ASE certification tests: format, cost and how certification works

ASE is an independent non-profit. It does not train technicians; it tests them. Certification is voluntary, but many employers ask for it, and the blue-and-white ASE patch or the sign in a shop window tells customers the work is done by tested people.

Each certification covers one system. A technician who works on brakes and suspension might hold A4 and A5; one who diagnoses drivability problems will want A6 and A8. There are separate series for collision repair, medium and heavy trucks, school buses, transit buses, parts specialists and more. This guide is about the Automobile and Light Truck series, the A tests.

We do not cover A2 Automatic Transmission/Transaxle, A3 Manual Drive Train and Axles, A7 Heating and Air Conditioning or A9 Light Vehicle Diesel Engines; we would rather leave a test out than write it badly. Each of the five has a page with a free drill: A1, A4, A5, A6 and A8.

Questions come in a few shapes. Direct questions ask for a cause, a test or a part. "Technician A says, Technician B says" questions give a situation and two statements, and you decide whether A, B, both or neither is right. "EXCEPT" questions list three things that are true and ask for the one that is not. "Most likely" questions give a symptom and several possible causes, of which one fits best.

Some questions show a figure, a wiring diagram or a scan tool reading. Bring nothing: the test center provides what you are allowed to use.

Your score report shows pass or fail and how you did in each content area, so a failed test still tells you where to study. Prep sites often quote a percentage such as "about 65% to 70%"; that is an estimate, not an ASE number. We use 70% on each test as a practice target, which gives you some margin over any such estimate.

Detail on the scoring, the score report and what to do after a fail is on ASE passing score.

Because the registration fee is paid per registration, booking two or three tests at once costs less than booking them one by one. A failed test is paid for again in full, so the cheapest test is the one you pass first time. Some employers and schools pay test fees; ask before you pay yourself.

Many students take the tests while still in school and become certified once their experience is in. ASE also runs entry-level student tests, which are separate from the certification tests on this page.

Certification lasts 5 years. To keep it you take a recertification test (or ASE's online renewal option where it is offered) before it lapses. Passing A1 to A8 makes you a Master Automobile Technician.

Most experienced technicians need one to three weeks per test, mostly on areas they do not work on every day and on the two-technician format. A seven-day plan is in how to pass the ASE test, and the free ASE practice test shows where you stand today.