- What "STS" Means Here
- The Short Answer on Requirements
- Recommended Background (Not Mandatory)
- Registration, Fees & Delivery Options
- Exam-Day Rules You Must Meet
- What the Exam Expects You to Know
- A Domain-by-Domain Qualification Plan
- After You Pass: Term and Maintenance
- Who Typically Pursues This Credential
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Basic STS is a stand-alone ETA International certification; neither Associate CET (CETa) nor ETA membership is required.
- The exam is a 2-hour proctored written test with a 75% passing score and a USD 105 fee.
- Prior CAT, DCI, DVE, FOI, FOT, FOT-OSP or TTT certification is highly recommended but not mandatory.
- You need a proctor and photo ID; phones are prohibited and used scratch paper must be surrendered.
What "STS" Means Here
Before going further, a clarification: on this site, STS means Smart Technology Systems, the Basic certification issued by ETA International for technicians who install, configure and support smart home and light-commercial technology. The acronym is shared by several unrelated credentials in other industries, so be careful when searching. Eligibility rules, fees and exam formats described here apply only to the ETA Smart Technology Systems certification. If you want a plain-language orientation first, see our explainers on what STS certification is and what STS stands for.
The Short Answer on Requirements
The good news for prospective candidates is that the formal barrier to entry is low. ETA positions Basic STS as a stand-alone certification. That means you do not have to earn another ETA credential first, and you do not have to join the association to sit for the exam.
| Requirement | Status for Basic STS |
|---|---|
| Associate CET (CETa) | Not required |
| ETA membership | Not required |
| Mandatory degree | None verified |
| Fixed training hours | None verified |
| Fixed experience hours or references | None verified |
| Prior CAT, DCI, DVE, FOI, FOT, FOT-OSP or TTT | Highly recommended, not mandatory |
| Code of Conduct acceptance | Expected as part of the credential |
| Proctor and photo ID on exam day | Required |
In practical terms, "qualifying" for STS is less about proving a résumé and more about being ready to pass a 75% knowledge threshold on a proctored written exam. That shifts the real requirement from paperwork to preparation, which is why the later sections of this article map your readiness to the exam's actual content.
Recommended Background (Not Mandatory)
ETA's competency document for Basic STS highly recommends prior certification in one or more of the following: CAT, DCI, DVE, FOI, FOT, FOT-OSP or TTT. The common thread is cabling, installation and low-voltage technician skills. Those credentials overlap with large parts of the STS competency list, particularly cabling and connectorization, pre-wiring, tools and equipment, and basic troubleshooting.
Why the recommendation matters
Because the recommendation is not a rule, you can register without any of them. But the practical effect is real: a candidate who already handles termination, cable pathways and field troubleshooting every day will find several domains familiar, while someone new to the trades will need more ground-up study. If you are coming from IT, security, audio/video or electrical work rather than structured cabling, expect a few domains to feel like review and others to feel brand new.
Experience versus exam readiness
Hands-on experience helps with scenario-style questions about what to do first, what to document and what to check when a system misbehaves. There is, however, no hands-on assessment in the Basic STS exam. You are tested on knowledge, not on a practical bench task. That makes structured study a legitimate substitute for some years of field exposure, though not a perfect one. For a sense of how demanding the written test is, read How Hard Is the STS Exam?
Registration, Fees & Delivery Options
Registration is arranged through ETA and its testing administrator, ETA Certification Administrators. The mechanics that matter for eligibility planning are below.
- Exam fee: USD 105. ETA does not publish separate member and nonmember exam prices.
- Delivery: in-person Trapeza online testing or paper and pencil, with ExamRoom.AI available for remote proctoring.
- Remote proctoring surcharge: two-hour remote proctoring adds USD 16. Local proctor charges are not quoted, so ask your test site.
- Bundling discount: ETA offers the core STS exam at half price when taken at the same time as at least one endorsement.
- Retake: one free eligible retake is available within one year of the first exam session; remote-proctoring charges remain payable.
Choosing between online and paper
Remote testing requires a webcam, a microphone, a suitable computer and reliable connectivity. If your home or shop setup is unreliable, an in-person site or paper-and-pencil session may be the safer route even if it means arranging a local proctor. Scheduling specifics are covered in STS Exam Dates.
Exam-Day Rules You Must Meet
Meeting the exam-day conditions is part of qualifying in a very literal sense: an otherwise well-prepared candidate can be turned away or disqualified for a rules violation. Based on ETA's published testing policies:
- A proctor must be present, and you must show photo ID.
- Scratch paper and a nonprogrammable or scientific calculator are permitted; used scratch paper must be surrendered at the end.
- Personal electronic devices, including phones, are prohibited.
- ETA's general rules prohibit leaving the room after testing starts, so plan breaks before you begin.
- The written knowledge examination runs 2 hours.
Two details were not verified for the STS exam specifically: whether it is open-book or closed-book, and whether adaptive testing is used. Do not assume either way. Ask your test site before exam day and prepare as though you will need to recall material from memory.
What the Exam Expects You to Know
ETA states that its examination questions derive from the published competencies. The Basic STS competency document (dated May 25, 2022, the version currently linked) organizes content into 12 numbered top-level domains. No percentage weights are published, so no single domain can be identified as the heaviest. The sensible assumption is that all twelve are fair game.
The ETA publication lists a range of 75 to 80 questions for the shared STS exam-information table. The exact core question count and the scored versus unscored split are not publicly specified, and the item types were not verified as, for example, all multiple-choice. The passing score is 75%. For the threshold in detail, see STS Passing Score.
Domains 1-4: Safety, Standards, Wiring and Connectorization
This block covers the habits and physical skills behind every installation.
- Safety comes first in the competency list for a reason: expect questions on safe work practices on customer premises.
- Industry Standards tests whether you know the codes and conventions that govern low-voltage work.
- Low Voltage Wiring and Wireless Communication Technologies spans both wired media and wireless options.
- Cabling - Connectorization is about terminating and connecting correctly.
Domains 5-8: Pre-wiring, Electrical, Communications and Management
Here the exam moves from the bench to the building and the system.
- Pre-wiring covers planning and running infrastructure before finishes go up.
- Electrical Basics supports everything from powering devices to diagnosing faults.
- Communications Systems addresses how devices exchange information.
- Residential and Light Commercial Management covers managing systems in the environments where STS technicians actually work.
Domains 9-12: Restoration, Tools, Customer Orientation and Troubleshooting
The final block rewards professionalism as much as technical skill.
- Premises Restoration is about leaving a customer's property in good condition after work.
- Tools and Equipment tests selection and proper use.
- Customer Orientation and Documentation covers teaching the customer and recording what you installed.
- Basic Troubleshooting ties the whole list together in a diagnostic mindset.
For a deeper walk through each area, use our complete guide to all 12 STS content areas. These are Basic STS objectives only; they do not include the separate endorsements or the STS Master Integrator level.
A Domain-by-Domain Qualification Plan
Since eligibility is open, your real task is closing knowledge gaps. The timeline below sequences the 12 domains by dependency: foundations first, system-level thinking after, and troubleshooting last because it draws on everything else. It is a template, so stretch or compress it based on your background.
Safety, Industry Standards, Tools and Equipment
- Establish the safety and standards vocabulary that later domains assume.
- Review tool selection and proper use while the basics are fresh.
Low Voltage Wiring, Wireless, Cabling and Pre-wiring
- Cover wired and wireless communication technologies side by side.
- Connect connectorization practice to pre-wire planning.
Electrical Basics, Communications Systems, Management
- Build the electrical foundation that explains why systems fail.
- Study how residential and light commercial systems are managed.
Restoration, Customer Orientation, Troubleshooting
- Practice documentation and customer-handoff scenarios.
- Finish with troubleshooting, then take full-length timed practice tests.
If you hold one of the recommended prior certifications, you may be able to skim Week 2 and spend the saved time on Domains 7, 8 and 11, which are less likely to overlap with pure cabling credentials. Our STS study guide expands on pacing and resources, and the STS cheat sheet gives you a one-page review for the final days. When you are ready to test yourself under realistic conditions, try the STS practice tests.
Key Takeaway
Because ETA publishes no domain weights, do not skip any of the 12 areas. Use practice questions to find your weakest domains early, and treat the competency document as your checklist.
A note on study resources
ETA advertises a USD 59.95 study resource in its STS section, but the linked public course catalog we reviewed visibly identifies the Security & Surveillance endorsement course rather than a separate Basic STS course. Core-course availability is therefore unverified, so confirm what is actually offered before you buy. ETA's membership page also lists practice-exam access for STS members, but membership remains optional, and practice exams do not give you access to actual certification questions. More on formal courses is in our STS training overview.
After You Pass: Term and Maintenance
Qualifying is not the end of the requirements. The certification carries a four-year term, and maintenance is required to keep it active. Under ETA's general non-hands-on maintenance rules:
- Submit the maintenance form.
- Pay USD 25 per year (USD 100 across the four-year cycle).
- Show either 10 continuing-education contact hours per year (40 over the cycle) or an Employer Verification Form completed by a supervisor.
ETA recommends annual submission rather than waiting until the end of the term. If you work for an employer willing to verify your ongoing work, the supervisor form can replace the continuing-education hours. If you are self-employed or between jobs, plan on documenting contact hours instead. Whether all of this pays off is the subject of our STS ROI analysis.
Who Typically Pursues This Credential
The competency list points to a clear audience: technicians who install and support smart home and light-commercial systems. That includes low-voltage installers, cabling technicians, security and A/V integrators, and electrical or IT tradespeople expanding into connected-home work. Employers in these fields use certifications like STS as a way to verify baseline knowledge across safety, wiring, communications and customer-facing documentation. We do not cite specific salary figures here because none are verified; for earnings context, see STS Salary Guide, and for role types see STS Jobs.
Because no pass rate is publicly disclosed in the reviewed official sources, there is no verified success statistic to cite; the discussion in STS Pass Rate explains what can and cannot be said responsibly.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Basic STS is a stand-alone certification. Neither Associate CET (CETa) nor ETA membership is required to register or sit for the exam.
None was verified in the reviewed official sources. ETA highly recommends prior CAT, DCI, DVE, FOI, FOT, FOT-OSP or TTT certification, but these are recommendations rather than prerequisites. Experience as a practicing technician is mentioned, with no quantified minimum.
The fee is USD 105. It is a proctored written knowledge examination of 2 hours, delivered online or on paper. Remote proctoring through ExamRoom.AI adds USD 16 for two hours. ETA publishes a 75-80 question range, with no hands-on component.
The passing score is 75%. One free eligible retake is available within one year of your first exam session, though any remote-proctoring charges remain payable.
Bring photo ID and expect a proctor. Scratch paper and a nonprogrammable or scientific calculator are allowed, but used scratch paper must be surrendered. Phones and other personal electronic devices are prohibited, and you may not leave the room once testing starts.
The term is four years with maintenance required: the maintenance form, USD 25 per year, and either 10 continuing-education contact hours per year or an Employer Verification Form signed by a supervisor.