GD&T Professional Exam Guide: the ASME Y14.5-2018 GDTP book

Most GD&T study material on the market still teaches the 2009 edition of the standard, and the ASME GDTP exam does not. That gap is why I wrote this book.

GD&T Professional Exam Guide follows the ASME Y14.5-2018 body of knowledge topic by topic, in the proportions the exam uses, and explains every rule with an original drawing. It is out now on Amazon in paperback and Kindle.

What is the GDTP exam you are preparing for?

The ASME GDTP Technologist exam is closed book: 150 questions in a 4-hour limit. You need 74% overall and at least 50% in every section, so one weak section can fail you even with a strong total. You cannot look anything up, which means the rules, the symbols and the look-alike terms have to be in your head, and the calculations have to be quick.

That shapes the book. It drills the distinctions the exam turns on, a datum plane against a datum axis, profile of a line against profile of a surface, the hole formula against the pin formula, rather than restating the standard.

What is inside the book?

• 21 chapters covering definitions, fundamental rules, size and Rule #1, symbology, datum reference frames, datum targets, form, orientation, position, profile and runout.
• Original drawings for every concept, showing what each callout allows and what it forbids.
• Worked calculations for bonus tolerance, virtual and resultant condition, datum feature shift, fastener formulas and profile boundaries.
• 12 exam-style questions at the end of every chapter, with why the right answer is right and why the tempting wrong answer is wrong.
• A Senior-level extension on choosing controls from function, boundary calculations and tolerance stacks.
• What changed from 2009 to 2018, and the traps that catch candidates trained on the old edition.
• An exam tactics chapter: how questions are built, one-word traps, time plans and protecting the small sections.
• Two original 150-question practice exams, Technologist and Senior, with every answer explained and a scoring sheet.
• A formula sheet, a 159-term glossary, an exam topic map and a study tracker.

Who is the book for?

Engineers, designers, inspectors and quality staff sitting the GDTP Technologist exam, and Technologists moving up to Senior. It also works as a desk reference for anyone who reads toleranced drawings for a living and learned GD&T on the 2009 edition.

I have spent more than twenty years in aerospace and energy structures, reading and checking toleranced drawings every day. The book is written the way I would explain a callout to a colleague at the drawing board: what it controls, what it does not, and where people go wrong.

How do I buy it in my country?

Use the Buy on Amazon button at the top of this page: it opens the book on your own country’s Amazon store. Amazon does not move you between stores on its own, and a Kindle book can only be bought from the store your Amazon account belongs to, so it matters which one you land on. If you prefer a particular store, the full list of 20 Amazon stores is right under the cover.

How does it fit with practice tests?

The book teaches the standard and gives you two full practice exams. If you want more timed practice on screen after that, the ASME GDTP Complete Exam Kit has full simulators for both levels, and you can try the free GDTP sample questions first. For a feel of the topics, start with the GDTP rules and symbology guide and the ten most common GDTP mistakes.

Independent publication, not endorsed by ASME. A study aid: it does not guarantee a pass. ASME, Y14.5 and GDTP are names of ASME, used only to identify the standard and certification.