What is ASE Certification?

ASE's certification program seeks to grow, promote and develop certified professionals, who can stand "out in front" as examples of excellence in the automotive service and repair industry. The independent, non-profit National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) was established in 1972 to improve the quality of vehicle repair and service through the voluntary testing and certification of technicians and other automotive service professionals. ASE also encourages and assists in the development of automotive training programs.

ASE's mission is to improve the quality of vehicle repair and service through the testing and certification of repair and service professionals. Tests are industry-driven and are grouped into specialties that cover virtually every on-highway vehicle service segment. The exams stress knowledge of job-related skills.

Here's how ASE certification works: Prospective candidates register for and take one or more of ASE's 40-plus exams. The tests are grouped into specialties for automobile, medium/heavy truck, truck equipment, school bus, and collision repair technicians as well as engine machinists, alternate fuels technicians, parts specialists, auto service consultants, and collision damage estimators.

Upon passing at least one exam and after providing proof of two years of relevant work experience, the test taker becomes ASE certified. Certification, however, is not for life. To remain certified, those with ASE credentials must be retested every five years.

Motorists as well as technicians and their employers benefit from ASE certification. It is a valuable yardstick by which to measure the knowledge and skills of individual technicians as well as the commitment to quality of the repair facility employing them.

ASE-certified professionals usually wear blue and white ASE insignia and carry credentials listing their exact areas of expertise (brakes, engine repair, etc.), while employers often display their technicians' credentials in the customer waiting area and ASE signage on the premises.

ASE Master Technician Status

You can earn Master Technician status by passing a specified group of tests in a series. You must also document at least two years of hands-on work experience.