ASE A6 passing score, format and test rules

Every A6 fact, with its source

Format

• 50 scored, 10 unscored. The research questions are mixed in unmarked, so answer every question.
• Question types. Every question has 4 options (A–D). Besides plain one-answer questions there are two special kinds. A Technician A/B item gives two statements and asks who is right (A only, B only, both or neither); an EXCEPT item asks for the one option that does not fit.
• Diagrams. In the 2026 study guide, 3 of the 9 sample questions are built on a circuit diagram, two of them with a meter on it.
• Language. English with a side-by-side Spanish version and a pop-up glossary.
• Content. Five areas, weighted from 10% (charging) to 34% (body electrical). What each area covers

Time

You get 90 min, the longest of the A1–A9 certification tests; the others run 60 or 75 minutes. Spread over 60 questions, that is about a minute and a half each. The recertification test gets half the testing time: 45 min for 25 questions.

Passing score

The passing score is not published: the FAQ and the Need to Know guide, both linked in the table, give no percentage. A figure such as 70% quoted online for A6 is not an ASE rule.

What that means for practice: aim to be solid in every area rather than chasing a number, and weigh weak areas by size. Practice by area

Results

You don't wait for the outcome: the score report is emailed at once. Your myASE account shows the result later; the table gives both delays that ASE quotes. A pass counts toward certification only once your work experience is on file (see below).

Retakes

Failing A6 starts a clock of 30 full days before you can buy and schedule the same test again. A retake is a new purchase, $96 with registration if A6 is alone in the order (as of Oct 2026; cost page). Once bought, a test gives you 90 days from purchase to schedule and take the test; no changes within 3 days of the appointment.

Booking and where to test

• Where. First attempt at a Prometric test center only; remote testing is for recertification. Tests are offered in the United States, U.S. territories and Canada; some overseas military bases.
• Registration windows. 2026: Jan 10–Mar 31 · Apr 10–Jun 30 · Jul 10–Sep 30 · Oct 10–Dec 31.
• Time to sit it. 90 days from purchase; untaken, unexpired tests canceled within 90 days of purchase are refunded.

Recertification

Certification lasts 5 years, then a recertification test; a recertification resets the expiry to five years from the recert date.

• The A6 recert test. 25 questions, 45 minutes, with no research questions; open only to those who passed the certification test once.
• Three ways to renew. Test center, remote proctoring (Prometric ProProctor) or the ASE Renewal App.
• The app in detail. $52 a year covers all your A1–A9 certifications; 8 correct answers in an area add 1 year; one question per certification every 30 days; an expired credential is reactivated for at least 18 months.

Work experience

Passing the test is half of certification. The other half is 2 years of full-time hands-on work (or the part-time equivalent).

• What training can replace. An ASE-accredited program counts as 1 year, an OEM co-op program up to 2 years, 3+ ASE entry-level tests as 1 year, other training up to 1 year; substitutes cannot be combined.

More on this test

• ASE A6 →Format, the five content areas and what makes the electrical test different
• ASE A6 practice test →Questions from all five electrical areas, every option explained
• ASE A6 cost →A6 alone, a retake, A6 with A8 in one order, and keeping A6 current
• ASE A6 study guide →What to study for A6, in order of weight, and the meter skills behind every area
• ASE A6 wiring diagrams →Symbols, and reading a schematic to find an open, a short or high resistance