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SCTE · Last updated November 2026

SCTE Fiber-Optic Cable Blowing Installer - Knowledge (FCBI-K): free practice test

FCBI-K validates the knowledge and judgment needed to install fiber-optic cable safely by blowing, from planning and duct proofing to troubleshooting and handoff. The online exam has 50 scenario-based questions in 2 hours with a 76% pass mark across nine published domains. This prep covers only the knowledge exam, not the separate hands-on FCBI-S skills assessment.

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About the SCTE FCBI-K exam

FCBI-K validates the knowledge and judgment needed to install fiber-optic cable safely by blowing, from planning and duct proofing to troubleshooting and handoff. The online exam has 50 scenario-based questions in 2 hours with a 76% pass mark across nine published domains. This prep covers only the knowledge exam, not the separate hands-on FCBI-S skills assessment.

What's on the exam

SCTE FCBI-K
Worksite Preparation and Safety
8 key facts
Route Assessment and Equipment Verification
8 key facts
Materials Selection and Cable Handling
9 key facts
Equipment Inspection and Operational Safety
8 key facts
Duct Preparation and Proofing
9 key facts
Fiber Blowing Operations
8 key facts
Fiber Blowing Troubleshooting
8 key facts
Project Handoff Documentation and Compliance
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 SCTE FCBI-K exam

  • Route assessment and duct proofing are the largest domains at 14% each. Practice reading stationing, computing segment lengths and deciding what each proofing test does and does not prove.
  • The objectives are judgment-focused. When a scenario shows abnormal behavior, lost communication or an uncontrolled hazard, the safe answer is usually to stop, depressurize and diagnose before anything else.
  • Learn to read indicators together: distance, pressure, airflow, hydraulic load and cable movement. Pressure down with airflow up points to a very different fault than load up with distance stopped.
  • You need 38 of 50 correct. Treat the exam as closed book, as SCTE's objectives state, and memorize the formulas for fill ratio, stationing and footage.

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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 SCTE FCBI-K prep

Premium SCTE FCBI-K 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, 50 questions each, timed
800flashcards with spaced repetition, sorted by topic
60comprehensive key notes across 8 topics

Your step-by-step study path

  1. 1
    Worksite Preparation and Safety8 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
    Notes free with an account
  2. 2
    Route Assessment and Equipment Verification8 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
    Premium
  3. 3
    Materials Selection and Cable Handling8 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
    Premium
  4. 4
    Equipment Inspection and Operational Safety8 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
    Premium
  5. 5
    Duct Preparation and Proofing7 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
    Premium
  6. 6
    Fiber Blowing Operations7 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
    Premium
  7. 7
    Fiber Blowing Troubleshooting7 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
    Premium
  8. 8
    Project Handoff Documentation and Compliance7 key notes, 100 flashcards, then 375 practice questions in 15 sets of 25
    Premium
  9. Final step: 6 full mock exams50 questions each, timed like test day. Pass them, then book your exam.
    Premium
Free with an account

Read the complete SCTE FCBI-K study notes for “Worksite Preparation and Safety”

Our first full set of comprehensive notes, about 12 minutes of reading: Permits, right of way and locates · Traffic control and public safety · Job Hazard Analysis · PPE and communication · Stop-work decisions, 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. During a blow, the far-end crew stops answering the radio. The cable is still moving at a steady speed and all gauges look normal. What should the machine operator do?
Answer: Stop the feed and shut off the air until contact is restored. Loss of communication is a stop-work condition, because the far-end crew is the only one who can see the cable emerge or warn of danger. Normal gauges say nothing about what is happening at the exit. Stop the feed, shut off the air and resume only when contact is back.
2. A new pit must be dug at a mid-route assist point. The job's one-call locate ticket expired yesterday, though the paint marks are still visible. What is required before digging?
Answer: Get a new locate ticket and wait for the response. Locates are only valid for the period the state one-call law allows, and paint can be out of date or misplaced by later work. OSHA 29 CFR 1926.651(b) also requires utility locations to be established before excavation. Hand digging does not replace a valid ticket, and one utility cannot speak for the others.
3. A plan shows a segment from Station 12+50 to Station 58+75. In the field, a new detour adds 620 ft. The equipment and cable are expected to reach 5,000 ft in one shot on this route. What is the actual length and the right response?
Answer: 5,245 ft; re-plan the segments before blowing. Station 58+75 minus 12+50 is 5,875 - 1,250 = 4,625 ft, and the 620 ft detour makes 5,245 ft. That exceeds the 5,000 ft expected reach, so the discrepancy goes to engineering and the segments are re-planned. Operating limits are not exceeded to save a setup, and 7,125 ft comes from adding the stations instead of subtracting.
4. A blow needs 160 cfm through the duct at 145 psi, and the machine's pneumatic drive consumes another 50 cfm. The compressor delivers 185 cfm at 150 psi. Is the compressor suitable?
Answer: No, because total demand of 210 cfm exceeds 185 cfm. Check delivered air at working pressure against total demand: 160 + 50 = 210 cfm, which is more than the 185 cfm available. The pressure rating is adequate, but pressure alone does not prove capacity. Pneumatic drive consumption is the item most often forgotten when sizing a compressor.
5. A project limits fill to 70% by diameter. The cable's outer diameter is 11.2 mm. Which is the smallest microduct (listed as OD/ID in mm) that meets the limit?
Answer: 20/16 mm. Fill by diameter is cable OD divided by duct ID. 11.2 / 16 = 70%, so 20/16 mm is the first to meet the limit; 18/14 mm gives 80% and 16/12 mm gives 93%. The trap is using the duct's outer diameter: 11.2 / 16 on the 16/12 mm duct looks like 70%, but air and cable only see the inner diameter.
6. A route is 6,850 ft. The work order requires 100 ft of slack at each of 3 handholes and 75 ft at each of the 2 ends. The reel holds 7,200 ft. What should the installer conclude?
Answer: Short by 100 ft; resolve it before starting. Required length is 6,850 + (3 x 100) + (2 x 75) = 7,300 ft, which is 100 ft more than the 7,200 ft on the reel. Finding that out after the cable is in the duct can mean a splice that was never designed. Always count every slack allowance and confirm footage before the blow starts.
7. At setup, the cable comes off a slightly tilted reel at an angle, rubs the flange and arrives taut at the blowing machine. What should be done?
Answer: Re-level and align the reel so cable enters straight and slack. Cable should enter the machine in a straight line and under no tension, from a level reel with free payout. Rubbing abrades the jacket, and back tension wastes the machine's force and can overload the cable. More push force only hides the setup fault and raises the risk of damage at the drive.
8. Before pressurizing, an installer finds the 3/4-in air hose joined with claw couplings that have no safety clips and no whip checks. What is the correct action?
Answer: Install safety clips and whip checks before pressurizing. Clips stop claw couplings from rotating apart, and whip checks restrain the hose if a connection still fails. A loose hose under pressure can cause serious injury well beyond 10 ft. OSHA 29 CFR 1926.302(b)(7) also requires a safety device at the supply to reduce pressure if a hose over 1/2-in ID fails.
9. A duct is capped at the far end, pressurized and isolated. The gauge holds steady for the full test period. What has this confirmed, and what risk remains?
Answer: No significant leaks in the tested length; clear passage is unproven. A held pressure shows that the pressurized volume is not leaking significantly. It does not show the duct is round and free of constrictions, and a complete blockage can even hide a section beyond it. That is why a pressure test is paired with a mandrel or similar passage test. Temperature changes can also move the gauge during a test.
10. A foam sponge passes through a duct without trouble, but a rigid mandrel sized at 80% of the duct's inner diameter will not. What does this most likely indicate?
Answer: The duct has a kink, crush or other constriction. A soft sponge compresses and can squeeze through a deformed section, while a rigid mandrel cannot. A mandrel that stops therefore points to a constriction that must be located and repaired before blowing. Leaks are found by pressure testing, and a wet duct would not stop a correctly sized mandrel.
11. The crew must stop mid-blow for a planned break and will restart afterward. Which sequence is safe?
Answer: Stop the feed, shut off the air, confirm zero pressure, open the head. The blowing head holds stored energy while the duct is pressurized, so it is opened only after the air is shut off and the gauge confirms zero. Opening it earlier can release pressure violently and move the cable uncontrolled. Restart follows the manufacturer's procedure, with communication confirmed first.
12. A 9,000-ft route has access near its midpoint. One reel holds the full length, and this cable and machine can reach about 5,000 ft per shot. Which approach fits?
Answer: Set up near the middle, blow one way, store the rest, then blow the other way. Sectionalized blowing from the middle gives two shots of about 4,500 ft, both within reach, with no added splice. The remaining cable is laid in a figure 8 and flipped so its free end can feed the second direction. Exceeding manufacturer limits or adding unplanned splices is never the right fix.
13. During a blow, inlet pressure drops, airflow rises sharply and cable speed falls. Which condition best fits these indicators?
Answer: Air escaping through a leak or separated coupler. If air can escape, the compressor flows more while pressure falls, and the air stops carrying the cable beyond the leak. An obstruction restricts flow, so airflow would fall, not rise. Slipping wheels or reel drag change feed and load without this pressure and airflow pattern. Shut down and locate the leak.
14. The distance counter stops at 2,310 ft, and hydraulic load climbs to its set limit while pressure and airflow stay steady. The drawings show a coupler at about 2,300 ft. What should the operator do first?
Answer: Stop, shut down safely and investigate the coupler near that point. Stopped distance with rising load is a stall, and matching the footage to the drawings suggests the coupler as the first place to check. Shut down and confirm the cause before any correction. Raising the force limit risks buckling or jacket damage, and limits exist to protect the cable and duct.
15. A cable's sequential mark read 12,480 ft at the nose and reads 5,215 ft at the point cut at the machine. The machine's counter shows 7,190 ft. What should be recorded?
Answer: 7,265 ft, and report the 75 ft difference from the counter. Installed length from sequential marks is 12,480 - 5,215 = 7,265 ft, 75 ft more than the counter, which can read low if the drive slips. Record the marks at start and finish, and report the discrepancy so that billing and as-builts are accurate. Changing a record so that the numbers match hides the problem.

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SCTE FCBI-K exam FAQ

How many questions are on the SCTE FCBI-K exam?

50 scenario-based questions, with a time limit of 2 hours. Format: scte's fcbi-k exam objectives (updated 6 mar 2026) call this a closed-book knowledge exam, while scte's general exam integrity policy describes its certification exams as open book. prepare for closed book and confirm with scte before testing. this prep covers only the knowledge exam; the hands-on, in-person skills assessment (fcbi-s) is separate.

What is the passing score for SCTE FCBI-K?

76%.

How much does the SCTE FCBI-K exam cost?

US$95 non-members, US$70 SCTE members; a new fee is due for each attempt. Credential validity and renewal: not published by SCTE on the pages checked; confirm with SCTE. BICSI fees can change without notice, so confirm on bicsi.org before you apply.

Which languages is the SCTE FCBI-K exam offered in?

English. SCTE's catalog lists no Spanish version of FCBI-K.

Where do I take the SCTE FCBI-K exam?

Bought from the SCTE online exam catalog and taken as an online proctored exam; the exam must be taken within one year of purchase.

Is this SCTE FCBI-K 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 SCTE FCBI-K prep is Premium at $147 a month for this exam.

What's in the premium SCTE FCBI-K prep?

3,000 practice questions organized topic by topic (Worksite Preparation and Safety: 375; Route Assessment and Equipment Verification: 375; Materials Selection and Cable Handling: 375; Equipment Inspection and Operational Safety: 375; Duct Preparation and Proofing: 375; Fiber Blowing Operations: 375; Fiber Blowing Troubleshooting: 375; Project Handoff Documentation and Compliance: 375), 6 full-length timed mock exams of 50 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 SCTE, a subsidiary of CableLabs; FCBI is an SCTE microcredential before you book. RCDDQuizBank is not affiliated with BICSI or Pearson VUE.

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