General Consensus

Hey all, 2 year mechanic here (5 if you count the driveway lol). Can most agree that being ASE certified doesn't just make the customers and public rest easy, but also help us? I'm new to the ASE testing and also would like to know the difficulty ranking of the tests, currently passed and current certs are G1 light maintenance, A6 electrical, A8 performance. G1 wasn't bad to me, just certain suspension setups confused me. A6 is basically my specialty as I have 5 years messing around with 12v. A8 was the hardest test I've ever taken, but passed by 4. It caught me a little off guard, and that's why I am asking to rank them

Hey Bleeze! Welcome to the forum.

FYI, I moved your thread over to this section. No criticism meant, just didn't want it to get lost in the Welcome Mat.

Can most agree that being ASE certified doesn't just make the customers and public rest easy, but also help us?

Maybe I'm in the minority on this one? But I actually don't see ASE getting much traction with the general motoring public. Been ASE certified for 11 years now. Not a single customer has ever asked if I'm certified, or asked to see my credentials. The last three shops I've worked for do not display technician credentials. Many of the customers I do talk to don't know the difference between licensing and certification.

That's not to say I don't see value in ASE certification. I do. I take a great deal of pride in my certs. But they're not building confidence with my customers.

I'm new to the ASE testing and also would like to know the difficulty ranking of the tests, currently passed and current certs are G1 light maintenance, A6 electrical, A8 performance. G1 wasn't bad to me, just certain suspension setups confused me. A6 is basically my specialty as I have 5 years messing around with 12v. A8 was the hardest test I've ever taken, but passed by 4. It caught me a little off guard, and that's why I am asking to rank them

Congrats on passing A8! IMO, if you can pass A8, you stand a fair chance at L1. I generally rate L1 as an A8 test with a Composite Vehicle and (some) five gas testing. I just recertified in L1, and there were only two or three five gas questions. If you know how to use service information, then the Composite Vehicle is your friend.

Hardest test was a toss up between A2 and L2. I don't take transmissions apart regularly, and I don't see diesels all that much any more. :blush: Same for A1 and A9.