The NAARSO Level II Advanced Inspector examination has 150 questions, a two-hour limit and an 80% passing requirement. Prepare across the published categories while documenting your current Level I credential, five years of inspection-field employment, recent approved training, eye-exam evidence and NAARSO membership.
What the Level II Advanced credential is
Level II (Advanced) Inspector certification is NAARSO's mid-tier inspector credential, earned through a combination of testing and experience on top of Level I.
NAARSO, the National Association of Amusement Ride Safety Officials, runs a three-level inspector certification program. Level I is the basic tier, Level II is the advanced tier, and Level III is the senior tier. This guide covers only the Level II (Advanced) Inspector Certification Examination.
The program rules describe Level II as obtained through a combination of testing and experience. The written or online examination covers advanced topics in areas such as welding, electrical, hydraulics, pneumatics, and non-destructive testing of amusement rides and devices. This guide uses the program document revised March 2025, the current issuer-linked edition.
Eligibility requirements before you can sit the exam
You must already hold a current Level I certification, document five years of inspection-field employment, show recent approved training, pass an eye exam, and maintain NAARSO membership.
The Certification Board must approve verifiable documentation of five years of employment primarily in the amusement ride inspection field. Gather all the application requirements below; training hours must be within the stated 24-month window.
- Hold a current NAARSO Level I (Basic) Inspector certification.
- Provide verifiable documentation of five years of employment primarily in the amusement ride inspection field, approved by the Certification Board.
- Show successful completion of at least 3.2 CEUs or 32 hours of NAARSO-approved formal training within the past 24 months.
- Show evidence of an eye exam within the previous 12 months, meeting the ASTM F2974 visual acuity provision, using the Certification Board's Eye Exam Form.
- Be able to read, write, and comprehend the test language.
- Obtain and maintain NAARSO membership in good standing.
- Remain active in the amusement inspection industry.
Exam format: 150 questions in two hours
The Level II exam has 150 questions, a two-hour limit, and an 80% passing score. Questions come in the same categories as Level I but are considered more difficult.
The format is straightforward: one hundred fifty questions, two hours to complete, and a minimum score of 80% correct. Delivery is written or online, and a given exam includes most or all of the question categories described in the rules.
That pacing works out to roughly 48 seconds per question, so efficiency matters. The short exercise below turns the passing score into concrete numbers you can plan around.
Practice exercise
For a percentage calculation, assume all 150 questions count equally and the required result is at least 80% correct, as stated in the Level II rules. What number of correct answers reaches 80%, and how many answers remain?
Show answer
120 correct answers reaches 80%; 30 answers remain.
150 × 0.80 = 120, and 150 − 120 = 30. This calculates the stated percentage under the supplied equal-count assumption; it does not predict the result of a practice score or establish subject-by-subject targets.
The question categories the exam draws from
The rules publish the official scope as a set of question categories, from reading job information to applying codes, plus a list of specialized technical areas.
The Board describes Level II as using many of the same categories as Level I at a more difficult level. The table condenses the published Level II list.
Two points in the official scope are worth highlighting. First, on codes and standards, the rules state that the inspector does not need to memorize any code, but should know which code to apply in each circumstance. Second, on foreign rides and metrics, the rules state that conversion formulas are given, so the skill being tested is applying conversions quickly and correctly, not recalling factors.
| Question category | What it asks of you |
|---|---|
| Understanding job information | Read and understand ride manuals, bulletins, training material, and information sheets |
| Recall of details | Remember specifics of a technical paper or manual you have just read |
| Judgment and reasoning | Choose sensible responses to situations an inspector may face on the job |
| Understanding mechanical devices | Understand general mechanical devices, tools, and inspection equipment |
| Dealing with other people | Handle interactions with the public and others with courtesy and respect |
| Basic mathematics and science | Apply basic math and general science to typical inspection situations |
| Ride operations and general ride safety | Understand proper ride operational procedures and general ride safety practices |
| Foreign rides and metrics | Convert between metric and U.S. measurements; conversion formulas are given |
| Codes and standards | Know which published code applies in a circumstance; memorizing clauses is not required |
| Specialized areas | Use working terminology from welding, non-destructive testing, fasteners, mechanical systems, wire rope, blueprint symbols, electrical, pneumatic, and hydraulic systems, and incident investigations |
Practice: metric and U.S. conversions under time pressure
Conversion is an officially tested category with formulas provided, so practice the arithmetic until it is fast and automatic.
Because the exam supplies the conversion formulas, your job is execution: set up the calculation correctly and finish it within the exam's tight pacing. The exercise below uses the standard inch-millimeter relationship as its stated premise.
Practice exercise
Assume the given conversion formula is 1 inch = 25.4 millimeters. A metric ride manual lists a component dimension as 64 mm, and a U.S. specification lists another as 0.75 in. Convert 64 mm to inches, and 0.75 in to millimeters, rounding the first result to two decimal places.
Show answer
64 mm is about 2.52 inches. 0.75 inches is 19.05 millimeters.
For metric to U.S., divide by the millimeters per inch: 64 ÷ 25.4 ≈ 2.5197, which rounds to 2.52 in. For U.S. to metric, multiply: 0.75 × 25.4 = 19.05 mm. Check both directions: 2.52 × 25.4 ≈ 64.0 and 19.05 ÷ 25.4 = 0.75. This is pure arithmetic; on the exam the formula will be printed for you, so the skill worth drilling is speed and not mixing up which direction to divide.
Renewal, lapses, and retake restrictions
Level II certification renews on a two-year cycle with 32 hours of approved training, allows virtual renewal for two cycles, and includes a one-year administrative grace period after expiration.
Renewal requires at least 3.2 CEUs (32 hours) of NAARSO-approved formal training during the two-year certification period and continued membership in good standing. Approved virtual material may be used for two renewal cycles; the following cycle requires an in-person NAARSO-approved seminar.
Two restrictions deserve attention. Examinations may not be retaken to circumvent the training requirement within three years of a certificate's issuance. And the certificate holder must show evidence of an eye exam within the previous 12 months, per the ASTM F2974 visual acuity provision, at renewal as well.
If your certification expires, a one-year administrative grace period applies, during which the certification is considered expired. Renewals submitted before the grace period ends are accepted if all requirements are fulfilled. For circumstances such as hospitalization, military service, or natural disaster, submit a written explanation to the NAARSO office before the grace period ends to request an extended period.
A preparation plan mapped to the official categories
Prepare against the official category list, not a generic inspector syllabus: drill reading job information, judgment items, conversions, and working terminology in each specialized area.
This plan is study advice, not an official requirement. Its value comes from matching your effort to what the rules actually say the exam tests. Start by rating yourself honestly against each category in the table above, and spend your time where your day-to-day work gives you the least practice.
- Read ride manuals, bulletins, and training material regularly; the job-information category tests exactly this kind of reading.
- Practice judgment-and-reasoning items by writing out how you would respond to described inspection situations, not just picking answers.
- Practise both directions of unit conversion with the supplied factors, then check your arithmetic.
- For codes and standards, practice deciding which published code fits a described circumstance, since clause memorization is explicitly not required.
- Build working familiarity with each specialized area's terminology; the rules say you need a general working knowledge, not specialist training.
- Run at least one timed 150-question practice set to internalize the two-hour pacing.
Application and a failed attempt
Confirm the current sitting and fee with NAARSO and submit the required documents.
The rules describe applying with supporting documentation and paying the applicable fee. For an in-person sitting, they require an admittance card and additional photo identification. Read the instructions for your selected delivery method.
Unsuccessful applicants may not retest for at least 180 days from the examination. The separate three-year restriction concerns using examinations to circumvent renewal training; it is not the waiting period for an ordinary failed attempt.
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