Hour House · AULA Career Track · AVIXA CTS Prep

CTS — Audiovisual & IT Systems

The AVIXA Certified Technology Specialist Body of Knowledge, 20 Chapters, 16 Weeks
A structured, 16-week course through everything an AV/IT technician needs to know — signals, audio, video, networks, control systems, site survey, AV project design, integration, operations, and troubleshooting. Built around AVIXA’s official CTS body of knowledge (Chapters 3–22) and organized the same way the certification’s own practice exams are grouped.
Why this course exists: the U.S. District Court, District of New Jersey (Newark) is hiring an Audiovisual/Information Technology Technician — CL 26/27, $64,075–$114,425. The posting lists Crestron, Extron, Biamp, networking fundamentals (TCP/IP, VLANs, switches), and “A CTS certification is highly desirable” by name. This course maps directly onto that posting’s required and preferred skills.
A note on sourcing: the week-by-week numbering below ("AVIXA Ch. 3–22") follows a popular third-party CTS practice-exam course’s chapter breakdown, used here as a study scaffold. AVIXA’s own current official CTS exam (per its Candidate Handbook) is organized into four weighted domains instead — A: Creating AV Solutions (35%), B: Implementing AV Solutions (30%), C: Supporting AV System Operation (15%), D: Servicing AV Solutions (20%). The underlying technical material below covers the same ground either way, but before exam day, cross-check against AVIXA’s official CTS Candidate Handbook, since that’s the authoritative source.
SignalsAudio/VideoNetworks ControlSite SurveyDesign IntegrationOperationsTroubleshooting
See the Job Posting →
16
Weeks
20
AVIXA Chapters (3–22)
4
Practice Exam Blocks
CTS
AVIXA Certification Target
CL 26/27
Newark USDC AV/IT Tech
Isignals
Signals, Audio, Video & Networks
Weeks 1–4 · AVIXA Ch. 3–7
The physical and electrical foundations: how signals are represented, how audio and video travel through a system, and how a network carries them. This is the layer under every piece of Crestron/Extron/Biamp gear the job posting names.
1week
Ch. 3 — Analog and Digital Signals
Analog waveforms vs. digital sampling, resolution and bit depth, signal-to-noise basics. The vocabulary every later chapter assumes.
AVIXA Ch. 3  ·  Full week page →
2week
Ch. 4–5 — Audio Systems & Video Systems
Microphones, speakers, gain structure and feedback; video signal types, resolution, aspect ratio, HDMI/SDI distribution.
AVIXA Ch. 4–5  ·  Full week page →
3week
Ch. 6–7 — Networks & Signal-Management Systems
TCP/IP addressing, VLANs, and switches — named directly in the job posting — plus matrix switchers, DSPs, and signal routing.
AVIXA Ch. 6–7  ·  Full week page →
4week
Milestone — Practice Exam 1
Covers Chapters 3–7. Same grouping AVIXA’s own CTS practice exams use. Review missed questions before moving on.
AVIXA Ch. 3–7  ·  Full week page →
★ MILESTONE · Practice Exam
IIsite
Control, Power, Wireless & Site Assessment
Weeks 5–8 · AVIXA Ch. 8–12
Control processors and programming logic, electrical and RF safety, and the skill of walking into a room and figuring out what it actually needs — the core of a site survey.
5week
Ch. 8 — Control Systems
Control processors and programming logic. Crestron, Extron, and Biamp — all three named in the Newark posting — live in this chapter.
AVIXA Ch. 8  ·  Full week page →
6week
Ch. 9–10 — Electrical Systems & Wireless Radio Systems
Power distribution and grounding safety; wireless microphones, infrared audio, and RF fundamentals for teleconferencing gear.
AVIXA Ch. 9–10  ·  Full week page →
7week
Ch. 11–12 — Gathering Customer Information & Conducting a Site Survey
Requirements interviews, translating non-technical needs into a spec, and the walk-through checklist for an unfamiliar room — courtroom or otherwise.
AVIXA Ch. 11–12  ·  Full week page →
8week
Milestone — Practice Exam 2
Covers Chapters 8–12. Halfway point — control, power, wireless, and customer/site assessment.
AVIXA Ch. 8–12  ·  Full week page →
★ MILESTONE · Practice Exam
IIIdesign
Design & Integration
Weeks 9–12 · AVIXA Ch. 13–17
From evaluating a room’s acoustics and sightlines to writing a project scope, designing the system, and physically installing it — cabling, terminations, and cable management, exactly as listed in the Newark posting’s first duty.
9week
Ch. 13–14 — Evaluating a Site Environment & Recommending Changes
Acoustics, lighting, sightlines, and ambient conditions; how to propose environmental changes that make an AV system actually work.
AVIXA Ch. 13–14  ·  Full week page →
10week
Ch. 15 — Developing an AV Project Scope
Scope documents, budgets, and timelines — the paperwork that turns a site survey into an approved project.
AVIXA Ch. 15  ·  Full week page →
11week
Ch. 16–17 — Designing AV Solutions & Integrating AV Solutions
System design, cabling, terminations, and cable management; installation and commissioning — the Newark posting’s Duty #1, verbatim.
AVIXA Ch. 16–17  ·  Full week page →
12week
Milestone — Practice Exam 3
Covers Chapters 13–17. Site evaluation through design and integration.
AVIXA Ch. 13–17  ·  Full week page →
★ MILESTONE · Practice Exam
IVops
Operations, Management & Troubleshooting
Weeks 13–16 · AVIXA Ch. 18–22
Running the system day to day — conferencing, recording, streaming Court ceremonies — plus preventive maintenance and the systematic troubleshooting method every helpdesk role needs.
13week
Ch. 18–19 — Operating AV Solutions & Managing an AV Project
Day-to-day operation: scheduling and running video/teleconferences, monitoring equipment. Basic project management for ongoing AV work.
AVIXA Ch. 18–19  ·  Full week page →
14week
Ch. 20 — Maintaining AV Operations
Recording systems, streaming media servers, and inventory — installing and maintaining recording systems, exactly as listed in the Newark posting.
AVIXA Ch. 20  ·  Full week page →
15week
Ch. 21–22 — Conducting Maintenance Activities & Troubleshooting and Repairing AV Solutions
Preventive maintenance schedules and a systematic troubleshooting method — isolate, test, repair, document — the core skill behind backup helpdesk support.
AVIXA Ch. 21–22  ·  Full week page →
16week
Milestone — Final Practice Exam & Application Readiness
Covers Chapters 18–22, then a full-length practice exam across all 20 chapters. Close the course by finalizing your cover letter and resume for the Newark posting.
AVIXA Ch. 18–22 · Full Review  ·  Full week page →
★ MILESTONE · Final Exam + Application
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