PCB Cheat Sheet 2026

The 30 highest-yield PCB facts, distilled from real exam questions. Print it, save it as a PDF, or study it here — free, no sign-up.

1. A PCB professional's duty to report suspected child abuse is: → Mandatory in all U.S. states regardless of professional opinion
2. When scaling a pilot PCB program to a larger population, the most critical consideration is: → Maintaining core program components while adapting for new contexts
3. In PCB data privacy, de-identified data means that: → All direct and indirect identifiers have been removed so individuals cannot be identified
4. What role does peer review play in Design practice? → It provides quality assurance and professional development through collegial evaluation
5. What is a risk mitigation strategy in Design practice? → Implementing controls that reduce the likelihood or impact of identified risks
6. What is the purpose of regular risk reviews in Design practice? → To identify new risks, evaluate control effectiveness, and update mitigation strategies
7. A PCB practitioner is offered a gift by a client's family member in gratitude for services. What should the practitioner do? → Decline politely and explain professional boundary policies
8. What happens to the impedance of a real bypass capacitor at frequencies above its self-resonant frequency (SRF)? → It increases as the component behaves inductively due to ESL
9. What is the primary value of case study analysis in Design training? → Developing critical thinking by applying theory to realistic professional scenarios
10. Which approach best ensures that a PCB program is culturally responsive? → Co-designing the program with members of the target community from the outset
11. What is/are the need(s) for precision differential amplifiers to be guarded? → A & B
12. What is the word that is being used to describe this? "the number of times the waveform repeats itself in one second" → Frequency
13. A pre-test/post-test design in PCB evaluation is primarily used to: → Measure change in participants between the start and end of an intervention
14. Which of the following will happen if one of the ornament bulbs in a string of bulbs is shorted out? → The current in the string will go up
15. What is Near-End Crosstalk (NEXT) and where does it appear on the victim trace? → Crosstalk appearing at the near (source) end of the victim trace, traveling backward
16. How should PCB professionals prioritize identified risks? → Based on likelihood of occurrence combined with severity of potential impact
17. A PCB professional who practices beyond their area of training and competence is violating the ethical principle of: → Competence
18. Which of the following devices/equipments should be used to eliminate ground and supply line noise when constructing TTL/CMOS / ECL PCBs? → Decoupling capacitor
19. Consider three parallel resistors with values of 22 Ω, 27 Ω, and 33 Ω. What is the current drawn from a 12-volt battery when linked across this combination? → 1.4 A
20. Which phenomenon is not mitigated by low-impedance circuit lines, such as those provided by power and return planes for shielding purposes? → Convection
21. Why is documentation important in PCB risk management? → It creates an audit trail, supports decision-making, and demonstrates due diligence
22. What is the primary competency framework for Design professionals? → Structured competency standards defined by the certifying body
23. In PCB practice, a continuous quality improvement (CQI) cycle involves: → Ongoing cycles of planning, implementing, measuring, and improving program activities
24. A series-parallel resistive network is frequently required by good engineering practice. → from resistors that are all identical
25. SMART goals in PCB program design are best described as: → Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound objectives
26. A PCB professional reviewing program data notices a statistically significant improvement in outcomes but a very small effect size. This means: → The change was real but may be too small to be practically meaningful
27. What is the '3W rule' in high-speed PCB trace routing? → Center-to-center trace spacing must be at least 3 times the trace width
28. How many times should a weapon be subjected to quick action? → 1
29. What are the sight picture's two essential elements? → sight alignment, placing of the aiming point
30. When terminating services with a client, a PCB professional should: → Provide adequate notice, a summary of progress, and referrals as needed