ASNT Level II exam updates: VT, MT and UT dates
ASNT’s NDT Level II General exam page separates VT outlines around October 18, 2026, MT around December 15, 2026 and UT around February 5, 2027. Check the outline for your appointment before deciding what to study next.
Check the method and date boundary
The official page uses “prior to” and “after” headings for each date below. It does not state how an appointment on the boundary day is handled; confirm that case with ASNT. The page does not identify when these headings were first published.
Both versions of each General outline list 50 questions and two hours. These are examination-outline boundaries, not course-enrollment deadlines.
| Method | Boundary date | Preparation check |
|---|---|---|
| Visual Testing (VT) | October 18, 2026 | Use the VT heading matching your appointment. |
| Magnetic Particle Testing (MT) | December 15, 2026 | Recheck if an appointment moves across this date. |
| Ultrasonic Testing (UT) | February 5, 2027 | Recheck if an appointment moves across this date. |
What the revised outlines make explicit
The revised VT outline gives more detailed tasks for equipment readiness, direct or remote technique selection, interpretation, documentation, procedures and safety. MT and UT also describe applied tasks, including equipment checks, planning and reporting.
Use these descriptions to identify gaps in your preparation. A more detailed heading does not establish that every named concept is newly tested, or that an existing course covers the complete outline.
Use your appointment date to select the outline
Record your program, method, exam component and appointment date before starting another round of practice questions:
- Save a dated copy of the applicable outline or record its link and the date you checked it. Recheck after any scheduling change and before the final study period.
- For each topic, identify a lesson, reference or supervised learning activity you can use. Leave a visible gap when you cannot find one; familiarity with a heading is not the same as being able to explain it.
- Ask your instructor focused questions. “Where can I practice interpreting and documenting a result?” is more useful than “Does this course cover everything?”
Build a VT study-gap worksheet
A useful study plan connects a topic with something you can explain and a question you still need to resolve. Make three columns: study focus, evidence of understanding and next learning step. The worksheet below is an original preparation aid; it is not an ASNT checklist or an inspection procedure.
NDTAcademy’s published VT curriculum includes lighting, optical equipment, direct and remote viewing, evaluation and reporting. Those are starting points for a comparison, not a promise that completing the course satisfies every ASNT examination or certification requirement.
| Study focus | What to put in your notes | A useful next step |
|---|---|---|
| Equipment readiness | Identify the instrument in a lesson example and the supplied evidence about its condition. Mark anything the example does not establish. | Revisit the equipment lesson, then ask which checks the example expects you to explain. |
| Direct and remote viewing | Sketch how the example’s view reaches the observer. Keep any uncertainty about viewing access visible. | Use the viewing-path study guide to test your explanation. |
| Interpretation and documentation | Separate the observation from your conclusion. Name the supplied record that supports each statement. | Revisit evaluation and reporting, then ask for feedback on the evidence you used. |
| Procedures and safety | Record the references supplied with the exercise and the questions that require authorized technical direction. | Ask the instructor or responsible person where those questions should be resolved. Do not invent operating settings or acceptance limits. |
Test one gap before moving on
Suppose your worksheet says “remote viewing: complete” because you watched a lesson. Try explaining a supplied example without replaying it. You can name the camera and display, but you cannot connect the image to its position on the training component. The useful result is a specific location-record question, not another completion checkmark.
Replace the original entry with: “I can explain the image path; I still need to connect the frame to the component reference.” Choose the relevant documentation example, write a second explanation and compare the two. Keep the unresolved point if the supplied material still does not answer it.
This small loop helps you decide where to spend the next study session. It does not measure readiness for an entire certification examination. Use the same approach for MT or UT: choose one topic, explain one supplied example and identify one question that remains.
Keep exam topics separate from qualification requirements
The outline update does not by itself establish a new eligibility rule. ASNT's current program still requires documented training and experience, and assigns employers the applicable practical, visual-acuity and job-specific examinations under their written practice. Training certificates and work-experience evidence serve different purposes.
Keep those application records in a separate checklist so that a detailed study plan does not hide an unanswered qualification question. Ask ASNT about certification requirements and your employer about its responsibilities.
When comparing NDTAcademy’s VT, MT or UT training, review the published curriculum against the outline for your appointment and ask about gaps before enrollment. Keep formal-training records, examination preparation and the remaining qualification requirements distinct.
Sources: ASNT NDT Level II program requirements.
Sources and further reading
Sources checked on October 22, 2026. Follow the current requirements from your employer or certification body when planning qualification or an examination.