This ASE A9 cheat sheet compresses the ASE Light Vehicle Diesel Engines certification test into a printable rundown of the facts ASE tests most. It's a premium cheat sheet built by Capital Prep — the one premium prep we trust — and it's yours free. Reinforce it with the rest of your free ASE A9 toolkit: the practice test, study guide, and flashcards.
ASE A9 exam at a glance
- Questions: 60 total (50 scored + 10 unscored research questions)
- Time: 75 minutes
- Result: Pass/Fail, with a per-content-area performance breakdown
- Cost: $34 registration per order + $62 per general test (verify at ase.com)
- Experience: 2 years of relevant hands-on work experience, or 1 year plus a qualifying two-year degree
What’s on the ASE A9 cheat sheet
- General Engine Diagnosis (9 of 50 — 18%) — verify the customer concern FIRST, then run the right test, compression ignition, cranking compression test.
- Cylinder Head & Valve Train Diagnosis & Repair (5 of 50 — 10%) — head inspection, head-gasket failure signs, head-bolt service.
- Engine Block Diagnosis & Repair (5 of 50 — 10%) — precision machining, crack detection, bearing clearance.
- Lubrication & Cooling Systems Diagnosis & Repair (6 of 50 — 12%) — low oil pressure causes, diesel-rated oil, oil cooler.
- Air Induction & Exhaust Systems Diagnosis & Repair (12 of 50 — 24%) — charge-air path, turbocharger, turbo failure signs.
- Fuel System Diagnosis & Repair (13 of 50 — 26%) — common-rail architecture, rail pressure, injectors.
How to use it in your final week
- Front-load Fuel System Diagnosis & Repair — at 13 of the 50 scored questions it is about 26% of the test on its own, so if you master one section from the sheet, make it this one.
- Then work Air Induction & Exhaust Systems Diagnosis & Repair (12 of 50) — the sheet leads there with charge-air path.
- Then work General Engine Diagnosis (9 of 50) — the sheet leads there with verify the customer concern FIRST, then run the right test before replacing parts.
- Drill the reversal traps until they are reflex — the most commonly flipped one on this test is confusing a GLOW plug (cold-start heater, ~1 ohm) with a SPARK plug.
- Read the sheet the morning of your appointment for a last pass on the memory hooks, then answer every one of the 60 questions — 10 are unscored research items and you are not told which.
The cheat sheet is your review layer — your ASE A9 practice test drives the exam-readiness ring at the top of this page. Download it, review, then take a full practice exam (or drill with the study guide and flashcards) to see where you stand.
ASE A9 cheat sheet FAQ
Yes — the ASE A9 cheat sheet downloads as a PDF at no cost and with no sign-up. It sits alongside Career Employer's free ASE A9 practice test, study guide, and flashcards, so your whole Light Vehicle Diesel Engines prep is free in one place.
It condenses the highest-yield Light Vehicle Diesel Engines facts into a fast reference, covering all 6 ASE content areas for this test with their exact question counts — from General Engine Diagnosis through Fuel System Diagnosis & Repair — plus the memory hooks and reversal traps ASE tests most.
ASE's official study guide lists A9 as 60 total questions with 50 scored in 75 minutes. The other 10 are unscored research questions ASE uses to build future tests, and you are not told which ones they are — so answer every question.
It is built from ASE's current test specifications and task list for Test A9, including the published per-area question counts. ASE revises task lists periodically, so confirm the live specification at ase.com before test day.
No — the sheet is a cram and review layer, not a full course. ASE also requires two years of relevant hands-on work experience (or one year plus a qualifying two-year degree) for certification, so use the sheet to lock in facts, then work full domain-weighted practice tests to find and fix weak areas.
ASE charges a $34 registration fee per order plus $62 per general test such as A9. A retake is a new test purchase, so verify current pricing on ASE's Dates, Fees & Test Times page before you register.
Fuel System Diagnosis & Repair — it is 13 of the 50 scored questions, about 26% of the test and the largest single area. Air Induction & Exhaust Systems Diagnosis & Repair is next at 12 questions.
Click the download button or the preview card at the top of this page to open the PDF instantly. Bookmark the page so you can pull it up again the morning of your test appointment.
References
- 1.National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE). “The Official ASE Study Guide — ASE Automobile Tests (A1–A9).” ase.com, 2026. ↑
- 2.National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE). “ASE A9 (Light Vehicle Diesel Engines) Certification Test.” ase.com, 2026. ↑
- 3.National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE). “Dates, Fees & Test Times.” ase.com, 2026. ↑
- 4.National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE). “Work Experience Requirements for ASE Certification.” ase.com, 2026. ↑
Career Employer
Career Employer is the ultimate resource to help you get started working the job of your dreams. We cover topics from general career information, career searching, exam preparation with free study materials, career interviewing, and becoming successful in your career of choice.
All PostsCareer Employer’s Editorial Process
Here at Career Employer, we focus a lot on providing factually accurate information that is always up to date. We strive to provide correct information using strict editorial processes, article editing, and fact-checking for all of the information found on our website. We only utilize trustworthy and relevant resources. To find out more, make sure to read our full editorial process page here.