patch cord in the telecommunications room is 3 m and the equipment cord is also 3 m. What is the longest work area cord allowed?
Answer: 4 m. TIA-568.1 limits all cords in a horizontal channel (work area cord, patch cords and equipment cords) to 10 m in total when the horizontal cable is at its 90 m maximum. With 6 m already used in the room, 4 m is left. The 5 m work area guideline does not override the 10 m total.
6. A design runs a building backbone from the main cross-connect through two intermediate cross-connects in series before it reaches each horizontal cross-connect. What does TIA-568 say about this?
Answer: It exceeds the two-level limit on backbone cross-connects. The hierarchical star allows no more than two levels of backbone cross-connect: main cross-connect, then intermediate cross-connect, then horizontal cross-connect. A second IC in series adds a third level, more connections and longer paths. The limit applies to every media type, and 90 m is the horizontal cable limit, not a backbone rule.
7. A crew is pulling six 4-pair Category 6 cables by hand through a conduit, with tension spread evenly. Under TIA-568, what is the maximum pulling tension on each cable?
Answer: 110 N (25 lbf). TIA-568 limits each 4-pair balanced twisted-pair cable to 110 N (25 lbf) during installation; more can stretch the pairs and change the twist, hurting crosstalk and return loss. The 400 N (90 lbf) figure is the cable's minimum breaking strength, not a working limit.
8. A screened F/UTP 4-pair horizontal cable has an outside diameter of 7.5 mm. What is its minimum installed bend radius?
Answer: 60 mm. TIA-568 sets the installed bend radius of 4-pair cable at 4 times the diameter for unshielded and 8 times for screened constructions, because the foil is easily creased. 8 x 7.5 mm is 60 mm. Using the UTP factor gives 30 mm, which is too tight for screened cable.
9. A technician punches down a 25-pair cable on a 66 block and needs the pair whose tip is yellow and ring is green. Which pair number is it?
Answer: Pair 18. In the 25-pair code, tip colors go in groups of five (white 1-5, red 6-10, black 11-15, yellow 16-20, violet 21-25) and ring colors cycle blue, orange, green, brown, slate. Yellow starts at pair 16, and green is the third ring color, so yellow/green is pair 18. Pairs 8, 13 and 23 are the green-ring pairs of the red, black and violet groups.
10. A ceiling wireless access point will be fed by a horizontal cable fitted with a field-terminated plug that goes straight into the device, with no outlet or cord. What is this arrangement called?
Answer: A modular plug terminated link (MPTL). TIA-568.2-D recognizes the modular plug terminated link for devices such as access points and cameras: the horizontal cable ends in a plug at the device. It is tested as a permanent link with an MPTL adapter so the plug is included. A consolidation point and a MUTOA are intermediate or work area connections, not plug-ended links.
11. A floor's telecommunications room needs a bonding busbar tied back to the primary busbar in the entrance facility. Under J-STD-607-D, what are this room busbar and its backbone conductor called?
Answer: SBB and TBB. J-STD-607-D calls the room busbar the secondary bonding busbar (SBB) and the conductor linking it to the primary bonding busbar (PBB) the telecommunications bonding backbone (TBB). TMGB and TGB are the older names from earlier editions. The BCT bonds the PBB to the electrical service grounding, not to each room.
12. A crew will trench across a parking lot to bury conduit to a gate camera. What must happen before digging starts?
Answer: Call 811 so utilities mark buried lines. US law requires a call to 811 (the one-call center) a few working days before digging so utilities can mark their buried lines; the exact notice period is set by each state. As-built drawings and white paint help, but they don't replace the locate. Hand digging is used near the marks, after the locate is done.
13. A wire map test shows near-end pin 1 connected to far-end pin 2 and near-end pin 2 to far-end pin 1. All other pins are straight through. What is the fault?
Answer: A reversed pair. When the two conductors of one pair swap places at one end, the pair is reversed (a tip/ring reversal). A transposed (crossed) pair puts a whole pair on another pair's pins, and a split pair keeps pin continuity but mixes conductors from two pairs, which a basic wire map can miss. Re-terminate the jack or plug at one end.
14. Several Category 6A links run in a long, tightly packed tray bundle. Each link passes its certification for internal pair tests, but 10GBASE-T ports show errors. Which measurement targets the likely cause?
Answer: Alien crosstalk (PSANEXT and PSAACRF). In tight bundles, signal couples from one cable into its neighbors. Normal certification checks crosstalk inside one cable only, so alien crosstalk testing between disturber and victim links is needed. Loosening the bundle or using screened cable usually fixes it. Wire map and resistance do not measure coupling between cables.
15. A user reports intermittent drops on a link that certified cleanly at installation. Before replacing anything, what should the technician compare the new test results against?
Answer: The original certification test records. The stored certification results are the baseline: comparing new length, insertion loss and NEXT readings to them shows what has changed, such as a damaged cord or a disturbed termination. This is why ETA stresses documentation. Catalog values are generic, and a tone test only identifies the cable.

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ETA DCI exam FAQ

How many questions are on the ETA DCI exam?

75 questions, with a time limit of 2 hours. Format: closed book; eta allows scratch paper and a non-programmable calculator. dci also requires a hands-on training course and skills check from an eta-approved trainer or school, so this prep covers only the written knowledge exam. eta does not publish the item format; our practice uses 4-option single-best-answer questions.

What is the passing score for ETA DCI?

75%.

How much does the ETA DCI exam cost?

US$155 exam fee (ETA list price); the hands-on course is priced by the school. One free retake within one year of the first session. Certification term 4 years, maintenance required. BICSI fees can change without notice, so confirm on bicsi.org before you apply.

Which languages is the ETA DCI exam offered in?

English. The DCI competency list carries Spanish headings, but ETA does not say on its exam page whether a Spanish exam is offered; confirm with your Certification Administrator.

Where do I take the ETA DCI exam?

Taken through an ETA-approved school or trainer after its hands-on course; the written exam is proctored by an ETA Certification Administrator, online through Trapeza or on paper.

Is this ETA DCI 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 ETA DCI prep is Premium at $147 a month for this exam.

What's in the premium ETA DCI prep?

3,000 practice questions organized topic by topic (Safety, Electricity and Data Communications Basics: 450; Standards, Codes and Cable Listings: 425; Network Design and Cabling System Structure: 425; Copper Media, Cable Construction and Performance: 425; Tools, Connectors and Termination: 425; Cabling Installation, Bonding and Firestopping: 425; Testing, Troubleshooting and Documentation: 425), 6 full-length timed mock exams of 75 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 ETA International (Electronics Technicians Association, International); program accredited by ICAC to ISO/IEC 17024 before you book. RCDDQuizBank is not affiliated with BICSI or Pearson VUE.

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