Lock and Security Equipment Contractor License Exam Prep (C-28)

What the exam covers: Lock and Security Equipment (C-28)

The CSLB exam for the California lock and security equipment contractor license (C-28) is a closed-book, multiple-choice test. CSLB's official study guide divides it into six major sections and gives each an approximate weight: Planning and Estimating (about 24%), Doors and Hardware (about 18%), Electronic Locking Systems (about 20%), Mechanical Locking Systems (about 20%), Safes, Vaults, Security Containers, and Video Systems (about 7%), and Safety (about 11%).

Planning and Estimating carries the most weight, about 24%, so it deserves roughly that share of your study time, with Electronic Locking Systems next at about 20%.

Contractors Classroom turns that outline into 184 practice questions in 2 categories (Planning and Estimating and Life Safety & Building Code Egress Compliance), plus 7 Learning Hub lessons with diagrams (such as "Panic and Fire Exit Hardware: Where It Is Required and How to Size It" and "Bolts on the Inactive Leaf of a Pair of Doors (Table 1010.2.4)"). Law and Business, which most applicants take alongside their trade exam, is included at no extra charge.

Exam sections and approximate weights

• Planning and Estimating~24%
• Doors and Hardware~18%
• Electronic Locking Systems~20%
• Mechanical Locking Systems~20%
• Safes, Vaults, Security Containers, and Video Systems~7%
• Safety~11%

Practice question categories

• Planning and Estimating75 practice questions
• Life Safety & Building Code Egress Compliance109 practice questions

What the Lock and Security Equipment Contractor exam covers, section by section

Code books behind the Lock and Security Equipment Contractor exam

The exam outline published for this trade lists these references.

• 2025 California Building CodeFor lock and security work the building code supplies the egress rules that decide how a door may be locked: panic hardware requirements, delayed egress and electrically locked doors, hardware heights and opening force, fire door assemblies and door and frame construction. It is the reference behind the Doors and Hardware section and code checks in Planning.
• 2025 California Fire CodeThe fire code governs how doors and locks must work once a building is in use: keeping exits openable, special locking arrangements, fire alarm and sprinkler connections to electrified locks, and maintenance of fire doors. It supports Doors and Hardware and Electronic Locking Systems, where release on alarm and power loss is tested.
• Basic Architectural HardwareA foundation text from the hardware institute covering hinges, locksets, closers, exit devices, thresholds, seals and finishes, and how a hardware set is organized for each opening. It builds the vocabulary for reading specifications and schedules in Planning and Estimating and for Doors and Hardware.
• Keying Systems and NomenclatureA handbook on how keying is planned and described: change keys, masters and grand masters, key bitting, keying hierarchies and the schedules used to record them. It is the best fit for the key generation and master key topics in Mechanical Locking Systems, and for tracking keys in project documentation.
• Glossary of Architectural Hardware TermsA dictionary of door and hardware vocabulary: parts of locks, hinges and closers, door and frame terms and finish names. Because exam questions use trade words precisely, this glossary helps candidates recognize terms across every section, from Planning and Estimating through Doors and Hardware.
• Lock Function ChartA reference showing how each lock function behaves: which side the key or knob controls, when the latch retracts and what condition each function leaves the door in. Candidates compare functions such as storeroom, classroom, office and passage, which supports the job site survey and doors and hardware topics.
• Installation Guide for Doors and HardwareA practical guide to preparing doors and frames and setting hardware correctly: templates, backsets, hinge locations, strike alignment and clearances. It supports the installation side of Doors and Hardware and informs the safety and quality habits you apply when cutting, drilling and mounting hardware.
• The Complete Book of Locks and LocksmithingA broad locksmith's text covering pin tumbler and other cylinder types, key making and impressioning, lock opening and bypass techniques, safes and combination locks, and tools. It is a primary source for Mechanical Locking Systems and for the safe and security container topics in the smallest section.
• NFPA 80: Standard for Fire Doors and Other Opening ProtectivesThis standard covers fire door assemblies: labeled doors and frames, self-closing and latching requirements, hold-open devices, permitted modifications and the inspection and maintenance of rated openings. It explains why hardware and field work must preserve the label, which feeds closing device and fire door topics in Doors and Hardware.
• NFPA 101: Life Safety CodeA life safety code covering means of egress, door locking arrangements, panic and fire exit hardware, delayed egress and special locking provisions by occupancy. It gives a second view of egress rules alongside the California codes and feeds Doors and Hardware and Electronic Locking Systems.
• State of California General Industry & Electrical Safety Orders (Cal/OSHA)With the Construction Safety Orders, this Title 8 set covers hazards for lock and security workers: protective equipment, power tools, working at heights, electrical safety for low-voltage and line-voltage wiring and workplace exit rules. It is the reference behind the Safety section, about 11 percent of the exam.
• Ugly's Electrical ReferencesA pocket guide to Ohm's law, current and voltage relationships, wire data and basic electrical formulas. In this trade it backs the arithmetic of choosing a power supply large enough for several locks, checking wire runs and diagnosing an electrified door that fails, within Electronic Locking Systems.

Key terms for the Lock and Security Equipment Contractor exam

Pin tumbler cylinder

The most common lock cylinder, in which spring-loaded stacks of pins block rotation until the cuts on the correct key lift each stack to the same line. Most keying, bypass and rekeying questions assume this design.

Key bitting

The pattern of cut depths along a key blade that matches the pin stacks. A bitting code records those depths, and keying schedules use codes to cut new keys without having the original in hand.

Master key system

A keying plan where each lock has its own change key, while a higher-level master key opens a group. Extra pins or wafers make this possible, and the layers of grand masters add risk of unintended key interchange.

Lock bypass

Defeating a lock without the correct key or combination, by working the latch or an overlooked feature of the design. Understanding bypass helps a technician choose hardware that resists it, such as deadlatching and shrouded strikes.

Panic hardware

A push bar or touch pad that releases a door latch under pressure from anyone leaving. Certain occupancies and rooms require it, and fire exit hardware is the version listed for use on fire-rated doors.

Delayed egress lock

A lock that, once someone pushes on the door, starts a short fixed delay before it releases, sounding an alarm in the meantime. Codes allow it only in certain buildings and require signs, a fire alarm release and limits on how many such doors are on a path.

Electromagnetic lock

A magnet on the frame that holds a steel plate on the door while energized. It has no moving parts and releases when power is cut, so its power supply must carry the combined current of all the magnets on it.

Electric strike

A frame-mounted strike plate that releases electrically so a latched door can be pulled open without turning the knob. Depending on its type it may stay locked or unlocked when power fails.

Fail-safe and fail-secure

Two behaviors of electrified locks on power loss. Fail-safe devices unlock and fail-secure devices stay locked, and the choice depends on the door's egress, fire alarm and security role.

Request-to-exit sensor

A motion detector or push button on the secure side that tells the access system a person is legitimately leaving, so no forced-door alarm sounds. On some doors it also releases the lock.

Automatic flush bolts

Bolts set into the edge of the fixed door leaf in a double-door opening that extend into the floor and head when the leaves close. They keep that leaf fixed without a visible bolt operated by hand.

Door closer

A spring and hydraulic mechanism that shuts a door under control, with adjustable valves for sweep and latch speeds. Fire doors need closers so they latch every time, and accessibility rules limit closing time and opening force.

Hardware finish designation

A short code naming a hardware finish, such as satin chrome, in two numbering systems that often map to the same finish. Reading these correctly on a schedule prevents ordering mismatched hardware.

Mortise lock

A heavy-duty lock body fitted into a pocket cut in the door edge, accepting trim, cylinders and many functions. Its installation needs accurate door preparation and compatible strikes.

Backset

The distance from the door edge to the center of the lock or latch bore. It must match the hardware and the frame preparation, or the latch will not meet the strike.

Relocker

A secondary locking device inside a safe that fires when someone attacks the door, blocking the bolt work even if the main lock is defeated. Drilling plans must avoid triggering it.

Safe deposit lock

A box lock in a bank vault that needs two different keys, the renter's key and the guard key, turned together. The arrangement keeps any one person from opening a box alone.

Door coordinator

A device above a pair of doors with overlapping edges that holds the active leaf back until the inactive leaf has closed. Without it, the leaves can jam and fail to latch.

Where to spend practice time for the Lock and Security Equipment Contractor exam

• Planning, surveys and system designPlanning and Estimating is about 24 percent, the largest block. It covers reading plans and specifications, surveying a site, designing the system and costing the work. Practice reading a hardware schedule, listing the pieces each opening needs, and doing the arithmetic for materials, labor and mixed unit totals. Compare an opening's security needs with its egress duties.
• Electronic locking and power suppliesElectronic Locking Systems is about 20 percent and covers the wiring, the locking and operating devices with their software, and the control, camera and accessory equipment around them. Drill power supply sizing by adding the current of every lock and device, voltage drop on wire runs, and the difference between fail-safe and fail-secure. Trace what happens at each device when the alarm trips or power drops.
• Mechanical locks and key controlMechanical Locking Systems also carries about 20 percent: cylinders, key generation, bypass and master key systems. Practice drawing a pin stack for a change key and a master key, reading a bitting code, and explaining how a shim or other bypass works against weak latches and how hardware choices defend against them.
• Doors, hardware and egress rulesDoors and Hardware is about 18 percent. It covers latching hardware, door closers, exit devices and the doors and frames themselves, and blends with the life safety egress rules in the building code. Build a checklist for panic hardware, locked egress doors, delayed egress, hardware height and opening force, and fire door latching and closing.
• Safety for hardware installersSafety is about 11 percent and addresses protective equipment, power tools and equipment, and work in elevated areas. Review eye, hearing and respiratory protection for drilling, grinding and cutting, ladder and lift practice for high door and ceiling work, and tool guarding and cord rules.
• Safes, vaults and video systemsThe smallest section, about 7 percent, covers safe installation and repair, vaults, other security containers, bank box locks, opening a safe by drilling or other penetration, and video systems. Because it is narrow, a focused pass over relockers, combination lock types, drilling points and basic camera and recorder setup can add sure points.

Scenarios to talk through before the Lock and Security Equipment Contractor exam

• A pair of corridor doorsDouble doors across a school corridor must latch, stay fixed on one leaf and meet life safety rules. Choose among flush bolts, a coordinator and the closers, explain what the fire rating does to your choices, and say how you test the pair at the end. Explain how you would document the fix for the facility manager.
• Magnetic lock on an exitA stairwell door is to be held by electromagnetic locks. Think through fail-safe behavior, request-to-exit devices, release on fire alarm, and how the power supply is sized for all locks on it. What checks show the door opens when power is lost? Explain how you would label the wiring. Note the sequence.
• Keying a small apartment buildingThe owner of a twelve-unit building wants each tenant to have a private key, with a manager key opening everything. Sketch the key hierarchy, explain how bitting codes and pins support it, what risks come with extra levels, and how you would record the system. Explain how you would present the plan to the owner.
• Hardware for a crowded roomA meeting room will hold a large crowd and has a rated door. Decide which kind of exit hardware is needed, panic or fire-rated, what the bar must do under pressure, what mounting height and opening force limits apply, and how dogging affects the answer. Explain what you would test once it is installed.
• Delayed egress in a care facilityA memory-care facility asks for a delayed egress lock on an exit door. Explain where the code may allow it, what must defeat the delay, what signs and alarms are needed, how many such doors may be on one path, and what you would verify during testing. Explain how you would prove the system is working.
• Opening a safe with a relockerA customer has lost the combination to an older safe that may contain a relocker. Discuss how you would plan drilling to avoid triggering it, what you need to know about the lock type, and how you would repair and document the safe after it is open. Explain what you would tell the customer about what you found.
• A fire door that will not latchA labeled fire door sometimes stays open a few inches. Look at the closer, the latch, the strike and any hold-open device. What adjustments are acceptable, what changes would damage the label, and what must you check about the gasketing and prep work? Explain how you would avoid breaking the label while adjusting.
• Reading a hardware scheduleA schedule lists mortise lock functions, finish codes in two numbering systems and a backset for each opening. How do you verify what to order, catch mismatched finishes, check the door preparation, and compare each opening's function with its egress and security duties? Explain what you would ask the designer before ordering.

Learning Hub lessons

Each lesson has guided steps, a diagram, a worked example and a quick check inside the classroom.

Preview the lesson diagrams

• Panic and Fire Exit Hardware: Where It Is Required and How to Size It
• Bolts on the Inactive Leaf of a Pair of Doors (Table 1010.2.4)
• When Can an Egress Door Be Locked? Key Locks, Dwelling Doors and Classrooms
• Electrically Locked Egress Doors: Hardware Release and Sensor Release
• Delayed Egress Locks: The 15-Second Rule, the Sign, and the Path Limit
• Door Hardware Height, Opening Force and Closer Timing

1. Panic and Fire Exit Hardware: Where It Is Required and How to Size ItSteps: When Panic Hardware Is Mandatory; Special Rooms That Force Panic Hardware; Listing, Width of the Bar, and Force; Balanced Doors and Mounting Height; What Cal/OSHA Adds for Workplaces
2. Bolts on the Inactive Leaf of a Pair of Doors (Table 1010.2.4)Steps: Why Egress Doors Are Not Allowed Plain Bolts; The Three Bolt Types in the Table; How to Read a Row; Fire Rated Pairs Change the Answer; The Workplace Rule in Title 8
3. When Can an Egress Door Be Locked? Key Locks, Dwelling Doors and ClassroomsSteps: The Baseline Rule; Key-Operated Locks on Main Doors (Item 3); Dwelling Units, Roofs and Outdoor Areas; Classroom Intruder Locks (1010.2.7); Cal/OSHA and the Fire Official Also Apply
4. Electrically Locked Egress Doors: Hardware Release and Sensor ReleaseSteps: The Gatekeeper Rule (1010.2.9); Door Hardware Release (1010.2.10); Sensor Release (1010.2.11); The Common Thread: Power Loss Unlocks; Before You Leave the Job
5. Delayed Egress Locks: The 15-Second Rule, the Sign, and the Path LimitSteps: Where Delayed Egress Is Allowed; What Must Defeat the Delay; The 15-Second and 3-Second Numbers; How Many Delayed Doors on One Path; Signs, Lighting, Listing and Hardware
6. Door Hardware Height, Opening Force and Closer TimingSteps: Three Printed Height Ranges; How the Hardware Must Operate; Force to Open the Door; Closer and Spring Hinge Timing; Projections Into the Door Opening
7. Fire Door Hardware: Latching, Closers, Hold-Opens and Door Prep Limits (CBC 716)Steps: Fire Doors Must Latch and Close; Closers: Self-Closing and Automatic-Closing; Hold-Open Devices; Labels, Listed Parts and Smoke Gasketing; Prep Limits and Heat Behavior

See the classroom in action

• Learning Hub
• Practice Questions
• Flashcards

Frequently asked questions