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ETA · Last updated November 2026

ETA Copper Integration Technician, Outside Plant (FCI-OSP): free practice test

FCI-OSP covers fiber-to-the-home work from the fiber terminal to the customer's router: splicing and closures, drops, ONT and NID installation, splitter testing and integrating the fiber with the home's copper and coax. The written exam has 75 questions in 2 hours with a 75% pass mark, across 8 competency areas set by ETA. An approved course with a hands-on skills check comes first; this prep covers only the written exam.

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About the ETA FCI-OSP exam

FCI-OSP covers fiber-to-the-home work from the fiber terminal to the customer's router: splicing and closures, drops, ONT and NID installation, splitter testing and integrating the fiber with the home's copper and coax. The written exam has 75 questions in 2 hours with a 75% pass mark, across 8 competency areas set by ETA. An approved course with a hands-on skills check comes first; this prep covers only the written exam.

What's on the exam

ETA FCI-OSP
Light, Electrical Basics and Safety
8 key facts
Fiber, Copper and Coax Cable Types
8 key facts
OSP Cable Construction, Color Codes and Codes
8 key facts
Fiber, Copper and Coax Connectors
8 key facts
Splicing and Splice Closures
8 key facts
Splitters, Attenuators and Scope of Work
8 key facts
FTTH Hardware and Measurement Testing
8 key facts
Customer Premises Installation
8 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 FCI-OSP exam

  • This is the only ETA fiber exam that tests copper and coax in depth: RJ45 terminations to T568A/B, RG-6 F connectors, tone and probe, wiremaps and grounding wire sizes all sit beside fiber topics.
  • Learn the splitter numbers cold: 1:2 is about 3 dB, 1:4 about 6 dB, 1:16 about 12 dB and 1:32 about 15 dB in theory, and cascaded splitters add their losses.
  • Know which code applies where: the NESC for the utility's aerial and buried plant, the NEC for cable once it enters the premises, and OSHA and ANSI A14 for ladders, heights and confined spaces.
  • 75 questions in 2 hours is 96 seconds each, and you need 75%. Bring a non-programmable calculator for dB, dBm and power arithmetic, and answer every question.

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 ETA FCI-OSP prep

Premium ETA FCI-OSP 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 8 topics

Your step-by-step study path

  1. 1
    Light, Electrical Basics and Safety8 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
    Notes free with an account
  2. 2
    Fiber, Copper and Coax Cable Types8 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
    Premium
  3. 3
    OSP Cable Construction, Color Codes and Codes8 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
    Premium
  4. 4
    Fiber, Copper and Coax Connectors8 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
    Premium
  5. 5
    Splicing and Splice Closures7 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
    Premium
  6. 6
    Splitters, Attenuators and Scope of Work7 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
    Premium
  7. 7
    FTTH Hardware and Measurement Testing7 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
    Premium
  8. 8
    Customer Premises Installation7 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
    Premium
  9. 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 FCI-OSP study notes for “Light, Electrical Basics and Safety”

Our first full set of comprehensive notes, about 14 minutes of reading: Fiber and laser safety · Heights and confined spaces · Wavelengths, dB and dBm · Reflections, electrical basics and grounding, 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. A selective PON power meter at an FTTH drop shows downstream data at 1490 nm and an RF video overlay at 1550 nm. On which wavelength does the GPON ONT transmit upstream?
Answer: 1310 nm. GPON sends data downstream at 1490 nm, upstream at 1310 nm, and an optional RF video overlay downstream at 1550 nm, all on one fiber. 1270 nm is the XGS-PON upstream band (with 1577 nm downstream), and 1625 nm or 1650 nm is used for in-service OTDR monitoring.
2. A drop is fastened along a fence with cable ties pulled so tight that the jacket is pinched every 30 cm. The OTDR shows loss spread along that section, worse at 1550 nm, with no single large event. What is the mechanism?
Answer: Microbending from many small distortions. Microbends are tiny, repeated deformations of the fiber axis from crushing or pinching, so loss is spread along the affected length. A macrobend is a visible bend tighter than the minimum radius and shows as one point loss. Both get worse at longer wavelengths; fasten drops snugly, not tight.
3. An ONT has an RF video port that will feed several TVs. The only coax on the truck is a roll of RG-58. What is the right decision?
Answer: Use RG-6, because RG-58 is 50 ohm and video drops need 75 ohm. Broadband and RF video use 75 ohm coax, normally RG-6 with F connectors (RG-11 for long runs). RG-58 is 50 ohm, so the impedance mismatch causes reflections and poor picture quality. Match the cable impedance to the system, not just the connector.
4. A 144-fiber loose tube cable has 12 tubes of 12 fibers and uses the TIA-598 color code. Fiber 67 is in which tube, and what color is the fiber?
Answer: White tube, red fiber. Tube 6 holds fibers 61 to 72, and the 6th TIA-598 color is white. Fiber 67 is the 7th fiber in that tube, and the 7th color is red (blue, orange, green, brown, slate, white, red, black, yellow, violet, rose, aqua). Counting from zero or off by one tube are the usual slips.
5. A crew places an aerial fiber drop from a utility pole to a house, then runs it inside to the ONT. Which codes govern each part?
Answer: The NESC for the utility's aerial plant; the NEC for premises wiring. The National Electrical Safety Code covers the utility's communication lines, including pole attachments and aerial clearances. Once the cable serves the premises, the National Electrical Code applies, such as Article 770 for fiber and the grounding and bonding rules at the entrance. OSHA covers worker safety, not the installation itself.
6. Inspection shows dirt on the ferrule inside an ONT's SC/APC bulkhead port. The jumper's plug is clean. What should the technician do?
Answer: Clean the port with a 2.5 mm stick cleaner, then reinspect. Clean the bulkhead ferrule with a cleaner sized for it (2.5 mm for SC), then inspect again before mating. Mating over dirt transfers it to both endfaces and can pit them, and canned air or fingertips only move or add contamination. The rule is inspect, clean if needed, reinspect, then connect.
7. To make punching down easier, a technician untwists about 40 mm of each pair at a Category 6 jack. The link then fails near-end crosstalk. What is the rule?
Answer: Keep each pair twisted to within 13 mm of the termination. TIA-568 limits pair untwist at the termination to 13 mm (0.5 in) for Category 5e and higher. Twists cancel crosstalk, so long untwisted sections show up as NEXT failures. Strip only as much jacket as needed and keep the twists up to the IDC.
8. The fusion splicer rejects a cleave and shows an end angle of 2.5 degrees, beyond its limit. What should the technician do?
Answer: Re-strip, clean and recleave, then check the blade if it repeats. A poor cleave is an extrinsic splice factor: it causes high loss or a weak splice. Recleave after cleaning, and if bad angles keep appearing, rotate or adjust the cleaver blade and clean its clamps. Changing the arc does not fix a bad end; arc settings are set by arc calibration.
9. A new drop terminal will be fed at mid-span from a 48-fiber loose tube cable. Only fibers 13 to 16 are needed there. How should the cable be handled in the closure?
Answer: Open a jacket window, keep other tubes uncut, cut only 13 to 16. Mid-span (mid-entry) access removes a window of jacket, stores the untouched buffer tubes as an express loop in the closure, and opens only the needed tube to cut and splice the required fibers. Cutting everything adds splices, loss and outage risk. Keep express fibers uncut wherever possible.
10. A PON uses a 1:4 splitter in the hub and a 1:8 splitter in each terminal. What is the theoretical splitter loss from the OLT to one ONT?
Answer: About 15 dB. Ideal splitter loss is 10 log N: about 6 dB for 1:4 and 9 dB for 1:8, so the cascade is about 15 dB, the same as one 1:32 splitter (4 x 8 = 32). Real splitters add excess loss and uniformity, so a 1:32 stage usually measures about 16.5 to 17.5 dB.
11. Before reassigning a fiber listed as spare, a technician clips a fiber identifier onto it in the closure. The meter shows traffic with the direction arrow pointing away from the central office. What should happen?
Answer: Stop; the fiber is live, so check records before any cut. A fiber identifier bends the fiber slightly to tap a little light, then reports traffic, a test tone or direction without cutting. Traffic on a fiber listed as spare means the records are wrong. Stop, report it and confirm the fiber's assignment; cutting it would take a customer out of service.
12. A 1:32 splitter input measures -1.0 dBm at 1490 nm. Most output legs read about -18.2 dBm, but one reads -24.0 dBm. What is that leg's loss, and what is the next step?
Answer: 23.0 dB, about 6 dB high: inspect and clean that port, retest. Loss is input minus output: -1.0 - (-24.0) = 23.0 dB, about 6 dB worse than the other legs at 17.2 dB. A dirty or damaged connector on that port is the usual cause, so inspect, clean and retest before replacing the splitter. Always compare measured loss with both theory and the sibling legs.
13. An ONT draws about 9 W. Its backup unit has a 12 V, 9 Ah battery. Ignoring conversion losses, roughly how long can the ONT run in a power outage?
Answer: About 12 hours. Battery energy is 12 V x 9 Ah = 108 Wh, and 108 Wh / 9 W = 12 hours (current is 9 W / 12 V = 0.75 A, and 9 Ah / 0.75 A = 12 h). Fiber cannot carry power from the central office like a copper loop, so voice service in an outage depends on this battery, and FCC rules require providers to offer backup power options.
14. An OTDR trace on a 450 m drop shows the backscatter ending abruptly at 312 m with no reflective spike, then only noise. What does this indicate?
Answer: A break or crush near 312 m with a rough, low-reflection end. A non-reflective end, such as a shattered or angled break, gives a drop to noise with little or no spike, so locate it where the backscatter ends. The OTDR already halves the round-trip time, so the distance shown is one-way. Use a VFL near the reported point and the cable's footage marks to find it.
15. A technician sets an extension ladder against a house wall to reach a drop attachment point 16 ft above the ground. About how far from the wall should the ladder's foot be?
Answer: About 4 ft. The 4 to 1 rule (ANSI A14 and OSHA) puts the foot about one quarter of the working length out from the support, so about 4 ft for a 16 ft support point. Closer risks tipping backward and farther risks the foot sliding out. If stepping onto a roof, extend the ladder at least 3 ft above the landing.

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ETA FCI-OSP exam FAQ

How many questions are on the ETA FCI-OSP exam?

75 multiple-choice questions, with a time limit of 2 hours. Format: closed book; scratch paper and a non-programmable calculator are allowed. eta requires you to complete an approved fci-osp ftth training course and prove hands-on skills before the written knowledge exam, so this prep covers only the written exam.

What is the passing score for ETA FCI-OSP?

75%.

How much does the ETA FCI-OSP exam cost?

US$155 for the exam, with one free retake within one year of the first sitting; course and hands-on fees are set by the training organization. Certification term 4 years, with maintenance required. Stand-alone or Journeyman level: holders who later earn the Associate CET (CETa) and have 2+ years of training or experience can upgrade to Journeyman CET for US$55. BICSI fees can change without notice, so confirm on bicsi.org before you apply.

Which languages is the ETA FCI-OSP exam offered in?

English. ETA does not list other languages for FCI-OSP; confirm with ETA or your training organization.

Where do I take the ETA FCI-OSP exam?

ETA-approved training organizations, which run the required FCI-OSP FTTH course and hands-on skills check; the written exam is proctored by an ETA Certification Administrator online (Trapeza) or on paper.

Is this ETA FCI-OSP 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 FCI-OSP prep is Premium at $147 a month for this exam.

What's in the premium ETA FCI-OSP prep?

3,000 practice questions organized topic by topic (Light, Electrical Basics and Safety: 375; Fiber, Copper and Coax Cable Types: 375; OSP Cable Construction, Color Codes and Codes: 375; Fiber, Copper and Coax Connectors: 375; Splicing and Splice Closures: 375; Splitters, Attenuators and Scope of Work: 375; FTTH Hardware and Measurement Testing: 375; Customer Premises Installation: 375), 6 full-length timed mock exams of 75 questions, 800 flashcards and 60 comprehensive key notes split across all 8 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), accredited by ICAC under ISO/IEC 17024 before you book. RCDDQuizBank is not affiliated with BICSI or Pearson VUE.

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