PROFESSIONAL LEVEL ASE TEST TRAINING: You know what you are doing, but others don't. Show them that you know what you are doing and are a true professional by getting and keeping up your ASE Certifications. Are you keeping updated? Most technicians need at least 20 hours training each year just to keep current. Most industry experts recommend at least 40 hours every year. Here are some of the training events that many technicians recommend. Vision - Kansas City (early March) ATE - Seattle (March) CAN - Chicago (September) AASP - Pennsylvania (September) ASTE - North Carolina (September) KOI - Cincinnati (January) SEMA/APPEX - Las Vegas (November) ASE Master CertifiedMaster Certification Many service technicians are comfortable working on certain systems of a vehicle. For those who work on engines, electrical and drivability, getting certified in those areas is often easy and shows the world that you know your stuff. However, many technicians don’t feel comfortable about HVAC, or automatic transmissions and therefore hesitate to take more ASE tests to be become a certified Master Technician. Try this. Attend training sessions in areas that are not your specialty. This is called “cross training”. Often, you'll find it related to what you do and will go on to become an even better technician. Make it a goal to become a certified master technician. How to prepare yourself Even though you know how to service and repair vehicles, you may struggle when it comes to taking tests. This is quite common and is just one of the reasons we're in business. The best way to prepare is to take quality practice tests which achieves many results including: Getting used to reading each question carefully and review all possible answers before selecting the best one. Learning what areas you're weak in so more preparation can be done before taking actual ASE certification tests. Learning or experiencing what it feels like to take a test that has a time limit.