CLAD Practice Test

The Certified LabVIEW Associate Developer (CLAD) exam is NI's entry-level LabVIEW certification. People usually take it after working with LabVIEW for a while. On this page you will find free CLAD practice sets grouped by topic and the official exam facts: 40 questions, 1 hour, and 70% to pass. There are also worked explanations of sample questions and a study plan you can follow before test day.

CLAD Exam at a Glance

What the CLAD is and how it works

According to NI (National Instruments, part of Emerson) — Certification Program, “The CLAD Exam is a 40-question multiple-choice exam. For each question, you will choose only one of the four options presented.”^[1]

The CLAD is the entry-level certification in the NI (National Instruments, part of Emerson) Certification Program. It checks that you can work in the LabVIEW environment, apply programming fundamentals, understand basic hardware concepts and follow good programming practice.

Format and scoring. The exam has 40 multiple-choice questions, and each question has a single correct option. You have 1 hour. You need a score of 70% or higher to pass. Your pass or fail result appears when you finish. If you passed, NI reviews any flags and then emails you a digital credential. The email often arrives within minutes, but it can take up to 24 hours.

Delivery. Pearson delivers the exam. You can take it online with remote proctoring or in person at a test center, depending on your preference and what is available.

Eligibility. There is no formal prerequisite. NI recommends 6 or more months of LabVIEW development experience. NI also says that completing the LabVIEW Core 1 and LabVIEW Core 2 courses can count toward part of that experience.

Validity and renewal. The certification is valid for 2 years. To recertify, you retake and pass the CLAD exam.

NI and Pearson set fees, booking steps and retake waiting rules, and these can change. Check the official CLAD page on learn.ni.com before you book.

CLAD content outline and where to practise each area

The content areas below are copied from the official CLAD content outline published by NI (National Instruments, part of Emerson) — Certification Program, with the share of the exam each area carries. The right-hand column shows which of our practice sets covers it.

Worked examples: how to reason through CLAD 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: What does the 'timeout' input on DAQmx Read control?

1. How long DAQmx Read waits for the requested number of samples before returning an error
2. The maximum duration of the entire acquisition task
3. The hardware inter-sample delay
4. The USB transfer packet timeout

Answer: A. How long DAQmx Read waits for the requested number of samples before returning an error

Explanation:

A is correct. The timeout input on DAQmx Read sets how long the function waits for the requested number of samples. If those samples are not available in time, it returns an error. This keeps a loop from hanging forever when the hardware stops delivering data.

B is wrong because the timeout applies to each Read call, not to the whole task. A task can run far longer than any single timeout. C is wrong because the sample clock sets the spacing between samples, not timeout. D is wrong because DAQmx Read has no USB packet setting. Bus transfers are handled by the driver.

Rule to remember: timeout is how long one Read waits for its data, not a property of the acquisition itself.

Example 2

Question: A LabVIEW program uses 'hardware-timed single-point' (HWTSP) mode. What is the primary advantage over software-timed single-point?

1. Deterministic, jitter-free sample timing controlled by the DAQ hardware clock
2. Higher maximum sample rate than continuous acquisition
3. Automatic averaging of multiple readings per call
4. Elimination of the need for a DAQmx Start Task call

Answer: A. Deterministic, jitter-free sample timing controlled by the DAQ hardware clock

Explanation:

A is correct. In hardware-timed single-point mode, the DAQ device's own clock decides when each sample is taken. Timing therefore stays steady and does not depend on how quickly the operating system schedules your loop. That is why the mode is used for control loops.

B is wrong because single-point modes read one sample per call. Buffered continuous acquisition is the usual choice when you need high throughput. C is wrong because the mode does no averaging. You would have to code averaging yourself. D is wrong because the task still has to be started, either explicitly or implicitly.

Rule to remember: hardware timing gives you determinism, while software timing inherits jitter from the OS.

Example 3

Question: A LabVIEW VI runs without a broken arrow but produces incorrect numeric results. Which technique should you use FIRST?

1. Rebuild the entire VI from scratch
2. Place probes on key wires and use Execution Highlighting to trace intermediate values
3. Check the connector pane for missing terminals
4. Enable Error Handling on every node

Answer: B. Place probes on key wires and use Execution Highlighting to trace intermediate values

Explanation:

B is correct. If there is no broken arrow, the VI compiles, so the fault is in the logic, not the syntax. Probes show the value on a wire as data passes through it. Execution Highlighting shows data moving through the diagram. Used together, they show you the exact node where a value first goes wrong.

A is wrong because rebuilding throws away working code and may repeat the same mistake. C is wrong because connector pane problems usually show up as broken wires or a broken run arrow, not as wrong numbers. D is wrong because error handling catches errors that functions report, while a logic mistake usually produces no error at all.

Rule to remember: a broken arrow means you need the Error List. Wrong results with a working arrow mean you need probes and highlighting.

How to use these practice tests

Start by reading NI's CLAD exam preparation guide and the official CLAD page, so you know the content areas and the rules. Then take the practice test without notes to find your weak areas.

Work through the topic sets in the order of the official outline. Begin with LabVIEW Programming Fundamentals, because it carries the most weight. Then move on to Debugging & Troubleshooting, Data Acquisition & Instrument Control and Software Development Best Practices.

Whenever you miss a question, open LabVIEW and build a small VI that shows the behaviour. Many CLAD questions ask what a block diagram will output, and running the code teaches you more than rereading an explanation. Keep a short list of the rules you got wrong and review it before each session.

Once your topic scores are steady, take the full practice test again under a 1 hour limit. This lets you check your pacing across 40 questions. If you plan to test online, read Pearson's remote proctoring requirements well before test day.

Sources & last verified

1. NI (National Instruments, part of Emerson) — Certification Program — number of questions, passing score, other (official source). “The CLAD Exam is a 40-question multiple-choice exam. For each question, you will choose only one of the four options presented.” Verified Oct 22, 2026.
2. NI (National Instruments, part of Emerson) — Certification Program — time limit, validity, renewal, delivery (official source). “Duration: 1 hour” Verified Oct 22, 2026.

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