Electrical/Electronic Systems · checked against the 2026 guide
ASE A6 Electrical/Electronic Systems, explained
A6 is the electrical and electronic diagnosis test in ASE's automobile series: 60 questions in all, 50 of them scored, in 90 minutes. Its largest area is body electrical (clusters, power accessories, security and restraint systems), not batteries and alternators.
60questions in all
50count toward the score
90 mintesting time
Not publishedpassing score
34%of the score is body electrical
Try 3 A6 questions
0 of 3 answered · 0 correct
Question 1 of 3 · Charging System Diagnosis and Repair · 10%Not answered
After replacing a battery, the vehicle starts and runs, but a voltmeter at the battery reads 12.6 V at idle. The technician says the repair is complete. What should the technician do next?
Explanation
Incorrect: Replacing the alternator before testing skips diagnosis; a blown charging fuse or open wire reads the same.
Incorrect: A draw test explains a battery that drains while parked, not missing charging voltage at idle.
Incorrect: The battery is new; the running reading points at the charging system instead.
Correct: 12.6 V with the engine running is only resting battery voltage, so the alternator is not charging and must be tested next.
Incorrect: Releasing the car now guarantees a comeback, because 12.6 V running means the new battery is not being charged.
Question 2 of 3 · General Electrical/Electronic System Diagnosis · 26%Not answered
A vehicle with a LIN bus-controlled window motor has an inoperative window. With ignition on, a technician measures 0 V at the LIN data line at the motor connector. Which of the following is the most likely cause?
Explanation
Incorrect: With the line open, the motor's own pull-up would still put close to battery voltage on its side of the break.
Incorrect: A short to battery voltage would read about 12 V on the line, not 0 V.
Correct: An idle LIN line rests near battery voltage through its pull-up resistors, so 0 V means something holds the line at ground.
Incorrect: Losing motor power stops the window, but the master still biases the LIN wire high; it would not read 0 V.
Incorrect: A dead master stops sending frames, but the pull-ups would still keep the idle line near battery voltage.
Question 3 of 3 · Battery and Starting System Diagnosis and Repair · 18%Not answered
After a full charge on a bench charger and removal of the surface charge, a 12-volt flooded battery rests at about 10.5 V. What does this most likely indicate?
Explanation
Incorrect: The battery was just charged on the bench, and overcharging would not leave it 2 V low.
Incorrect: Surface charge pushes a reading above true resting voltage; it cannot pull it down to 10.5 V.
Correct: Six healthy cells rest near 2.1 V each (12.6 V); about 10.5 V after a full charge means one cell is shorted and adds nothing.
Incorrect: A fully charged 12-volt battery rests near 12.6 V, so 10.5 V is far from normal.
Answer every question to see your score
The test at a glance
Checked Oct 23, 2026 against each source linked in the table. Every rule in more detail: A6 exam facts. Fees: what A6 costs.
Body electrical alone is 17 questions, more than battery, starting and charging together (9 and 5). Follow a row to that area's page and its own question set.
Some prep pages still describe A6 as about 50 questions in one to two hours, with a 70% pass mark and seven or eight content areas. The 2026 guide says otherwise: 60 questions, 10 of them unscored, in 90 min; five areas; and no published passing score. Battery and starting share one area, and gauges and driver information sit inside body electrical.
What makes A6 different
Diagrams and meters. In the 2026 study guide, 3 of the 9 sample questions are built on a circuit diagram, two of them with a meter on it. You read where the meter leads sit and what the display shows, then pick the fault that fits: an open, a short to ground or high resistance. How to read the diagrams
Units. Key-off battery drain is read in milliamps, starter draw in hundreds of amps, and the guide includes a sample on converting between them.
Networks and modules. The general diagnosis area lists data-bus faults and module programming next to the classic voltage-drop and parasitic-draw tests. General diagnosis
Time. You get 90 min, the longest of the A1–A9 certification tests; the others run 60 or 75 minutes. That is about a minute and a half a question, so a diagram item can take two or three minutes without putting you behind.
Who takes it
A6 is one of the 8 tests (A1–A8) required for Master Automobile Technician, so anyone working toward Master takes it: the Master Technician path. To be certified you need 2 years of full-time hands-on work (or the part-time equivalent), but the order is flexible: you can test first; the certificate waits until the experience is approved.
Where to start: the practice test to find your weak area, then the study guide for the order to work in.
ASE A6 exam facts →Format, passing score, results, retakes and recertification, sourced
ASE A6 cost →A6 alone, a retake, A6 with A8 in one order, and keeping A6 current
ASE A6 study guide →What to study for A6, in order of weight, and the meter skills behind every area
ASE A6 wiring diagrams →Symbols, and reading a schematic to find an open, a short or high resistance
ASE A6, quick answers
Is the A6 ASE test hard?
The hard part is diagnosis logic, not recall. A question gives you a symptom or a meter reading, and the wrong options are real faults that would show a different reading. Body electrical, the largest area at 34%, also covers systems that keep changing: cameras, keyless entry, collision mitigation. The practice test shows where you stand.
Which ASE test is A6?
A6 is Electrical/Electronic Systems in the automobile and light truck series (A1–A9). It covers general electrical diagnosis, battery and starting, charging, lighting and body electrical systems.
How many questions are on the A6 test?
60 in all: 50 scored questions and 10 unscored research questions, mixed in unmarked. The practice test sold by ASE is shorter, 25 questions.
What score do you need to pass A6?
The pass mark is not published: ASE releases neither a cut score nor the questions you missed, so figures such as 70% quoted online are guesses. More on scoring and results.