How to Become an ASE Certified Technician
Automotive service technicians inspect, repair and maintain all components of motor vehicles, including the air conditioning, brakes, engine and transmission. As the automotive industry evolves to incorporate rapid advances in electronics and computer technology, employers increasingly prefer automotive service technicians with more experience and training. Obtaining ASE certification from the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence is a common way for technicians to demonstrate their advanced professional skills. The credential is especially important for technicians working in larger urban locations, reports the U.S. Department of Labor.
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Instructions
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Obtain at least two years of full-time experience performing hands-on work in the motor vehicle service industry. The National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence allows candidates to register for and take ASE certification examinations before meeting the work experience requirement, but it won't award the credential until the experience is acquired.
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Decide which written or computer-based certification examination(s) you want to take. Candidates can complete more than one examination, and nine specialties are available as of 2010: automatic transmission/transaxle, brakes, electrical/electronic systems, engine performance, engine repair, heating and air conditioning, light vehicle diesel engines, manual drive train and axles, and suspension and steering.
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Register for your preferred examination(s) online or via postal mail or telephone. Written examinations are held in the fall and spring of each year, and computer-based examinations are held in the summer and winter of each year at locations determined by the official testing provider ACT. Contact the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence for exact locations.
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Pay the required registration and examination fees, which are $36 and $28, respectively, for written examinations and $74 and $38, respectively, for computer examinations, as of April 2010. Registering for more than one examination saves money because the registration fee remains unchanged no matter how many tests are requested. However, the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence recommends taking no more than four examinations on a single day.
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Choose study aids to become familiar with the information required to pass examinations. For example, the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence suggests reading study guides that include sample examinations, such as those available on its website on the ASE Study Guides page.
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Arrive at the test center on the appropriate date with proper identification (an unexpired school or government identification card with your photograph), your admission ticket, and several No. 2 pencils, and complete the examination(s) within the allotted four hours. The National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence will notify you of your performance afterwards and award the ASE credential(s) if you qualify.
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Tips & Warnings
Individuals who don't have two years of eligible work experience can substitute two years of formal high school training, post-high school training or short courses for one year of experience. Completion of an appropriate two-year associate degree or a relevant apprenticeship lasting three or four years can also fulfill the two-year work experience requirement.
Individuals who pass the examinations in all of the automobile specialties except Light Vehicle Diesel Engines, which isn't required, are designated Master Automobile Technicians. The credential indicates greater expertise.
ASE certified technicians have to re-take each examination they previously passed every five years to maintain certification. Master Automobile Technicians lose that credential if they miss re-taking even one examination.
References
- National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence: ASE Work Experience Requirements
- National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence: FAQs - Registration for Written Tests
- National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence: Register to Test
- O*NET: Summary Report for Automotive Specialty Technicians
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Outlook Handbook - Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics
Resources
- Photo Credit The breakage. image by FAFANJA from Fotolia.com
