NERC RC LATEST 2026 EXAM TEST PAPER 1 QUESTIONS
AND SOLUTIONS RATED A+
✔✔If the frequency bias setting is a more negative value than the frequency response
of a Balancing Authority and a frequency decline is caused by a sudden loss of
generation in an external balancing area, what is the result?
A. ACE will be a positive value and AGC will lower generation.
B. This will not affect ACE.
C. ACE will be a negative value and AGC will increase generation.
D. ACE will be zero and will take no AGC action. - ✔✔C. ACE will be a negative value
and AGC will increase generation.
✔✔What is the purpose of generator droop settings?
A. It allows generators to respond to frequency excursions in parallel
B. It allows generators to respond to frequency events in proportion to their size
C. It prevents generators from competing with each other when a frequency excursion
occurs
D. All answers are correct - ✔✔D. All answers are correct
✔✔What is the primary purpose of governor dead band?
A. It helps increase generation when there is an actual Net Interchange flowing out of
their system.
B. It prevents governors from operating during emergency conditions.
C. It helps arrest and stabilize the frequency decay.
D. It prevents governors from operating when slight variations occur in the system's
frequency. - ✔✔D. It prevents governors from operating when slight variations occur in
the system's frequency.
✔✔A 500 MW generator in your Balancing Area has a droop setting of 5%. It is
currently operating at 300 MWs. If frequency of the Interconnection dropped to 59.94,
what is the resulting MW output of the generator?
A. 400 MWs
B. 310 MWs
C. 325 MWs
D. 290 MWs - ✔✔B. 310 MWs
✔✔Interconnection frequency is 59.80 Hz. Your ACE is a large negative value and your
AGC is pulsing your units down. What should you do?
A. Leave AGC in operation but investigate
B. Place AGC in constant frequency control
,C. Suspend AGC and investigate
D. Place AGC in Flat Tie Line Control - ✔✔C. Suspend AGC and investigate
✔✔In the ACE equation (NIA - NIS) reflects which portion?
A. Generation
B. Load
C. Frequency
D. Interchange - ✔✔D. Interchange
✔✔A Balancing Authority experiences a Reportable Balancing Contingency Event
which results in ACE dropping to -540 MW. The BA's ACE was 0 prior to the event. Ten
minutes into the recovery, a 150 MW generator trips, resulting in ACE dropping again.
What must the BA return its ACE to by the end of the recovery period to be compliant?
A. 150 MW
B. 0 MW
C. -390 MW
D. -150 MW - ✔✔D. -150 MW
✔✔Before implementing Confirmed Interchange, Adjacent Balancing Authorities shall
agree on Composite Confirmed Interchange between them ensuring it is: Select all that
apply.
A. Identical in magnitude
B. Opposite in sign
C. Equal in sign
D. Within 10% magnitude of each other - ✔✔A. Identical in magnitude
B. Opposite in sign
✔✔In your Interconnection, a generator tripped that was large enough to reduce the
frequency from 60.000 Hz to 59.940 Hz. Your Balancing Authority's Frequency Bias is
200 MW/0.1 Hz. How many MW would your system initially contribute to frequency
support?
A. 80 MW
B. 100 MW
C. 200 MW
D. 120 MW - ✔✔D. 120 MW
✔✔A Balancing Authority's EMS has failed and been unable to calculate ACE for 2
hours. This is he 5th time since the first of the year. NERC Standard BAL-005 requires
the system for calculating Reporting ACE be available for what percentage of a
calendar year?
,A. 100%
B. 99.5%
C. 95%
D. 99.95% - ✔✔B. 99.5%
✔✔The change in a balancing area's supply and demand following a sudden loss of
load or generation within the Balancing Authority's boundaries, results in a sudden
change in that Balancing Authority's _________.
A. ACE
B. CPSI score
C. Frequency Bias Setting
D. Contingency reserves - ✔✔A. ACE
✔✔If any entity involved in a transaction does not actively deny the Arranged
Interchange within the required timeframe, the Interchange is transitioned to which
status?
A. Confirmed status
B. Pending status
C. Ramping status
D. Denied status - ✔✔A. Confirmed status
✔✔Protective relays used on transmission and distribution systems are designed to...
A. protect power marketers from losing money by letting them know when a problem
arises on the system.
B. minimize damage and isolate problems on the system.
C. keep all lines in service no matter what happens on the system.
D. Keep all generators on line no matter what the circumstances - ✔✔B. minimize
damage and isolate problems on the system.
✔✔As a result of high MW flows, a transmission line sags significantly and current
flashes over to a tree growing directly below it. This causes the protective relays to take
the transmission line out of service. How would you classify this type of fault?
A. Overvoltage fault
B. Differential fault
C. Ground fault
D. Positive sequence fault - ✔✔C. Ground fault
✔✔A transformer differential zone has Circuit Breakers 624 and 634 protecting the
transformer. Breaker 624 receives 1500 MVA and Breaker 634 sends 1200 MVA to the
bus. Based on these conditions, determine which of the following statements is true.
, A. There is a fault in the transformer.
B. The fault produces an extra secondary current, which flows to the operating coil of
the differential relay.
C. This fault conditions will cause all circuit breakers to open.
D. All of the above - ✔✔D. All of the above
✔✔A relay controlling circuit breaker A detects a zone 2 fault outside its line section.
Normally, under this condition, the relay is designed to trip circuit breaker A only it its
zone 2 timer times out. However, in this case, circuit breaker A trips at high speed. The
tripping of circuit breaker A would be classified as a ___________.
A. safety trip
B. normal trip
C. control trip
D. misoperation - ✔✔D. misoperation
✔✔Communication signals are sometimes used to control how relays respond to
system conditions.
A. True
B. False - ✔✔A. True
✔✔A Generator Operator is planning to increase the capacity of an existing 500 MW
generator to support the addition of new equipment. Which entity must be notified of the
changes in generation capacity?
A. Transmission Planning
B. Its Transmission Operator and others that may require changes in their protection
system
C. Power marketers
D. Balancing Authority - ✔✔B. Its Transmission Operator and others that may require
changes in their protection system
✔✔Which of the following actions should a Transmission Operator consider first when
trying to correct a high voltage condition during a light load period like the middle of the
night?
A. Lower generator voltage setpoints until load picks up
B. Raise generator voltage setpoints until load picks up
C. Place available shunt capacitors in service near the load
D. Remove from service one of several lightly loaded parallel lines - ✔✔D. Remove
from service one of several lightly loaded parallel lines
✔✔What could cause low voltage on the Transmission and/or Distribution system?
AND SOLUTIONS RATED A+
✔✔If the frequency bias setting is a more negative value than the frequency response
of a Balancing Authority and a frequency decline is caused by a sudden loss of
generation in an external balancing area, what is the result?
A. ACE will be a positive value and AGC will lower generation.
B. This will not affect ACE.
C. ACE will be a negative value and AGC will increase generation.
D. ACE will be zero and will take no AGC action. - ✔✔C. ACE will be a negative value
and AGC will increase generation.
✔✔What is the purpose of generator droop settings?
A. It allows generators to respond to frequency excursions in parallel
B. It allows generators to respond to frequency events in proportion to their size
C. It prevents generators from competing with each other when a frequency excursion
occurs
D. All answers are correct - ✔✔D. All answers are correct
✔✔What is the primary purpose of governor dead band?
A. It helps increase generation when there is an actual Net Interchange flowing out of
their system.
B. It prevents governors from operating during emergency conditions.
C. It helps arrest and stabilize the frequency decay.
D. It prevents governors from operating when slight variations occur in the system's
frequency. - ✔✔D. It prevents governors from operating when slight variations occur in
the system's frequency.
✔✔A 500 MW generator in your Balancing Area has a droop setting of 5%. It is
currently operating at 300 MWs. If frequency of the Interconnection dropped to 59.94,
what is the resulting MW output of the generator?
A. 400 MWs
B. 310 MWs
C. 325 MWs
D. 290 MWs - ✔✔B. 310 MWs
✔✔Interconnection frequency is 59.80 Hz. Your ACE is a large negative value and your
AGC is pulsing your units down. What should you do?
A. Leave AGC in operation but investigate
B. Place AGC in constant frequency control
,C. Suspend AGC and investigate
D. Place AGC in Flat Tie Line Control - ✔✔C. Suspend AGC and investigate
✔✔In the ACE equation (NIA - NIS) reflects which portion?
A. Generation
B. Load
C. Frequency
D. Interchange - ✔✔D. Interchange
✔✔A Balancing Authority experiences a Reportable Balancing Contingency Event
which results in ACE dropping to -540 MW. The BA's ACE was 0 prior to the event. Ten
minutes into the recovery, a 150 MW generator trips, resulting in ACE dropping again.
What must the BA return its ACE to by the end of the recovery period to be compliant?
A. 150 MW
B. 0 MW
C. -390 MW
D. -150 MW - ✔✔D. -150 MW
✔✔Before implementing Confirmed Interchange, Adjacent Balancing Authorities shall
agree on Composite Confirmed Interchange between them ensuring it is: Select all that
apply.
A. Identical in magnitude
B. Opposite in sign
C. Equal in sign
D. Within 10% magnitude of each other - ✔✔A. Identical in magnitude
B. Opposite in sign
✔✔In your Interconnection, a generator tripped that was large enough to reduce the
frequency from 60.000 Hz to 59.940 Hz. Your Balancing Authority's Frequency Bias is
200 MW/0.1 Hz. How many MW would your system initially contribute to frequency
support?
A. 80 MW
B. 100 MW
C. 200 MW
D. 120 MW - ✔✔D. 120 MW
✔✔A Balancing Authority's EMS has failed and been unable to calculate ACE for 2
hours. This is he 5th time since the first of the year. NERC Standard BAL-005 requires
the system for calculating Reporting ACE be available for what percentage of a
calendar year?
,A. 100%
B. 99.5%
C. 95%
D. 99.95% - ✔✔B. 99.5%
✔✔The change in a balancing area's supply and demand following a sudden loss of
load or generation within the Balancing Authority's boundaries, results in a sudden
change in that Balancing Authority's _________.
A. ACE
B. CPSI score
C. Frequency Bias Setting
D. Contingency reserves - ✔✔A. ACE
✔✔If any entity involved in a transaction does not actively deny the Arranged
Interchange within the required timeframe, the Interchange is transitioned to which
status?
A. Confirmed status
B. Pending status
C. Ramping status
D. Denied status - ✔✔A. Confirmed status
✔✔Protective relays used on transmission and distribution systems are designed to...
A. protect power marketers from losing money by letting them know when a problem
arises on the system.
B. minimize damage and isolate problems on the system.
C. keep all lines in service no matter what happens on the system.
D. Keep all generators on line no matter what the circumstances - ✔✔B. minimize
damage and isolate problems on the system.
✔✔As a result of high MW flows, a transmission line sags significantly and current
flashes over to a tree growing directly below it. This causes the protective relays to take
the transmission line out of service. How would you classify this type of fault?
A. Overvoltage fault
B. Differential fault
C. Ground fault
D. Positive sequence fault - ✔✔C. Ground fault
✔✔A transformer differential zone has Circuit Breakers 624 and 634 protecting the
transformer. Breaker 624 receives 1500 MVA and Breaker 634 sends 1200 MVA to the
bus. Based on these conditions, determine which of the following statements is true.
, A. There is a fault in the transformer.
B. The fault produces an extra secondary current, which flows to the operating coil of
the differential relay.
C. This fault conditions will cause all circuit breakers to open.
D. All of the above - ✔✔D. All of the above
✔✔A relay controlling circuit breaker A detects a zone 2 fault outside its line section.
Normally, under this condition, the relay is designed to trip circuit breaker A only it its
zone 2 timer times out. However, in this case, circuit breaker A trips at high speed. The
tripping of circuit breaker A would be classified as a ___________.
A. safety trip
B. normal trip
C. control trip
D. misoperation - ✔✔D. misoperation
✔✔Communication signals are sometimes used to control how relays respond to
system conditions.
A. True
B. False - ✔✔A. True
✔✔A Generator Operator is planning to increase the capacity of an existing 500 MW
generator to support the addition of new equipment. Which entity must be notified of the
changes in generation capacity?
A. Transmission Planning
B. Its Transmission Operator and others that may require changes in their protection
system
C. Power marketers
D. Balancing Authority - ✔✔B. Its Transmission Operator and others that may require
changes in their protection system
✔✔Which of the following actions should a Transmission Operator consider first when
trying to correct a high voltage condition during a light load period like the middle of the
night?
A. Lower generator voltage setpoints until load picks up
B. Raise generator voltage setpoints until load picks up
C. Place available shunt capacitors in service near the load
D. Remove from service one of several lightly loaded parallel lines - ✔✔D. Remove
from service one of several lightly loaded parallel lines
✔✔What could cause low voltage on the Transmission and/or Distribution system?
