ASNT Level 2 study guide: UT, MT and PT

The study order that works

1. Know your route and your date. Decide between ASNT central certification and employer certification, and check the training and experience days for your method. Start with NDT Level II requirements by method. If you have not picked a method, read which NDT method to certify in first and NDT methods compared.
2. Confirm which topic list applies. MT and UT each have a dated outline change, so your exam date decides what you study. See the MT outline change and the UT outline change. PT has no date split.
3. Learn the method. Read the explainer for your method, then the exam guide.
4. Take the free 10-question check. It shows which topics cost you points before you spend a week on the wrong one.
5. Drill the weak topics with the calculators and practice guides below, and rebuild the math if it is rusty.
6. Rehearse the exam. Run a timed practice exam, then read the exam day guide so the booking, IDs and calculator hold no surprises.

UT Level 2: what to know

The UT General exam rewards geometry and physics you can do by hand. ASNT lists six topics, and publishes no weights, so every one needs coverage.

• Techniques: straight beam against angle beam, contact against immersion, and why you pick each.
• Product forms: the discontinuities that belong to plate, forgings, castings and pipe.
• Weldments: scanning a weld with an angle beam and turning probe angle and thickness into surface distance, depth and skip distance.
• Bonded structures: what a bond test looks for and how the signal changes.
• Discontinuity detection: how a flaw's type, orientation and size change what shows on screen.
• General evaluation: calibration, reference standards, sensitivity and recording indications.

Study in this order:

1. What is ultrasonic testing for the picture of how the sound behaves.
2. The math behind NDT Level II if algebra, trig or unit conversion is rusty.
3. UT General exam topics for what each topic means in practice.
4. UT formulas for Level II, with one worked example per formula.
5. The calculators, to check your hand work: skip distance, Snell's law, decibels and the UT beam calculator.
6. UT practice questions with worked answers and the UT Level 2 practice test.
7. A schedule: the 30, 60 and 90 day UT study plan.

Exam before 5 February 2027? Study the current topic list. After it, use the new one. The outline change guide shows how the two line up. Ready to find your weak UT topics? Take the free UT 10-question check.

MT Level 2: what to know

MT is mostly one question asked many ways: which way does the field run in the part, and will it show the flaw you are looking for? A flaw shows best when it sits across the field, which is why technique selection carries so much of the exam. The earlier outline lists ten topics, including principles, flux fields, discontinuities, current, technique selection, demagnetization, equipment, evaluation and process control. The later outline reorganizes the same ground into five domains with task statements.

Study in this order:

1. How magnetic particle testing works.
2. MT field direction and technique selection, which builds the habit of working from the expected flaw direction to the setup.
3. The MT amperage calculator, to check current arithmetic for coils, head shots and prods.
4. MT Level II practice, a routine for turning missed answers into study tasks, and MT practice questions on field direction.
5. The 2 to 4 week MT or PT study plan, since the MT route is short.

MT General exam coming up? Take the free MT 10-question check.

PT Level 2: what to know

PT has four topics, and the choices inside them are decisions you can reason through rather than facts to memorize.

• Principles: why liquid is drawn into a surface-open flaw and back out by the developer, and the process order from precleaning to postcleaning.
• Method selection: matching penetrant type, removal method and remover to the part, its surface and the sensitivity the job needs.
• Indications: telling relevant, nonrelevant and false indications apart, and judging them against the acceptance criteria your specification names.
• Procedures and standards: working from a written procedure and knowing which documents it calls up.

Study in this order:

1. How liquid penetrant testing works.
2. The ASNT PT Level II exam, with a worked way to choose a PT method.
3. PT process control and indications.
4. PT Level II practice by topic, the penetrant testing quiz and PT practice questions on method and indications.
5. The 2 to 4 week MT or PT study plan.

Heading for PT? Take the free PT 10-question check.

Study help for any method

• How to study for NDT Level II while working full time for shift workers.
• ASNT Level II practice exam: pacing and score meaning, to run a timed attempt and read the result.
• NDT study plan builder to turn your exam date and weekly hours into a week-by-week UT, MT or PT plan.
• ASNT NDT Level II exam day for booking, ID, the on-screen calculator and retakes.
• Retaking an ASNT Level II exam, if a first attempt did not go your way.
• UT Level II prep options compared if you are weighing a training course against exam prep.
• Looking past the exam: what a Level II technician does, Level I vs II vs III, jobs and career path and Level II pay.

Prefer paper? Print the free UT study checklist (PDF) to tick off topics as you go. The UT class quiz prints free too (PDF), with an answer key on page 2.

This material targets each method's General exam. The Specific exams, RT, VT and ET are not covered yet.

Pick your free check and start

Each check is 10 questions on one method's General exam. It needs no signup and every answer is explained, so even a wrong answer teaches you something. Start with the method you are sitting first.

• UT General: free 10-question check
• MT General: free 10-question check
• PT General: free 10-question check

The full course adds timed practice exams, a lesson for each published topic and a study plan built from your exam date.

FAQ

What order should I study for an ASNT Level 2 exam in?

Pick your route and exam date, confirm which topic list applies, then learn the method. Take the free 10-question check, drill the topics it shows are weak, and finish with a timed practice exam.

How many questions are on each ASNT Level II General exam?

Each method's General exam has 50 multiple-choice questions in 2 hours. ASNT publishes no topic weights for UT, so every topic needs coverage.

Is there a free ASNT Level 2 study guide PDF?

Yes, for UT. Print our free UT study checklist (PDF) to tick off topics, and our free UT Level 2 practice quiz (PDF) for original questions with an answer key on page 2. Neither needs an email. Then take the free 10-question check for your method to see which topic to study first.

Does my exam date change what I study?

For UT and MT, yes, because each has a dated outline change. A UT exam before 5 February 2027 uses the current topic list and a later one uses the new list. PT has no date split.

Does this study guide cover RT, VT, ET or the Specific exams?

No. It covers the General exam for UT, MT and PT. The Specific exams, RT, VT and ET are not covered yet.

Sources

Show the list

• ASNT NDT Level II Certification, ASNT Certification Services.
• ASNT NDT Level II Examinations, ASNT Certification Services.