Hi Jonathan,

ASE was able to deploy the operational version of the L3 test earlier than expected. As a result, during the test registration and scheduling process, there were a few folks, like yourself, that had an expectation to take the pilot version of the test (3 1/2 hours of testing time and 95 questions) but when you arrived at the test center you received the operational version of the test (2 hours of testing time and 55 questions). We apologize for the confusion that this caused you.

As you can imagine, ASE received many comments from technicians who took the pilot test complaining about fatigue. This fatigue was the result of sitting at the computer terminal for 3 1/2 hours and having to focus on 95 test questions. In addition, many technicians were not pleased with the fact that instant test results were not available either. In response to the input we received, ASE made every effort to deploy the operational version as soon as possible....which resulted in the operational test becoming available almost a month sooner than expected.

The benefits to having the operational test in the field is that the testing time is greatly reduced, the number of questions is reduced, and score reports are delivered at the test center following the completion of the test. Unfortunately, the deployment resulted in the unintended circumstances for some technicians, like yourself, who received the shorter test when you were expecting the longer test.

I'm sorry that you were not aware of the structure of the L3 test, such as the fact that there was an electronic "Certification Test Reference Document" available as a pop-up document instead of a paper booklet. All of the information concerning the L3 test is addressed in the "Test Information for the Light Duty Hybrid/Electric Vehicle Specialist Test (L3)" booklet. When you received your test confirmation email, we included a paragraph about this point and provided a link to the ASE website where you could download that booklet in an effort to arm you with the tools you needed to become familiar with the L3 test. I know the test confirmation emails contain a lot of information, so I'm sorry if you missed those directions.

The L3 test was created in response to technicians asking for a credential to recognize them as hybrid/electric vehicle specialists. We have received a lot of feedback from technicians who have taken the test that make us confident that the first presentation of the L3 test is a good starting-point for a hybrid/electric vehicle certification. We look forward to future updates to the current test content, moving forward, in an effort to keep the test in line with technology in the future.

John Tisdale
Technician/Technical Information Specialist
ASE
Leesburg, Virginia, USA