The ASE A6 Electrical/Electronic Systems test has 50 scored questions in five content areas, plus 10 unscored questions, and you get 90 minutes for all 60. Body electrical systems is the biggest area at 17 questions (34.0%), then general electrical/electronic diagnosis at 13 questions (26.0%). Battery and starting has 9 questions (18.0%), lighting 6 questions (12.0%), and charging 5 questions (10.0%). Together, body electrical and general diagnosis are 30 of the 50 questions. Every question ties back to ASE's published task list, which centers on meter readings, wiring diagrams, scan data and network faults. Questions are four-option multiple choice, and Technician A / Technician B items are common in the study guide's samples, alongside circuit diagrams with meter readings and an EXCEPT item. A pass plus documented work experience certifies you for 5 years, and A6 is one of the eight tests for Master Automobile Technician.
01The test specification
The ASE test specification for ASE A6 Electrical/Electronic Systems splits the 50 scored questions across five content areas. ASE adds 10 unscored questions for research, and you have 90 minutes for all of them. Each area links to five free questions.
| Area | Content area | Scored questions |
|---|---|---|
| A | General Electrical/Electronic System Diagnosis | 13 (26%) |
| B | Battery and Starting System Diagnosis and Repair | 9 (18%) |
| C | Charging System Diagnosis and Repair | 5 (10%) |
| D | Lighting Systems Diagnosis and Repair | 6 (12%) |
| E | Body Electrical Systems Diagnosis and Repair | 17 (34%) |
| Total | 50 |
02What is the ASE A6 Electrical/Electronic Systems test?
The ASE A6 Electrical/Electronic Systems test is one of ASE's certification tests for cars and light trucks. It covers electrical diagnosis on cars and light trucks: meters, scopes, scan tools and wiring diagrams, the battery, starting and charging systems, lighting, and the body systems from power windows to airbags.
It has 50 scored questions and 10 unscored ones, 60 in all, and you get 90 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 A6 is 25 questions in 45 minutes.
A6 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: General Electrical/Electronic System Diagnosis (13 questions)
Thirteen tasks cover the core diagnostic skills. You confirm the concern, check service information, and take the basic readings: voltage and voltage drop, current and wattage, continuity and resistance, and waveforms. You use scan data, bidirectional controls and trouble codes, and you find opens, shorts, grounds and unwanted resistance. The list includes measuring key-off battery drain, testing fuses, fusible links, circuit breakers and diodes, reading schematics and their symbols, diagnosing data network failures (including identifying the network type), and replacing and programming control modules.
Area B: Battery and Starting System Diagnosis and Repair (9 questions)
Thirteen tasks cover the battery and the starter. The battery tasks start with identifying the low-voltage storage system, which can mean newer battery chemistries, more than one battery, or boost capacitors, then state-of-charge, load and capacitance testing, keeping module memory alive, charging, cables and hold-downs, and jump-starting. The starting tasks cover diagnosis, current draw testing, voltage drop testing of the starter circuit, the starter and its relays, solenoids and switches, and telling an electrical slow-crank or no-crank from a mechanical one.
Area C: Charging System Diagnosis and Repair (5 questions)
Eight tasks cover charging: diagnosing no-charge, low-charge and overcharge conditions, the drive belt and tensioner, voltage output and current output tests, the regulator and the sensors or modules that control the generator, voltage drop tests on the charging circuit, its wiring, and removing and replacing the generator (alternator).
Area D: Lighting Systems Diagnosis and Repair (6 questions)
Eight tasks cover lighting: exterior lights that are too bright, dim, intermittent, stuck on or dead; identifying, aiming and leveling headlights and fog or driving lights, including HID, LED and adaptive systems; turn signals and hazards; interior lighting from the dome lamp to the trunk light; and trailer wiring, including the brake controller.
Area E: Body Electrical Systems Diagnosis and Repair (17 questions)
This area has 17 questions but only 10 tasks, because each task names a whole family of systems, with one task to diagnose it and one to repair it. The five families are the driver interface (instrument cluster, driver information, infotainment and navigation); comfort and convenience (power windows, seats and locks, remote start, sunroofs, keyless entry, phone pairing, cameras, park assist, cruise control); heated and cooled seats, mirrors, glass and steering wheels; security and anti-theft, including starter or fuel disable; and safety systems, from airbags, horns, wipers and washers to collision mitigation, telematics and head-up displays.
04What kind of questions are on it?
ASE's A6 study guide has nine sample questions, and four of them are Technician A / Technician B items: an oil pressure light that stays on, a fusible link replaced with plain wire, a starter that clicks but does not crank, and a horn that works only with a jumper across its relay. One of those four has both technicians right. The method is in how to answer Technician A / B questions.
Several samples show a circuit diagram. In one, you identify what a meter connected at a given point in the charging circuit is reading. In another, you get meter readings at lettered points in a brake light circuit and pick the fault. Being able to predict what a meter will read at any point in a working circuit, and how an open, a short or high resistance changes it, is the core skill.
One sample is a straight units question, converting between milliamps and amps, and another asks what could explain a power window that works from one switch but not fully from the other.
Reading traps
One A6 sample is an EXCEPT question about causes of high starter current draw, flagged by a warning line. Watch the units in every reading (millivolts against volts, milliamps against amps) and where the meter leads are: a voltage drop reading and a source voltage reading at nearby points mean very different things.
05Where should your study time go?
Area E is 17 of the 50 scored questions (34.0%) and area A is 13 (26.0%): 30 of 50 (60.0%) between them. Battery and starting, charging and lighting make up the other 20 (40.0%).
Area E's 17 questions sit on 10 tasks, so each family of body systems can carry two or more questions. Study them as circuits rather than as parts: how a module, a switch input and a motor output fit together, and how a network fault shows up. Area A's skills (voltage drop, current, resistance, schematics, scan data) are what you use to answer area E questions, so the two areas reinforce each other.
Use the task list as a checklist and mark each task you could explain. ASE says every question represents one or more tasks. Pace: 60 questions in 90 minutes is about 1 minute 30 seconds each, the most time per question in the A-series, which suits the diagram questions.
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 A6 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 wiring diagram practice and area E, since together with area A it is 60% of the scored questions.
After you pass, the certification runs for 5 years. To renew it you take the A6 recertification test, 25 questions in 45 minutes; you are eligible for it only after passing the full certification test once.
07Questions people ask
- How many questions are on the ASE A6 Electrical/Electronic Systems test?
- 60 questions in 90 minutes: 50 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 60.
- What is the biggest content area on ASE A6?
- Body Electrical Systems Diagnosis and Repair, with 17 of the 50 scored questions (34.0%), followed by General Electrical/Electronic System Diagnosis with 13. Battery and starting has 9, lighting 6 and charging 5.
- What score do you need to pass ASE A6?
- ASE's study guide does not publish a passing score for A6. It publishes the content areas, the question counts and the task list. Check ase.com for how results are reported.
- How long does ASE A6 certification last?
- 5 years. To renew it you take the A6 recertification test, 25 questions in 45 minutes, which you can take only after passing the full A6 certification test once.
- How much does the ASE A6 test cost?
- ASE charges $62 per test plus a $34 registration fee per order, so A6 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 A6 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 A6 questions · how to answer Technician A / B questions · How ASE tests work
09Practice for this test
ToolboxPrep A6 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.