This ASE L1 cheat sheet compresses the ASE Advanced Engine Performance Specialist 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 L1 toolkit: the practice test, study guide, and flashcards.
ASE L1 exam at a glance
- Questions: 60 total (50 scored + 10 unscored research questions)
- Time: 150 minutes
- Result: Pass/Fail, with a per-content-area performance breakdown
- Cost: $34 registration per order + $124 per advanced-level 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 L1 cheat sheet
- General Powertrain Diagnosis (7 of 60 scored items) (12%) — strategy-based diagnosis, composite Vehicle (Type 4), volumetric efficiency & engine breathing.
- Computerized Powertrain Controls Diagnosis (19 of 50 — 32%) — fuel trims (STFT + LTFT), trim-by-load logic, sensors & 5V reference.
- Ignition System Diagnosis (7 of 60 scored items) (12%) — isolate a misfire by SYSTEM TYPE, COP logic, waste-spark logic.
- Fuel Systems and Air Induction Systems Diagnosis (10 of 60 scored items) (17%) — test fuel by VOLUME and pressure UNDER LOAD, PFI vs GDI, injector diagnosis.
- Emission Control Systems Diagnosis (10 of 60 scored items) (17%) — three-way catalyst & catalyst-efficiency monitor, P0420 differential, EGR.
- I/M Failure Diagnosis (7 of 60 scored items) (12%) — OBD II I/M check (modern vehicles), readiness/reject rule, don't clear codes to pass.
How to use it in your final week
- Front-load Computerized Powertrain Controls Diagnosis — at 19 of the 50 scored questions it is about 32% of the test on its own, so if you master one section from the sheet, make it this one.
- Then work General Powertrain Diagnosis (7 of 60 scored items) (None of 50) — the sheet leads there with strategy-based diagnosis.
- Then work Ignition System Diagnosis (7 of 60 scored items) (None of 50) — the sheet leads there with isolate a misfire by SYSTEM TYPE.
- Drill the reversal traps until they are reflex — the most commonly flipped one on this test is diagnosing from a memorized real vehicle instead of the SUPPLIED Composite Vehicle data.
- 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 L1 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 L1 cheat sheet FAQ
Yes — the ASE L1 cheat sheet downloads as a PDF at no cost and with no sign-up. It sits alongside Career Employer's free ASE L1 practice test, study guide, and flashcards, so your whole Advanced Engine Performance Specialist prep is free in one place.
It condenses the highest-yield Advanced Engine Performance Specialist facts into a fast reference, covering all 6 ASE content areas for this test with their exact question counts — from General Powertrain Diagnosis (7 of 60 scored items) through I/M Failure Diagnosis (7 of 60 scored items) — plus the memory hooks and reversal traps ASE tests most.
ASE's official study guide lists L1 as 60 total questions with 50 scored in 150 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 L1, 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 $124 per advanced-level test such as L1. A retake is a new test purchase, so verify current pricing on ASE's Dates, Fees & Test Times page before you register.
Computerized Powertrain Controls Diagnosis — it is 19 of the 50 scored questions, about 32% of the test and the largest single area. General Powertrain Diagnosis (7 of 60 scored items) is next at None 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). “TEST INFORMATION FOR THE ADVANCED ENGINE PERFORMANCE SPECIALIST (L1) TEST.” ase.com, 2026. ↑
- 2.National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence (ASE). “ASE L1 (Advanced Engine Performance Specialist) 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. ↑
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