There are not as many jobs as lucrative and greasy as automotive repair. Working with cars, trucks, buses, other vehicles, and their drivers is a bustling but rewarding task. But to handle these tasks, people must ensure that their technician’s gloves are sufficiently worn. And thus, the ASE Automotive Technician Exam was created–a way to test a technician’s abilities and reward them with an expansive career in automotive repair.
So what exactly do you need to do to pass the ASE Automotive Technician Exam?
What is the ASE Automotive Technician Exam?
What is the ASE Automotive Technician Exam?The Automotive Service Excellence (ASM) Automotive Technician Exam is a certification exam issued by Automotive Service Excellence, granted to technicians who have proven their skill and competence in one or multiple fields of automotive repair.
“Exam” would give the idea that only one ASE Automotive Technician Exam exists. In reality, there are many different certification exams for various specialties and career paths. There are, in fact, over forty ASE certification tests, a portion of the list including:
- Engine Repair Certification,
- Automatic Transmission Certification,
- Manual Drive Trian & Axles Certification,
- Suspension & Steering Certification,
- Light Vehicle Diesel Engine,
- Gasoline Engines Certification,
- Brakes Certification,
- Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) Certification,
- Compressed Natural Gas Engines Certification,
- Preventive Maintenance Inspection Certification,
- Auxiliary Power Systems Installation and Repair Certification,
- And Suspension and Steering Certification.
Each certification requires its test, so if you want to gain all the different forms of certification and become a master automotive repair technician, then expect to dedicate your life to studying every subject and field.
Thankfully, you do not need to do so much, as proving yourself in even one field will be rewarding. But just how rewarding is it?
The Benefits of Passing the ASE Automotive Technician Exam
Completing the ASE Certification Exam will grant you certification in the given subject. Theoretically, you could become certified in dozens of different specializations, but let’s not get too ahead of ourselves there.
The average rate for someone to pass their first ASE Exam is roughly 67%, so the odds of passing are somewhat in your favor. It is indeed a complex and challenging exercise, however, and will demand from you a very in-depth knowledge of your own craft. But rest assured that the potential benefits are worth it.
Automotive repair is a very lucrative career path. While the average salary for many other jobs is around $30,000 – $50,000 a year, an automotive repair technician may earn $100,000 a year! That is a hefty salary and a very appealing prospect. This is particularly common for technicians who primarily deal with commercial vehicles like cars and trucks.
Your clients, too, will be eager to take up the skills of an ASE-certified technician. Additionally, your shop can qualify for the Blue Seal of Excellence Recognition Program, which is a medal that you can display to anyone looking.
There are so many additional benefits to passing these tests that it would almost seem foolish not to take them, even if you aren’t into automotive repair. But what, exactly, does it even take to take these exams? What are the requirements to take the ASE Exam?
What are the Requirements to Take the ASE Exam?
The ASE Exam requirements are relatively high compared to other certification tests and exams. To take the ASE Certification Exam, you must be an automotive technician with either two years of job training experience at least, or one year of on-the-job training and a two-year degree in automotive repair. While requirements can be flexible, such as being able to substitute some job experience with a high school diploma or trade school, community college, or university degree, these are the basic and universal requirements you need.
We will get more into needing job experience in a later section, but completing the requirements of needing a specific degree in automotive repair may be difficult for some people to overcome. However, if you are a person who really wants to take the ASE Certification Exam, then you are likely dead set on making this your future career, and thus, someone who will be able to overcome any obstacle put before you.
Thankfully, as you can substitute experience for other forms of education, getting the accumulative experience alone to take the test is not impossible. However, all of the experience in the world will not help you if you are underprepared for the exam itself.
Luckily, we are here to give you just a few tips to help you pass any and / or all of the ASE Automotive Technician Exam.
3 Tips for Passing the ASE Automotive Technician Exam
There are far too many certification exams dealing with specific and distinct specialties and forms of automotive repair for us to give you tips for passing every one of them on their own terms. Instead, our ASE test prep will simply be three tips on how to prepare yourself for any exam regardless of its contents; a multi-purpose advice column that can help you become that theoretical automotive master.
Fill Out a Study Schedule
The first ASE study tip is to create a study schedule. When people think of studying, they think of the process of sitting down, reading a book, or taking notes. However, the importance of repetition and routine is oft forgotten or ignored. Creating a study schedule to beat the information into your head is perhaps more critical to a successful test taker than learning the material they choose to work with.
Studying is not a matter of length but repetition. It may take days, weeks, or even months to get a routine, but when you put in the effort, passing your certification exams is only a matter of time. When you create your study schedule, you should focus on when you can study, what you need to study, and how many times you feel comfortable doing so.
How you build your study schedule is up to you, but the most important factor is whether you are willing to stick with it. When personal problems or obstacles arise, be ready to adjust and change your schedule so that you do not fall behind.
Get Some Real-World Experience
When we talk about experience, we do not mean that you have to get an automotive repair job this instant. Of course, this article is about how to pass the exams to even get a job. Instead, we mean that you should practice using existing tools and whichever type of automotive you plan on working on in the future.
Getting experience does not necessarily mean something you put on your resume. Technical knowledge can only get you so far when you are taking the test and reading the questions from the test papers. Knowing the definition of a muffler is good, but when you know exactly how to fix a muffler, then correctly answering the question becomes significantly easier.
Through hands-on experience, the answers become more apparent to you, and you’ll be able to answer them like you were there yourself. Take some time off your pen-and-paper studies and study a real car, or perhaps get some additional advice from an automotive technician (and if they have passed the exam that you are agonizing over, even better!).
Practice With the Practice Tests
If you take yourself online, you will be able to find a plethora of practice exams and study material that will help you experience what it’s like to take the exam beforehand. If you want to ace your ASE Automotive Technician Exam, you must learn what you have to answer.
With a practice test, you do not have to worry about failure. You have the opportunity to understand what you got right or wrong and what the exam may expect from you. Of course, the practice tests rarely have the questions that will appear on the actual exam; relying too much on the practice test answers instead of the methodology is a waste of your study time! The only one judging your results is you.
Finding practice test materials on the internet is pretty straightforward and intuitive. These tests are typically free and are done online, though there are physical media that allow you to immerse yourself in the exam experience fully. We highly recommend that you find a study guide on automotive repair. Study guides will not only give you a comprehensive list of practice questions to use but are often bundled with information on the technical aspects of automotives and the ASE Automotive Technician Exam.
Wrapping Things Up: How to Pass the ASE Automotive Technician Exam?
The ASE Automotive Technician Exam is your most significant obstacle to your life as a lucrative automotive repair technician. There are many exams and certifications for you to earn, which may initially seem daunting. However, suppose you are willing to dedicate yourself to the study, understand the material, and choose the certification that best suits your interests and ability. In that case, you will no doubt pass the ASE Automotive Technician Exam and become a legitimate automotive repair technician in the eyes of many!
