CALIFORNIA ALARM COMPANY
QUALIFIED MANAGER
LICENSING EXAMINATION
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Practice Exam — 100 Questions — 2026/2028 Edition
BSIS/PSI-Aligned Format
Verified Answers with Rationales
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, California ACQM Practice Exam — 2026/2028 Edition
Table of Contents
Domain 1: Consultation (15%) — Questions 1–15 .............................................................................................. 3
Domain 2: Installation (27%) — Questions 16–42 ............................................................................................ 7
Domain 3: Service & Repair (14%) — Questions 43–56 .................................................................................. 15
Domain 4: Management (20%) — Questions 57–76 ....................................................................................... 19
Domain 5: Monitoring (8%) — Questions 77–84 ............................................................................................ 25
Domain 6: False Alarm Prevention (16%) — Questions 85–100 ....................................................................28
Answer Key ........................................................................................................................................................ 33
Domain 1: Consultation (Questions 1–15) ................................................................................................... 33
Domain 2: Installation (Questions 16–42) .................................................................................................. 33
Domain 3: Service & Repair (Questions 43–56) ......................................................................................... 34
Domain 4: Management (Questions 57–76)................................................................................................ 34
Domain 5: Monitoring (Questions 77–84) .................................................................................................. 35
Domain 6: False Alarm Prevention (Questions 85–100) ............................................................................ 35
Page 2 of 36
, California ACQM Practice Exam — 2026/2028 Edition
This practice examination is designed to prepare candidates for the California Alarm Company Qualified
Manager (ACQM) licensing examination administered by the Bureau of Security and Investigative
Services (BSIS). The 100 questions are distributed across six knowledge domains aligned with the official
BSIS examination blueprint. Each question includes the correct answer and a detailed rationale
explaining the underlying regulatory, technical, or procedural basis.
Exam Domain Weight Distribution
Domain Topic Area Weight Questions
1 Consultation 15% 1–15
2 Installation 27% 16–42
3 Service & Repair 14% 43–56
4 Management 20% 57–76
5 Monitoring 8% 77–84
6 False Alarm Prevention 16% 85–100
Domain 1: Consultation (15%) — Questions 1–15
1. Under California's Alarm Company Act (BPC §7590 et seq.), which entity is primarily
responsible for licensing alarm companies?
A) The California Department of Consumer Affairs
B) The Bureau of Security and Investigative Services (BSIS)
C) The State Fire Marshal
D) The Contractors State License Board
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: BSIS, a division within the Department of Consumer Affairs, is the authoritative regulatory
body responsible for administering the Alarm Company Act and licensing alarm companies, qualified
managers, and alarm agents in California.
2. During a customer needs assessment for a commercial burglary alarm system, the
qualified manager should FIRST evaluate which of the following?
A) The customer's budget constraints
B) The physical vulnerabilities of the premises
C) The brand preferences of the property owner
D) The availability of wireless technology
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: A professional security consultation begins with a thorough vulnerability assessment of the
premises, including entry points, perimeter weaknesses, and environmental factors, before considering
budget, equipment preferences, or technology options.
3. A customer requests a fire alarm system for a newly constructed commercial building in
California. Which code compliance requirement must the qualified manager verify before
recommending a system design?
Page 3 of 36
, California ACQM Practice Exam — 2026/2028 Edition
A) National Electrical Code (NEC) Article 760
B) California Fire Code requirements and local Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) approval
C) Underwriters Laboratories (UL) listing only
D) NFPA 72 National Fire Alarm Code alone
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: In California, fire alarm system installations must comply with the California Fire Code
and receive approval from the local Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ). While NEC Article 760 and
NFPA 72 provide foundational standards, local California amendments and AHJ approval are
mandatory.
4. When advising a residential customer about permit requirements for a new burglar
alarm installation, the qualified manager should inform the customer that:
A) No permit is required for residential alarm systems in California
B) Alarm permit requirements vary by local city or county ordinance
C) A state-level alarm permit from BSIS is sufficient
D) Permits are only required for monitored systems
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Alarm permit requirements in California are established at the local level (city or county),
not by the state. Each local jurisdiction may have different requirements regarding alarm permits,
registration, and false alarm fees.
5. A qualified manager is reviewing an alarm service contract. Under California law, which
of the following contract provisions is REQUIRED?
A) An automatic renewal clause with 30-day cancellation notice
B) A clear description of services, equipment, terms, and total cost
C) A binding arbitration clause for all disputes
D) A waiver of the customer's right to cancel within three business days
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: California law requires alarm service contracts to provide a clear and complete description
of services, equipment, installation terms, monitoring provisions, and total cost. Automatic renewal
clauses, mandatory arbitration, and waiver of cancellation rights may be subject to specific statutory
restrictions.
6. A potential client operates a high-risk jewelry store and requests a consultation. Which
system design recommendation is MOST appropriate?
A) A basic standalone burglar alarm with siren
B) A comprehensive integrated system including perimeter detection, interior traps, video
surveillance, and line security
C) A single-motion-detector system with cellular communication
D) A do-it-yourself wireless system from a retail store
Page 4 of 36
QUALIFIED MANAGER
LICENSING EXAMINATION
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
━━
Practice Exam — 100 Questions — 2026/2028 Edition
BSIS/PSI-Aligned Format
Verified Answers with Rationales
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
━━
, California ACQM Practice Exam — 2026/2028 Edition
Table of Contents
Domain 1: Consultation (15%) — Questions 1–15 .............................................................................................. 3
Domain 2: Installation (27%) — Questions 16–42 ............................................................................................ 7
Domain 3: Service & Repair (14%) — Questions 43–56 .................................................................................. 15
Domain 4: Management (20%) — Questions 57–76 ....................................................................................... 19
Domain 5: Monitoring (8%) — Questions 77–84 ............................................................................................ 25
Domain 6: False Alarm Prevention (16%) — Questions 85–100 ....................................................................28
Answer Key ........................................................................................................................................................ 33
Domain 1: Consultation (Questions 1–15) ................................................................................................... 33
Domain 2: Installation (Questions 16–42) .................................................................................................. 33
Domain 3: Service & Repair (Questions 43–56) ......................................................................................... 34
Domain 4: Management (Questions 57–76)................................................................................................ 34
Domain 5: Monitoring (Questions 77–84) .................................................................................................. 35
Domain 6: False Alarm Prevention (Questions 85–100) ............................................................................ 35
Page 2 of 36
, California ACQM Practice Exam — 2026/2028 Edition
This practice examination is designed to prepare candidates for the California Alarm Company Qualified
Manager (ACQM) licensing examination administered by the Bureau of Security and Investigative
Services (BSIS). The 100 questions are distributed across six knowledge domains aligned with the official
BSIS examination blueprint. Each question includes the correct answer and a detailed rationale
explaining the underlying regulatory, technical, or procedural basis.
Exam Domain Weight Distribution
Domain Topic Area Weight Questions
1 Consultation 15% 1–15
2 Installation 27% 16–42
3 Service & Repair 14% 43–56
4 Management 20% 57–76
5 Monitoring 8% 77–84
6 False Alarm Prevention 16% 85–100
Domain 1: Consultation (15%) — Questions 1–15
1. Under California's Alarm Company Act (BPC §7590 et seq.), which entity is primarily
responsible for licensing alarm companies?
A) The California Department of Consumer Affairs
B) The Bureau of Security and Investigative Services (BSIS)
C) The State Fire Marshal
D) The Contractors State License Board
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: BSIS, a division within the Department of Consumer Affairs, is the authoritative regulatory
body responsible for administering the Alarm Company Act and licensing alarm companies, qualified
managers, and alarm agents in California.
2. During a customer needs assessment for a commercial burglary alarm system, the
qualified manager should FIRST evaluate which of the following?
A) The customer's budget constraints
B) The physical vulnerabilities of the premises
C) The brand preferences of the property owner
D) The availability of wireless technology
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: A professional security consultation begins with a thorough vulnerability assessment of the
premises, including entry points, perimeter weaknesses, and environmental factors, before considering
budget, equipment preferences, or technology options.
3. A customer requests a fire alarm system for a newly constructed commercial building in
California. Which code compliance requirement must the qualified manager verify before
recommending a system design?
Page 3 of 36
, California ACQM Practice Exam — 2026/2028 Edition
A) National Electrical Code (NEC) Article 760
B) California Fire Code requirements and local Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) approval
C) Underwriters Laboratories (UL) listing only
D) NFPA 72 National Fire Alarm Code alone
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: In California, fire alarm system installations must comply with the California Fire Code
and receive approval from the local Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ). While NEC Article 760 and
NFPA 72 provide foundational standards, local California amendments and AHJ approval are
mandatory.
4. When advising a residential customer about permit requirements for a new burglar
alarm installation, the qualified manager should inform the customer that:
A) No permit is required for residential alarm systems in California
B) Alarm permit requirements vary by local city or county ordinance
C) A state-level alarm permit from BSIS is sufficient
D) Permits are only required for monitored systems
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Alarm permit requirements in California are established at the local level (city or county),
not by the state. Each local jurisdiction may have different requirements regarding alarm permits,
registration, and false alarm fees.
5. A qualified manager is reviewing an alarm service contract. Under California law, which
of the following contract provisions is REQUIRED?
A) An automatic renewal clause with 30-day cancellation notice
B) A clear description of services, equipment, terms, and total cost
C) A binding arbitration clause for all disputes
D) A waiver of the customer's right to cancel within three business days
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: California law requires alarm service contracts to provide a clear and complete description
of services, equipment, installation terms, monitoring provisions, and total cost. Automatic renewal
clauses, mandatory arbitration, and waiver of cancellation rights may be subject to specific statutory
restrictions.
6. A potential client operates a high-risk jewelry store and requests a consultation. Which
system design recommendation is MOST appropriate?
A) A basic standalone burglar alarm with siren
B) A comprehensive integrated system including perimeter detection, interior traps, video
surveillance, and line security
C) A single-motion-detector system with cellular communication
D) A do-it-yourself wireless system from a retail store
Page 4 of 36
