NOTE ON PREPARATION FOR ASNT LEVEL III EXAMINATION

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To become an ASNT Level III certificate holder one has to appear for and PASS the BASIC paper (Compulsory) and minimum one NDT method (such as VT, RT, UT, etc.) At present, the examination is organized by ISNT and held twice a year in India (around April and Nov.) For the upcoming exam schedule please refer to : ASNT Level III Exam schedule ELIGIBILITY : 3.1 3.2 3.3 For Degree Engineers: minimum 1 year experience beyond NDT Level II experience requirements. For Diploma Engineers / Science Graduates: minimum 2 years experience beyond NDT Level II experience requirements. For all others: minimum 4 years experience beyond NDT Level II experience requirements. It is not necessary to be certified NDT Level I or II.

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Note: a)

b) However, if you have NDT level II certification in the respective method, it is ideal. c) The experience should be equivalent to the NDT Level II work requirements as defined in document SNT TC 1A. This work experience should be certified by your employer, in detail and it should be attached to your application. 4. For appearing in the ASNT Level III Examination, NO COURSE IS COMPULSARY. Level III preparatory classes are organized by many Institutes. As far as ASNT is concerned, NO CLASS IS REQUIRED. If the student studies all relevant course material, prepares for at least 6 months with good understanding of the fundamentals AND has proper Hands On practical experience & reasonable English, he will succeed in the examination. However, attending the classes helps in clarifying the theory concepts and it is better to make inquiries in the field to decide which course you should attend and when. Ideally attend a course at least 3 or 4 months before the exams.
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BASIC PAPER (Compulsory) This paper has 135 Questions and duration of 4 hours. The paper can be broadly divided into 3 areas: a) Questions on SNT TC 1A & CP 189 (Check with ASNT as to the applicable edition) The current papers are based on 2006 editions. b) Questions on Materials & Processes ( i.e. Metallurgy, Manufacturing Processes & Discontinuities, Composite Structures, Plastics, etc) c) Questions on major NDT Methods Namely: RT, UT, MT, PT, ECT, VT, LT, NRT, TI, AET (Questions are up to Level II difficulty).

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METHOD RT UT ECT LT AET MT PT VT

QUESTIONS 135 135 135 135 135 90 90 90

DURATION 4 Hrs 4 Hrs 4 Hrs 4 Hrs 4 Hrs 2 Hrs 2 Hrs 2 Hrs

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COST : a) The cost per paper in India is about RS 13,000/ - each. b) You have to pay about Rs. 8,000/- towards ASNT MEMBERSHIP AND AS OVERSEAS CHARGES. (The above charges to be paid to ASNT by DD or by Credit card ) c) In India there is a cover charge by ISNT of about RS 11,000/ - in addition to the charges of ASNT( i.e. to appear for Basic & RT he would have to pay RS 45,000 / - (13,000 + 13,000 +8,000+ 11,000). d) First time candidates should plan to appear for the following papers in the first attempt : BASIC , MT and UT or RT. The other methods can be attempted later.

CONTINUED

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PREPARATION : Start the studies early. Note that it is relatively easy to pass the ASNT L -III exam but it is very difficult to become a GOOD LEVEL - III.

PREPARATION
a) Study well all Books recommended by ASNT. b) ( Refer the reading attachments) Give attention to Technical Terminology, Fundamentals as well as new developments in each NDT method. c) As mentioned earlier, NO CLASS IS REQUIRED, if you can study and understand the course material on your own. However, if you wish to attend a class, then attend a good, reputed class, at least 4 / 5 months before examination. This will allow you to find out what are your weak areas and give you time to improve on them.

d) If possible, attend classes and get certified to Level II in as many NDT methods as possible ( ideally RT,UT,MT,PT,VT,ET). e) f) g) Improve your English comprehension and Logic Skills. Read and understand various Codes and standards such as ASME, API, AWS, etc. While studying, prepare as many questions as possible.

h) Read American (preferably ASNT) PUBLICATIONS first. i) DO NOT expect to attend the L - III classes and pass the L - III exams without self study. It is not possible to cover the entire syllabus within the limited time frame of any L - III course. You must do self study as much as possible.

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k) You should avoid mugging and try to develop THOROUGH understanding of the subject fundamentals.

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