The CEA is the Certified Audio Engineer credential from the Society of Broadcast Engineers. This page is for candidates preparing for the open-book, in-person exam. It collects free practice sets by topic, worked questions, a study plan and the key exam facts from SBE, so you can see what to practise and where to check the official details.
The CEA has 50 questions, takes about 3 hours and costs $88[1][2][3] (Society of Broadcast Engineers, verified Oct 26, 2026).
Numbers in brackets link to the official sources listed under Sources & last verified. Dates that have passed are removed automatically.
| Item | Detail | Source · Verified |
|---|---|---|
| Number of questions | 50 multiple-choice questions; 2 points each[1] | Society of Broadcast Engineers · Oct 25, 2026 |
| Time limit | 3 hours[2] | Society of Broadcast Engineers · Oct 26, 2026 |
| Passing score | 70%[2] | Society of Broadcast Engineers · Oct 26, 2026 |
| Exam fee | USD $88 member / $193 non-member / $303 Non-Member Plus[3] | Society of Broadcast Engineers · Oct 25, 2026 |
| Retake fee | USD $46 per retake[4] | Society of Broadcast Engineers · Oct 25, 2026 |
| Retake policy | One retake at the next scheduled period; subsequent attempts require a new application[5] | Society of Broadcast Engineers · Oct 25, 2026 |
| Validity | 5 years[6] | Society of Broadcast Engineers · Oct 25, 2026 |
| Renewal | 20 professional credits per five-year cycle, or re-examination[7] | Society of Broadcast Engineers · Oct 26, 2026 |
| Delivery | In-person SBE proctoring, normally through local chapters; open book[8] | Society of Broadcast Engineers · Oct 25, 2026 |
| Eligibility | 5 years of suitable experience; qualifying education may substitute[1] | Society of Broadcast Engineers · Oct 25, 2026 |
| Score release | Results can be sent within a couple of days after SBE receives the exam[4] | Society of Broadcast Engineers · Oct 25, 2026 |
| Registration deadline | January 4, 2027, for February testing[8] | Society of Broadcast Engineers · Oct 25, 2026 |
| Registration opens | Applications accepted at any time[5] | Society of Broadcast Engineers · Oct 25, 2026 |
| Testing window | Next window accepting applications: February 5–15, 2027[8] | Society of Broadcast Engineers · Oct 25, 2026 |
According to Society of Broadcast Engineers, “must have five (5) years of suitable experience in audio/video engineering or related technology.”[1]
The Certified Audio Engineer (CEA) credential is issued by the Society of Broadcast Engineers (SBE). It is aimed at people working in audio and video engineering or related technology. To apply, you need 5 years of suitable experience, although qualifying education may substitute for some of it. SBE decides what counts, so check the certification page before you apply.
The exam is open book and is proctored in person, normally through a local SBE chapter. It has 50 multiple-choice questions worth 2 points each, and you must finish within 3 hours. The passing score is 70%. SBE says results can be sent soon after its national office receives your exam.
Fees listed on the SBE application are $88 for members, $193 for non-members and $303 for Non-Member Plus. A retake costs $46. You may retake at the next scheduled period; after that, further attempts need a new application. Applications are accepted at any time, but each testing window has its own deadline, so confirm dates on the SBE exam schedule.
Certification is valid for 5 years. To renew, you either earn 20 professional credits in each cycle or sit the exam again. Fees, dates and rules can change, so treat SBE's own pages as the final word and use this page to plan your preparation.
The content areas below are copied from the official CEA content outline published by Society of Broadcast Engineers. The right-hand column shows which of our practice sets covers it.
| Official content area | Practice on this site |
|---|---|
| basic electronics[1] | CEA Signal Processing & Electronics Practise how signals behave in circuits and equipment, including gain, impedance and filtering, until you can reason about them without a formula sheet. |
| operating practices[1] | CEA Broadcast Audio and Streaming Standards Work through how audio is handled day to day in broadcast and streaming, including standards, signal flow and loudness conventions. |
| problems[1] | CEA Quality Control & Inspection Methods Practise tracing a fault from symptom to likely cause, and choosing the right check or measurement to confirm it. |
| safety[1] | CEA Safety Regulations & OSHA Compliance Review electrical, equipment and workplace safety rules, and the reasoning behind the correct procedure in each situation. |
| theory[1] | CEA Audio Engineering Principles Strengthen your grasp of sound, levels, microphones, speakers and room behaviour so you can explain why something happens, not only what happens. |
Prepare for the CEA - Certified Audio Engineer exam with our free practice test modules. Each quiz covers key topics to help you pass on your first try.
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.
Question: In room treatment, what is the role of 'mass-loaded vinyl' (MLV)?
Answer: B. To add mass to walls and reduce sound transmission between spaces (soundproofing)
Explanation:
The correct answer is that mass-loaded vinyl adds mass to a wall and reduces sound transmission between spaces. It is a dense, limp barrier, so it belongs to soundproofing. Absorbing mid and high frequencies on walls describes porous absorbers such as mineral wool or foam, which shape the sound inside a room rather than stop it leaving. Diffusing low-frequency energy in corners describes bass trapping or diffusion, which also affects room response. Decoupling a floating floor from the building structure is about breaking vibration paths, and MLV does not do that job. Rule to remember: isolation keeps sound in or out and relies on mass and decoupling, while treatment changes how a room sounds from the inside.
Question: What is the purpose of 'audio description' (AD) in broadcast audio?
Answer: A. A narrated commentary track added to a broadcast describing visual elements of a program for blind and visually impaired viewers
Explanation:
Audio description is a narrated commentary track that describes visual elements of a program for blind and visually impaired viewers, usually placed in pauses in dialogue. The metadata option describes codec and channel layout, which is technical signalling and not narration. The closed-caption option is wrong because captions are text, and audio description is spoken audio for television and film, not a radio caption format. The downmix option describes folding 5.1 to 2-channel playback, which is a separate processing task. Rule to remember: audio description is an accessibility service that adds content for the listener, whereas metadata and downmixing change how existing audio is labelled or delivered.
Question: What recording technique does a 'mid-side (M/S)' microphone configuration use?
Answer: B. A cardioid microphone facing forward (Mid) and a figure-8 microphone placed at 90 degrees (Side)
Explanation:
Mid-side uses a cardioid microphone facing forward as Mid and a figure-8 microphone at 90 degrees as Side. The left channel is decoded as M+S and the right as M-S, which gives adjustable stereo width and good mono compatibility. A pair of cardioids angled at 90 degrees facing left and right is an X-Y style arrangement, not M/S. Omnidirectional microphones spaced 17 cm apart describe a spaced pair. A hypercardioid with a shotgun in an ORTF arrangement mixes up terms, because ORTF is its own stereo technique. Rule to remember: M/S needs a figure-8 on the side axis, and the width comes from the decoding, not the microphone placement alone.
Start with the official SBE exam preparation page and note the content areas: basic electronics, operating practices, problems, safety and theory. Then take one of our practice sets cold for each area and record which questions you miss. Do not worry about the score at this stage; you are looking for patterns.
Next, spend your study time on the weakest areas. Read the explanation for every miss, including questions you guessed correctly, and write the general rule in your own words. Return to the same set after a break and see whether the rule holds on questions you have not seen before.
Because the exam is open book, practise looking things up quickly. Decide in advance which references you will bring, mark the sections you use most, and time yourself finding an answer. Practise reasoning through a question first and only then confirming it in a reference, so you are not reading the book for every item.
In the final days, run mixed sets across all areas under the 3-hour limit, then review safety and any topic you still miss. Our questions are written by us and are not real exam questions, so use them to build understanding, not to predict what will appear. Check your registration deadline and testing details with your SBE chapter well before test day.
The CEA exam has 50 multiple-choice questions worth 2 points each. SBE lists the passing score as 70%. You have 3 hours to finish. The exam is open book and proctored in person, so check with SBE or your local chapter about which materials are allowed in the room.
SBE asks for 5 years of suitable experience in audio/video engineering or related technology. Qualifying education may substitute for some of that experience. SBE decides what counts, so read the certification level page or contact the Certification Director before you submit an application.
The SBE application lists $88 for members, $193 for non-members and $303 for Non-Member Plus. A retake costs $46. Fees can change, so confirm the current amounts on the SBE application and certification pages before you pay.
SBE lists the next window accepting applications as February 5–15, 2027, with a registration deadline of January 4, 2027, for February testing. Applications are accepted at any time. Check the SBE exam schedule for current dates, because schedules can change.
You may retake the exam at the next scheduled period for a $46 fee. If you do not pass on the retake, further attempts require a new certification application. Review the areas you missed with practice sets before you sit again.
SBE certification is valid for 5 years. To renew, you can earn 20 professional credits in each 5-year cycle or take the exam again. See the SBE maintenance of certification page for what activities count toward credits.
How we verify: editorial & fact-checking policy. Report an error: contact us.