How the plan builder works
ASNT publishes the General exam topics for each method as a list. It gives no item weights, so the builder uses what the list does show, then works inside the window from your start date to the day before the exam:
- The exam date picks the list. MT uses the ten-topic list through 15 December 2026 and the five-domain task list after it. UT uses the six-topic list through 5 February 2027 and the four-domain task list after it. PT has one list. ASNT's headings do not say which list covers the change day itself, so a plan for that day uses the earlier list and says so.
- Where ASNT lists task statements (the later MT and UT lists), a topic's share is its task count divided by the total. Where ASNT lists headings only, every heading gets the same share. These are planning shares, not exam weights.
- Weeks = days from start date to exam date ÷ 7, rounded up. A short last week still counts as a week.
- With 3 or more weeks, the last week is a final review across every topic at the list shares.
- The study weeks before it go to the topics one at a time, in study order. Each topic gets share × study weeks, rounded by the largest-remainder method: everyone gets the whole-number part, then spare weeks go to the largest fractions. Every topic gets at least one week.
- With fewer study weeks than topics, neighbouring topics share a week, grouped so the weeks carry about equal weight.
- Within a topic's weeks, its sub-topics are spread in order, so each week has at least one.
- Each week splits the hours you entered: half on learning new material, three tenths on practice questions and a fifth on reviewing what you missed. The review week is practice and review only. A short week is scaled to its days.
- The free 10-question check for your method opens week 1 and week (weeks ÷ 2, rounded down) + 1.
The plan runs up to 52 weeks. Each week also links the tool or guide that fits its topics.
Why the plan starts with principles and math
Arithmetic and geometry only stick with repetition, so they go early. In the UT and MT lists that name topics only, the study order puts the calculation topics in the first half: UT wave physics, Snell's law, skip distance and decibels, and MT fields and magnetizing current. That leaves weeks to redo them. At your midpoint check, work one calculation from each early topic again without notes.
Worked example 1: UT in 10 weeks at 6 hours a week
A candidate starts on Monday 2 November 2026 and sits the UT General exam on 11 January 2027, studying 6 hours a week. These dates are an example only.
- The exam is before 5 February 2027, so the six-topic UT list applies, with equal shares of 1 ÷ 6 each.
- Days: 70, so 10 weeks. Week 10 is the final review, leaving 9 study weeks.
- Exact week counts: 9 × 1 ÷ 6 = 1.5 for every topic. Whole parts give 1 each, which is 6 weeks. The three spare weeks go to equal fractions, so the earlier topics win the tie and the counts are 2, 2, 2, 1, 1 and 1.
- Weeks 1 and 2 are Review of Ultrasonic Techniques, weeks 3 and 4 Evaluation of Weldments, weeks 5 and 6 General Evaluation, then one week each for Evaluation of Base Material Product Forms, Discontinuity Detection and Evaluation of Bonded Structures.
- The three sub-topics of Review of Ultrasonic Techniques over two weeks: the first two in week 1, the third in week 2.
- Every study week is 6 hours: 3 hours learning, 1 hour 50 minutes of practice questions and 1 hour 10 minutes reviewing misses. The review week is 3 hours 35 minutes of practice and 2 hours 25 minutes of review.
- Share actually given: the first three topics get (2 + 1 ÷ 6) ÷ 10 = 21.7% each and the last three (1 + 1 ÷ 6) ÷ 10 = 11.7% each. The plan cannot split a week, so earlier topics end up heavier than the equal shares.
- The free UT check opens week 1 and week 10 ÷ 2 + 1 = week 6.
Worked example 2: MT in 10 weeks at 8 hours a week
The same dates for the MT General exam, studying 8 hours a week. 11 January 2027 is after 15 December 2026, so the five-domain task list applies.
- ASNT lists 4, 11, 9, 5 and 5 task statements under its five domains, 34 in all, so the shares are 4 ÷ 34, 11 ÷ 34, 9 ÷ 34, 5 ÷ 34 and 5 ÷ 34.
- Days: 70, so 10 weeks and 9 study weeks. Exact week counts: 9 × 4 ÷ 34 = 1.06, 9 × 11 ÷ 34 = 2.91, 9 × 9 ÷ 34 = 2.38 and 9 × 5 ÷ 34 = 1.32 twice. Whole parts give 1, 2, 2, 1 and 1, which is 7 weeks. The two spare weeks go to the largest fractions, 0.91 and 0.38, so the counts are 1, 3, 3, 1 and 1.
- Week 1 is MT Principles and Theory, weeks 2 to 4 Use and Care of MT Equipment and Accessories, weeks 5 to 7 MT Techniques, week 8 Interpret, Evaluate, and Document Results and week 9 Codes, Standards, Specifications, and Procedures.
- The nine MT Techniques tasks over three weeks: three a week. The eleven equipment tasks over three weeks: four, four and three.
- Every study week is 8 hours: 4 hours learning, 2 hours 25 minutes of practice and 1 hour 35 minutes reviewing. The review week is 4 hours 50 minutes of practice and 3 hours 10 minutes of review.
- Share actually given: 11.2%, 33.2%, 32.6%, 11.5% and 11.5%, against list shares of 11.8%, 32.4%, 26.5%, 14.7% and 14.7%.
- The free MT check opens week 1 and week 6.
Using the plan and the checks
The free 10-question check for your method shows which topics are weakest. Take it at the start, put extra time into those topics in their weeks, and compare at the midpoint. Ten questions are a rough signal, not a score prediction, and your own scores tell you where the points leak. Studying more than one method? Run the builder once for each, or read the ASNT Level 2 study guide for the order across UT, MT and PT. The Level II requirements guide covers training and experience days, and the exam-day guide covers booking and check-in.
What the planner does not do
It does not say how long anyone should study, and it does not predict a result. The hours are yours; the plan only splits them. Equal share on the page does not mean equal difficulty for you, so adjust after each check. It plans the General exam only; the Specific exam and your employer's practical and written practice parts are separate. ASNT's current outline governs what the exam covers, and ASNT can change it.
NDT study plan questions
How many weeks should I study for NDT Level 2?
That depends on your exam date, the hours you can give each week and how much of the method you already use on the job, so the builder starts from your dates and your hours instead of a fixed number. Enter both and it spreads your own time across the topics ASNT lists for your method, then ends with a review week.
Which outline do I study, the old one or the new one?
The one ASNT shows for the date you sit. For MT that is the ten-topic list through 15 December 2026 and the five-domain task list after it. For UT it is the six-topic list through 5 February 2027 and the four-domain task list after it. PT has one list. The builder picks the list from your exam date and tells you which one it used.
Is the free 10-question check enough to know if I'm ready?
No. It is a quick read of your weakest topics, not a prediction of your score. Take it in week one to see where to spend extra time, take it again at the midpoint, and move review time to any topic that has not improved. The Angle Beam course then adds a lesson for each published topic and timed practice exams.