Instructions for Completing the ASE Work Experience Form
To document your work experience, complete Sections 1 through 3. Provide the names and addresses of your current and previous
employers, covering up to 3 years or more for Repair Technicians and at least 2 years for Service Consultants, Parts Specialists,
and Collision Damage Estimators.
If it is necessary to provide information for more than one previous employer to meet the minimum amount of experience required:
- click the Previous Workplaces box located in Section 4; and
- attach your additional previous employer information (e.g. Word document or scanned hand-written sheet).
Complete Sections 4 through 6. Click and check mark:
- the applicable Attachments box(s) [i.e. formal education documentation, I-CAR Platinum certificate, self-employment documentation,
military documentation, Canadian documentation, previous workplaces information, other documentation];
- the experience detail boxes for which you have actual hands-on experience; and
- the box to certify that the information provided on this Work Experience Form, as well as any attached documentation, is true and correct.
Click the Attach File(s) button to include your attachment(s) which should show in the Files uploaded box, then click the Submit button to send your Work Experience Form and attachment(s) to ASE
for review and processing.
Questions? Call ASE Customer Service at (703) 669-6609, 8 am to 5 pm ET, Monday through Friday, or send an email to
contactus@ase.com with your full name, city, state, ASE ID (if
known), and daytime phone number.
ASE Work Experience Requirements
To become ASE certified, you must pass an ASE test and have relevant hands-on work experience.
You can take most ASE tests even if you do not have the required work experience. You will receive a score report, but you will not earn certification or receive a certificate until you fulfill the related experience requirement.
To document your work experience, please complete the ASE Work Experience Form, attach applicable documentation, check the box in Section 6, and click the Submit button when you are ready to send your information to ASE for review and processing.
ASE reserves the right to verify all job history details and can deny certification to anyone who provides false or misleading work experience information.
ASE recognizes the following types of automotive service industry work experience:
Category |
Description |
Minimum amount of experience |
Required for these Tests |
Repair Technician |
Hands-on experience maintaining, servicing, and/or repairing light-duty or heavy-duty motor vehicles. |
1 year |
G1 |
2 years |
A1-A9, B2-B5, E1-E3, F1, H1-H8, S1-S7, T1-T8, and X1 |
3 years |
L1, L2, and L3 |
Service Consultant |
Hands-on experience as an automotive service writer/consultant or service manager. |
2 years |
C1 |
Parts Specialist |
Hands-on experience as a parts counterperson or managing a wholesale or retail parts store or in-house parts department. |
2 years |
P1, P2, and P4 |
Collision Damage Estimator |
Hands-on experience as an automotive collision damage estimator/adjuster. |
2 years |
B6 |
Repair Technicians who have 2 years of experience will also automatically receive credit for the 1-year requirement. Repair
Technicians who have 3 or more years of experience will also automatically receive credit for the 1-year and 2-year requirements.
Work experience as a Repair Technician does not satisfy the separate experience requirement for Service Consultant, Parts Specialist,
or Collision Damage Estimator.
Formal Education: You can substitute high school, trade school, or community college education for part of the Repair Technician work
experience requirement, as shown below. This credit can be combined with additional hands-on work experience if needed to meet the 1, 2, and
3-year Repair Technician requirements.
Formal Education / Training |
Credit toward 1-year Repair Technician requirement |
Credit toward 2-year Repair Technician requirement |
Credit toward 3-year Repair Technician requirement |
1) Complete any ASE-Accredited Program – Auto, M/H Truck or Collision-Refinish, including MLR, AST, MAST and all other current or grandfathered ASE standards |
6 months |
1 year |
1 year |
-or- 2) Complete an ASE-Accredited OEM-Sponsored Co-op Program |
1 year |
2 years |
2 years |
-or- 3) Pass 3 or more different ASE Entry-Level Certification Program Tests |
6 months |
1 year |
1 year |
-or- 4) All other training: 2 months of full-time training (or 200 program hours) equals 1 month credit |
Up to 6 months |
Up to 1 year |
Up to 1 year |
- These substitutes cannot be combined, and do not apply to the Service Consultant, Parts Specialist, or Collision Damage
Estimator work experience categories.
- The ASE Education Foundation (formerly NATEF) evaluates and accredits Automobile, Medium/Heavy Duty Truck, and
Collision Repair and Refinish training programs based on industry-established standards. To learn more and view the list of ASE-accredited
programs, visit http://www.aseeducationfoundation.org.
- To receive credit in categories 1) and 2) above, you must complete the training program in its entirety, and it must be
ASE-accredited at the time you complete it.
- Examples of OEM-sponsored co-op programs include GM ASEP, Ford ASSET, Toyota T-TEN, Honda PACT, Chrysler CAP, etc. You
must participate in the co-op hands-on work experience portion of the program.
- ASE Entry-Level Certification Program tests (formerly ASE Student Certification) are not the same as the ASE professional certification tests. ASE Entry-Level
certification tests are administered in schools. For more information, visit
www.ase.com/entry-level.
- For categories 1) and 2), attach a copy of your program completion certificate. For category 3), attach copies of
your ASE Entry-Level certification test certificates. For category 4), attach an official transcript that clearly shows the hours or weeks of completed training and the graduation/completion date.
I-CAR Platinum Individuals: This satisfies the Repair Technician and/or Collision Damage Estimator 2-year requirements,
corresponding to the roles in which you hold I-CAR Platinum status. Attach a copy of your certificate.
Veterans and Active Military: Attach an AARTS, SMART, or JST transcript, DD Form 2586, DD Form 295, or DD Form 214. Army Wheeled
Vehicle Mechanics (MOS 91B) will receive full credit toward the Repair Technician requirement for time spent in that MOS. Other MOS’s,
such as Aircraft Mechanics, can also be considered for partial or full credit.
Canadian Technicians: A valid provincial automotive trade certificate is acceptable evidence of sufficient work experience to
satisfy the Repair Technician 1-year and 2-year requirements. Attach a copy of your provincial license.
Self-employment: You can receive credit for self-employment when you are the owner/operator of a licensed repair business working
in the shop performing diagnosis and repairs. Indicate the types of service you provide (Section 5), how long you have-been self-employed, and
attach a copy of your business license.
The fine print: ASE reserves the right to evaluate all substitution requests and to grant such credit as may be appropriate. Work
experience other than that described above may also be credited toward fulfillment of the experience requirement where, in ASE’s judgment,
the nature of the experience so warrants.
Questions? Call ASE Customer Service at (703) 669-6609, 8 am to 5 pm ET, Monday through Friday, or send an email to
contactus@ase.com with your full name, city, state, ASE ID (if known), and daytime phone number.