An ASE certification test is a set of four-option multiple-choice questions, timed, and delivered on ASE's testing platform. Each test in the Automobile series and G1 has 10 unscored questions mixed in with the scored ones, which ASE uses to try out questions for future tests; you cannot tell which they are. The A1 to A8 tests have 40 to 50 scored questions and 60 to 90 minutes, about 72 to 90 seconds per question once the unscored ones are counted. Every question is written to a published test specification and task list. ASE's study guides do not publish a passing score. Passing, plus documented work experience, earns a certification that lasts 5 years, and if you do not pass, ASE makes you wait 30 days before you take the same test again.
01What does an ASE certification test look like?
Each ASE test covers one area of work and stands alone: you register for it, sit it and pass or fail it on its own. The Automobile series runs from A1 Engine Repair to A8 Engine Performance (plus A9, light vehicle diesel engines, which this site does not cover yet), and G1 Auto Maintenance and Light Repair sits beside them. Every question has four options, (A) to (D), and one correct answer.
The table lists the scored questions and testing time for each test, from ASE's study guides. The time covers the unscored questions too.
| Test | Scored | Unscored | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| ASE A1 Engine Repair | 45 | 10 | 75 min |
| ASE A2 Automatic Transmission/Transaxle | 45 | 10 | 75 min |
| ASE A3 Manual Drive Train & Axles | 40 | 10 | 60 min |
| ASE A4 Suspension & Steering | 40 | 10 | 60 min |
| ASE A5 Brakes | 45 | 10 | 75 min |
| ASE A6 Electrical/Electronic Systems | 50 | 10 | 90 min |
| ASE A7 Heating & Air Conditioning | 50 | 10 | 75 min |
| ASE A8 Engine Performance | 50 | 10 | 75 min |
| ASE G1 Auto Maintenance & Light Repair | 55* | 10 | 90 min |
* The G1 study guide's test-length table prints 45 scored questions; 55 is the sum of its seven content areas and the scored count ase.com gives for G1. The A-series pace works out from 72 seconds a question (A3 and A4) to 90 seconds (A6).
02What are the unscored questions?
Every ASE certification test carries 10 questions that do not count toward your score. ASE uses them to collect the performance statistics it needs before a question can go into the scored part of a future test. They look like every other question and are not marked, so you have no way to tell which ones they are.
The practical rule, which ASE's study guide states directly, is to answer every question. Do not spend time trying to spot the unscored ones, and do not skip a hard question on the theory that it might not count.
03Where do the questions come from?
Each test has a published test specification: a list of content areas with the number of scored questions in each. Working professionals and technical experts set the specification and write a task list for each area, describing the knowledge and skills the test expects. ASE says every question represents one or more of those tasks, though not every task shows up on the particular form you sit.
That makes the task list your study checklist. Each of our study guides walks through one test's areas in plain words: A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6, A7, A8, G1.
04What question formats does ASE use?
The sample questions in ASE's study guides show the formats. Most are direct questions or sentence completions built on a symptom ("which of these could be the cause?"). Many hand you something to read: a meter reading, a set of pressures or compression numbers, an alignment printout, a wiring diagram with lettered fault points, or an apply chart. Some ask what the technician should do next.
Two formats have their own rules. In a Technician A / Technician B question, two technicians each make a statement and you decide whether A only, B only, both or neither is right; 19 of the 79 sample questions in the A1 to A8 and G1 guides use it. See how to answer Technician A / B questions. An EXCEPT question asks for the one option that does not fit; ASE puts a warning line above it, and the study guide says the same instructions appear with similar questions on the ASE tests.
05How is the test delivered?
ASE tests are taken on screen. ASE offers a free demonstration of its testing platform at ase.com/free-test-drive, so you can see how the screens work before test day. ASE also offers official practice tests through ase.com.
Two language aids are built in. The Automobile tests and G1 have 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 pop-up Spanish/English glossary is available during all ASE tests.
06How should you pace yourself?
The time limit covers every question, scored and unscored, so divide the testing time by the full count to get your pace. For the tests on this site that works out as follows:
- A1: 55 questions in 75 minutes, about 82 seconds each
- A2: 55 questions in 75 minutes, about 82 seconds each
- A3: 50 questions in 60 minutes, about 72 seconds each
- A4: 50 questions in 60 minutes, about 72 seconds each
- A5: 55 questions in 75 minutes, about 82 seconds each
- A6: 60 questions in 90 minutes, about 90 seconds each
- A7: 60 questions in 75 minutes, about 75 seconds each
- A8: 60 questions in 75 minutes, about 75 seconds each
- G1: 65 questions in 90 minutes, about 83 seconds each
Questions built on a diagram, a chart or a table of readings take longer than a one-line recall question, so a flat average is only a guide. Keep moving on anything that needs long working rather than letting one question use up the time for three. ASE's platform demo shows how its screens handle moving between questions.
07How do you prepare for the format?
Three things from ASE's own material are worth doing before any test. Read the test's task list and mark every task you could not explain to someone else; that is your study plan. Work through the sample questions in the study guide, paying attention to the formats as much as the content: the A / B layout, EXCEPT questions, and questions that ask you to read a meter, a gauge or a chart. Then try ASE's platform demo so the screens hold no surprises on the day.
Timed practice helps with the pace figures above, and keeping track of which content areas you miss most shows where the rest of your study time should go.
08How are results reported?
ASE's study guides do not publish a passing score for any of these tests, and they do not describe the score report. For the current rules on scoring and results, go to ase.com, which links to ASE's own overview document, ASE Certification: Need to Know.
A pass is not the whole of certification. ASE certification requires passing the test and documenting relevant work experience, and the study guides say suitable vocational training can be credited toward the experience. The details are at workexp.ase.com.
09What if you do not pass?
ASE makes you wait 30 days before you can take a test you did not pass again. The test fee is charged per test ($62) and the registration fee per order ($34); the study guides do not describe any retest discount, so check ase.com before you rebook. Use the wait to go back through the task list for that test. Costs are laid out in ASE test fees and registration.
10How long does certification last?
An ASE certification lasts 5 years. To renew it, you take a recertification test, which is shorter than the original. You are eligible for a recertification test only after passing the matching certification test once.
| Recertification test | Questions | Time |
|---|---|---|
| A1 recertification | 23 | 30 min |
| A2 recertification | 23 | 30 min |
| A3 recertification | 20 | 30 min |
| A4 recertification | 20 | 30 min |
| A5 recertification | 23 | 30 min |
| A6 recertification | 25 | 45 min |
| A7 recertification | 25 | 30 min |
| A8 recertification | 25 | 45 min |
| G1R | 28 | 45 min |
11Questions people ask
- How many unscored questions are on an ASE test?
- 10. Every ASE certification test includes 10 unscored questions that ASE uses to gather statistics for future tests. They are not marked, so answer every question as if it counts.
- How long are the ASE A-series tests?
- From 60 to 90 minutes. A3 and A4 are 60 minutes, A1, A2, A5, A7 and A8 are 75 minutes, and A6 is 90 minutes. G1 is also 90 minutes. The time includes the 10 unscored questions.
- What is the passing score for an ASE test?
- ASE's study guides do not publish a passing score. They publish each test's content areas, question counts and task list. Check ase.com for how results are reported.
- Can I take an ASE test in Spanish?
- The Automobile tests and G1 have a Leer en español button that shows each question side by side in Spanish and English, with no separate registration, and all ASE tests have a pop-up Spanish/English glossary.
- How soon can I retake an ASE test?
- After 30 days. ASE makes you wait 30 days before you can take a test you did not pass again. Fees are $62 per test plus $34 per order; check ase.com before you rebook.
- 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.
12Sources
- ASE Automobile Study Guide (Tests A1 to A9), 2026: question counts, testing times, recertification test lengths, the unscored-question rule, the Master Automobile Technician test list, the work experience requirement and the sample-question formats
- ASE Auto Maintenance and Light Repair (G1) Study Guide, 2026: the G1 content areas, testing time, G1R recertification test and the student route to G1
- 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 question counts and testing times were checked against ASE's published study guides on October 11, 2026; fees and rules are as ASE publishes them on ase.com, and they can change. ASE is the final word. If you find one of ours out of date, tell us.
Related: free practice questions · ASE test fees and registration · Technician A / B questions
13Practice tests
ToolboxPrep practice tests are weighted to each ASE test specification, area by area, and every answer is explained, all four options. Each practice page has five sample questions you can try 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.