mecp sample

Hi, I am interested in this MECP basic certification. I am going to take the exam sometime soon. Has anyone taken this exam before? I would like to take the exam, but am worried abut it. English is not my native laguage, so it would be difficult for me. Does anyone have sample questions of basic certification? If you know where I can learn about wiring or ohms law, please let me know. Thank you.

Hi wotugot4me,

I have a question for you. Are the sample questions and real exam pretty much the same? I will go to the bookstore and order the study gide (book) later, but wanna know if the book helps me alot or not.

Even though I am certified (basic, first class and master) I only scored a 90 on that sample exam..but I scored a 98 on the real test. So there is something wrong there. Some of those questions really made little sense. The real test is longer (150 questions) but worded in an easier to understand way, pretty much right out of the book.but you still have to watch for little "word plays" they use. It was worse but since the revision it is not nearly as bad..in other words it is more a test of industry knowledge then a test of how well you can understand what they are actually asking..if you understand that..lol I know some of the old schoolers do.

I used to train others for and proctor the exam. It is really not that hard once you get the basics on ohms law, relays, tools and shop safety and some audio terminology down. Remember, you do not need to score 100%...you need to average 70% or better to pass..but you can not score below 70% on any 1 of 3 sections or you flunk.

Many fail the first time but do much better the 2nd time since they know what to expect..but some pass it the first time. It doesn't hurt to study up and ask for help in areas you have trouble with. Many here including myself will be able to help if you wish to take the exam.

Good Luck and don't let anyone including yourself hold you back. You can never lose by gaining experiences.

Thanks, custom audio ny. I ordered a study guide for the basic one. I am sure I will have a hard time to understand the book, but I have no choice to read it to pass the exam. Probably, there are hundreds of technical terms which I have to memorize for the exam. It is going to be a kind of vocabulary test for me.

As you said, I don't need to score100%. If the passing score is 70% or above, there is some hope. I am little worried about "word plays" since English is not my native langage. It always makes me confused. It seems all l I need is studying hard and trying to do my best on the exam. Thank you for your message again.

I need to renew my master certification soon which sucks because it is expensive, but it is good for 4 years. However, I was wondering if anyone knows if they have updated and/or changed the master exam. They now offer a study guide (which is 70 bucks). If the test has changed I guess I will need to read the study guide.

It  could be a good thing because back when I took it there was no master study guide..you basically had to take the test and fail a few times to remember what you needed to study,,that test was NOT easy.

Thanks in advance.

To: wotugot4me, custom audio ny

I goy a study guide for basic today. You gus make me feel better. I am sure I will fail the test at least a few times. It will cost me a lot to pass the exam, but I need to pass the test. Do they ask the same questions everytime? Do they give us answers after taking the test? I know the test is online, but can we take home the questions? I don't know when I will take the test, but want to take it in a few months.

the questions just get mixed around but its usually the same stuff just different order to kinda throw you off. they dont give you any idea which ones you missed so you gotta just read up and know your basics like ohms law and relays and such. when i took my basic test a few years ago they kept asking questions about relays with each one being slightly different, if you didnt read it you would miss it thinking you just answered the same question earlier.

custom, what kind of stuff did that master test cover when you took it? was there anything different or was it just more in-depth stuff of the basics?

As far as I know the basic exam is still the same. There are 3 different versions(plus one in spanish) with the same exact questions but in different order. This is done so if you are taking it with other people it will discourage cheating and copying answers... and for no other reason. You can also take the test online now which the main advantage is you get your test results back right after. You need to go to MECP's website for locations, usually a place like a local library but it still needs to be proctored so don't get the idea you can take the test at home..ain't gonna happen.

You will not get to see which questions you got wrong specifically, however you will get a seperate score for each of 3 sections so you will have an idea of which areas you are weaker and stronger in.

The master test if very different from the basic. The first class or I think they call it "silver" now (which you need to pass and score  80% or better in order to qualify to take the master) is like a more in depth basic. Some of the questions on the master require a calculator which is supplyed by MECP at the test sight since no one is allowed to bring one.

Covered on the master from what I remember is series/parallel circuits and solving circuits containing various components, bridged rectifiers etc. where on the basic they only use simple resistors and a power supply as well as nice small even numbers. Acoustics and advanced cross-overs (zobels etc), audio system design and troubleshooting, solving for capacitance and wonderful stuff like that which is never really used or needed in a typical install bay, but still it is covered on the test. Also reading schematics being able to tell an alternator from a zener diode from a 4th order bandpass network..well fun stuff like that. Understanding advanced terminology in audio and electrical theory is a must.

I also remember a few questions about power windows, advanced relay circuits (well compared to the basic which only asks very simple questions) and even one or two that asked the color codes of vehicle wiring..but it will ask about a "GM import", kind of vague IMO as what really is a GM import???... that covers quite a spectrum.

Some tricky troubleshooting questions on problems that might not even exist anymore, but the "engineers" that wrote many of the questions have probably encountered at one time or another.

Now keep in mind when I took the test there was no study guide for it, from checking the www.cea.org website it seems a master study guide is now available, which leads me to think the test should have been updated. That should make my renewal quite a bit easier, especially if it now asks questions that deal with everyday problems and installations of today, not weird abstact "conditions" engineers encountered in the 1970's-1980's.

Hope my reply helped.