MT Level II practice questions and how to drill them

What MT practice should cover

ASNT lists the MT General exam as 50 items in 2 hours. For exams before 15 December 2026 the outline has ten topics, and for exams after it, five domains with 34 task statements. The MT outline change guide maps the old list onto the new one, so read it before you pick study material by date. ASNT publishes no topic weights, so practice every heading, with extra time on field direction, technique selection and evaluation because they show up in every method decision.

The MT Level II practice guide lays out the error-log routine in detail. The questions below show what that routine looks like in use.

Question 1: Match the field to the discontinuity

A solid steel bar is being examined for a crack that runs along the length of the bar, parallel to its axis. Which technique gives the best indication?

• A. A head shot, passing current through the bar
• B. A coil shot, placing the bar in a coil
• C. Either one, since both produce a strong field
• D. Neither, since MT cannot find a crack on this orientation

Answer: A. Magnetic particle indications form best when the field runs across the discontinuity. A crack along the axis needs a field that runs around the bar, which is a circular field. Passing current through the bar produces one. B makes a longitudinal field, running along the axis and parallel to this crack, so the crack gives a weak or no indication. C ignores direction, and D is wrong because the right field direction makes this crack findable.

If the same bar also needed checking for a crack that runs around the circumference, you would add a longitudinal field, which is why many procedures call for two directions on one part. The field direction and technique guide shows the sketch method.

Question 2: Current for a head shot

For this example, your procedure calls for 500 amperes per inch of outside diameter for a head shot. The bar is 3.5 inches in diameter. What current do you set?

• A. 143 A
• B. 875 A
• C. 1,750 A
• D. 503.5 A

Answer: C. Current = 500 A per inch × 3.5 in = 1,750 A. A divides instead of multiplying. B multiplies by the radius, 1.75 in, instead of the diameter. D adds the two numbers, which has no physical meaning.

The 500 figure is invented. On the job, the number comes from your written procedure and the document it references, so the exam skill is applying a stated rule with the right unit and the right dimension. If a question gives an amperage rule, read whether it uses diameter or the largest cross-section dimension before you calculate. The MT amperage calculator lets you check arithmetic with stated inputs.

Question 3: Yoke placement on a plate

You are examining a flat plate weld with a yoke. You make one pass with the legs placed across the weld. Which discontinuities are you most likely to miss?

• A. Those that run across the line between the legs
• B. Those that run parallel to the line between the legs
• C. Those that are open to the surface
• D. None, since a yoke finds everything

Answer: B. A yoke puts flux along the line between its legs. A discontinuity running parallel to that line has almost no field across it, so it gives a weak indication. Those that run across the line are the ones you detect. C is the opposite of how MT works, because surface-open discontinuities are what MT does well. D ignores direction. The standard fix is a second placement turned roughly 90° from the first, so every orientation is crossed by a field.

A classification drill

Evaluation is the other half of MT. Practice sorting indications into the three groups, using made-up scenarios, and say why:

1. Particles gather in a tight, sharp line at the root of a thread on a bolt.
2. A faint, fuzzy band of particles appears along a sudden change in section, and it is weaker at lower current.
3. A clump of particles sits on a smooth area after the part was handled with a dirty glove.

Reasonable answers: the first is a candidate relevant indication, to be evaluated against the acceptance criteria your procedure names. The second is likely nonrelevant, caused by the part's shape rather than a discontinuity, and you confirm it by checking the geometry and the setup. The third is false, caused by handling or process, so you clean and retest. In each case state what you would check next. The exam rewards the reasoning, not the label alone.

Turn every miss into a fix

Use the same loop each session:

1. Write the reason for your choice before opening the explanation. A hunch is not a reason.
2. Find the first wrong assumption: the part's shape, the orientation, the current type, the equipment or the interpretation.
3. Write a one-sentence corrected reason, and one condition that would change the answer.
4. Sketch it. Draw the part, the discontinuity and the field as three separate lines. If the field line and the discontinuity line are parallel, change the setup on paper.
5. Wait before repeating. Remembering a choice is not the same as understanding it.

Short on time? The 2 to 4 week MT plan gives a daily structure, and how magnetic particle testing works covers the process end to end. If you are still choosing which method to certify in, which NDT method to certify in first compares the options.

Next step

Take the free 10-question MT check to see exactly which topics to fix. It needs no signup and explains every answer. Ten questions are a small sample and do not predict your exam result, so use the topic breakdown to choose your next lesson. The full course adds timed practice exams, a lesson for each topic and a study plan built from your exam date.

FAQ

Are these real MT Level II exam questions?

No. They are original practice items with invented numbers, written to ASNT's published topics. Do not use recalled exam material; it is confidential and it will not teach you the method.

Which MT topics should I practice most?

Practice every heading, since ASNT publishes no weights. If time is short, start with field direction and technique selection, because most setup decisions depend on them. Use the free check to see your own weak topic.

Does the 15 December 2026 outline change affect my practice?

It does if you sit the exam after that date. The later list has five domains and 34 task statements. Read the outline change guide and match your notes to the list for your appointment.

Does a written MT practice test cover the practical exam?

No. The General exam is written and computer-based. Practical and job-specific exams are handled by your employer, so practice those with a Level III or your supervisor.