Prepare by working from the official 2025 rules: confirm every eligibility item before applying, cover the full published category list, practice U.S.-to-metric conversions and basic math, and pace yourself at 150 questions in two hours. Verify fees, scheduling, and retake rules with NAARSO directly.
What the Level I exam involves
The Level I Basic examination is a 150-question written or online test with a two-hour limit, and you need at least 75% correct to pass.
The NAARSO Certification Program Rules set out the format directly. You answer 150 questions in two hours, and a score of at least 75% is required. The rules describe the test as covering general knowledge, mathematics, sciences, general practices, and questions specific to amusement rides.
Treat the whole topic list as testable. The rules state that any particular examination will consist of most or all of the question categories, so you should not bet your preparation on a few favorites appearing and others being skipped.
Official source: NAARSO Certification Program Rules 2025 (document revised March 2025) — Level I (Basic) Inspector Certification and The Examination Itself sections
Eligibility requirements before you can test
You need education or experience, recent inspection employment, documented training, an eye exam, and NAARSO membership before you can sit the exam.
Education and experience come first. You need a high school diploma, GED, or the equivalent, or five years of verifiable experience in the amusement ride field. Separately, you need two years of verifiable employment within the past three years in the amusement ride inspection field.
Training and verification follow. The rules require sixteen hours of documented NAARSO approved continuing education for the field in which you are testing, obtained within a two-year period, plus written verification from a current employer or qualified sponsor that your application information is true and correct.
Collect the following application evidence as well. A passing result on the examination is required to earn certification after meeting the eligibility conditions.
- Ability to read, write, and comprehend the language the test is given in
- Evidence of an eye exam within the previous twelve months, meeting the ASTM F2974 visual acuity provision, on the Certification Board's Eye Exam Form
- Membership in good standing with NAARSO
Official source: NAARSO Certification Program Rules 2025 (document revised March 2025) — Level I (Basic) Inspector Certification and The Examination Itself sections
Topics the exam draws from
The rules list two groups of subjects with no percentages attached, so use the official list as your coverage map.
The rules separate general knowledge from ride-inspection knowledge and say an examination includes most or all categories. No category percentages are supplied. Use the table to check coverage, then spend additional study time on your gaps.
| Question group | Subjects listed in the 2025 rules |
|---|---|
| General knowledge | Word knowledge; reading and understanding basic mathematical calculations; measurement conversions (U.S. to metric); electrical components and their function; general mechanical comprehension; general science principles; basic tools and workshop knowledge |
| Ride inspection knowledge | Blocking and bracing; shoring; wire rope; fasteners (types, grades, proper use, U.S. and metric); seat restraints; welding practices and procedures; non-destructive testing; hydraulics and pneumatics; applicable safety codes and standards; acceptable industry practices; electrical systems; U.S. and international inspection practices and procedures; ride operations signage |
Official source: NAARSO Certification Program Rules 2025 (document revised March 2025) — Level I (Basic) Inspector Certification and The Examination Itself sections
Worked example: metric conversion practice
Conversions are an official general-knowledge subject, so practice them with explicit factors and a check.
The rules list measurement conversions from U.S. to metric among the Level I general knowledge subjects. The exercise below is original practice for that skill; the conversion factors are stated so the answer is fully checkable.
Practice example
Assume the conversion factors 1 meter = 3.28084 feet and 1 inch = 25.4 millimeters. A ride document lists a clearance as 2.0 meters and a pin diameter as 0.75 inches. Convert the clearance to feet and the diameter to millimeters.
Show answer
The clearance is about 6.56 feet, and the pin diameter is 19.05 millimeters.
Multiply 2.0 by 3.28084 to get 6.56168, which rounds to 6.56 feet. Multiply 0.75 by 25.4 to get exactly 19.05 millimeters. Check by reversing: 6.56 divided by 3.28084 is approximately 2.0, and 19.05 divided by 25.4 is exactly 0.75. Stating the factor you used, as this exercise does, is the habit that keeps conversion answers verifiable.
Official source: NAARSO Certification Program Rules 2025 (document revised March 2025) — Level I (Basic) Inspector Certification and The Examination Itself sections
Preparing for the two-hour format
Pacing is simple arithmetic: 150 questions in 120 minutes leaves 48 seconds per question on average.
Two hours is 120 minutes. Dividing 120 by 150 gives 0.8 minutes, or 48 seconds per question on average. Individual questions can take different amounts of time; the average is a planning calculation, not an instruction to spend exactly 48 seconds on each.
Because the rules publish categories without weights, spreading study time across the full table is advice, not an official requirement. A practical routine is short repeated passes over both groups, marking any category where you cannot yet answer a basic vocabulary question, and drilling math and conversions until they are quick.
Official source: NAARSO Certification Program Rules 2025 (document revised March 2025) — Level I (Basic) Inspector Certification and The Examination Itself sections
Application, retakes and renewal
Submit the required application and supporting documents, confirm the current fee and sitting, and keep the separate renewal requirements visible after certification.
The rules require an application, supporting documentation and the applicable fee. For an in-person sitting, they describe an admittance card and additional photo identification. Confirm the instructions for your selected delivery method with NAARSO.
An unsuccessful applicant must wait at least 180 days from the examination before retesting. This waiting period is separate from the restriction on retaking exams to avoid renewal training.
Renewal requires at least 3.2 CEUs (32 hours) of approved learning during the two-year certification period, membership in good standing and an eye exam within the preceding 12 months on the Board's form. Approved virtual material can be used for two renewal cycles; the following cycle requires an in-person approved seminar.
During the one-year administrative grace period after expiration, the credential remains expired. Renewal must satisfy all requirements. The rules also prohibit using an exam retake to circumvent training requirements within three years of certificate issuance.
Official source: NAARSO Certification Program Rules 2025 (document revised March 2025) — Level I (Basic) Inspector Certification and The Examination Itself sections
Official source
Facts checked against the 2025 NAARSO Certification Program Rules: