The ASE A4 Suspension & Steering test has 40 scored questions in four content areas, plus 10 unscored questions, and you get 60 minutes for all 50. Three areas are almost equal: steering systems has 12 questions (30.0%), suspension systems 12 questions (30.0%), and wheel alignment 11 questions (27.5%). Wheels and tires is the smallest at 5 questions (12.5%). Together, steering, suspension and alignment are 35 of the 40 questions. Every question ties back to ASE's published task list, which includes electric power steering, electronically controlled suspension and TPMS as well as the mechanical parts. Questions are four-option multiple choice, including Technician A / Technician B items, an EXCEPT item, alignment readings to compare with a spec, and a circuit diagram. A pass plus documented work experience certifies you for 5 years, and A4 is one of the eight tests for Master Automobile Technician.
01The test specification
The ASE test specification for ASE A4 Suspension & Steering splits the 40 scored questions across four content areas. ASE adds 10 unscored questions for research, and you have 60 minutes for all of them. Each area links to five free questions.
| Area | Content area | Scored questions |
|---|---|---|
| A | Steering Systems Diagnosis and Repair | 12 (30%) |
| B | Suspension Systems Diagnosis and Repair | 12 (30%) |
| C | Wheel Alignment Diagnosis, Adjustment, and Repair | 11 (27.5%) |
| D | Wheel and Tire Diagnosis and Service | 5 (12.5%) |
| Total | 40 |
02What is the ASE A4 Suspension & Steering test?
The ASE A4 Suspension & Steering test is one of ASE's certification tests for cars and light trucks. It covers steering columns, gears and linkage, front and rear suspension, wheel alignment, and wheels and tires, including electrically assisted steering and electronically controlled suspension.
It has 40 scored questions and 10 unscored ones, 50 in all, and you get 60 minutes. Every question is multiple choice with four options, (A) to (D). The unscored questions are there so ASE can gather statistics for future tests, and you cannot tell which ones they are, so treat every question as if it counts.
Passing is one half of certification. ASE also asks you to document relevant work experience, and its study guide says suitable vocational training can be credited toward it; the details are at workexp.ase.com. The study guide does not publish a passing score. Once certified, you hold the certification for 5 years, and you renew it with a shorter recertification test, which for A4 is 20 questions in 30 minutes.
A4 is one of the eight tests, A1 to A8, that ASE lists for recognition as a Master Automobile Technician. The full picture is in how Master Technician status works.
03What does each content area cover?
Area A: Steering Systems Diagnosis and Repair (12 questions)
The steering area has 26 tasks in three groups. Steering columns covers noise and effort complaints (power tilt and telescoping included), replacing columns, shafts, U-joints, couplers and wheels, handling airbag parts safely, and the electric assist systems mounted on the column, including setting them up after repair.
Steering units covers conventional gearboxes and rack and pinion gears: noise, binding, free play, effort, pull and leaks. It includes power steering fluid, pump belts, pump noise and replacement, pressure and flow testing, hoses and coolers, gear removal, gearbox worm bearing preload and sector lash, rack adjustment and boots, flushing and bleeding, variable-assist systems, and rack-mounted electric assist. The linkage group covers linkage geometry, the pitman arm, center link, idler arm, tie rods and adjusters, and the steering damper.
Area B: Suspension Systems Diagnosis and Repair (12 questions)
Suspension has 28 tasks split front and rear. Up front you diagnose noise, handling, ride height and ride quality, then inspect and replace control arms and bushings, bump stops, track bars and strut rods, ball joints, solid front axles, knuckles, coil springs, struts and their bearings and mounts, torsion bars, sway bars, shocks, and wheel bearings or hubs. The rear list adds leaf springs with their shackles, bushings and U-bolts, non-independent rear axles, rear ball joints and toe links. Both ends include electronically, hydraulically or air-controlled suspension and ride control systems, and the subframe or crossmember mounts.
Area C: Wheel Alignment Diagnosis, Adjustment, and Repair (11 questions)
Seventeen tasks cover alignment. You diagnose handling complaints, from a car that wanders or pulls to bump steer, memory steer, torque steer, heavy steering and a wheel that will not return to center, and you measure ride height. Then come the angles: camber and caster (measured, and adjusted where the design allows), front toe, centering the steering wheel, toe-out on turns, steering axis inclination, included angle, rear toe, thrust angle and setback. The list finishes with subframe alignment, recalibrating or relearning electronic modules after an alignment, and damaged mounting points.
Area D: Wheel and Tire Diagnosis and Service (5 questions)
Ten tasks cover wheels and tires: reading wear patterns, checking condition, size and load and speed ratings, setting pressure, diagnosing vibration, shimmy and noise, rotating and torquing wheels, measuring radial and lateral runout of the wheel, tire, hub and axle flange, tire pull, mounting and balancing, and testing direct and indirect TPMS, including relearn.
04What kind of questions are on it?
ASE's A4 study guide has ten sample questions, a wide mix of formats. Symptom-to-cause items start from what the driver feels: a vibration at highway speed, the nose diving under braking, a pull during braking. Know which component produces each feel.
Several samples hand you data. One is a table of alignment readings next to the specification, with a complaint about tire wear and pull, and you pick the angle that explains both. Another gives power steering pressure test results, and another is a wiring diagram for an electric power steering module with a stored trouble code and lettered fault points. Practice comparing a reading with a spec and its tolerance, and deciding which side is out and in which direction.
Three samples are Technician A / Technician B items, including one built on an illustration of where to place a jack to check ball joints. That one depends on knowing which joint is load-carrying in that design. The method for A / B items is in how to answer Technician A / B questions.
Reading traps
One A4 sample is an EXCEPT question about which out-of-spec setting would not cause tire wear, flagged by a warning line. In alignment questions, check whether the reading is for the left or right wheel and whether a negative sign matters: an angle out of spec on one side can explain a pull that a matched pair would not.
05Where should your study time go?
Areas A, B and C are 12, 12 and 11 questions, 35 of 40 (87.5%). Split your time roughly evenly across them and give area D, at 5 questions (12.5%), less.
Alignment gives the most questions per task: 11 questions on 17 tasks, against 12 on 26 for steering and 12 on 28 for suspension. Make sure you can say what each angle is, what it does to handling and tire wear, which parts change it, and how to read an alignment printout. In steering and suspension, the electronic systems (electric assist, controlled suspension, module setup) sit alongside the mechanical parts, so do not study only the hardware.
Area D is small but practical: wear patterns, runout and TPMS relearn are the kind of tasks a single question can be built on, so a short session on each is worth the time.
Use the task list as a checklist and mark each task you could explain. ASE says every question represents one or more tasks. Pace: 50 questions in 60 minutes is about 1 minute 12 seconds each, and table or diagram questions take longer.
06Registering, retesting and recertifying
You register and pay through ase.com. ASE charges a $34 registration fee per order plus $62 for each test, so A4 on its own comes to $96. Each extra test in the same order adds $62, not another $96. ASE sets the registration and scheduling dates, so check ase.com for the current dates and fees before you book. The full breakdown is in ASE test fees and registration.
The test is delivered on screen. ASE offers a free demo of its testing platform at ase.com/free-test-drive, and the study guide notes two language aids: a Leer en español button that shows each question and its options side by side in Spanish and English, with no separate registration, and a Spanish/English pop-up glossary available during all ASE tests. More on the format: how ASE tests work.
If you do not pass, ASE makes you wait 30 days before you can take the test again. Spend the month on whichever of steering, suspension and alignment felt weakest, since each is about a quarter or more of the test.
After you pass, the certification runs for 5 years. To renew it you take the A4 recertification test, 20 questions in 30 minutes; you are eligible for it only after passing the full certification test once.
07Questions people ask
- How many questions are on the ASE A4 Suspension & Steering test?
- 50 questions in 60 minutes: 40 scored and 10 unscored. ASE uses the 10 unscored questions to gather statistics for future tests, and you cannot tell which ones they are, so answer all 50.
- What is the biggest content area on ASE A4?
- Steering systems and suspension systems tie at 12 of the 40 scored questions each (30.0%), with wheel alignment close behind at 11 (27.5%). Wheels and tires is the smallest area at 5 questions.
- What score do you need to pass ASE A4?
- ASE's study guide does not publish a passing score for A4. It publishes the content areas, the question counts and the task list. Check ase.com for how results are reported.
- How long does ASE A4 certification last?
- 5 years. To renew it you take the A4 recertification test, 20 questions in 30 minutes, which you can take only after passing the full A4 certification test once.
- How much does the ASE A4 test cost?
- ASE charges $62 per test plus a $34 registration fee per order, so A4 on its own is $96. A second test in the same order adds $62. Check ase.com before you book, since fees can change.
- Is ToolboxPrep affiliated with ASE?
- ToolboxPrep is an independent study site. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by ASE (the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence). Our questions are original practice questions written to the published ASE test specifications; they are not actual test questions.
08Sources
- ASE Automobile Study Guide (Tests A1 to A9), 2026: the A4 test specification, question counts, testing time, the task list this page paraphrases, and the sample-question formats
- ASE (ase.com): the $34 registration fee per order, the $62 fee per test, the 5-year certification period and the 30-day retest wait
The content areas and question counts were checked against ASE's published study guide on October 11, 2026, and the task descriptions paraphrase its task list. ASE's study guide is the final word. If you find one of ours out of date, tell us.
Related: free practice questions · ten free A4 questions · how to answer Technician A / B questions · How ASE tests work
09Practice for this test
ToolboxPrep A4 practice tests are weighted to the specification above, area by area, and every answer is explained, all four options. You can try five sample questions with no account.
Ten free questions per test, no account: free practice questions. How our questions are written and checked: how our questions are made.
ToolboxPrep is an independent study site. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by ASE (the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence). Our questions are original practice questions written to the published ASE test specifications; they are not actual test questions.