Certified Technology Specialist (CTS) Exam 2025 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

The first step an AV technician should take when checking signal flow between a source and a display is to confirm that the signal is being generated by the source components. This is crucial because, without a generated signal, no amount of troubleshooting or checks on connections or power will resolve issues related to the lack of an output display. If the source device, such as a computer, DVD player, or any other media source, is not set up correctly to output a signal or is experiencing malfunction, the signal will not reach the display, rendering all other checks ineffective.

Validating that the signal is being generated establishes a foundation for further troubleshooting. Once it is confirmed that the source does generate a signal, the technician can move on to checking whether the source component is powered properly, verifying cable connections, or ensuring that a network connection has been established, depending on the specific type of AV setup. This systematic approach helps in isolating the issue effectively.