• 50 questions

NOCTI Visual Communications Multimedia Design Practice Test

Unofficial practice for NOCTI Visual Communications and Multimedia Design: ethics, computers, multimedia, visual literacy, concept work, color and typography.

A newsletter page is set in three columns of text. What is the gap between two columns called?

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

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Exam mode: 50 questions, 48 minutes.

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

Next step More type: NOCTI Advertising and DesignAnother NOCTI test: Television Production

All 50 questions

Safety 3

  • A bottle of rubber cement thinner carries the word "Danger" on its label. What does this signal word tell the user? OSHA, 29 CFR 1910.1200, paragraph (c). Written to NOCTI Visual Communications and Multimedia Design (3525), Safety
  • A designer works at a monitor all day. What viewing distance does the OSHA workstation guide generally prefer between the eyes and the screen? OSHA eTool, Computer Workstations: Monitors, Viewing distance. Written to NOCTI Visual Communications and Multimedia Design (3525), Safety
  • An extension cord is run along a studio wall to a large-format printer. What does the OSHA rule on flexible cords say about fastening it with staples? OSHA, 29 CFR 1910.334, paragraph (a)(1). Written to NOCTI Visual Communications and Multimedia Design (3525), Safety
Show all 50 questions (47 more)

Ethics 4

  • A photographer shares a picture under a Creative Commons BY-NC license. What does the NC element of the license mean? Wikipedia, Creative Commons license, Four rights. Written to NOCTI Visual Communications and Multimedia Design (3525), Ethics
  • A student posts her finished designs on social media under her own name. What kind of digital footprint does a user create on purpose? Wikipedia, Digital footprint. Written to NOCTI Visual Communications and Multimedia Design (3525), Ethics
  • An illustrator creates a poster today. As a general rule, how long does United States copyright in it last? U.S. Copyright Office, How Long Does Copyright Protection Last?. Written to NOCTI Visual Communications and Multimedia Design (3525), Ethics
  • Web accessibility guidelines ask that an image carry text that a screen reader can read in its place. Which HTML attribute holds that text? Wikipedia, Alt attribute. Written to NOCTI Visual Communications and Multimedia Design (3525), Ethics

Communication Career Foundations 2

  • A new business asks a designer for a logo. What is a logo used for? Wikipedia, Logo. Written to NOCTI Visual Communications and Multimedia Design (3525), Communication Career Foundations
  • What belongs in a design portfolio? Wikipedia, Artist's portfolio. Written to NOCTI Visual Communications and Multimedia Design (3525), Communication Career Foundations

Computer Literacy 8

  • A flat-color logo must be saved as a raster file with no loss of data. Which of these formats uses lossless compression? Wikipedia, PNG. Written to NOCTI Visual Communications and Multimedia Design (3525), Computer Literacy
  • A layout program cannot open a drawing in its native format, so the artist saves it from the drawing program in a format the layout program reads. What is this step called? Wikipedia, Import and export of data. Written to NOCTI Visual Communications and Multimedia Design (3525), Computer Literacy
  • A photo is enlarged on screen until it breaks up into small squares. What is each square, the smallest addressable element of a raster image, called? Wikipedia, Pixel. Written to NOCTI Visual Communications and Multimedia Design (3525), Computer Literacy
  • A portfolio site lets a designer in only after a password and then a one-time code from her phone. What is this way of signing in called? Wikipedia, Multi-factor authentication. Written to NOCTI Visual Communications and Multimedia Design (3525), Computer Literacy
  • A proof is sent to a client as a PDF. What is the PDF format made to do? Wikipedia, PDF. Written to NOCTI Visual Communications and Multimedia Design (3525), Computer Literacy
  • The maker of a design program issues a patch. What is a patch often issued to do? Wikipedia, Patch (computing). Written to NOCTI Visual Communications and Multimedia Design (3525), Computer Literacy
  • Peripherals are sorted by the direction in which information flows relative to the computer. Which of these is an output device? Wikipedia, Peripheral. Written to NOCTI Visual Communications and Multimedia Design (3525), Computer Literacy
  • Which kind of software is made to generate page layouts for documents such as newsletters? Wikipedia, Desktop publishing. Written to NOCTI Visual Communications and Multimedia Design (3525), Computer Literacy

Multimedia 7

  • A brand reposts photos, videos and testimonials that its customers made and published online. What is such material called? Wikipedia, User-generated content. Written to NOCTI Visual Communications and Multimedia Design (3525), Multimedia
  • A furniture app places a computer-drawn 3D chair over the live camera view of a real room. What is this technology called? Wikipedia, Augmented reality. Written to NOCTI Visual Communications and Multimedia Design (3525), Multimedia
  • A site is built so that its pages render well on a phone, a tablet and a wide desktop monitor. What is this approach to web design called? Wikipedia, Responsive web design. Written to NOCTI Visual Communications and Multimedia Design (3525), Multimedia
  • An animator sets two keyframes, and the frames between them are then created to make the movement smooth. What is this process called? Wikipedia, Inbetweening. Written to NOCTI Visual Communications and Multimedia Design (3525), Multimedia
  • Before any visual design is done, a web designer draws a page schematic that shows only the skeletal framework of the site. What is this guide called? Wikipedia, Website wireframe. Written to NOCTI Visual Communications and Multimedia Design (3525), Multimedia
  • On an interactive page, what gives a user direct access to other data with a click or a tap? Wikipedia, Hyperlink. Written to NOCTI Visual Communications and Multimedia Design (3525), Multimedia
  • What sets multimedia apart from a traditional medium such as a printed page or an audio recording? Wikipedia, Multimedia. Written to NOCTI Visual Communications and Multimedia Design (3525), Multimedia

Print-Based and Digital Visual Literacy 6

  • A designer makes one element of a layout much larger than the elements around it. By the principle of scale, what does this do to the element? Wikipedia, Design principles, Scale. Written to NOCTI Visual Communications and Multimedia Design (3525), Print-Based and Digital Visual Literacy
  • A flyer is laid out so that the headline is seen first, then the date, then the fine print. What is this arranged order of importance called? Wikipedia, Visual hierarchy. Written to NOCTI Visual Communications and Multimedia Design (3525), Print-Based and Digital Visual Literacy
  • A logo is drawn as a broken outline with pieces left out, yet viewers see a complete animal. Which principle describes how people fill in the missing parts? Wikipedia, Design principles, Closure. Written to NOCTI Visual Communications and Multimedia Design (3525), Print-Based and Digital Visual Literacy
  • A poster sets one large photo against several small blocks of text. Its two halves do not mirror each other, yet the layout feels stable. What is this called? Wikipedia, Design principles, Balance. Written to NOCTI Visual Communications and Multimedia Design (3525), Print-Based and Digital Visual Literacy
  • A still poster must suggest that a ball is bouncing across the page. By the principle of movement, how can a designer create the illusion of motion? Wikipedia, Design principles, Movement. Written to NOCTI Visual Communications and Multimedia Design (3525), Print-Based and Digital Visual Literacy
  • Among the elements of design, what does value refer to? Wikipedia, Elements of art, Value. Written to NOCTI Visual Communications and Multimedia Design (3525), Print-Based and Digital Visual Literacy

Conceptual Design 6

  • A designer builds a full-size model of a new package to show the client and to evaluate the design. What is such a model called? Wikipedia, Mockup. Written to NOCTI Visual Communications and Multimedia Design (3525), Conceptual Design
  • A designer pins up a collage of images, text and material samples to convey the general feeling of a project. What is this presentation called? Wikipedia, Mood board. Written to NOCTI Visual Communications and Multimedia Design (3525), Conceptual Design
  • A proofreader writes "tr" beside two words on a proof. What must be done? Wikipedia, List of proofreader's marks. Written to NOCTI Visual Communications and Multimedia Design (3525), Conceptual Design
  • Before the press run, customer and printer agree on a proof that also serves as the color reference for adjusting the press. What is this proof called? Wikipedia, Prepress proofing. Written to NOCTI Visual Communications and Multimedia Design (3525), Conceptual Design
  • Before work starts, a designer and a client settle on a document that outlines the deliverables, scope, timing and budget of the project. What is it called? Wikipedia, Design brief. Written to NOCTI Visual Communications and Multimedia Design (3525), Conceptual Design
  • For a new campaign a designer reads published market reports and existing surveys and gathers no new data. What kind of research is this? Wikipedia, Secondary research. Written to NOCTI Visual Communications and Multimedia Design (3525), Conceptual Design

Color Theory 5

  • A designer wants a poster to calm and relax the viewer. In color theory, which colors are said to have that effect? Wikipedia, Color theory, Warm vs. cool colors. Written to NOCTI Visual Communications and Multimedia Design (3525), Color Theory
  • A lighting designer overlaps a blue spotlight and a red spotlight on a white wall. Which additive secondary color shows where the two beams cross? Wikipedia, Additive color. Written to NOCTI Visual Communications and Multimedia Design (3525), Color Theory
  • A web color is written as the hex triplet #FF0000. What do its three bytes stand for, in order? Wikipedia, Web colors, Hex triplet. Written to NOCTI Visual Communications and Multimedia Design (3525), Color Theory
  • In offset printing, what is a spot color? Wikipedia, Spot color. Written to NOCTI Visual Communications and Multimedia Design (3525), Color Theory
  • In traditional color theory, how is a tertiary color made? Wikipedia, Secondary color. Written to NOCTI Visual Communications and Multimedia Design (3525), Color Theory

Typography 7

  • A newsletter page is set in three columns of text. What is the gap between two columns called? Wikipedia, Typographic alignment. Written to NOCTI Visual Communications and Multimedia Design (3525), Typography
  • A preflight check of a brochure reports widows and orphans. What are they? Wikipedia, Widows and orphans. Written to NOCTI Visual Communications and Multimedia Design (3525), Typography
  • In desktop publishing, how many points make one inch? Wikipedia, Point (typography). Written to NOCTI Visual Communications and Multimedia Design (3525), Typography
  • In which kind of font does every letter and character occupy the same amount of horizontal space? Wikipedia, Monospaced font. Written to NOCTI Visual Communications and Multimedia Design (3525), Typography
  • One typeface comes in light, bold, italic and condensed versions. What is each of these variations of the typeface called? Wikipedia, Typeface. Written to NOCTI Visual Communications and Multimedia Design (3525), Typography
  • Which alignment adjusts letter-spacing and word-spacing so that the text falls flush with both the left and the right margin? Wikipedia, Typographic alignment. Written to NOCTI Visual Communications and Multimedia Design (3525), Typography
  • Which part of a lowercase letter such as b, d or h rises above the x-height? Wikipedia, Ascender (typography). Written to NOCTI Visual Communications and Multimedia Design (3525), Typography

Print-Based and Digital Materials and Equipment 2

  • How does an inkjet printer put an image on paper? Wikipedia, Inkjet printing. Written to NOCTI Visual Communications and Multimedia Design (3525), Print-Based and Digital Materials and Equipment
  • Which lightweight, easily cut board, a foam center faced with paper on both sides, is used to mount prints for a presentation? Wikipedia, Foamcore. Written to NOCTI Visual Communications and Multimedia Design (3525), Print-Based and Digital Materials and Equipment

How this list was compiled: Our own questions, written to the competency list of the Job Ready Credential Blueprint for Visual Communications and Multimedia Design (code 3525, version 01, copyright 2023) that NOCTI publishes at https://www.nocti.org/wp-content/uploads/Blueprints/JRVisComm3525.pdf , read 2026-10-16: a written assessment of 189 questions in 3 hours over ten areas (Safety 5%; Ethics 7%; Communication Career Foundations 5%; Computer Literacy 17%; Multimedia 14%; Print-Based and Digital Visual Literacy 11%; Conceptual Design 12%; Color Theory 11%; Typography 13%; Print-Based and Digital Materials and Equipment 5%), plus a performance assessment of three jobs. This bank holds 50 in those proportions. Every rule and definition was read on 2026-10-16 on the public page named under its question: OSHA standards in 29 CFR 1910 and the OSHA computer workstation guide on osha.gov, the U.S. Copyright Office answers on copyright.gov, and Wikipedia. Licence: Questions, choices and explanations are original work of this site.

How it works

This free NOCTI Visual Communications and Multimedia Design practice test has 50 questions of our own, spread over the ten areas of blueprint 3525. NOCTI is not affiliated with this unofficial page and does not sponsor or endorse it.

Read the full guide

Ten areas, Computer Literacy leads

Computer Literacy is 17% of the written assessment, Multimedia 14% and Typography 13%. Conceptual Design is 12%, Visual Literacy and Color Theory 11% each, Ethics 7%, and Safety, Communication Career Foundations and Materials and Equipment 5% each.

Timed like the real one

A timed round is 50 questions in 48 minutes, matching 189 questions in the 3 hours of the real written assessment. NOCTI publishes no pass mark in blueprint 3525, so you get a score without a pass or fail.

Made at the computer

The performance half is three jobs at a design workstation: a logo built from type and simple shapes in a vector drawing program, a mock-up static web page that uses the logo, and a standard-sized business card.

  • Additive color is light: red, green and blue together make white. Inks and pigments mix by subtractive color.
  • Kerning changes the space between two characters. Tracking changes it across a whole range.
  • A typeface is the design. A font is one size, weight and style of it.

Questions and answers

How many questions does the NOCTI Visual Communications and Multimedia Design test have?

189 written questions, with 3 hours to answer them in one, two or three sittings. The three performance jobs (a logo, a web page mock-up and a business card) are given 3 hours as well.

What is covered on the NOCTI Visual Communications and Multimedia Design test?

Studio, electrical and chemical safety; copyright and digital citizenship; careers and portfolios; computers, file formats and file management; web design, animation and social media; the elements and principles of design; design briefs, thumbnails, storyboards and proofing; color models; typography; and materials and equipment.

Is this the same test as NOCTI Advertising and Design?

No. Advertising and Design, code 4219, adds drawing, photography, image editing and print production. Visual Communications and Multimedia Design, code 3525, gives its weight to multimedia, visual literacy and conceptual design. Each has its own practice test on this site.

Where can I read the Visual Communications and Multimedia Design blueprint?

It is blueprint 3525, a free PDF at nocti.org/credentials/blueprints. Besides the competencies and the ten weights it prints ten sample questions and a sample logo job, none of which appears on this page in any form.

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