- What This Cheat Sheet Covers (and What It Doesn't)
- Credential Snapshot: The Facts You Can Verify
- The Policy Rules That Decide Your Result
- DC Half: Formulas and Relationships to Memorize
- DC Components: Capacitors, Relays, Motors, Solenoids
- AC Half: Where the Math Changes
- Distribution and Protection Topics
- Instruments and Troubleshooting Quick Reference
- The 36-Item Topic Map at a Glance
- A One-Week Final Review Order
- Common Traps and Cost Misconceptions
- Frequently Asked Questions
- FEAD means Fundamentals of Electricity - AC/DC, a Festo Didactic credential delivered through FICP and NC3 partner institutions.
- Passing requires at least 70% on each certification examination, plus separately completing the required hands-on labs.
- The 36-item topic list merges the DC and AC component lists, with intentional overlaps; it is not an official weighted blueprint.
- Exact question counts, timers, and student exam fees were not verified, so never trust sites that quote them confidently.
What This Cheat Sheet Covers (and What It Doesn't)
This page is a compressed review of the Fundamentals of Electricity - AC/DC credential, abbreviated FEAD on this site. It is built for the last few days before your assessment, when you need facts and formulas rather than long explanations. If you are still early in your preparation, start with the FEAD Study Guide and return here for a final pass.
Two boundaries matter. First, this sheet reflects the issuer-published preparation topics, not a leaked or reconstructed exam. Nobody outside the testing system should claim to know the exact question pool, and this site does not copy protected exam banks or lab files. Second, the credential is delivered through your school or training provider, so local rules (scheduling, proctoring, lab sequencing) come from your instructor. Treat this sheet as a content checklist, and treat your institution as the authority on logistics.
Credential Snapshot: The Facts You Can Verify
| Item | What the sources support |
|---|---|
| Full name | Fundamentals of Electricity - AC/DC (Level 1 Fundamentals - Electricity) |
| Issuer | Festo Didactic, through the Festo Industry Certification Program (FICP) |
| Partner and delivery | National Coalition of Certification Centers (NC3); exams run on NC3Certs through participating institutions |
| Scope | Combined DC and AC fundamentals |
| Curriculum size | DC: 10 units / 10 labs. AC: 6 units / 6 labs |
| Passing threshold (student) | At least 70% on each certification examination |
| Student recertification | Not required under current NC3 student terms |
| Question count, timer, student exam fee | Not verified; ask your institution |
The unit and lab counts describe the curriculum, not the exam. Do not read "10 units" as "10 exam sections" or "16 labs" as a clock length. For a fuller explanation of the name and acronym, see What Is FEAD? and What Does FEAD Stand For?.
The Policy Rules That Decide Your Result
Before formulas, lock in the rules that can sink an otherwise well-prepared candidate. Under the current NC3Certs end-user terms:
- Training path: Students must receive training from an actively certified NC3 instructor at a properly equipped institution.
- Two separate requirements: The knowledge assessment and the practical lab completion are distinct. Passing the exam does not excuse unfinished labs, and finishing labs does not guarantee a passing score.
- Score: At least 70% on each certification examination. If your program delivers separate DC and AC examinations, the 70% applies to each, so a strong AC result cannot rescue a weak DC one.
- Proctoring: Exams follow your issuing school's proctoring rules.
- Account access: NC3Certs requires an active email account for two-factor authentication. Test your login well before exam day.
DC Half: Formulas and Relationships to Memorize
The DC component list covers safety, electricity basics, wiring, Ohm's law, Kirchhoff's laws, measuring instruments, series and parallel circuits, and several device topics. The arithmetic spine is small enough to fit on an index card.
Ohm's Law and Power (Domain 5)
Know all rearrangements without hesitation, and know which quantity you are solving for before you pick one.
- V = I × R; I = V ÷ R; R = V ÷ I
- P = V × I, which combines with Ohm's law into P = I² × R and P = V² ÷ R
- Check units: volts, amperes, ohms, watts. Convert milliamps and kilohms before calculating.
Kirchhoff's Laws (Domain 6)
These two laws solve almost any circuit that Ohm's law alone cannot.
- Current law: current entering a node equals current leaving it.
- Voltage law: voltage rises and drops around a closed loop sum to zero.
- Pay attention to polarity signs; most errors are sign errors, not arithmetic errors.
Series and Parallel Circuits (Domain 8)
Expect to simplify a network, then work back out to find branch values.
- Series: same current everywhere; resistances add; voltages divide in proportion to resistance.
- Parallel: same voltage across every branch; branch currents add; equivalent resistance is always smaller than the smallest branch.
- Combination circuits: reduce parallel groups first, then add series elements, then expand back.
Electrical resistance (Domain 17) rounds out the math: resistance depends on material, length, and cross-sectional area, and conductor choice affects voltage drop. If you want a sense of where candidates stumble, see How Hard Is the FEAD Exam?
DC Components: Capacitors, Relays, Motors, Solenoids
The DC list includes device-level topics that reward conceptual understanding more than heavy calculation: basics of DC capacitors, DC relays, electromagnetism, magnetism, the DC motor, and the solenoid.
- DC capacitors (Domain 9): store energy in an electric field; charge and discharge follow an exponential curve controlled by the resistance and capacitance in the circuit. Know that a fully charged capacitor blocks steady DC current.
- DC relays (Domain 10): a low-power coil circuit switches a separate contact circuit. Be able to identify coil, common, normally open, and normally closed terminals on a schematic.
- Magnetism and electromagnetism (Domains 11-12): current through a conductor produces a magnetic field; coiling it concentrates the field; an iron core strengthens it. Know field direction conventions and the idea of poles.
- DC motor (Domain 13): converts electrical energy to rotation through the interaction of magnetic fields; reversing current direction reverses rotation.
- Solenoid (Domain 14): a coil that produces linear motion of a plunger when energized, used for actuators and valves.
AC Half: Where the Math Changes
The AC component list adds basic circuit concepts, Ohm's and Kirchhoff's laws in AC context, AC capacitors, and the inductor, transformer, relay, contactor, and circuit breaker group. The big shift is that opposition to current is no longer just resistance.
Impedance and Reactance (Domains 29, 32)
Historical program materials explicitly include impedance and reactance calculations, so treat them as core.
- Inductive reactance rises with frequency; capacitive reactance falls with frequency.
- Impedance combines resistance and reactance; it is not a simple sum in a series RL or RC circuit.
- In AC capacitors and inductors, current and voltage are out of phase. Know which leads and which lags.
Transformers (Domain 32)
The core relationships are compact and testable.
- Voltage ratio follows turns ratio; current ratio is the inverse.
- Step-up raises voltage and lowers current; step-down does the opposite.
- Transformers work only with changing current, not steady DC.
Relays and contactors share the same operating idea, but contactors handle heavier loads. Be able to distinguish a control circuit from a power circuit on a diagram.
Distribution and Protection Topics
The AC list is notably practical. It covers electrical distribution, electrical panels, fuses, and the basics of the distribution network, topics that many learners underweight because they feel less mathematical.
Fuses and Circuit Breakers (Domains 32, 34)
Protection devices exist to open a circuit under fault conditions.
- A fuse is a one-time device; a circuit breaker can be reset.
- Ratings must match the circuit and conductor; oversizing protection defeats its purpose.
- Know where protection sits relative to the load in a schematic.
Panels and Distribution Network (Domains 25, 33, 35)
Understand how power flows from source to panel to branch circuits to loads, and why distribution is organized the way it is.
- Be able to trace a path from supply through protection to a load.
- Know the purpose of panel components at a conceptual level.
- Safety (Domain 19) overlaps heavily here: lockout concepts, de-energizing before work, and verifying absence of voltage.
These topics are especially relevant for people aiming at maintenance and facility roles; see FEAD Jobs for how the credential connects to employment paths.
Instruments and Troubleshooting Quick Reference
Both lists include measuring instruments (voltmeters, ammeters, ohmmeters), electrical measurement equipment, and troubleshooting. These are where theory meets the practical lab requirement.
| Instrument | Connection | Common mistake |
|---|---|---|
| Voltmeter | In parallel across the component | Placing it in series, which distorts the circuit |
| Ammeter | In series with the load | Connecting across a source, which can blow a fuse or damage the meter |
| Ohmmeter | Across a de-energized component, isolated from the circuit | Measuring a live circuit or leaving parallel paths connected |
For troubleshooting, use a repeatable sequence rather than guessing:
- Observe and describe the symptom exactly.
- Check power presence and protection devices first.
- Divide the circuit in half and test which half holds the fault.
- Distinguish an open (no current, full voltage across the break) from a short (excess current, near-zero voltage drop).
- Confirm the repair and re-measure.
Key Takeaway
An open circuit shows source voltage across the gap and no current; a short shows heavy current and little voltage across the fault. If you can recite that contrast and apply it to a schematic, you can handle most fault-finding questions.
The 36-Item Topic Map at a Glance
The 36 domains on this site come from two issuer-published lists: items 1-18 from the DC component sheet and items 19-36 from the AC component sheet. Several topics appear twice (safety, wiring, instruments, troubleshooting), which is why they deserve extra attention. The list is unweighted, so do not assume equal exam coverage. For the full breakdown, read FEAD Exam Domains: Complete Guide to All 36 Content Areas.
| Cluster | DC items | AC items |
|---|---|---|
| Safety and foundations | Safety; Electrical Engineering History; Electricity Basics | Safety; Basic concepts of electrical circuits; Electricity Basics |
| Laws and calculation | Ohm's Law; Kirchhoff's Laws; Series and Parallel; Electrical Resistance | Ohm's and Kirchhoff's laws; Series and parallel circuits |
| Measurement | Measuring Instruments; Electrical Measurement Equipment | Measuring instruments; Electrical Measurement Equipment |
| Devices | Capacitors, Relays, DC Motor, Solenoid, Magnetism, Electromagnetism | AC Capacitors; Inductors, Transformers, Relays, Contactors, Circuit Breakers; Electromagnetism |
| Wiring and distribution | Basic Electrical Wiring; Electrical Components | Basic Electrical Wiring; Distribution; Panels; Fuses; Distribution Network |
| Fault-finding | Troubleshooting Electrical Circuits | Troubleshooting; Basics of Troubleshooting |
Do not read this as 36 separate exam sections, and do not aggregate the 36 into a question count. It is a preparation map, nothing more.
A One-Week Final Review Order
If you have one week, sequence by dependency: laws first, devices second, AC third, protection and troubleshooting last, because later topics reuse earlier math.
Laws and series/parallel
- Rework Ohm's law, power, and Kirchhoff problems from scratch
- Simplify at least five combination circuits by hand
DC devices and AC reactance
- Review capacitor, relay, solenoid, and motor behavior
- Practice impedance and reactance calculations
Distribution, protection, instruments
- Trace power from source to load on sample diagrams
- Rehearse meter connections and fault-finding sequences
Mixed practice and logistics
- Take a mixed practice set on the FEAD practice test site
- Confirm NC3Certs login and your lab completion status
Common Traps and Cost Misconceptions
- Treating the exam as only a theory test: labs are a separate requirement. Verify your completion record with your instructor.
- Assuming one 70% total: the stated threshold is 70% on each certification examination.
- Confusing instructor and student rules: instructor requirements (80%, three-year recertification) do not apply to students.
- Misreading the $500 figure: the NC3 agreement's USD $500 annual institutional LMS fee is charged to institutions and waived for active member institutions. It is not a student exam price. Student exam fees were not verified, so ask your school; see FEAD Certification Cost for how to think about costs.
- Swapping meter connections: series versus parallel meter placement is a classic wrong-answer generator.
- Ignoring the AC protection topics: fuses, panels, and distribution look easy but are listed explicitly.
Eligibility details, including the instructor and institution requirements, are covered in FEAD Requirements, and you can weigh the payoff in Is the FEAD Certification Worth It?. When you are ready to test yourself, original practice questions are available on the main practice test page.
Frequently Asked Questions
FEAD refers to Fundamentals of Electricity - AC/DC, a Festo Didactic credential offered through the Festo Industry Certification Program and delivered with NC3 partner institutions. It is not related to other credentials that happen to share the acronym.
Students must score at least 70% on each certification examination under the current NC3Certs terms, and they must also complete the required hands-on labs. The knowledge assessment and lab requirements are separate.
Exact question counts and exam-sitting durations were not verified, so none are stated here. The 10 DC units/labs and 6 AC units/labs describe the curriculum, not the exam. Confirm format details with your institution.
No. Student recertification is not required under the current NC3 student terms. The three-year recertification rule applies to instructors, so ignore secondary listings that suggest otherwise for students.
No. They combine the issuer-published DC and AC preparation topic lists, including intentional overlaps. They are unweighted preparation topics, not a formal exam blueprint, so use them as a study checklist rather than a scoring map.