NICET Fire Alarm Level II practice test and study guide

Prepare for the NICET Fire Alarm Systems (FAS) Level II certification exam with practice tests in the real format: 110 questions in 155 minutes, weighted like NICET’s current content outline, with 248 original practice questions that explain every answer and cite the code section.

Take the free 20-minute practice exam See plans

About the NICET FAS Level II exam

Fire Alarm Systems Level II certifies Associate Engineering Technicians: people who perform routine tasks under limited supervision, interpret drawings, specifications, codes and standards, and can do basic installation, maintenance, troubleshooting, inspections and basic technical or sales documents. NICET expects at least 2 years of fire alarm experience. The exam content was updated on March 25, 2024.

Check the editions. Older study material (and some prep videos) is built on NFPA 72-2016, NFPA 70-2014 and IBC-2015. Today’s Level II exam is based on NFPA 72 2022, NFPA 70 2020 and the IBC 2021. Section and table numbers moved between those editions, so do your tabbing in the editions NICET lists.

Format

Questions	110
Time	155 minutes (your appointment is 10 minutes longer for the tutorial)
Where	Pearson VUE test centers (NICET lists online proctoring for Level I only)
Question types	Multiple choice and multiple response (the question says how many to select). Some questions include exhibits and a few ask you to click on part of a picture.
Navigation	One question at a time; you can move forward and back and flag questions for review.
Calculator	Built into the exam screen. Personal calculators and smart glasses are not allowed.
Breaks	No scheduled break. Unscheduled breaks are allowed but the clock keeps running.
Non-disclosure agreement	You must accept it to begin; declining counts as a failed exam and the fee is forfeited.
Fee	$325 (effective August 1, 2026)

Content outline

Domain / task	Share of exam
2.1 Installation	30–40%
2.1.1 Develop work plans based upon field conditions
2.1.2 Install fire alarm infrastructure (e.g., circuits, pathways, raceways)
2.1.3 Install fire alarm equipment
2.1.4 Perform system commissioning
2.2 Maintenance	25–35%
2.2.1 Perform periodic testing
2.2.2 Correct impairments/deficiencies
2.2.3 Maintain documentation
2.3 Submittal Preparation and System Layout	20–30%
2.3.1 Assemble project information for shop drawings
2.3.2 Survey site conditions to verify that they support the requirements of the fire alarm system design and layout
2.3.3 Prepare basic technical drawings
2.3.4 Determine power supply and loading requirements for fire alarm systems
2.4 Management and Supervision	5–15%
2.4.1 Coordinate work activities

NICET does not publish the weight of each task; this site’s exams use 9 / 12 / 12 / 5 · 14 / 12 / 7 · 7 / 7 / 7 / 7 · 11 questions, which keeps every domain inside its official range.

Which books you can use

Publication	Edition	Allowed in the test center?
NFPA 72, National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code	2022	Yes (printed)
NFPA 70, National Electrical Code	2020	Yes (printed)
International Building Code (IBC)	2021	Yes (printed)
OSHA 29 CFR 1910 and 29 CFR 1926	current	No — study only
Ugly’s Electrical References	2020	No at Level II — study only
NASCLA Contractor’s Guide to Business, Law and Project Management	13th ed.	No — study only
AIA Document A201, General Conditions of the Contract for Construction	2017	No — study only

Books must be bound or in a three-ring binder with a title page. Highlighting and permanently attached tabs are allowed; handwritten notes, loose pages, sticky notes and repositionable tabs are not. An NFPA Handbook is not accepted.
Questions are based on the editions above; other editions are brought “at your own risk”.
Unlike Level I, Ugly’s is not a bring-in book at Level II, so formulas (Ohm’s law, voltage drop, conductor tables) must come from memory plus NFPA 70 Chapter 9. See the Formulas guide.

Requirements to be certified

Pass the Level I and Level II exams.
Experience: at least 2 years (full-time equivalent) of fire detection and signaling systems experience, including at least 12 months of fire alarm systems work (alarm and detection, notification, sprinkler monitoring, suppression-system interfaces and controls). Up to 12 months may be related experience.
Supervisor verification of all Level I and Level II performance measures.

No personal recommendation or major project is required at Level II. You may sit the exam before you have all the experience, but certification is awarded only when every requirement is met.

Scoring, retakes and recertification

NICET reports a scaled score from 0 to 700 with 500 as the lowest passing score, and does not publish the percent-correct equivalent. There is no penalty for wrong answers; answer every question.
After a failed attempt you can retest after 30 days, up to 3 attempts in 12 months.
Certification is renewed every 3 years with continuing professional development (90 CPD points).

Practical target on this site: 80% or more on the fixed practice exams before you schedule. The 70% shown on result pages is only a practice benchmark.

Official sources: nicet.org/fas, the Level II Content Outline and the Level II General References. NICET sells official practice tests in its store; they are copyrighted and are not reproduced here.

Sample Level II practice questions

Five questions from the free practice exam. Each full practice test has 110 like these.

Question 1

A duct smoke detector is listed for air velocities of 500 to 4,000 ft/min. After a fan upgrade, an anemometer reads 5,200 ft/min in the duct at the detector, and the detector now gives intermittent troubles and unwanted alarms. What is the correct fix?

Raise the detector sensitivity setting well above the listed range until the unwanted alarms stop and the troubles clear
Install a detector listed for the higher velocity, or move it to a section within its listed range, then smoke test it
Tape over part of the sampling tube holes to slow the air that enters the sensing chamber
Add a 60-second alarm verification delay to the detector's output so that brief alarms are ignored

Show the answer

Answer: B. A duct smoke detector must be installed within the air velocity range of its listing and the manufacturer's instructions. Outside that range it can give troubles, miss smoke, or alarm unexpectedly. The cure is a detector listed for the velocity or a location within the listed range, followed by a smoke test. Raising sensitivity beyond the listed range is not allowed, taping the sampling tube defeats its design, and a delay only hides the symptom.

Reference: NFPA 72-2022 Ch. 17 (duct smoke detectors); manufacturer's installation instructions and listing

Question 2

On a wet-pipe sprinkler system, which TWO valves would normally be monitored with a supervisory (tamper) switch so that leaving the open position produces a supervisory signal? (Select TWO.) (Select 2.)

The OS&Y control valve at the base of the sprinkler riser
The inspector's test connection valve at the remote end of the system
The main drain valve at the riser
The OS&Y isolation valve on the water-supply side of the backflow preventer
The swing check valve in the riser

Show the answer

Answer: A, D. Tamper switches go on normally open valves that control the water supply to the sprinklers, such as the riser control valve and the isolation valves of the supply and backflow preventer. The inspector's test and main drain valves are normally closed, and a check valve has no handwheel or stem to supervise.

Reference: NFPA 72-2022 §17.17; NFPA 13 (supervision of control valves)

Question 3

A pressure switch on a wet-chemical kitchen extinguishing system is connected to the fire alarm control unit and reports the operation of the system. How does NFPA 72-2022 Table 14.4.3.2 require this fire extinguishing system alarm switch to be tested?

Discharge the wet-chemical system once a year and verify the alarm at the control unit
Operate the switch mechanically or electrically and verify receipt of the signal at the control unit
Inspect the switch visually; it is tested only by the suppression system contractor
Bypass the switch with a jumper at the control unit and verify the trouble signal

Show the answer

Answer: B. Item 17(2) (annual): operate the switch mechanically or electrically and verify receipt of the signal by the fire alarm control unit. No agent is discharged, because NFPA 72 does not require discharge testing of suppression systems (14.2.6.3), and a jumper or a visual inspection does not prove the signal path.

Reference: NFPA 72-2022 Table 14.4.3.2, item 17(2); §14.2.6.3

Question 4

The AHJ asks the central station that monitors a building for the records of the signals it received during that building's annual test last month. The central station keeps its records electronically. What does NFPA 72-2022 require?

Nothing, because records of test signals need to be kept only until the next annual test
The records must be kept for the life of the system and may be released only to the building owner
The records must be on paper, because electronic media are not permitted for supervising station records
The records must have been kept for at least 12 months, and a hard copy must be provided to the AHJ on request

Show the answer

Answer: D. §14.6.3: records of the signals received at the supervising station that result from inspection, testing, and maintenance are maintained for not less than 12 months, on paper or electronic media (14.6.3.1), and a hard copy is provided to the AHJ upon request (14.6.3.2). That agrees with the general supervising station record rule of §7.7.1.3 (not less than 1 year).

Reference: NFPA 72-2022 §14.6.3; §7.7.1.3

Question 5

Four FPLR fire alarm cables, each 0.27 in. in outside diameter, are proposed to be pulled together into a 3/4 in. EMT. Chapter 9 treats a multiconductor cable as a single conductor whose area is calculated from the cable diameter. Using Table 1 and Table 4 (3/4 in. EMT, 40% fill = 0.213 in²), what is the maximum number of these cables that can be installed?

Show the answer

Answer: B. Each cable has an area of π × (0.27 ÷ 2)² = 0.0573 in². With more than two cables the limit is 40% of the conduit, or 0.213 in². 0.213 ÷ 0.0573 = 3.7, so 3 cables fit; four would need 0.229 in², which is too much, so the proposed four cables will not go in this conduit.

Reference: NEC 2020 Ch. 9, Table 1, Table 4, and Note 9

Level II study guides

Free guides for every chapter of the Level II outline, with what to tab in your printed code books.

Practice for the real thing. Take the free 20-minute Level II practice exam (no account needed), or get lifetime access to 110-question exams in the NICET format and 248 Level II questions with explanations.