NDT Level 1 Certification Training

Level I is the entry point into Nondestructive Testing — no prior NDT experience or college degree required. This page walks through exactly what SNT-TC-1A asks for: the prerequisites, the training hours per method, a realistic timeline, who actually certifies you, and how the online-plus-practical delivery model works.

SNT-TC-1A deliberately sets a low entry bar for Level I because it assumes you will learn the method under direct supervision. What it does check, before anything else, is your ability to actually see the defects the method is designed to find.

A near-vision acuity test (Jaeger 1 or equivalent, natural or corrected) and a colour-contrast or colour-differentiation test, both administered and documented annually. This is checked before training begins because it disqualifies some candidates outright — it is worth confirming before you commit time to the rest of the pathway.

No college degree is required. Most employer Written Practices set a high school diploma or GED as the baseline. No prior NDT experience is required — Level I assumes none, and the entire structure of the certification (training hours plus supervised on-the-job hours) is built around bringing a new candidate up to competence in one method at a time.

Level I certification is confirmed through a written general exam, a method-specific written exam, and a practical demonstration on reference specimens. The exact format — open-book or closed-book, question count, pass threshold — is set by your employer's Written Practice, so it varies between companies. The classroom training hours and the logged on-the-job experience hours per method, however, follow the SNT-TC-1A recommended minimums below.

The classroom hours are the fast part. The on-the-job experience hours are what actually sets your calendar, because they depend on how much of that method's work passes through your hands.

SNT-TC-1A is a recommended practice, not a certification body. Your employer writes a Written Practice describing how it implements the recommendation, and your employer certifies you against that document once your training hours, experience hours and exam results are recorded. The certification belongs to that employer relationship — moving companies typically means re-certifying under the new employer's Written Practice.

ASNT's third-party, portable certification programme (ACCP) does not certify Level I at all — it is available for Level II and Level III only. If a portable, employer-independent credential matters to you, that decision arrives after you have Level I and are training toward Level II, not before.

Training is delivered nationwide in two parts. There is no fixed classroom location — the format below is what every genuine Level I pathway looks like, whether the provider is Atlantis NDT or anyone else, because SNT-TC-1A's structure requires it.

Live-virtual sessions with an ASNT Level III instructor, or self-paced recorded modules, cover the classroom-hour requirement for your method. SNT-TC-1A does not require theory to be delivered in a physical classroom — only that the hours and content are covered and documented.

On-the-job experience logging and the practical examination on reference specimens require a physical presence with real equipment and a supervising Level II or III — either at your own employer's site, or at an arranged venue, available nationwide on request. This portion cannot be completed online under any legitimate certification scheme.

What this page covers

• Prerequisites for NDT Level I
• Exam Format and Minimum Training Hours
• A Realistic Timeline to Level I
• Who Actually Certifies You: Employer, Not ASNT
• Delivery Model: Online Theory, In-Person Practical
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Already Have Level I? Here's What Comes Next

Key points covered

• A near-vision acuity test (Jaeger 1 or equivalent) and a colour-contrast test, both administered annually. This gate is checked first because failing it stops the pathway before any training hours are spent.
• The minimum classroom hours for your chosen method — 8 to 40 hours depending on method (table below). Delivered as a continuous block or spread across weeks; online-delivered theory is accepted under SNT-TC-1A as long as the hours are documented.
• 130 to 210 hours of supervised, documented work in the method under a certified Level II or Level III, depending on method. This is usually the longest step and its pace depends entirely on how much of that method's work is available to you.
• A general exam, a method-specific exam, and a practical demonstration on reference specimens. Format (open-book vs closed-book, pass threshold) is set by your employer's Written Practice, not by a single fixed national standard.
• Your employer certifies you under SNT-TC-1A once training, experience and exam records are complete. There is no separate Level I credential issued directly by ASNT — see the certifying-body section below.
• SNT-TC-1A does not require a college degree or prior NDT experience for Level I — it is the entry point. What it does require is a current near-vision acuity test and a colour-contrast (or colour-differentiation) test, both administered annually, plus the classroom training hours and logged on-the-job experience hours specific to the method you are certifying in. A high school diploma or GED is the typical baseline education requirement under most employer Written Practices.
• It depends on the method. Under SNT-TC-1A recommended minimums: Ultrasonic (UT), Radiographic (RT) and Eddy Current (ET) each require 40 classroom hours at Level I; Magnetic Particle (MT) requires 12 hours; Liquid Penetrant (PT) and Visual Testing (VT) each require 8 hours. These are classroom hours only — logged on-the-job experience hours (130-210 depending on method) are separate and additional.
• Pass the vision screening, complete the classroom training hours for your method, log the required on-the-job experience hours under a certified Level II or III, then pass the written general exam, the method-specific exam and a practical demonstration on reference specimens. Your employer (or a third-party training provider working from your employer's Written Practice) certifies you once all four are documented.
• The classroom theory portion can be delivered online — SNT-TC-1A does not specify that training must happen in person, only that the minimum hours and content are covered and documented. The on-the-job experience and the practical examination cannot be completed online: both require physical specimens, real equipment and a supervising Level II or III present. A genuine online NDT Level I pathway is therefore theory online, practical in person.
• By your employer. SNT-TC-1A is an employer-based scheme: your company writes a Written Practice describing exactly how it implements the recommended practice, and your company certifies you against it once training, experience and exam requirements are met. ASNT's third-party certification programme, ACCP, does not offer Level I at all — ACCP starts at Level II. If you eventually want a portable, third-party credential, that decision point comes after Level I, not at it.
• For someone working full-time in the method, most of the classroom-hour requirement (8-40 hours depending on method) can be completed in one to three weeks. The on-the-job experience requirement (130-210 hours) is what actually sets the calendar — if the work is steady, that is a matter of weeks; if the method is used only occasionally at your site, it can take a few months to accumulate the hours. Most candidates reach Level I within 6 to 12 weeks of steady exposure to the method.
• Level I technicians perform tests and record data under Level II or III supervision, following written instructions without independently interpreting results. Level II technicians set up and calibrate equipment, interpret and evaluate results against acceptance criteria, and can supervise Level I technicians. Level II requires holding Level I first, plus additional classroom hours and additional logged experience — see our dedicated Level II training guide for the full pathway.
• No degree or prior NDT experience required — Level I is the entry point

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