Nondestructive Testing

ASNT NDT Level II: Ultrasonic Testing Practice Test and Exam Guide

Six combined General-plus-Specific ultrasonic testing question banks with 900 original explanations and calculation practice.

Published 6 September 2026 · Last updated 9 September 2026

What does the ASNT NDT Level II: Ultrasonic Testing assessment cover?

The preparation material covers the documented assessment facts listed below. The question bank reinforces those facts without presenting a practice product as an official exam or reproducing assessment content.

• ASNT central certification uses a 50-item General examination in 2 hours and a 40-item Specific examination in 2 hours.
• The ASNT central examinations are closed book.
• ASNT publishes no fixed pass percentage; it uses a criterion-referenced cut score.
• SNT-TC-1A employer certification is a different route and includes general, specific, and practical examinations.
• The ASNT General examination content outline changes on February 5, 2027.

Which domains should you study?

Use these supplied brief-backed domains as the study map. They are coverage areas, not invented percentage predictions.

Domain	Preparation focus
UT Physics and Wave Propagation	Review explanations after related questions and record the specific gap.
Equipment, Transducers and Calibration	Review explanations after related questions and record the specific gap.
Straight Beam, Angle Beam and Specialised Methods	Review explanations after related questions and record the specific gap.
Materials, Product Forms and Weldments	Review explanations after related questions and record the specific gap.
Data Collection, Interpretation, Evaluation and Reporting	Review explanations after related questions and record the specific gap.
Codes, Standards, Procedures, Certification and Safety	Review explanations after related questions and record the specific gap.

How should you use these question banks?

Start with the Test 1 sample, then use domain labels and explanations to choose what to review. Retake missed questions after studying the underlying objective, and reserve the final test for timed practice where the brief provides assessment timing.

1. Take the sample without looking up answers.
2. Group misses by domain, not just by score.
3. Review each explanation and the governing study material.
4. Repeat under documented assessment conditions when available.

What is a practical ASNT NDT Level II: Ultrasonic Testing study plan?

1. Phase 1: pin down the standard velocities you are expected to carry, principally longitudinal and shear in steel, and be able to use them without prompting.
2. Phase 2: work Snell’s law until refraction and the first and second critical angles are automatic, since these underpin most angle-beam reasoning.
3. Phase 3: drill the quantitative core of the method: near field, acoustic impedance and reflection, decibel ratios, and angle-beam geometry including surface distance, depth, second-leg depth and skip distance.
4. Phase 4: practise applying acceptance criteria that are supplied to you rather than recalled, because that is how the Specific examination actually works and it keeps your technique valid across code editions.

ASNT NDT Level II: Ultrasonic Testing FAQ

What is the difference between ASNT NDT Level II and SNT-TC-1A certification?

ASNT NDT Level II is ASNT’s own central certification programme. SNT-TC-1A is a recommended practice under which an employer certifies its own people against a written practice. They are different routes with different requirements, and most competing material blurs them.

How are the ASNT central examinations structured?

A General method examination of 50 items in 2 hours, plus a Specific sector examination of 40 items in 2 hours.

Are the ASNT central examinations open book?

No, both are closed book.

What percentage do you need to pass?

ASNT publishes no fixed pass percentage for its central examinations. It uses a criterion-referenced cut score and says only that these typically sit in the 70 to 80 percent range.

Where does the 70 general, 70 specific, 80 practical rule come from?

It belongs to SNT-TC-1A employer certification, and the version in circulation is garbled. The actual rule is at least 70% on each of the general, specific and practical examinations, plus a composite average of at least 80%. The 80% practical figure is a common employer tightening rather than the recommendation itself.

Does ASNT administer the practical examination?

No. ASNT never administers the practical or the vision examination. Those are carried out by the employer.

Does ASNT publish domain weights for ultrasonic testing?

No. ASNT confirms that an internal exam specification exists but does not release the numbers, so any published weighting is an estimate and should not be attributed to ASNT.

Is the ASNT content outline changing?

Yes. ASNT’s General examination content outline changes on 5 February 2027, so check which outline applies to your booking.