
When the Fiber Optic Association (FOA) began online certification testing, the results showed an unusual area of confusion. 25% of the test-takers missed the answer to what should have been a simple question: “What do you strip when you strip fiber for splicing or termination?” Instead of answering “the buffer coating,” a quarter of students answered that you strip the cladding. Even some instructors on their instructor certification exams answered that question incorrectly.