The ASNT PT Level II exam: topics, format and choosing a PT method

The published topic outline

The ASNT NDT Level II examinations page lists the PT General exam as 50 items in 2 hours, with four topics:

1. Review PT Principles
2. Selection of the Appropriate PT Method
3. Inspection and Evaluation of Indications
4. Inspection Procedures and Standards

ASNT gives no percentage weight, item count or sub-topic for any of the four. Unlike MT, UT and VT, the PT section has no before-and-after date split.

Format, sectors and fees

• Specific exam: taken alongside the General exam, for General Industry or Pressure Equipment Sectors. Each is 40 items in 2 hours, organized under Codes, Applications and Techniques, per the examinations page.
• Delivery: computer-based, in person at Pearson VUE or an ASNT Authorized Exam Center, in English, with an online translation dictionary. Booking, ID and calculator details are in ASNT Level II exam day.
• Fees: from the PT rows on the program page, the initial exams cost $740 for members and $820 for nonmembers; an added industry sector is $370 or $410; a retake of a failed exam is $370 or $410. The retake waiting period is 30 days.
• Eligibility: 2 training days, 30 days of PT experience and 58 days of total NDT experience, with a day defined as at least 7 hours.
• Employer parts: visual acuity, practical and any job-specific exams are the employer's, not ASNT's.

What each topic asks you to be able to do

ASNT publishes headings only. These notes say what each heading means for your study.

• Review PT Principles: why a liquid enters a surface-open discontinuity and comes back out under a developer, and the full process order from precleaning to postcleaning.
• Selection of the Appropriate PT Method: matching penetrant type, removal method and remover to the part, its surface, the setting and the sensitivity the job calls for. The decision flow below is built for this heading.
• Inspection and Evaluation of Indications: telling relevant, nonrelevant and false indications apart, and sizing and recording them against the acceptance criteria your code, specification or contract names.
• Inspection Procedures and Standards: working from a written procedure that meets the referencing document, and knowing which standards that document calls up.

Standards you will see referenced

Procedures and the Specific exam's codes reference these ASTM penetrant practices. They are listed by number and the process named in each title.

A worked decision flow

This flow is built around ASNT's second PT topic heading, "Selection of the Appropriate PT Method," from the examinations page. On the job, your written procedure and the referencing code or contract decide.

A selection has three parts, and the flow takes them in this order: the penetrant type (how the indication is seen), the removal method (how excess penetrant comes off the surface) and the remover that method uses.

1. Check what is already fixed. Read the procedure, code or contract first. If it names the type, method or sensitivity, you apply it; the rest of the flow is how you explain why it was set that way.
2. Choose the penetrant type: fluorescent or visible. Fluorescent penetrant is viewed under UV-A light in a darkened area, and a small indication glows against a dark background, which is why it is the usual choice when fine indications matter. Visible (color-contrast) penetrant is viewed in ordinary white light, so it needs no darkened booth or UV lamp, which suits field work and simple setups.
3. Choose the removal method from the setting and the part.
   • Solvent-removable: excess penetrant is wiped off with cloths, then a cloth lightly dampened with solvent. It needs little equipment and no water, so it fits spot checks and field work on a small area. It is slow over large areas, and wiping a rough surface clean without leaving background or pulling penetrant out is hard.
   • Water-washable: the penetrant carries its own emulsifier and rinses off with water. It is quick for many parts and copes better with rough surfaces and threads. The trade-off is that an overlong or forceful rinse can wash penetrant out of shallow, open discontinuities.
   • Post-emulsifiable: the penetrant will not rinse off until a separate emulsifier is applied, and the emulsifier contact time controls how much is removed. That extra step gives more control over removal, which is why it is chosen when shallow discontinuities matter and the process can be run consistently in a shop.
4. Choose the remover the method calls for. Solvent-removable uses a solvent remover. Water-washable uses water. Post-emulsifiable uses either a lipophilic (oil-based) emulsifier, applied straight onto the penetrant-covered part, or a hydrophilic (water-based) emulsifier, applied after a water prerinse has taken off most of the excess. Both are followed by a water rinse; the emulsifier time is the variable to control.
5. Plan who judges the indications. The selection is only finished when you know which code, specification or contract sets acceptance criteria, so evaluation under topic 3 has a basis.

Three cases worked through

Study examples for practice.

• A short weld repair on installed piping, no water supply nearby. Step 1: assume the procedure leaves the choice open. Step 2: visible, since there is no darkened booth on site, unless the procedure asks for fluorescent. Step 3: localized field work with no water, so solvent-removable. If the weld cap is rough and cannot be dressed, wiping it clean is hard, which is a reason to raise it with whoever owns the procedure rather than carry on. Step 4: solvent remover. Step 5: acceptance from the referencing code.
• A daily run of machined parts on a production line. Step 2: fluorescent if there is an inspection booth and fine indications matter. Step 3: water-washable for speed, or post-emulsifiable if shallow discontinuities matter and the line can hold emulsifier time steady. Step 4: water, or the emulsifier the procedure names.
• Shop parts where shallow indications keep washing out with a water-washable penetrant. Step 3: move to post-emulsifiable for more control over removal. Step 4: hydrophilic or lipophilic emulsifier as the procedure specifies, with the prerinse for hydrophilic.

When you study, write out the reason for each step in your own words. The exam asks you to select a method, and a reason you can state beats a memorized table.

How to prepare

• Take the free check below and note which of the four topics cost you the most.
• Look up dwell time, developer types, removal methods, capillary action and visible versus fluorescent dye in the NDT terms glossary.
• Sort your notes under the four headings. Anything that does not fit is either principles (topic 1) or procedure work (topic 4).
• Work the decision flow on parts you actually see at work, and have a Level III or your supervisor check the reasoning.
• ASNT links a Level II PT self-study collection from the examinations page.
• If you are also sitting MT, its General outline changes for exams after 15 December 2026; see the MT outline change guide.

Find your weak topics free

Take the free 10-question check for PT General now and see where your points are leaking across the four topics. It needs no signup and every answer is explained. The full course adds timed practice exams, a lesson for each published topic and a study plan built from your exam date. Start the free 10-question check.

FAQ

How many questions are on the ASNT PT Level II General exam?

50 items in 2 hours, under four topic headings. ASNT gives no percentage weight or item count for any of the four.

Is there a Specific exam for PT Level II?

Yes, taken alongside the General exam, for General Industry or Pressure Equipment Sectors. Each is 40 items in 2 hours.

Does the PT Level II outline change on a set date?

No. Unlike MT, UT and VT, the PT section has no before-and-after date split.

What experience do I need for PT Level II?

2 training days, 30 days of PT experience and 58 days of total NDT experience, with a day defined as at least 7 hours.

Sources

Show the list

• ASNT NDT Level II Examinations, ASNT Certification Services.
• ASNT NDT Level II Certification, ASNT Certification Services.
• Level II PT self-study collection, ASNT.