WHAT’S IN A NAME: 2022 EDITION Over the years, ASNT has received many questions regarding personnel who claim to be “ASNT certified” and about training courses that advertise that they provide “ASNT training.” Because of the evident confusion over the use of the ASNT name, this article will attempt to clarify who may be called what in regard to NDT certification and what courses may be claimed as providing “ASNT training.” To set the stage for these differentiations, a bit of historical background will be helpful. In 1968, the Society published the first edition of Recommended Practice No. SNT-TC-1A: Personnel Qualification and Certification in Nondestructive Testing. This document was developed to provide guidelines for employers to use to set up their own employer-based nondestruc- tive testing (NDT) certification programs and listed three levels of qualification: Level I, Level II, and Level III. (On a historical note, the document name, which is now a household word among NDT personnel, derives from the fact that ASNT was once called the Society for Nondestructive Testing [“SNT”], and the number of the technical committee [“TC”] that devel- oped the document was “1A” hence, the name SNT-TC-1A.) In the initial document, the employer was required to develop a written prac- tice for the control and administration of NDT personnel training, examination, and certification. Personnel wishing to certify to Level I or II were required to satisfy three recommended requirements: obtaining a number of training hours in the applicable test method obtaining an amount of experience time using that method and passing certain phys- ical, written, and practical examinations related to the test method. Personnel who met these qualifications were eligible to be certified per the employer’s written practice meeting the requirements of Recommended Practice No. SNT-TC-1A. A common misconception is that the employer certifies personnel to SNT-TC-1A. Personnel are certified to the employer’s written practice, not SNT-TC-1A. SNT-TC-1A is only a recommended practice, and it is up to the employer to develop a written practice that maps out the employer’s requirements. Certification is always the responsibility of the employer (there is no SNT-TC-1A–based certification without an employer’s written practice). For Level III status, personnel had to have documented a certain amount of time as a Level II (which varied depending on the amount of formal education the candidate had), and they also had to pass certain written examinations. These Level III personnel are commonly called “NDT Level IIIs” and have been certified in accordance with the employer’s written practice meeting the requirements of Recommended Practice No. SNT-TC-1A. However, an alternate method of qual- ification was permitted, which allowed an employer to appoint a person as a Level III based on documentation of that person’s demonstrated ability, achievement, experi- ence, and education. While this paragraph was dropped from SNT-TC-1A in the 1988 and all subsequent editions, prior to 1988, this was permitted. In 1977, ASNT inaugurated the ASNT NDT Level III program, for which ASNT developed and administered its own written Level III examinations and began issuing an ASNT certificate upon successful completion of those exams. Personnel holding those certificates are called “ASNT NDT Level IIIs” to differ- entiate them from those personnel who took and passed employer-based examinations. When properly described, it doesn’t seem that difficult, so where then is the disconnect? Since ASNT develops and publishes Recommended Practice No. SNT-TC-1A, many employers mistakenly assume that personnel whom they have certified using the guidelines of SNT-TC-1A are “ASNT certified” when in fact they have been certified “in accordance with the employer’s written prac- tice which may meet the guidelines in SNT-TC-1A.” Only personnel who have sat for and passed the examinations developed and administered by ASNT and have received ASNT certificates may call themselves “ASNT certified.” Using the letters “ASNT” by non-ASNT certified personnel is a misrepre- sentation of how that person was certified and is an unethical practice. Because ASNT examinations exceed the minimum recommended guidelines for examinations as listed in SNT-TC-1A, ASNT is very particular about this issue. To summarize, personnel certified by their employer are said to be certified in accor- dance with the employer's written practice meeting the guidelines of Recommended Practice No. SNT-TC-1A. Personnel who have taken and passed the ASNT NDT Level III examinations are called “ASNT NDT Level IIIs” and those who hold ASNT Central Certification Program (ACCP) certificates are called “ACCP Level IIs” or “ACCP Professional Level IIIs,” depending on the level in question. Only those who have passed examinations administered by ASNT may be considered ASNT certified. With regard to NDT training, only courses that have been developed by ASNT and are administered by ASNT or an authorized representative may SCOPE | CERTIFICATIONQ&A 78 M A T E R I A L S E V A L U A T I O N • A P R I L 2 0 2 2

be called “ASNT training.” Courses by providers other than ASNT may not use the term “ASNT training.” Recommended Practice No. SNT-TC-1A contains guide- lines for the amount of training hours required for each method, technique, and level of certification. Recommended Practice No. SNT-TC-1A also states that the recommended training course outlines are found in ANSI/ASNT CP-105: ASNT Standard Topical Outlines for Qualification of Nondestructive Testing Personnel. For this reason, training providers should state the training meets the requirements of Recommended Practice No. SNT-TC-1A and ANSI/ASNT CP-105. Training providers may advertise that their training is “in accordance with Recommended Practice No. SNT-TC-1A and ANSI/ASNT CP-105” but may not advertise it as “ASNT training.” In summary, to ensure proper usage of NDT terminology, ASNT would like to remind readers that the following terms should be used when referring to the certification status of NDT personnel: Personnel qualified and certified to their employer’s written practice should be listed as being “certified in accordance with Recommended Practice No. SNT-TC-1A,” provided the employer’s written prac- tice meets the requirements of Recommended Practice No. SNT-TC-1A. In addition, employer- certified Level IIIs may be called “Level IIIs” or “NDT Level IIIs.” Personnel certified by ASNT exam- ination may be referred to as being “ASNT certified” and may be called by the proper name, “ASNT NDT Level III.” Personnel certified through ACCP may be said to be “ASNT certified” or, more properly, to have been certified as an “ACCP Level II” or “ACCP Professional Level III.” Adherence to these simple distinctions will reduce confusion in the industry. Editor's note: This article was updated from "What's in a Name? NDT Training and Levels of Qualification" by Jim Houf, originally published in the March 2005 issue of Materials Evaluation. A 0 • M S O 7 P R I L 2 2 2 A T E R I A L E V A L U A T I N CONTACTASNT | The ASNT International Service Center is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday. Voicemail messages can be left 24 hours a day by following the recorded prompts. In the United States and Canada, call toll free 1-800-222-2768 or 1-614-274-6003. Email addresses for individual staff members are given below. If you prefer, write ASNT, 1711 Arlingate Lane, P.O.Box 28518, Columbus, OH 43228-0518, or visit asnt.org. AREA OF INQUIRY CONTACT (EXT.) EMAIL PHONE EXECUTIVE OFFICES Executive Director Neal Couture, CAE (201) ncouture@asnt.org 614-384-2451 Deputy Executive Director Tim Jones (204) tjones@asnt.org 614-384-2454 ACCOUNTING Controller Brad Pence (203) bpence@asnt.org 614-384-2453 Account balance inquiries Brad Pence (203) bpence@asnt.org 614-384-2453 Credit and collections Brad Pence (203) bpence@asnt.org 614-384-2453 CUSTOMER SERVICE Director Amy Coelho (229) acoelho@asnt.org 614-384-2429 Customer service inquiries Kimberly Donaldson (242) customersupport@asnt.org 614-384-2442 Kelly Maloney (220) customersupport@asnt.org 614-274-6003 CERTIFICATION Director Donny Didion (240) ddidion@asnt.org 614-384-2440 Program Manager Mark A. Bennett (209) mbennett@asnt.org 614-384-2459 Certification inquiries Lisa Law (226) llaw@asnt.org 614-384-2426 Jennifer Harris (237) jharris@asnt.org 614-384-2437 Tricia Davis (219) tdavis@asnt.org 614-384-2469 Michelle Thomas (223) mthomas@asnt.org 614-384-2483 CONFERENCES AND MEETINGS Director Barry Schieferstein (202) bschieferstein@asnt.org 614-384-2452 Exhibit sales Ruth Staat (227) rstaat@asnt.org 614-384-2427 Learning programs Robert Conklin, PhD (275) bconklin@asnt.org 614-384-3106 Level III refresher courses Ruth Staat (227) rstaat@asnt.org 614-384-2427 Technical program Alicia LeMasters (213) alemasters@asnt.org 614-384-2463 WEBSITE ASNT website Stephen Schaefer (222) sschaefer@asnt.org 614-384-2482 Advertising Holly Klarman holly.klarman@wearemci.com 614-384-2433 Buyers guide Stephen Schaefer (222) sschaefer@asnt.org 614-384-2482 Employment service Jessica Ames (233) james@asnt.org 614-384-2433 MARKETING/COMMUNICATION Director Garra Liming (211) gliming@asnt.org 614-384-2461 Advertising sales Holly Klarman holly.klarman@wearemci.com 410-584-8576 Member communications/ social media Debbie Segor, CAE (235) dsegor@asnt.org 614-384-2435 Kelly Florian (265) kflorian@asnt.org 614-274-3105 MEMBERSHIP AND ENGAGEMENT Director Heather Cowles, CAE (216) hcowles@asnt.org 614-384-2466 Awards & honors coordination Esther Waldman (244) awards@asnt.org 614-384-2444 Elections Heather Cowles, CAE (216) hcowles@asnt.org 614-384-2466 Committee coordination Esther Waldman (244) ewaldman@asnt.org 614-384-2444 Membership coordination Pat White (217) pwhite@asnt.org 614-384-2467 Sections coordination Jessica Ames (233) james@asnt.org 614-384-2433 Scholarships coordination Esther Waldman (244) ewaldman@asnt.org 614-384-2444 Volunteer coordination Esther Waldman (244) ewaldman@asnt.org 614-384-2444 PUBLICATIONS Director Toni Kervina (205) tkervina@asnt.org 614-384-2455 ASNT Pulse (blog) Cynthia Leeman (225) cleeman@asnt.org 614-384-2425 Book development NDT Handbook Karen Balkin (207) kbalkin@asnt.org 614-384-2457 Educational materials Cynthia Leeman (225) cleeman@asnt.org 614-384-2425 Haley Cowans (245) hcowans@asnt.org 614-384-2466 Materials Evaluation Advertising Holly Klarman holly.klarman@wearemci.com 410-584-8576 Articles and papers Jill Ross (224) jross@asnt.org 614-384-2484 Buyers Guide advertising Holly Klarman holly.klarman@wearemci.com 410-584-8576 Ready Reference guide Jill Ross (224) jross@asnt.org 614-384-2484 Reprint permissions Cara Markland (206) cmarkland@asnt.org 614-384-2476 Section News Jessica Ames (233) presaward@asnt.org 614-384-2466 NDTMarketplace inquiries Cara Markland (206) cmarkland@asnt.org 614-384-2476 Advertising Holly Klarman holly.klarman@wearemci.com 410-584-8576 RNDE inquiries Cara Markland (206) cmarkland@asnt.org 614-384-2476 The NDT Technician inquiries Jill Ross (224) jross@asnt.org 614-384-2484 Advertising Holly Klarman holly.klarman@wearemci.com 410-584-8576 STANDARDS AND ACCREDITATION Director James Bennett (250) jbennett@asnt.org 614-384-2450 Quality Manager Brian Frye (218) bfrye@asnt.org 614-384-2468