Ultrasonic testing classes: what to expect

How many classroom hours a UT Level II needs

ASNT's published requirements for ASNT NDT Level II in UT are 12 training days, with 120 days in the method and 229 days of total NDT experience. ASNT counts a day as at least 7 hours, so 12 days is 84 hours of training at that minimum. Our requirements guide lays out the figures for every method, training and experience hours by method converts them and shows how to keep your records, and NDT courses by method covers the other methods' classes.

Under an employer's written practice (the SNT-TC-1A route), the employer sets its own tables for class hours and experience. Your number can differ from ASNT's, so ask your employer's Level III or program owner for the written practice before you book anything. A class is only useful for certification if its hours count under the document you are certifying to. The route comparison explains the difference.

What a Level II ultrasonic class usually covers

Course outlines differ, but a UT Level II class is built around the same skills the job needs. In plain words, you can expect to work through these.

• Physics of sound. Wave modes, velocity, frequency, wavelength, and what happens when sound meets a boundary. This is where the first formulas show up.
• Equipment. Instrument controls, straight-beam and angle-beam probes, wedges, couplant, and what each setting does to the screen.
• Calibration. Setting range, checking the probe, and setting sensitivity against reference blocks, so the depths and sizes you read are believable.
• Scanning technique. How to move a probe, how much overlap to use, and how coupling and surface condition change the signal.
• Weld inspection with angle beams. Beam angle, skip distance, surface distance and depth, and how to place a flaw from its screen position.
• Evaluation and reporting. Telling a real indication from a geometry echo, sizing against an acceptance criterion in a code or procedure, and writing the result down.
• Procedures and codes. Reading a written procedure and working to it. The class points you to the code sections that apply to your industry, and you work from your own copy of the code.

Many classes finish with a written exam, and your employer may add a practical exam under its written practice.

Classroom, online or employer-run

All three formats exist for ultrasonic testing classes. What changes is how you get hands-on time and who signs off your hours.

• In-person classroom. Instructor, instruments and reference blocks in one room. The strongest option for learning to hold a probe and read a live screen, and it usually means travel or time off work.
• Online. You can study the physics, math and procedures at your own pace and from home. Ask what the provider offers for hands-on practice, because sound in metal is hard to learn from slides alone.
• Employer-run. Some employers train their own technicians under their written practice. The hours count where it matters most, and you often get probe time on the equipment you will use at work.

A blend works for many people: online for the theory, then a short hands-on session or on-the-job practice. For a side-by-side of price, access and what each option includes, see the UT Level II study options comparison.

Questions to ask a provider before you book

• Do the hours count toward my written practice? Ask your employer first, then ask the provider to confirm in writing which program and method the completion record supports.
• How much of the course is hands-on? Ask for the number of lab or probe hours, and how many students share each instrument.
• What equipment will I use? Flaw detector model, probe types and reference blocks. Hands-on time is worth more when it matches what you use at work.
• Is the course outline published? A good provider can show you the topic list and how the days are split.
• What do I leave with? A certificate of completion shows you attended. It is not certification. See the requirements guide for what ASNT accepts as training evidence.
• What happens if I miss a day or fail the written exam? Get the make-up and retake terms before you pay.

Describe each provider by what it publishes, and compare facts rather than rankings.

How practice fits around a class

A class gives you the method. Practice turns it into answers you can produce on a timer. Three habits make the class pay off:

• Check yourself before day one. Our free 10-question check shows which General topics are weak, so you know where to push the instructor with questions.
• Drill the math in the evenings. Class days move quickly through the formulas. The NDT math drill gives you fresh numbers for trig, decibels, ratios and units, and the UT quiz tests the concepts with explanations.
• Put the exam on a calendar. The NDT study plan builder turns your exam date and weekly hours into a week-by-week plan, and the 30, 60 and 90 day UT plan shows how the days can split.

How to prepare before day one

1. Learn the vocabulary. Read what ultrasonic testing is so terms like couplant, skip and amplitude are not new on the first morning.
2. Refresh the math. Rearranging a formula and using a right triangle cover most of what you need. The math refresher walks through it.
3. Skim the exam topics. The UT General guide names the six topics the written exam covers, and the formulas guide lists the equations.
4. Bring a scientific calculator you know how to use, and your own copy of any code the class will use.
5. Ask your employer about the hours. Get the written practice requirements in hand so your class record fits.

Worked example: why the class time on angle beams matters

A 60° shear-wave probe sits on 20 mm plate. One full skip is 2 × thickness × tan(angle) = 2 × 20 × tan 60° = 69.3 mm along the surface. In class you learn to see that on the part: you scan, mark where the beam bounces, and confirm the number against a reference block. The arithmetic takes ten seconds. Believing it on a live screen takes practice, which is what the lab hours are for.

Find out where you stand before you book

Before you pay for a class, find out which topics you already handle. The free 10-question check for UT General needs no signup, explains every answer and shows which topics to study first. The full course adds timed practice exams, a lesson for each published topic and a study plan built from your exam date, so your class hours and your exam prep work together. Take the free 10-question check and walk into class knowing where to ask questions.

FAQ

How many hours is a UT Level 2 class?

ASNT lists 12 training days for UT Level II, and it counts a day as at least 7 hours, so 84 hours at the minimum. Under an employer's written practice the table is the employer's own, so check yours.

Can I take a UT Level 2 course online?

Yes, online ultrasonic testing classes exist. Ask how the provider handles hands-on probe time, and confirm with your employer that online hours count under your written practice.

Does a UT class make me Level 2 certified?

No. A class gives you class hours and a completion record. Certification also needs documented experience, exams and an employer or ASNT issuing the certification. Our requirements guide covers each piece.

Sources

• ASNT NDT Level II Certification, ASNT Certification Services: training days, method days and total experience days.
• Advisory on SNT-TC-1A Certification Practices and Use of ASNT Credentials, American Society for Nondestructive Testing: employer issues certification under SNT-TC-1A.

This site is independent of ASNT.