Free AutoCAD - AutoCAD Design Certification Study Tools

Interactive AutoCAD - AutoCAD Design Certification resources on PracticeTestGeeks, free to start:

• AutoCAD Practice Test — 24 questions with instant scoring and answer explanations
• AutoCAD - AutoCAD Design Certification flashcards — review key terms and concepts card by card
• AutoCAD - AutoCAD Design Certification study guide — topic-by-topic overview of what the exam covers
• AutoCAD - AutoCAD Design Certification cheat sheet — one-page printable summary for last-minute review

AutoCAD Exam at a Glance

What changed for AutoCAD in 2026

• Oct 26, 2026: Delivery changed to Pearson VUE test center or OnVUE online proctoring (English only) (previously Pearson VUE test center or OnVUE online proctoring (English)).^[1]
• Oct 26, 2026: Eligibility changed to Candidate application required; about 400-1,200 hours of AutoCAD experience recommended (previously Application required; ~400-1,200 hours of AutoCAD experience recommended).^[1]

AutoCAD Questions and Answers

• Select more tools from the More Tools tab on the Customize Ribbon Tab. It will appear on the right side of your screen when you click it.
• Drag the toolbar to the left side of the screen from where it is now. It’ll moor there.
• You may also resize the toolbar by dragging one of the edges till it’s the right size. That way, you’ll have easy access to all of your commands. 
• To dock the toolbar at the bottom or top of the screen, simply click and drag it to the desired location until it locks in place.
• Keyboard shortcuts are another option to move the toolbar. To move it to the front, press Ctrl+Alt+T, and to send it to the back, press Ctrl+Alt+B. Simply press the arrow key in the direction you want it to go and it will move. 
• Different parts of the toolbar can be hidden or shown. To do so, right-click on an empty section of the toolbar and choose Customize from the drop-down menu.
• The window for customizing the toolbar will appear. You may choose which buttons to show or conceal from this menu. You can hide the buttons on the toolbar that you don’t use, for example, if you only use a couple of them.
• You can also rearrange the buttons by dragging and dropping them in the desired location. Easy!
• If your toolbar has a lot of buttons, the AutoCAD Filter can assist you in discovering the one you need faster. Simply write what you’re looking for in the filter box, and it will appear in the toolbar highlighted.
• Finally, if you don’t like the appearance of your toolbar, you can revert to the default settings. Simply select Customize from the context menu when you right-click on an empty section of the toolbar. Then, in the lower right-hand corner, click on the Reset button. This will return all of your toolbar settings to their default values.

1. Choose the lines that you want to use.
2. Go to the Properties tab.
3. Take a look at the status bar.
4. You’ve made it!

• On your hard disk, save the image you want to trace. The image can be saved in jpg, jpeg, or gif formats.
• Remove clutter by cropping the image. In the image, we only want the required area. Cropping the bordered and empty background is possible. If you have photoshop, you may remove the backdrop with a simple magic wand selection and delete it to keep the image clear. However, it isn’t required.
• Start a new file in AutoCAD.
• In the command prompt, type “IMAGEATTACH.”
• You’ll be taken to a window where you can browse and find your image.
• Click OK after choosing your image. It will open a window that looks like the one below.
• Click OK, and then click on your AutoCAD working area to position the image where you want it. At this point, you may magnify the image. You don’t have to be concerned about it because the design you traced over the image can afterward be scaled to any size you wish.
• The image is now on the active layer. Make a new layer called Trace or something else that will be easy to remember.
• Set the current layer to the new layer. Change the layer’s color to something that you can see when you trace it over the image.
• Using “Line” and “Arc,” begin tracing over the image. As with any other AutoCAD drawing, you can use edit tools like trim and expand. Switch off the first layer that includes the image once you’ve completed tracing. To finish the AutoCAD to jpg procedure, you could save it as a pdf file and convert it to any image format.

• Select the items to copy in the original drawing (tip: right-click > Isolate Objects).
• Right-click > Copy with Base Point from Clipboard
• Change to a new drawing and make the target layer the current one. 
• Select Clipboard > Paste to Original Coordinates from the right-click menu.

• Open a new drawing and select the Dynamic Input (DYN button) from the Status bar.
• Run the Line command and enter the first point.
• Enter the following value for the next point: @50.71′

• Find and choose the objects you’d like to move.
• Press Enter to stop object selection.
• To open the Mechanical Layer Manager, press Enter.
• Choose the layer to which the objects should be relocated.
• Select OK.

• When using Windows,
• Options are typed on the AutoCAD command line.
• Click the Display tab in Options, then the Colors button.
• Choose a uniform background and a 2D model space (selected by default).
• Select the desired color from the color drop-down option.
• After that, click OK and then Apply and Close.

• Choose a dimension.
• The Properties palette will appear.
• Change the Text height to the desired value in the Text section.

• Select Layer Properties from the Layers panel in the Home tab.
• Select the New Layer button in the Layer Properties Manager. The layer list is automatically updated with a layer name, such as Layer 1. 
• Type over the selected layer name to create a new one.
• Select the new layer’s settings and default properties by clicking the icons in each column. The following characters are not allowed in layer names: > / “:? * | = ‘ In the Description column, you can input descriptive text for complex graphics with multiple layers.

1. Select options from the right-click menu by right-clicking anywhere in the drawing area (without any objects selected).
2. Select the Selection tab on the left-hand side of the screen. Whether or not commands are active, you can turn on selection preview.
3. Go to Visual Effect Settings and uncheck the boxes next to the objects you don’t want to highlight.

According to Autodesk, Inc., “Your exam is scored with a pass or fail result. Passing scores vary by certification exam, and we do not disclose the passing score to candidates before they take the exam.”^[1]

Worked examples: how to reason through AutoCAD questions

These are practice questions written for this site, not questions from the real exam. Each explanation shows why the right answer is right and why the others are wrong.

Example 1

Question: Which command opens a dialog to edit the attributes of an existing block insert?

1. ATTEDIT
2. EATTEDIT
3. DDATTE
4. BATTMAN

Answer: B. EATTEDIT

Explanation:

EATTEDIT is correct. It opens the Enhanced Attribute Editor for a block insert you select, with tabs for attribute values, text options and properties.

ATTEDIT is wrong because it is the older route to attribute editing and is not the tabbed dialog this question describes. DDATTE is a legacy dialog command that EATTEDIT replaced. BATTMAN, the Block Attribute Manager, is wrong because it changes how attributes are defined in the block itself, not the values on one existing insert.

Rule to remember: editing the values on a single placed block calls for the enhanced attribute editor, while changing the structure of the block definition calls for the attribute manager. Read each question for which of those two jobs it describes.

Example 2

Question: Which AutoCAD command creates a rectangular array of objects along both X and Y axes simultaneously?

1. ARRAY with Rectangular option
2. COPY with Multiple option
3. MIRROR with X-Y axis
4. OFFSET with Both Sides option

Answer: A. ARRAY with Rectangular option

Explanation:

ARRAY with the Rectangular option is correct. It builds a grid of copies in rows and columns, so objects spread along both the X and Y directions in a single operation, and you set the spacing for each direction.

COPY with Multiple makes repeated copies, but you pick each location by hand, so it does not build a grid from row and column settings. MIRROR reflects objects across a line and produces a flipped image, not a pattern. OFFSET creates a parallel copy at a set distance, for example from both sides of a line, which is not a grid either.

Rule to remember: match the command to the geometry you need. Repeated rows and columns point to a rectangular array, a flipped image points to mirror, and parallel lines point to offset.

Example 3

Question: Which approach best demonstrates professional competency in AutoCAD practice?

1. Relying solely on initial training
2. Integrating continuing education, practical experience, and evidence-based decision making
3. Avoiding challenging situations
4. Following only personal preferences

Answer: B. Integrating continuing education, practical experience, and evidence-based decision making

Explanation:

Integrating continuing education, practical experience and evidence-based decision making is correct. It describes a professional who keeps learning, applies skills on real work and justifies choices with sound reasoning.

Relying solely on initial training is wrong because software and standards change, so early learning goes stale. Avoiding challenging situations is wrong because difficult drawings and unfamiliar tasks are where skill grows, and avoiding them leaves gaps. Following only personal preferences is wrong because it ignores shared standards and makes your work harder for others to review and use.

Rule to remember: on professional-practice questions, choose the answer that combines ongoing learning, real experience and reasoned decisions, and reject answers built on habit, avoidance or personal taste.

How to use these practice tests

Start with Autodesk's certification page for this exam so you know the rules, the delivery options and what the exam covers. Autodesk does not publish a passing score, so treat every weak area as worth fixing instead of aiming for a number.

1. Take the general AutoCAD Practice Test first to see where you stand. Note which topics cost you answers.
2. Work through the topic sets that match those gaps, such as Layers and Organization, Blocks and Symbols, Dimensioning and Annotation and Plotting and Output.
3. For every miss, open the software and perform the task yourself. Command knowledge sticks when you have used the command on a real drawing.
4. Use the Case Studies and Practical Application set to practise choosing between commands in realistic situations.
5. Before booking, retake the general set under a 120-minute limit to practise pacing.

Our questions are written by us with AI tools and are not real exam questions, so use them to find gaps, not to predict what will appear.

Sample AutoCAD - AutoCAD Design Certification Practice Questions

Try these questions from our free AutoCAD - AutoCAD Design Certification practice tests. The correct answer and an explanation follow each question.

1. You are presenting a progress drawing to a non-technical stakeholder. Which output format is best for ensuring they can view annotations and dimensions without CAD software?

   • A. PDF exported from the AutoCAD Page Setup
   • B. DWG sent via email
   • C. DXF export
   • D. WMF (Windows Metafile) export

   Answer: A. PDF exported from the AutoCAD Page Setup

   PDF is universally viewable without CAD software and preserves annotations, dimensions, and print-accurate layouts.

2. An architect needs to deliver a set of floor plans to a client who only has basic PDF viewing software. Which AutoCAD workflow is most appropriate?

   • A. Export each layout to DWF and email the eTransmit package
   • B. Use PUBLISH to batch-plot all layouts to a multi-sheet PDF
   • C. Print each sheet individually to a physical plotter
   • D. Save the DWG as DXF and attach to an email

   Answer: B. Use PUBLISH to batch-plot all layouts to a multi-sheet PDF

   The PUBLISH command batch-plots all model and layout tabs to a single multi-sheet PDF, ideal for client delivery without CAD software.

3. In AutoCAD, which file type represents an industry-standard format for exchanging drawing data between different CAD software vendors?

   • A. DXF (Drawing Exchange Format)
   • B. DWG (Drawing)
   • C. DWT (Drawing Template)
   • D. DWS (Drawing Standards)

   Answer: A. DXF (Drawing Exchange Format)

   DXF is an open ASCII or binary format developed by Autodesk specifically to enable data exchange between AutoCAD and other CAD applications.

4. A client requires drawings delivered in DWF format. What is the primary professional advantage of DWF over DWG for client distribution?

   • A. Recipients can view and mark up without needing a full AutoCAD license
   • B. DWF files are larger and more detailed than DWG
   • C. DWF supports parametric constraints not available in DWG
   • D. DWF files can be edited and re-saved as DWG

   Answer: A. Recipients can view and mark up without needing a full AutoCAD license

   DWF (Design Web Format) is a lightweight, view-only format allowing clients to review and redline drawings without AutoCAD.

Take the full AutoCAD - AutoCAD Design Certification practice test

Sources & last verified

1. Autodesk, Inc. — time limit, passing score, validity, delivery (official source). “120-minute exam time” Verified Oct 26, 2026 · source checked Oct 18, 2026.
2. Autodesk, Inc. — exam fee, score release (official source). “Autodesk Certified Professional (ACP)$200.00 (USD)” Verified Oct 26, 2026 · source checked Oct 23, 2026.
3. Autodesk, Inc. — retake policy, renewal (official source). “If candidates do not achieve a passing score on any exam after the second attempt, they must wait three days (72 hours) before retaking the…” Verified Oct 26, 2026 · source checked Oct 18, 2026.

How we verify: editorial & fact-checking policy. Report an error: contact us.