UT Level 2 practice test (free)

Start with the free practice

• Take the free 10-question UT check. It takes a few minutes, needs no signup and no card, and shows your score by topic with your weakest one named. Every answer is explained.
• Work the public UT sample. It has 3 reviewed practice questions on weld evaluation and a lesson on angle-beam welds. The answers are explained as you go.
• Run the free UT Level 2 quiz. It has 18 original questions on physics, calibration and beam geometry, lets you drill one topic at a time and explains every answer.

All three are original practice written for Angle Beam. They are not ASNT questions. Practicing MT or PT too? The NDT practice test hub links all three methods.

To practice on paper, print the free UT class quiz (PDF), with an answer key on page 2 and no email.

3 sample questions with answers

These are original practice questions written to the UT topics below. They are not ASNT exam items. Cover the answer, pick one, then read why.

1. Review of ultrasonic techniques

Why does almost all the sound reflect where a steel part meets air, for example at an open crack face or the back wall of a part in air?

• A. Air is much denser than steel
• B. The acoustic impedance of the two sides is very different, so little sound crosses the boundary
• C. Air has a higher sound velocity than steel
• D. Steel absorbs all the sound that reaches the boundary

Answer: B. How much sound crosses a boundary depends on how different the two acoustic impedances are. Steel and air are very far apart, so nearly all the energy reflects, which is why a back wall or an open crack gives a strong echo. Air is far less dense than steel (A), not denser. Air's velocity is much lower (C). Steel does not absorb everything at the boundary (D); the sound is reflected, not lost.

2. Evaluation of weldments

A V-groove weld has lack of fusion lying along one bevel face. Which scanning choice gives the best chance of a strong echo from it?

• A. A probe angle that sends the beam as close to square onto the bevel face as the geometry allows
• B. Scanning only along the weld centerline with a straight beam
• C. Any angle, because planar flaws always return the same echo
• D. The lowest-angle probe available, to keep the beam path short

Answer: A. A planar flaw returns its strongest echo when the beam meets it close to a right angle. A bevel-face flaw is tilted, so choose the angle and side that bring the beam in square to that face. A straight beam from the cap (B) meets the tilted face at a glancing angle. Planar echoes change a lot with angle (C), which is why procedures scan from more than one angle or side. A short beam path (D) does not fix the angle.

3. Discontinuity detection

You are scanning a forged bar with a straight beam. At one spot the back wall echo drops to nothing, and no other echo appears. What is a sensible first step?

• A. Reject the bar at that spot
• B. Re-couple the probe and rescan the spot before you conclude anything
• C. Raise the gain to maximum and accept whatever shows
• D. Treat the drop as normal

Answer: B. A lost back wall can come from a flaw, but also from poor coupling, a rough patch, or a tilted reflector. Check the simple causes first by recoupling and rescanning, then look at the spot from another angle or side. Rejecting at once (A) skips that check. Maximum gain (C) adds noise, not understanding. A lost back wall is not normal (D) and needs an explanation.

What UT practice should cover

The UT General exam has 50 multiple-choice questions in 2 hours. ASNT lists six topics and publishes no weights, so practice all of them. The UT General exam guide explains each topic, and the exam-day guide covers the built-in calculator. If your appointment is after the change, read the outline change guide first. The existing guide states that the current outline applies to exams taken up to 5 February 2027.

Welds are the topic most candidates rehearse, so check the sample set and the free check against the others before you decide you are strong there.

Turn every miss into a study task

After each session, write one line per miss: the topic, whether it was physics (a wave or material property), geometry (a beam path or angle), calculation (a setup or unit) or judgment (what the reading means), and one fix.

• For calculation misses, redo the worked example with new numbers and say which convention you used.
• For geometry misses, draw the joint and the beam path before you read the choices. Most weld questions are geometry once the picture is right.
• For judgment misses, say aloud what you would check next on the instrument or the part, and why.

Do not repeat a set until you remember the answers. A repeat score can reflect memory, not skill. Explain each answer without the choices in front of you.

UT practice questions by topic

Pick the topic that cost you points on the free check, and drill it from the sources below. The 18-question quiz lets you filter by group.

• Review of ultrasonic techniques: question 1 above, the quiz groups on physics and calibration and the acoustic impedance guide.
• Evaluation of weldments: question 2 above, the public sample on weld evaluation and the skip distance guide.
• Discontinuity detection: question 3 above and the quiz groups "Evaluation: locating and sizing" and "Procedures and scanning".
• Base material product forms, bonded structures and general evaluation: the free check covers these, and the course has a lesson for each. Use the UT General exam guide to see what each asks.

Free vs paid UT practice

The free check, the public sample, the 18-question quiz and the questions above are free and need no card. The full course adds timed practice exams, a lesson for each topic and a study plan built from your exam date. Start with the free tools, and move to the course when your error log shows the same topics coming back.

FAQ

Where can I get a free UT Level 2 practice test?

On this page, which has 3 original sample questions with explained answers, and in the free 10-question check, the public sample and the 18-question quiz. None needs a signup.

Is there a free UT Level 2 practice test PDF?

Yes. Print our free UT Level 2 practice quiz (PDF): original questions with an answer key on page 2, and no email. Then take the free 10-question UT check to see your score by topic.

Are these ASNT exam questions?

No. They are original practice written to ASNT's published topics.

How many questions is the UT General exam?

ASNT lists 50 multiple-choice questions in 2 hours for the UT General exam. Check the exam-day guide and ASNT's page for your appointment date.

Is the free check enough?

No. Ten questions are a sample. Use your topic scores to choose what to study, and keep an error log across sessions.

Ready to find your weak topic?

Start the free 10-question UT check and see your score by topic. Ten questions are a small sample, so a good result is a starting point and not a prediction of your exam result. The full course adds timed practice exams, a lesson for each topic and a study plan built from your exam date. For requirements and fees, use the Level II requirements guide and the ASNT exam-day guide.

Sources

Show the list

Checked 23 October 2026.

• ASNT NDT Level II examinations, the published outline and exam format.

Not affiliated with or endorsed by ASNT.