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Home / Practice tests / BICSI Installer 2 Copper (INSTC)
BICSI · Last updated November 2026

Installer 2, Copper (INSTC): free practice test

INSTC is BICSI's Installer 2 credential for copper structured cabling: pathway preparation, cable placement, termination, testing and troubleshooting. Candidates pass a 6-task hands-on exam first, then a 100-question written exam drawn from the ITSIMM, 8th edition. This prep covers only the written part.

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About the BICSI Installer 2 Copper (INSTC) exam

INSTC is BICSI's Installer 2 credential for copper structured cabling: pathway preparation, cable placement, termination, testing and troubleshooting. Candidates pass a 6-task hands-on exam first, then a 100-question written exam drawn from the ITSIMM, 8th edition. This prep covers only the written part.

What's on the exam

BICSI Installer 2 Copper (INSTC)
Field Planning, Implementation and Design
8 key facts
Pathways and Spaces
8 key facts
Pulling Copper Cable
7 key facts
Terminating and Splicing Copper
7 key facts
Testing Copper Cable
6 key facts
Troubleshooting Copper Cable
6 key facts
Retrofits and Integration
6 key facts
Codes and Standards
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 BICSI Installer 2 Copper (INSTC) exam

  • Pathways and spaces are 28% of the written exam, the largest single area. Expect supports, outlets, sleeves, bonding and firestop, not just copper work.
  • BICSI suggests 50 hours of independent ITSIMM study. Spend them in proportion to the outline: pulling and terminating are 14% each.
  • Hard numbers repay memorizing: 25 lbf, 4 times outside diameter, 13 mm untwist, 90 m and 100 m, 40% fill, 1.5 m support spacing.
  • Build a whole-box habit for cable estimates: divide the box by the run, round down, then divide the outlets by whole pulls and round up.

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 BICSI Installer 2 Copper (INSTC) prep

Premium BICSI Installer 2 Copper (INSTC) 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, 100 questions each, timed
800flashcards with spaced repetition, sorted by topic
60comprehensive key notes across 8 topics

Your step-by-step study path

  1. 1
    Field Planning, Implementation and Design8 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
    Notes free with an account
  2. 2
    Pathways and Spaces8 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
    Premium
  3. 3
    Pulling Copper Cable8 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
    Premium
  4. 4
    Terminating and Splicing Copper8 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
    Premium
  5. 5
    Testing Copper Cable7 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
    Premium
  6. 6
    Troubleshooting Copper Cable7 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
    Premium
  7. 7
    Retrofits and Integration7 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
    Premium
  8. 8
    Codes and Standards7 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
    Premium
  9. Final step: 6 full mock exams100 questions each, timed like test day. Pass them, then book your exam.
    Premium
Free with an account

Read the complete BICSI Installer 2 Copper (INSTC) study notes for “Field Planning, Implementation and Design”

Our first full set of comprehensive notes, about 12 minutes of reading: Copper cable properties · Pair color codes and schemes · Drawings and inventory · Safety and labeling, 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 floor needs 64 outlets. The average run including slack is 180 ft, and cable comes in 1,000-ft boxes. Counting only whole pulls from each box, how many boxes are needed?
Answer: 13 boxes. A 1,000-ft box gives 1,000 / 180 = 5.55, so 5 whole pulls. Then 64 / 5 = 12.8, which rounds up to 13 boxes. Total footage alone gives 11.52 and suggests 12 boxes, but it ignores the short leftover in each box.
2. An owner's specification requires 10GBASE-T over a 95 m horizontal channel. Which cable delivered to site meets it?
Answer: Category 6A UTP. 10GBASE-T is specified to 100 m on Category 6A. On Category 6 it is limited to shorter lengths, up to 55 m, because of alien crosstalk, so a 95 m channel would not meet the requirement. Category 5e is not specified for 10GBASE-T at this length.
3. A 1-in. EMT conduit has an internal area of 0.864 in². Each Category 6A cable has a cross-sectional area of 0.0707 in². Using the 40% fill guideline, how many cables can be installed?
Answer: 4 cables. Usable area is 0.864 x 0.40 = 0.3456 in². Then 0.3456 / 0.0707 = 4.9, and fill is always rounded down, so 4 cables. Rounding up to 5 exceeds the guideline, and 12 is the count with no fill limit at all.
4. An inspection finds Category 6 cable on J-hooks spaced 7 ft apart in an open ceiling, with visible sag between hooks. What is the correct fix?
Answer: Add supports so spacing is 5 ft or less and re-dress the cable. Noncontinuous supports should be no more than 1.5 m (5 ft) apart, so the run needs extra support points and the cable should be re-dressed. Tight ties can deform the cable and hurt performance. Ceiling grid wires are not a cable support.
5. A new outlet is needed on an existing finished drywall partition with no back box, and no conduit is required by the job. What is the appropriate way to prepare the opening?
Answer: Install a cut-in mounting ring in the drywall and fish the cable down. A cut-in ring (cavity box) is designed for existing drywall and secures the faceplate without opening the wall, leaving room for the cable behind it. Opening the wall adds repair work the job did not call for, and a faceplate fixed straight to the drywall has no secure mounting. Match the method to the wall and the scope.
6. A bonding conductor must be connected to a telecommunications busbar that has dulled and darkened in storage. Which procedure is correct?
Answer: Clean the contact area to bright metal and fit a listed two-hole lug. Bonding depends on a clean, low-resistance connection, so the contact area is cleaned to bright metal, treated with antioxidant where required, and fitted with a listed two-hole compression lug. Overtightening does not cure oxidation and can damage the lug. Paint insulates the joint.
7. A Category 6A cable has an outside diameter of 0.30 in. and turns a corner with an inside bend radius of 1 in. Does this meet the bend radius rule for 4-pair cable?
Answer: No, because the minimum radius for this cable is 1.2 in.. The minimum inside bend radius for 4-pair balanced twisted-pair cable is 4 times the outside diameter: 4 x 0.30 in. = 1.2 in. A 1-in. radius is too tight, so the route must be corrected. The 3.0-in. figure applies a 10-times rule that is used for other cable types.
8. A single Category 6 cable is being hauled by hand through a long conduit run. What should be placed between the pull rope and the cable to protect it?
Answer: A breakaway swivel rated at 25 lbf on the cable. The maximum pull force on one 4-pair cable is 110 N (25 lbf), and a 25 lbf breakaway separates before that limit is exceeded. A swivel with no tension limit relieves twist but does not protect against overpull. Pulling hard on the jacket can also stretch the conductors.
9. During a jack inspection, the installer finds that the pairs of a Category 5e cable were untwisted for 20 mm before termination. What should happen?
Answer: Re-terminate so pair twists are kept within 13 mm of the contacts. Pair twist controls crosstalk, so untwist is kept to 13 mm (0.5 in.) or less on Category 5e and higher. A 20 mm untwist should be re-terminated. A cable tie cannot restore pair geometry and a tight tie can do harm.
10. After punching down four pairs on a 110-style jack, the installer finds the conductors have been cut on the side of the contact that leads toward the cable. What was the likely error?
Answer: The cut side of the impact tool blade was facing the wrong way. An impact tool's cutting edge should face the waste end, so it trims the excess and keeps the terminated side intact. Facing it the other way cuts the conductor on the cable side. A low force setting would leave a poor seat, not a cut in that position.
11. Two sections of shielded multi-pair copper cable are being joined at a splice. What must be done with the cable shields?
Answer: Bond them across the splice so that shield continuity is maintained. A cable shield only protects the pairs if it is continuous, so the shields are bonded across every splice with a shield bond connector or bar. Isolating the shields leaves a break in the path. Pair twist helps, but it does not replace the shield.
12. A Category 6A horizontal link is ready to be certified without patch cords. The tester is currently set to the channel limit with channel adapters fitted. What should be changed?
Answer: Select the permanent link limit and fit permanent link adapters. A horizontal link without cords is a permanent link, so the tester needs the permanent link limit and adapters. Testing to the channel limit applies the wrong limit and adapter set. Certifying at a lower frequency would not verify Category 6A performance.
13. A basic continuity tester shows all eight pins correct on a new cable, but a certification tester fails it for NEXT and reports a split pair. What is the cause?
Answer: Wires from two different pairs are twisted as one pair. In a split pair the pins are connected to the right places, so continuity looks correct, but the signal runs on conductors from two different pairs and loses the twist. NEXT then fails. A broken conductor would be an open, and differing schemes would show crossed pairs.
14. A cable is to be removed during a retrofit in an occupied building. Records list it as out of service. What should the installer do before removing it?
Answer: Confirm it is inactive with a tester and get the owner to release it. Records can be wrong, so the circuit is verified as inactive with suitable test equipment and released by the owner or IT contact before removal. Cutting a cable to see who complains risks an outage on a live service. Identifying active circuits is a required retrofit step.
15. Cable marked CMR arrives for installation in a ceiling space used for environmental air, and the cable will not be in a raceway. What should the installer do?
Answer: Hold the install and obtain cable listed CMP for that space. A ceiling used for environmental air is a plenum, where exposed communications cable must be plenum-listed (CMP). CMR meets riser requirements but not plenum requirements. Listings can only be substituted upward, so a coating or a short run does not change this.

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BICSI Installer 2 Copper (INSTC) exam FAQ

How many questions are on the BICSI Installer 2 Copper (INSTC) exam?

100 written multiple-choice questions, after a separate 6-task hands-on exam, with a time limit of 2 hours for the written exam (no scheduled breaks; any break counts toward the time). hands-on exam: 20 minutes per task. Format: no personal items or references in the test room; a calculator and a whiteboard are provided. this prep covers only the written part, and the hands-on exam must be passed first.

What is the passing score for BICSI Installer 2 Copper (INSTC)?

Not published. BICSI sets the written passing score by standard setting (Angoff method) and reports pass or fail, with a section-level report if you fail. Aim for 75% or higher in practice (our suggestion, not a BICSI figure).

How much does the BICSI Installer 2 Copper (INSTC) exam cost?

US$335 for BICSI members, US$400 for nonmembers (application incl. first hands-on and first written attempt); retest US$135 members, US$200 nonmembers per attempt. Virtual walk-in hands-on fee for INSTC: not shown in the 2026 handbook; confirm with BICSI Credentialing. BICSI fees can change without notice, so confirm on bicsi.org before you apply.

Which languages is the BICSI Installer 2 Copper (INSTC) exam offered in?

Not stated in the 2026 INSTC handbook; confirm with BICSI Credentialing.

Where do I take the BICSI Installer 2 Copper (INSTC) exam?

Written exam: Pearson Professional Assessments (Pearson VUE) test centers. Hands-on exam: administered through BICSI, usually on the last day of IN225 Installer 2, Copper Training.

Is this BICSI Installer 2 Copper (INSTC) 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 BICSI Installer 2 Copper (INSTC) prep is Premium at $147 a month for this exam.

What's in the premium BICSI Installer 2 Copper (INSTC) prep?

3,000 practice questions organized topic by topic (Field Planning, Implementation and Design: 375; Pathways and Spaces: 375; Pulling Copper Cable: 375; Terminating and Splicing Copper: 375; Testing Copper Cable: 375; Troubleshooting Copper Cable: 375; Retrofits and Integration: 375; Codes and Standards: 375), 6 full-length timed mock exams of 100 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 BICSI before you book. RCDDQuizBank is not affiliated with BICSI or Pearson VUE.

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