NERC System Operator Certification Practice Test
Timed 120-question mock exams for the RC and BT credentials, drawn sub-area by sub-area from NERC's content outline, plus a set for each of the six shared domains. Every answer names the standard behind it.
- Standard + requirement with every answer
- Missed requirements, by domain
- NERC's content outlines
- Read 27 October 2026
- RC · mock here
- BT · mock here
- TO · domain sets
- BI · domain sets
20 experimental questions do not count; candidates are not told which.
- 2 timed mock exams: RC and BT, 120 questions each
- A practice set for each of the 6 outline domains
- Your score and time per question by domain
- Every answer names its standard and requirement, or Glossary definition
- 3 questions free
The tests
The free sample has 3 questions and runs in the same test player as the full tests. Each mock exam has 120 questions, the number of scored questions on the RC and BT exams, with a 154-minute clock: the pace of the real exam, which gives 3 hours for 140 questions. The number of questions from each content-outline sub-area follows that credential's outline. The domain practice sets run at the same pace.
Double-checked questions Real exam pattern Free sample · 3 questions
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Full tests 8 tests
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- 2 timed mock exams: RC and BT, 120 questions each
- A practice set for each of the 6 outline domains
- Your score and time per question by domain
- Every answer names its standard and requirement, or Glossary definition
- 3 questions free
₹2,999·no subscription
Every test: instant score, answer review and a breakdown of topics to work on
Reliability Coordinator (RC) mock exam
Included in the full set
Balancing, Interchange and Transmission (BT) mock exam
Included in the full set
Resource and Demand Balancing practice set
Included in the full set
Transmission practice set
Included in the full set
Emergency Preparedness practice set
Included in the full set
Emergency Response practice set
Included in the full set
Contingency Analysis and Reliability practice set
Included in the full set
Communications and Data practice set
Included in the full set
Your practice scores, domain by domain
Your last score on each of the six domain practice sets, side by side, so you can choose what to practise next. Every result page also shows your score and time per question by domain, and lists the standards, requirements and Glossary definitions behind the questions you missed, with a link to each on nerc.com.
A score here is your score on our questions. It is not a NERC exam result and does not predict one.
What is inside
| Test | What the questions practise | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| RC mock exam | 120 questions in 154 minutes, from every sub-area of the RC content outline in its outline proportions. | 120 |
| BT mock exam | 120 questions in 154 minutes, from every sub-area of the BT content outline in its outline proportions. | 120 |
| Resource and Demand Balancing practice set | Interchange, Contingency Reserve and Balancing Contingency Events, AGC, Reporting ACE, frequency response and bias, load forecasting, generation and energy sources. | 15 |
| Transmission practice set | Protection Systems and Remedial Action Schemes, voltage and reactive control, electrical fundamentals, switching, Facility Ratings and System Operating Limits, transmission equipment. | 12 |
| Emergency Preparedness practice set | Operational Planning Analyses and next-day plans, extreme cold weather and geomagnetic disturbance operations, anticipated capacity and energy deficiencies. | 6 |
| Emergency Response practice set | System restoration from Blackstart Resources, disturbances and load shedding, Energy Emergency Alerts, loss of the primary control center, loss of monitoring and analysis tools. | 10 |
| Contingency Analysis and Reliability practice set | Real-time Assessments and Operational Planning Analyses, network analysis tools, acting on contingency results, SOLs and IROLs and the IROL Tv. | 9 |
| Communications and Data practice set | Event reporting under EOP-004, three-part communication and Operating Instructions under COM-002, data specifications, telemetry and Interpersonal Communication capability. | 7 |
| Total | All tests and the free sample of 3 | 302 |
There is no separate TO or BI mock exam yet. The TO and BI outlines use the same six domains and sub-areas with different counts, so the domain practice sets and the mocks practise their content too.
The standard behind every answer
About three in four of our answers rest on a requirement of a NERC Reliability Standard; the rest, mostly on electrical fundamentals, equipment and terms, rest on a definition in the NERC Glossary of Terms.
Each explanation names the requirement it rests on, for example TOP-001-6 R13 (a Real-time Assessment at least once every 30 minutes) or IRO-009-2 R3 (an IROL exceedance mitigated within its Tv). After every test, the result page groups the standards and requirements behind the questions you got wrong or left blank by domain, weakest domain first, with a link to each standard on nerc.com, so you know exactly what to reread.
The four NERC exams, as NERC publishes them
| Exam | Questions | Scored | Cut score | Content outline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reliability Coordinator Operator (RC) | 140 | 120 | 92 correct | RC outline |
| Balancing, Interchange, and Transmission Operator (BT) | 140 | 120 | 92 correct | BT outline |
| Transmission Operator (TO) | 120 | 100 | 76 correct | TO outline |
| Balancing and Interchange Operator (BI) | 120 | 100 | 76 correct | BI outline |
Each exam includes 20 experimental questions that do not count toward the score, and candidates are not told which ones they are. The exams are computer-based and multiple-choice, delivered by Pearson VUE; NERC's program manual allows 3 hours for the exam plus a 15-minute tutorial (3.25 hours in all). The exam fee is $700, and the exam application is valid for 365 days. A candidate who fails must wait 42 calendar days before sitting any of the four exams. A pass gives a credential valid for 3 years, kept by earning NERC continuing education hours. NERC's exam statistics, updated 15 September 2026, report a pass rate of 60.91% for exams taken in 2026 up to that update. The cut scores (92 of 120 for RC and BT, 76 of 100 for TO and BI) took effect on 1 June 2020; the outlines on 1 June 2023.
Sources: NERC, System Operator Certification & Credential Maintenance, SOC & CMP Resources, Program Manual v4.2, Exam Resource Materials, the fee schedule, exam statistics, the Reliability Standards and the Glossary of Terms. Read on 27 October 2026. Check nerc.com before you book.
Questions
Which credential should I practise for?
The one that matches your role: Reliability Coordinator (RC), Balancing, Interchange and Transmission (BT), Transmission Operator (TO) or Balancing and Interchange (BI). All four outlines use the same six domains; they differ in how many questions many of the sub-areas get. Take the mock for your credential if there is one, then the domain sets, weakest first.
Will this make me pass?
We do not claim that it will. It gives you timed practice on every sub-area of the outlines, a score by domain after each test, and the standard and requirement, or Glossary definition, behind every answer, so you can see what to reread.
What do I get?
2 mock exams of 120 questions with a 154-minute clock (RC and BT), and 6 domain practice sets: 302 questions including the free sample of 3, in the full test player with a question palette and mark for review. After each test: your score, your score and time per question by domain, the standards, requirements and Glossary definitions to reread, and the explanation of every answer. Retake any test as often as you like.
How do I pay and get access?
One payment by card (or PayPal where offered), handled by our payment provider. In the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and the euro area the price is charged in your own currency. Before you pay, the checkout shows the exact amount and the currency you will be charged in. If your currency is not supported, the charge is in Indian rupees (INR), and any local figure shown before checkout is an estimate, not the amount charged. Access opens on this device straight after payment. Sign in afterwards to keep it on your account. Purchase policy.
Independent practice material by ProSyllabus. Not affiliated with, made, endorsed or reviewed by NERC (North American Electric Reliability Corporation). These are our own questions; none comes from a NERC exam. Facts about the exams come from NERC's own pages, read on 27 October 2026.
Disclaimer
Independent practice: our own questions, not a NERC exam
Independent practice, not a NERC exam
NERC's exam questions are confidential and NERC's own. This practice test is not made, endorsed or reviewed by NERC. Every question here is our own, written from the Reliability Standards that are Mandatory Subject to Enforcement and the NERC Glossary of Terms, which NERC's Exam Resource Materials list as references for the exams.
Are these real NERC exam questions? No. NERC's exam questions are confidential and NERC's property. Every question here is our own, written from the Reliability Standards and the NERC Glossary, and none comes from a NERC exam.
Is this made or endorsed by NERC? No. It is independent practice by ProSyllabus and is not affiliated with, made, endorsed or reviewed by NERC.