Initial Requirements

Level III
Initial Qualification Requirements
Education and Experience
ASNT Level III applicants must satisfy one of the following eligibility criteria:
Graduated from a minimum four-year college or university curriculum with a degree in engineering or a physical science, plus one year
(12 months) of experience in nondestructive testing in an assignment comparable to that of an Level II in the applicable test method(s),
as defined in ASNT's Recommended Practice No. SNT-TC-1A, latest edition; or
Completed with passing grades at least two full academic school years of engineering or a physical science study at a university, college,
or technical school, plus two years (24 months) of experience in nondestructive testing in an assignment comparable to that of an Level
II in the applicable test method(s), as defined in ASNT's Recommended Practice No. SNT-TC-1A, latest edition; or
Four years (48 months) of experience in an assignment at least comparable to that of a Level II in the applicable test method(s), as
defined in ASNT's Recommended Practice No. SNT-TC-1A, latest edition.


NDT Level III Examinations
Basic and Method Exams
ASNT NDT Level III certification candidates are required to pass both the NDT Basic and a method examination in order to receive the
ASNT NDT Level III certificate.
Exam Specifications
The table below lists the number of questions and time allowed for each exam. Clicking on an exam will take you to an abbreviated
topical outline and reference page for that exam. For the full topical outlines and complete list of references, see the topical outlines
listed in the American National Standard ANSI/ASNT CP-105, Standard Topical Outlines for Qualification of Nondestructive Testing
Personnel.
Exam No. of Items* Time Certification
NDT Basic
Nondestructive Testing
135 4 hrs
Required for ASNT NDT Level III
Certification
ET
Electromagnetic Testing
135 4 hrs NDT only
IR
Infrared/Thermal Testing
90 2 hrs NDT only
LT
Leak Testing
135 4 hrs NDT only
MFL
Magnetic Flux Leakage Testing
90 2 hrs NDT only
MT
Magnetic Particle Testing
90 2 hrs NDT and ACCP
NR
Neutron Radiographic Testing
135 4 hrs NDT only
PT
Liquid Penetrant Testing
90 2 hrs NDT and ACCP
RT
Radiographic Testing
135 4 hrs NDT and ACCP
UT
Ultrasonic Testing
135 4 hrs NDT and ACCP
VT
Visual Testing
90 2 hrs NDT and ACCP
* Up to 20% of the examination items (questions) may be provisional questions that do not count towards the examinees examination
score but are included to develop statistical data. These items are included as part of ASNTs efforts for continuous examination
improvement in accordance with industry-accepted psychometric principles. The number of graded items still exceeds the minimum
number of questions required by industry certification standards.

Refresher Courses
ASNT offers refresher courses based on the same Body of Knowledge to which the ASNT NDT Level III examinations are
written. See the ASNT Refresher Course pages to learn more.
Examination Results
Personnel that fail an examination will be sent an analysis sheet showing the percentage of questions missed in each major
category of the Body of Knowledge for that examination. Personnel that successfully complete all qualification examinations
will be sent an ASNT Level III wall certificate and wallet card showing the applicable test methods but will not receive an
analysis sheet.


Certification at the American Society for Nondestructive
Testing
Level III
NDT Basic
Topical Outline
This examination is 4 hours in length, having 135 questions of equal value.
Administration of NDT personnel certification programs
SNT-TC-1A, 2011 edition
ASNT CP-189, 2011 edition
General familiarity with other NDT methods
Radiography (safety, X-ray, and isotope methods)
Neutron radiography
Ultrasonic testing
Eddy current and flux leakage testing
Liquid penetrant testing
Magnetic particle testing
Leak testing
Acoustic emission testing
Visual testing
Thermal/infrared
Vibration analysis
Materials, fabrication, and production technology
Properties of materials, origin of discontinuities, and failure modes
Materials processing (casting, welding, forging, brazing, soldering, machining, heat treatment, surface treatment, adhesive bonding,
etc.)
Dimensional metrology
References
The number in parentheses following each reference is the ASNT catalog number.
Level III Study Guide: Basic (2251)
SNT-TC-1A (2011 edition) (2071)
Supplement to Recommended Practice No. SNT-TC-1A: Complete Set of Supplements, Plus Recommended Practice No. SNT-TC-1A (2011
edition) (2192)
Materials and Processes for NDT Technology (2250)
ANSI/ASNT CP-189 (2011 edition) (2508)
NDT Handbook: Volume 10, NDT Overview (140)
ASM Handbook Vol. 17, NDE and QC (105)
Refresher Course
ASNT offers an NDT Basic Refresher Course based on the above topical outline.


NDT Level III Personnel Qualification Certification for UT -
Ultrasonic Testing Outline
About Ultrasonic Testing (UT)
Ultrasonic testing uses the same principle as is used in naval SONAR and fish finders. Ultra-high frequency sound is introduced into the
part being inspected and if the sound hits a material with a different acoustic impedance (density and acoustic velocity), some of the
sound will reflect back to the sending unit and can be presented on a visual display. By knowing the speed of the sound through the part
(the acoustic velocity) and the time required for the sound to return to the sending unit, the distance to the reflector (the indication with
the different acoustic impedance) can be determined.
Topical Outline
This examination is 4 hours in length, having 135 questions of equal value.
Principles/Theory
Equipment/Materials
Techniques/Calibrations
Contact
Immersion
Comparison of contact and immersion methods
Remote monitoring
Calibration (electronic and functional)
Interpretation/Evaluations
Evaluation of base metal product forms
Evaluation of weldments
Evaluation of bonded structures
Variables affecting test results
Evaluation (general)
Procedures
Specific applications
Codes/Standards/Specifications
Safety and Health
References
The number in parentheses following each reference is the ASNT catalog number.
Level III Study Guide: Ultrasonic Testing (2261)
NDT Handbook: Volume 7, Ultrasonic Testing (147)
Supplement to Recommended Practice No. SNT-TC-1A (Q&A Book) - Ultrasonic Testing Method (2028)
Ultrasonics: Fundamentals, Technology, Applications (341)
Refresher Course
ASNT offers a UT Refresher Course based on the Body of Knowledge outlined above.