NOCTI Technical Drafting Practice Test

Unofficial practice for NOCTI Technical Drafting: drawing basics, geometry, shop math, dimensioning, multiview drawing, threads, manufacturing and design.

A shaft diameter is given by its limits, 0.877 inch and 0.873 inch. What is the tolerance?

Pick an answer, then press Check answer. Then you see Correct or Not quite, with the reason. Keys: A to D pick, Enter checks.

Print covers the next 50 questions. Share this set copies a link to the same questions in the same order.

Exam mode: 50 questions, 45 minutes.

More options

Unofficial practice questions, not affiliated with NOCTI. Bank checked October 16, 2026.

Next step Another NOCTI test: Architectural DraftingAnother NOCTI test: Pre-Engineering

All 50 questions

Basic Drawing Skills 6

  • A drafter wants a lead that keeps a sharp point for light layout lines. Which of these graphite grades is the hardest? US Navy, Blueprint Reading and Sketching, NAVEDTRA 14040 (1994), chapter 2. Written to NOCTI Technical Drafting (4054), Basic Drawing Skills
  • A drawing shows a lever in its working position and, in outline, the other position it can swing to. Which line draws that alternate position? US Navy, Blueprint Reading and Sketching, NAVEDTRA 14040 (1994), chapter 2. Written to NOCTI Technical Drafting (4054), Basic Drawing Skills
  • A machinist needs a length that is not dimensioned on a print. Why should it not be measured off the print with a rule? US Navy, Blueprint Reading and Sketching, NAVEDTRA 14040 (1994), chapter 1. Written to NOCTI Technical Drafting (4054), Basic Drawing Skills
  • Before lettering a note freehand, a drafter rules two very light lines 1/8 inch apart. What are these guide lines for? US Army FM 5-553, General Drafting (1984), section 2-4. Written to NOCTI Technical Drafting (4054), Basic Drawing Skills
  • In a CAD system, what is the plotter mainly used for? US Navy, Blueprint Reading and Sketching, NAVEDTRA 14040 (1994), chapter 2. Written to NOCTI Technical Drafting (4054), Basic Drawing Skills
  • On a drawing board, what are the two jobs of the T-square? US Army FM 5-553, General Drafting (1984), section 1-4. Written to NOCTI Technical Drafting (4054), Basic Drawing Skills
Show all 50 questions (44 more)

Geometric Construction 7

  • A 45-degree triangle and a 30-60-degree triangle are used together. In multiples of how many degrees can angles then be laid out? US Navy, Blueprint Reading and Sketching, NAVEDTRA 14040 (1994), chapter 2. Written to NOCTI Technical Drafting (4054), Geometric Construction
  • A hole on an inclined surface is drawn as a plane curve on which the distances from any point to two fixed points always add up to the same total. What is the curve? US Navy, Blueprint Reading and Sketching, NAVEDTRA 14040 (1994), chapter 2. Written to NOCTI Technical Drafting (4054), Geometric Construction
  • A regular hexagon is laid out inside a circle by stepping a compass around the circumference six times. To what length is the compass set? Wikipedia, Hexagon. Written to NOCTI Technical Drafting (4054), Geometric Construction
  • A straight line is drawn tangent to a circle. What angle does it make with the radius drawn to the point of tangency? Wikipedia, Tangent lines to circles. Written to NOCTI Technical Drafting (4054), Geometric Construction
  • Equal arcs are struck from each end of a line, above and below it, and a straight line is drawn through the two crossings. What has been constructed? Wikipedia, Bisection, Definition. Written to NOCTI Technical Drafting (4054), Geometric Construction
  • Plotted points must be joined by a curve whose radius keeps changing. Which drawing aid is made for that? US Navy, Blueprint Reading and Sketching, NAVEDTRA 14040 (1994), chapter 2. Written to NOCTI Technical Drafting (4054), Geometric Construction
  • Two parallel lines are joined by a smooth S-shaped curve. What is this curve called? US Navy, Blueprint Reading and Sketching, NAVEDTRA 14040 (1994), chapter 2. Written to NOCTI Technical Drafting (4054), Geometric Construction

Applied Mathematics 9

  • A brace 20 inches long leans against a wall and makes an angle of 60 degrees with the floor. How far from the wall does its foot stand? Written to the NOCTI Job Ready Credential Blueprint for Technical Drafting (4054), Applied Mathematics; the answer is arithmetic on the numbers in the question, worked twice
  • A drill size is given as 11/16 inch. What is that as a decimal? Written to the NOCTI Job Ready Credential Blueprint for Technical Drafting (4054), Applied Mathematics; the answer is arithmetic on the numbers in the question, worked twice
  • A metric drawing gives a length of 127 mm. An inch is exactly 25.4 mm. What is the length in inches? Written to the NOCTI Job Ready Credential Blueprint for Technical Drafting (4054), Applied Mathematics; the answer is arithmetic on the numbers in the question, worked twice
  • A plate 31 inches long has one 7-inch margin and three equal spaces, so 3x + 7 = 31. What is x? Written to the NOCTI Job Ready Credential Blueprint for Technical Drafting (4054), Applied Mathematics; the answer is arithmetic on the numbers in the question, worked twice
  • A round cover plate has a diameter of 10 inches. What is the area of one face, to the nearest tenth of a square inch? Written to the NOCTI Job Ready Credential Blueprint for Technical Drafting (4054), Applied Mathematics; the answer is arithmetic on the numbers in the question, worked twice
  • A shaft tapers evenly from 1.500 inches to 1.250 inches in diameter over a length of 6 inches. What is its taper per foot? Written to the NOCTI Job Ready Credential Blueprint for Technical Drafting (4054), Applied Mathematics; the answer is arithmetic on the numbers in the question, worked twice
  • A sloped surface rises 3 inches over a horizontal run of 12 inches. What is its slope as a percent? Written to the NOCTI Job Ready Credential Blueprint for Technical Drafting (4054), Applied Mathematics; the answer is arithmetic on the numbers in the question, worked twice
  • A steel pin is 2 inches in diameter and 5 inches long. What is its volume, to the nearest tenth of a cubic inch? Written to the NOCTI Job Ready Credential Blueprint for Technical Drafting (4054), Applied Mathematics; the answer is arithmetic on the numbers in the question, worked twice
  • A triangular bracket has one square corner of 90 degrees and one corner of 28 degrees. How large is the third corner? Written to the NOCTI Job Ready Credential Blueprint for Technical Drafting (4054), Applied Mathematics; the answer is arithmetic on the numbers in the question, worked twice

Dimensioning Skills 9

  • A hole is dimensioned 0.500 with a tolerance of +0.002 and no minus. What is this way of showing a tolerance called? US Navy, Blueprint Reading and Sketching, NAVEDTRA 14040 (1994), chapter 4. Written to NOCTI Technical Drafting (4054), Dimensioning Skills
  • A plate has four drilled holes. In which view should their diameters be dimensioned? US Army FM 5-553, General Drafting (1984), section 6-3. Written to NOCTI Technical Drafting (4054), Dimensioning Skills
  • A shaft diameter is given by its limits, 0.877 inch and 0.873 inch. What is the tolerance? US Navy, Blueprint Reading and Sketching, NAVEDTRA 14040 (1994), chapter 4. Written to NOCTI Technical Drafting (4054), Dimensioning Skills; the arithmetic was worked twice
  • A surface roughness symbol carries the number 63 in the angle of its check mark. In what unit is that roughness height stated? US Navy, Blueprint Reading and Sketching, NAVEDTRA 14040 (1994), chapter 4. Written to NOCTI Technical Drafting (4054), Dimensioning Skills
  • Every horizontal dimension on a view is measured from the same left edge. What is the main gain of this base line system? US Army FM 5-553, General Drafting (1984), section 6-8. Written to NOCTI Technical Drafting (4054), Dimensioning Skills
  • In the unidirectional system of dimensioning, from where can every dimension be read? US Army FM 5-553, General Drafting (1984), section 6-4. Written to NOCTI Technical Drafting (4054), Dimensioning Skills
  • One drawing serves a bracket that is made in five sizes. Letters stand in for the dimensions that change, and a table lists their values for each part number. What is this called? US Army FM 5-553, General Drafting (1984), section 6-11. Written to NOCTI Technical Drafting (4054), Dimensioning Skills
  • Which letters of the alphabet are not used as datum identifying symbols? US Navy, Blueprint Reading and Sketching, NAVEDTRA 14040 (1994), chapter 4. Written to NOCTI Technical Drafting (4054), Dimensioning Skills
  • Which lines carry an edge or point of a view out to a place beyond the outline of the part, so that a dimension can be set there? US Army FM 5-553, General Drafting (1984), section 6-2. Written to NOCTI Technical Drafting (4054), Dimensioning Skills

Multiview Drawing 8

  • A cutting-plane line zigzags across a view so that it passes through a hole near one edge and a slot near the other. What kind of section results? US Navy, Blueprint Reading and Sketching, NAVEDTRA 14040 (1994), chapter 3. Written to NOCTI Technical Drafting (4054), Multiview Drawing
  • A drawing has been changed after it was issued. In which corner is the revision block that records the change? US Navy, Blueprint Reading and Sketching, NAVEDTRA 14040 (1994), chapter 1. Written to NOCTI Technical Drafting (4054), Multiview Drawing
  • A flat pattern is needed for a sheet metal cone. Which type of development is used for cones and pyramids? US Navy, Blueprint Reading and Sketching, NAVEDTRA 14040 (1994), chapter 8. Written to NOCTI Technical Drafting (4054), Multiview Drawing
  • A part has a sloping face that looks foreshortened in the front, top and side views. Which view shows the true size and shape of that face? US Navy, Blueprint Reading and Sketching, NAVEDTRA 14040 (1994), chapter 3. Written to NOCTI Technical Drafting (4054), Multiview Drawing
  • An oblique drawing is made with its receding axis drawn at half scale. What is this drawing called? US Army FM 5-553, General Drafting (1984), chapter 16. Written to NOCTI Technical Drafting (4054), Multiview Drawing
  • How much of a symmetrical object is imagined to be cut away for a half section? US Navy, Blueprint Reading and Sketching, NAVEDTRA 14040 (1994), chapter 3. Written to NOCTI Technical Drafting (4054), Multiview Drawing
  • What does a detail drawing show? US Navy, Blueprint Reading and Sketching, NAVEDTRA 14040 (1994), chapter 3. Written to NOCTI Technical Drafting (4054), Multiview Drawing
  • Which view spaces the parts of an assembly out in line, to show where each one goes? US Navy, Blueprint Reading and Sketching, NAVEDTRA 14040 (1994), chapter 3. Written to NOCTI Technical Drafting (4054), Multiview Drawing

Threads and Fasteners 3

  • A key locks a pulley to a shaft. What is the slot cut in the outside of the shaft for the key called? US Navy, Blueprint Reading and Sketching, NAVEDTRA 14040 (1994), chapter 4. Written to NOCTI Technical Drafting (4054), Threads and Fasteners
  • A thread note reads 3/8-16 UNC-2. What does the 16 give? US Navy, Blueprint Reading and Sketching, NAVEDTRA 14040 (1994), chapter 4. Written to NOCTI Technical Drafting (4054), Threads and Fasteners
  • On a double-thread screw, how does the lead compare with the pitch? US Navy, Blueprint Reading and Sketching, NAVEDTRA 14040 (1994), chapter 4. Written to NOCTI Technical Drafting (4054), Threads and Fasteners

Manufacturing Processes 5

  • A drawing note calls for a drilled hole to be countersunk. At what angle are countersinks usually made? US Army FM 5-553, General Drafting (1984), section 14-12. Written to NOCTI Technical Drafting (4054), Manufacturing Processes
  • A spur gear has 40 teeth and a pitch diameter of 5 inches. What is its diametral pitch? US Navy, Blueprint Reading and Sketching, NAVEDTRA 14040 (1994), chapter 4. Written to NOCTI Technical Drafting (4054), Manufacturing Processes; the arithmetic was worked twice
  • In a CAD/CAM system, what is the CAM part used for? US Navy, Blueprint Reading and Sketching, NAVEDTRA 14040 (1994), chapter 2. Written to NOCTI Technical Drafting (4054), Manufacturing Processes
  • On a welding symbol, what does the arrow do? US Navy, Blueprint Reading and Sketching, NAVEDTRA 14040 (1994), chapter 7. Written to NOCTI Technical Drafting (4054), Manufacturing Processes
  • Why does the drawing of a cast part call for fillets at its inside corners? US Navy, Blueprint Reading and Sketching, NAVEDTRA 14040 (1994), chapter 4. Written to NOCTI Technical Drafting (4054), Manufacturing Processes

Design Principles 3

  • A drafter needs the rules and symbols for geometric dimensioning and tolerancing. Which standard establishes them? Wikipedia, ASME Y14.5. Written to NOCTI Technical Drafting (4054), Design Principles
  • Before a project moves to its next phase, a team evaluates and analyzes whether the proposal has the potential to succeed. What is this study called? Wikipedia, Engineering design process, Feasibility studies. Written to NOCTI Technical Drafting (4054), Design Principles
  • Which design principle holds that the appearance and structure of an object should relate first of all to its intended purpose? Wikipedia, Form follows function. Written to NOCTI Technical Drafting (4054), Design Principles

How this list was compiled: Our own questions, written to the competency list of the Job Ready Credential Blueprint for Technical Drafting (code 4054, version 01, original release 2006, content review 2026) that NOCTI publishes at https://www.nocti.org/wp-content/uploads/Blueprints/JRTechDrftg4054.pdf , read 2026-10-16: a written assessment of 201 questions in 3 hours over eight areas (Basic Drawing Skills 12%; Geometric Construction 13%; Applied Mathematics 17%; Dimensioning Skills 18%; Multiview Drawing 17%; Threads and Fasteners 7%; Manufacturing Processes 10%; Design Principles 6%), plus a performance assessment of four jobs. This bank holds 50 in those proportions. Every rule and definition was read on 2026-10-16 in the public text named under its question: the US Navy training course Blueprint Reading and Sketching (NAVEDTRA 14040, 1994) and US Army FM 5-553, General Drafting (1984), both in the copies at archive.org, and Wikipedia. Every length, angle and count in a sum is made up for the drill, and each computed answer is arithmetic that was worked twice. Licence: Questions, choices and explanations are original work of this site. No question, figure or example is copied from the manuals named.

How it works

The NOCTI Technical Drafting written test has 201 questions; here are 50 of our own, weighted like the eight areas of blueprint 4054. Unofficial: this site is not affiliated with NOCTI, which did not write, sponsor or endorse the page.

Read the full guide

Eight areas, Dimensioning leads

Dimensioning Skills is 18% of the written assessment, and Applied Mathematics and Multiview Drawing 17% each. Geometric Construction is 13%, Basic Drawing Skills 12%, Manufacturing Processes 10%, Threads and Fasteners 7% and Design Principles 6%.

The clock

A timed round gives 45 minutes for the 50 questions, which is the rate of 201 questions in 3 hours. With no pass mark in blueprint 4054, the result is the number right and nothing more.

Drawn, not answered

Four jobs are done at the board or the CAD station and cannot be quizzed: visualization sketches, an orthographic drawing with its dimensions and section, a pattern development and a bill of material.

  • Taper per foot: the change in diameter, divided by the length in inches, times 12.
  • Lead equals pitch on a single thread and is twice the pitch on a double thread.
  • A half section removes one quarter of the object. A full section cuts all the way through.

Questions and answers

How long is the NOCTI Technical Drafting test?

Three hours for the 201 written questions, in one sitting or split over two or three. The four drawing jobs of the performance part are allowed 3 hours and 15 minutes more.

What topics are on the NOCTI Technical Drafting test?

Drafting tools, CAD, lines, scale and annotation; geometric construction; fractions, conversions, area, volume, taper, algebra and trigonometry; dimensioning, tolerances and GD&T; orthographic, auxiliary, section and pictorial views and developments; threads and fasteners; machining, welding and materials; and the design process.

Is NOCTI Technical Drafting the same test as Architectural Drafting?

No. Technical Drafting, code 4054, is mechanical drawing: parts, tolerances, threads and manufacturing. Architectural Drafting, code 4104, is floor plans, elevations, site plans and structural drawings. Each has its own practice test on this site.

Is the NOCTI Technical Drafting blueprint free?

Yes. Blueprint 4054 is a PDF on nocti.org/credentials/blueprints with the competency list, the eight weights, ten sample questions and a sample bill-of-material job. Every question on this page was written new, without using them.

More tests

Show 8 more

Browse Safety and Trades