CI written exam practice questions
The FFI CI Study Guide ends with Appendix D — review questions, and the closest thing to a published syllabus for the written (paper) exam. This collection holds all 33 of them as cards, and 60 more questions written for this site to test the same material from another angle.
The exam itself: the FFI CI exam page states that the written exam is 36 multiple-choice or true/false questions, with 30 correct answers required to pass, covering casting mechanics, fly tackle, knots and teaching. The questions are not published. Nothing here is a copy of them or a prediction of them — see the paper exam page for the syllabus, test-day sequence and retake rules.
The 33 sample questions. FFI’s Sample Questions by Topic, one card each: six on loop control, seven on line control, five on roll casts, three on accuracy, five on distance and seven on the teaching tasks. Each has been checked against the current casting definitions and the exam’s own wording: a rule that only holds in a particular cast now says so, a figure that could not be verified is gone, and where the outcome depends on something, the answer says so instead of inventing a number. Where a claim is a teaching model rather than a published definition, the card says that too.
The 60 original questions. Tagged original, numbered P01–P60. They cover the same ground the exam does — definitions, mechanics, tackle, knots, teaching and fault analysis — but they are written here, not by FFI, and they are not a prediction of the paper. Work through them after the sample questions stop being interesting; each one names the source its answer rests on.
Nothing here replaces the study guide. A good score on cards does not make you ready for the performance exam — cast, and teach, with a mentor.
Search a word, filter by topic tag, or read a topic straight through — cards are ordered by topic and then by the order the appendix lists them.
- What are the rod tip paths that produce a narrow loop, wide loop and tailing loop? In a conventional overhead cast, a near-straight rod tip path gives a narrow loop, a convex path tends to produce a wide loop, and a tail is a concave fly leg that crosses the rod leg. Read the full answer
- Name two actions that result in a tailing loop. A casting arc too narrow for the actual rod bend, and misapplication of power — abrupt or uneven force — either can drive the rod tip into a concave path and produce a tailing loop. Read the full answer
- How does the path of the rod tip relate to the size of the loop? In a conventional overhead cast, tip-path curvature sets loop width — near-straight is narrow, convex opens it — but the fly leg also depends on aligning that path with the incoming line. Read the full answer
- How does the 180-degree principle apply to overhead casting? At the start of each casting stroke the fly line and the intended rod tip path should be closely aligned with the target, laterally and vertically — alignment sets up an efficient cast; it does not guarantee one. Read the full answer
- If the casting arc is too wide for the bend of the rod, which loop shape results? In a conventional overhead cast, an arc that is too wide for the bend tends to open the loop: the rod tip travels up and over in a convex dome and the fly leg curves upward. Read the full answer
- Comparing a bamboo rod with a fast-action graphite rod, which needs the wider casting arc when false casting similar loops? The rod that actually bends more in that cast needs the wider arc — usually the softer bamboo rod, but the material name alone is not enough to decide. Read the full answer
- What is a mend? A mend changes the fly line's layout through rod movement after the stop on a delivery cast; an aerial mend happens before the line lands, a water mend after. Read the full answer
- Why would you slip line, or not slip line, during a reach mend? Slip line to preserve the fly's intended position while the rod reaches; not slipping is a choice of layout and distance, not a more precise method. Read the full answer
- What fishing situation would you use a pile cast? Use a pile cast to put deliberate slack into the presentation from the cast alone — classically when presenting downstream, where that slack buys a longer drag-free drift. Read the full answer
- What is an elliptical cast, and when might you use it? An elliptical cast (Belgian or oval) runs a low back-cast plane without a stop into a more vertical forward cast — a continuous-tension cast that helps with bulky flies and back-cast ticking. Read the full answer
- What are the fishing benefits of learning to cast from the vertical plane to a more horizontal plane? A lower rod plane carries the line under overhanging cover, and an off-side plane helps when the wind blows onto your casting arm — but horizontal is not automatically safe in every wind direction. Read the full answer
- What casting adjustments are needed when casting from a vertical plane to a horizontal plane? Keep the 180-degree principle in the new plane, move the rod flat instead of down-and-up, keep the low plane clear of the ground, and adjust arc and stroke only if a speed increase adds bend — the plane change alone does not. Read the full answer
- When would you want to use a reach mend? A reach mend sets the line and leader down in the layout you want before they land — often upstream to slow the drag in moving water, but it can reach downstream too when the situation calls for it. Read the full answer
- Describe the 180-degree principle for anchored casts as it applies to the roll cast. Line the anchor, the D Loop and the delivery up closely on the target line, laterally — that alignment is a requirement you manage, not a guarantee of a safe or accurate cast. Read the full answer
- In what fishing situation would you use a roll cast pickup? When the fly and leader have sunk, gone slack or snagged: the roll cast pickup uses a higher forward trajectory to peel them off the water and get the line back into the air. Read the full answer
- If too much force is applied too early during a roll cast, what happens to the loop? No single shape: 'too much force too early' says when the power arrives, and you have to read the tip path, bend, anchor and timing to know whether the loop opened or tailed. Read the full answer
- What are at least three reasons we do a roll cast? A roll cast earns its place at least three ways: no room for an aerial back cast, clearing slack, raising a sunk line, freeing a snagged fly, or lifting a bulky fly with minimal disturbance. Read the full answer
- Is a roll cast a good change-of-direction cast? Not generally: it is defined as an anchored cast without a substantial change of direction, and how much it can turn depends on the line carried and how cleanly the loop turns over — not a fixed number. Read the full answer
- How does fly line trajectory affect accuracy? Trajectory sets the direction the loop travels relative to the horizon; matched to the target it shortens the fly's fall, and a flat trajectory is not automatically inaccurate. Read the full answer
- What changes in timing (pause) occur when casting from 20 ft to 45 ft at similar casting speed? With comparable line speed and loop conditions, more line takes longer to straighten, so the pause lengthens from 20 ft to 45 ft — time the next stroke to the line, not to a memorised count. Read the full answer
- How do I correct my fly landing to the right or left of the target? A lateral miss has more than one possible cause — aim, tracking, line alignment, wind or turnover — so check them in order instead of assuming a curved tip path, and treat the reel pointed at the target as a cue, not a diagnosis. Read the full answer
- How much line can we typically shoot? There is no standard figure: shooting line means releasing line after the stop, so how much shoots depends on how much line is already moving, how fast it is moving and how freely it runs through the guides. Read the full answer
- When casting a distance of 75 ft, approximately how much line is carried in the air during false casting? There is no verified single carry figure: establish how the 75 ft is measured, then carry the longest line you can keep under control and let the delivery shoot the rest. Read the full answer
- As the casting distance increases, what happens to the length of the haul? Longer casts commonly take a longer haul, since the haul supplies the line speed a long carry needs; equal forward and back hauls are an exam standard and teaching cue, not part of the definition. Read the full answer
- When teaching the double haul, how do you teach when the haul begins? Teach the haul as part of the stroke it belongs to: pull as the stroke pulls and return the line hand towards the rod hand during the pause, with a matching start and finish as a teaching model rather than a rule. Read the full answer
- What happens if the haul is too early? A haul that starts or finishes early has spent part of its pull before the stop, but the guide names no such fault and no fixed loop shape follows: watch the haul timing, the return, the tension and the tip path, then diagnose what you saw. Read the full answer
- When you are demonstrating a cast, where should the observer stand relative to you and the sun? Wherever the feature you are demonstrating is clearly visible, with the observer outside the rod and fly path and no glare in their eyes; beside and slightly behind works for a loop demonstration, but there is no universal position. Read the full answer
- What is the biggest risk in your instructional approach when teaching a beginner? Overload: telling a beginner more than they can act on, so they spend the lesson practising faults instead of one clean repetition. Read the full answer
- What teaching tools would you use to demonstrate rod tip path to a beginner? Slow pantomime, a visible reference line and contrasting demonstrations — the straight path, then a rainbow, then a dip — followed by practice, with a tape measure, cones and a pool noodle as optional aids. Read the full answer
- When would the PULD (Pickup and Laydown) cast be used? It is both a fishing cast — presenting the fly or changing direction slightly without false casting — and the foundation cast for starting and ending the other overhead casts. Read the full answer
- Where should an instructor stand to best identify poor tracking? Along the casting direction from a safe, offset position — close behind or close in front of the caster, but never close enough to be in the fly path. Read the full answer
- Define Gammel's Five Essentials and integrate each into the Task 21 adjustment from 30 ft to 50 ft. Straight tip path, an arc matched to the rod's bend, smooth force, minimal slack and a pause matched to the time the loop needs to straighten — at 50 ft you adjust stroke and arc, force and pause. Read the full answer
- What is the most important concept to convey in teaching Task 22 when casting with wind? First keep the fly and line away from people; then match plane, trajectory, loop and line speed to the wind direction, and with a wind on the casting arm keep the line on the safe side of your body. Read the full answer
- A fly leg dips towards the rod leg but never crosses it. Is that sufficient to meet the current definition of a tailing loop? No — a tailing loop needs a concave fly leg that dips towards and crosses the rod leg, so a dip on its own is not enough. Read the full answer
- Which identifies a trailing loop rather than a tailing loop? A trailing loop has a fly leg that is not concave and still crosses the rod leg; the tailing loop is the concave version. Read the full answer
- True or false: casting arc and stroke length are two names for the same measurement. False — casting arc is the angle change of the rod butt during the stroke, while stroke length is the distance the butt travels. Read the full answer
- Which movement is translation? Translation is a linear change in the position of the rod butt, as distinct from rotation, the angular change in its position. Read the full answer
- Does the definition of stop require the rod to remain completely motionless for a prolonged interval? No — the stop is deceleration of the rod that results in loop formation, not a prescribed freeze of any particular length. Read the full answer
- Which term describes the lateral path of the rod tip during a casting stroke? Tracking is the lateral path of the rod tip during a casting stroke; trajectory, by contrast, is the loop's direction relative to the horizon. Read the full answer
- True or false: timing and tempo are interchangeable in the current definitions. False — timing is when each casting action transitions into the next; tempo is the rates of movement within a cast. Read the full answer
- During the pause, the tip moves in the direction of the cast just made. What is this? That movement is drift: the definitions reserve it for rod tip movement in the direction of the current cast during the pause. Read the full answer
- True or false: every movement towards the next cast during the pause is automatically creep. False — movement towards the next cast during the pause is drag; it becomes creep only when it contributes to a casting fault. Read the full answer
- Line is released after the stop and the amount outside the tip increases. Which term applies? Releasing line after the stop so that more of it sits outside the rod tip is shooting line, not slipping line. Read the full answer
- True or false: a water mend takes place before the line lands. False: a water mend is made after the line and leader have landed; a mend made before they land is an aerial mend. Read the full answer
- A cast transitions from a relatively horizontal back-cast plane into a more vertical forward plane without stopping. Which is the best identification? It is the Belgian, oval or elliptical cast: a continuous-tension cast whose relatively horizontal back-cast plane transitions without stopping into a more vertical forward plane. Read the full answer
- Which is Point P? Point P is the point where the fly line suspended from the rod tip first touches the water. Read the full answer
- True or false: the anchor consists only of the fly. False: the anchor is the fly, plus the fly line and leader in contact with the water at the bottom of the D loop. Read the full answer
- Which is a blown anchor? A blown anchor is an anchor that releases prematurely during the delivery cast. Read the full answer
- True or false: the current roll-cast definition includes a substantial change of direction. False: a roll cast is an anchored cast without a substantial change of direction; the Spey cast is the definition that includes a change of direction. Read the full answer
- What principally distinguishes the published roll-cast pickup from a standard roll cast? The published roll-cast pickup uses a higher forward trajectory than a standard roll cast, so the loop unrolls higher and lifts the line clear. Read the full answer
- True or false: a double haul includes a pull on consecutive strokes and a return of the line hand towards the rod hand during the pause. True: the current definition is a pull through the guides on consecutive casting strokes, with the line hand returned towards the rod hand during the pause. Read the full answer
- What is overhang? Overhang is the amount of running or shooting line outside the rod tip during casting strokes. Read the full answer
- Which sequence describes the diagnostic half of the six-step method? Diagnosis runs from the line to the rod to the body: read the visible line fault, then the rod movement, then the body movement producing it. Read the full answer
- Which sequence describes the corrective half of the six-step method? Body, rod, line: change the body movement first, then the rod movement it produces, then show the improved line result. Read the full answer
- True or false: the six-step method recommends correcting every visible fault at once. False — correct one fault at a time, starting with the one that is doing the most damage to the student's progress. Read the full answer
- Which practice setup is explicitly recommended in the introductory PULD lesson? A yarn fly and eye protection — the introductory pickup-and-lay-down lesson sets practice up that way. Read the full answer
- Wind blows towards a right-handed caster's casting arm. Which response addresses the published safety concern? Move the line to a suitable off-side plane, so the wind carries it away from the casting arm instead of toward it. Read the full answer
- What are the two principal functions of backing described in the equipment glossary? Backing builds up the spool diameter and provides reserve line for a long run. Read the full answer
- True or false: the tippet must always be a separately knotted piece rather than part of a leader. False — the tippet can be the terminal section of the leader itself or a piece knotted onto it. Read the full answer
- Which is finer in the standard X sequence? 6X — in the X system, higher numbers indicate finer tippet diameters. Read the full answer
- True or false: a line's total head weight must equal its first-30-foot weight. False — the two are separate measurements, and manufacturer specifications can list different values for them. Read the full answer
- Which knot is especially associated with joining similar-diameter leader or tippet sections? The blood knot — it is primarily used for lines of similar size. Read the full answer
- Which is a common Albright application? Joining backing to fly line — the Albright is commonly used there and can join lines of dissimilar diameter. Read the full answer
- True or false: double surgeon's knot and double fisherman's knot are the same knot. False — the double surgeon's join is a doubled overhand knot tied with both lines together, while the double fisherman's ties a separate strangle knot on each line around the other's standing part. Read the full answer
- What is a common purpose of a perfection loop? The perfection loop makes a stable end loop that lies in line with the standing end, commonly used for a loop-to-loop connection between fly line and leader. Read the full answer
- How many correct answers does the official CI exam page require on its 36-question written test? Thirty correct answers are required on the 36-question written test. Read the full answer
- Which list matches the subjects explicitly named on the official written-exam page? The official CI exam page names casting mechanics, fly tackle, knots and teaching. Read the full answer
- True or false: passing a self-written practice bank alone establishes readiness for the performance examination. False — a self-written question bank tests recall, while FFI's preparation guidance points to a mentor and at least one full practice test. Read the full answer
- True or false: failing the written test necessarily prevents taking the performance exam that day. False — the FAQ says a failed written test does not stop you taking the performance exam that day, though a pass then requires the written test to be retaken within one year. Read the full answer
- Why is arc matched to rod bend rather than to rod material alone? Because the arc has to match how much the rod actually bends in the cast, and a material label does not measure that bend. Read the full answer
- What is the difference between a rod plane and a trajectory? Rod plane is the surface the rod traces during the cast; trajectory is the direction the loop travels relative to the horizon. Read the full answer
- Why can a straight tip path still fail to produce the intended straight fly leg? A straight tip path can be aimed along the wrong line: if the fly line is not aligned with the intended path at the start of the stroke, the straight path still pulls the line into a new direction and the fly leg curves. Read the full answer
- What should determine the pause when line speed changes? The time the line needs to straighten before the next stroke, not distance alone and not a fixed count. Read the full answer
- How do an in-plane loop and an out-of-plane loop differ? An in-plane loop keeps its fly leg and rod leg in the same plane; an out-of-plane loop has the two legs in different planes. Read the full answer
- What is an underslung loop? A loop whose fly leg unrolls below its rod leg — the shape the current definitions list as an under-running loop. Read the full answer
- How does slipping line differ from shooting line? Shooting line releases line after the stop; slipping line releases line together with rod movement before or after a casting stroke. Read the full answer
- Why might you slip line during a reach mend? So the rod can reach without pulling the fly away from its intended target. Read the full answer
- Must a reach mend always be upstream? No. The rod can reach upstream or downstream; the direction follows the layout you need the line to land in. Read the full answer
- How do a D loop and a V loop differ? A D loop is round-shaped; a V loop is pointed. Both are back-cast loops between the rod tip and the anchor of an anchored cast. Read the full answer
- What is a piled or crashed anchor? An anchor that lands on the water creating slack in the fly line or leader. Read the full answer
- What is a Bloody L anchor? An anchor in which part of the fly line or leader lies at approximately a right angle to the rest of the anchor. Read the full answer
- How do skipped and blown anchors differ in timing? A skipped anchor leaves the water prematurely before the delivery cast, moving away from the target; a blown anchor releases prematurely during the delivery cast. Read the full answer
- What is trunking? A fault in which downward rod tip movement at the end of the D-loop sweep makes the anchor too long, with Point P behind the caster. Read the full answer
- What is hooking in anchored casting? Hooking is the fault where the D loop swings around and behind the caster instead of forming behind the rod tip over the anchor; it is not the act of hooking a fish. Read the full answer
- Why diagnose line, then rod, then body? Because that order follows cause backwards from the visible line problem to the rod movement that produced it and then to the body movement the student can change. Read the full answer
- How should you demonstrate a correction clearly? Keep it short and slow, and put the unwanted result beside the desired one so the student can see the difference; exaggerate while teaching, then bring the movement back to normal. Read the full answer
- Why should a casting definition not automatically become your beginner teaching script? Because the definitions exist to make technical communication precise between instructors, not necessarily to serve as teaching terms; keep the mechanics and choose language the beginner can use. Read the full answer
- What does a PULD lesson teach beyond merely getting the fly off the water? It teaches a quiet pickup and an efficient delivery to the target, and it builds the foundation every overhead cast uses: begin the cast cleanly and end it where you meant to. Read the full answer
- Why should you investigate turnover when a sidearm cast misses laterally? Because unsuitable delivery energy can make the line, leader and fly kick left or right, so a lateral miss does not prove that the tracking was curved. Read the full answer
- Why can an air-resistant fly need heavier tippet than a slimmer fly of the same hook size? Because a heavier tippet is stiffer: it supports turnover and resists the twisting an air-resistant fly puts into the leader, so hook size is only the starting point for choosing tippet. Read the full answer
- What happens if tippet is too light for a large, air-resistant fly? It may fail to turn the fly over cleanly: the fly can spin and twist the tippet, and the leader lands in a coil instead of straightening out. Read the full answer
- When is a surgeon's join useful, and what is one disadvantage compared with a blood knot? It is useful for joining moderately unequal line sizes such as tippet to leader, but it is bulkier than a blood knot and leaves a slight angle in the line. Read the full answer
- If you pass the written exam but fail the performance exam, what does the current FAQ say about retaining the written result? The written exam need not be repeated if the performance exam is retaken within one year; take longer than a year and both exams must be taken again. Read the full answer
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