- How ACI-AGGREGATE-BASE Scheduling Actually Works
- The One-Year Clock: Written and Performance Deadlines
- Registration, Workbook Pricing, and Approved References
- Domain Coverage and How It Shapes Your Test Date Choice
- Retest Rules and Rescheduling a Failed Component
- Calculators, Open-Book Rules, and Exam-Day Logistics
- Renewal Timing: Planning for the Five-Year Cycle
- Pathway Timing for AASHTO Holders and Level 1 Technicians
- A Practical Scheduling Timeline
- Frequently Asked Questions
- ACI-AGGREGATE-BASE has no single global testing window - sessions are scheduled by ACI-approved sponsoring groups and examiners/proctors.
- You must pass both the written exam and the closed-book performance exam within one year of each other.
- The written exam is open-book, two hours, roughly 75 multiple-choice questions, requiring 60% per required standard section and 70% overall.
- A failed component must be retested in full - there is no partial retest of individual sections.
How ACI-AGGREGATE-BASE Scheduling Actually Works
Unlike some national certification programs that publish a fixed quarterly testing calendar, the Aggregate Base Testing Technician-ASTM Methods credential is administered locally. The American Concrete Institute (ACI) sets the governing policy and grades results, but the actual exam sessions - both the written test and the closed-book performance exam - are run by ACI-approved sponsoring groups, along with ACI-authorized examiners and proctors. That means "2026 exam dates" for this credential are really a function of when your local sponsoring group (often a state DOT, testing lab consortium, or ACI chapter) schedules a session, not a single nationwide date you circle on a calendar.
If you are trying to plan around a project bid, a promotion deadline, or a renewal cycle, the first practical step is identifying which sponsoring group in your region offers this specific ASTM Methods track - not the separate AASHTO Methods track, and not the retired combined-methods program this credential replaced. If you're still confirming which program you actually need, start with What Is ACI-AGGREGATE-BASE? or the broader ACI-AGGREGATE-BASE Certification overview before locking in a test date.
The One-Year Clock: Written and Performance Deadlines
The single most important scheduling fact for this certification is the one-year rule: both the written examination and the separate closed-book performance examination must be passed within one year of each other. This is not one year from when you register - it's a rolling window between the two components. If you pass the written exam in March 2026, your performance exam needs to be completed and passed by roughly the same point in 2027, or the earlier passing result effectively expires and you'll need to retake it.
This scheduling constraint has two practical implications for anyone planning their 2026 testing calendar:
- Don't let too much time pass between components. If your sponsoring group only offers the performance exam a few times a year, confirm the next available date before you sit the written exam.
- Sequence doesn't matter, but proximity does. Some candidates take the performance exam first if their sponsor offers it sooner; others start with the written test. Either order is fine as long as both fall inside the same one-year span.
For a deeper breakdown of exactly what score you need on each half, see ACI-AGGREGATE-BASE Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass.
Registration, Workbook Pricing, and Approved References
Registration happens through your chosen ACI-approved sponsoring group, not through a direct national portal, so the exact enrollment steps, cutoff dates, and any local administrative fees will differ by sponsor. What is consistent nationally is the reference material: candidates study from CP-46, the first-edition ASTM workbook, and should use its applicable errata when preparing. As of a September 10, 2026 check, ACI lists CP-46 at $133 for non-members and $69 for ACI members - this is the workbook price, not an examination fee, so budget for it separately from whatever your sponsor charges to sit the exam.
Note that CP-47 is a different workbook tied to the separate AASHTO Methods track - make sure you order CP-46 if you're preparing for this ASTM Methods credential, since the two tracks are graded against different standard sections.
For a full picture of every cost you should plan for beyond the workbook, see ACI-AGGREGATE-BASE Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown.
Key Takeaway
Order CP-46 (first edition, with applicable errata) well before your scheduled session - it's the exam's approved open-book reference, and showing up without it or with the wrong workbook (CP-47) can put you at a real disadvantage.
Domain Coverage and How It Shapes Your Test Date Choice
The written exam draws from seven official ASTM standard sections, and how you schedule your prep should map directly to those sections rather than to a generic study calendar. The seven Domains are:
Domain 1: ASTM D75/D75M - Sampling Aggregates
Correct field sampling procedure and documentation underpin everything downstream.
Domain 2: ASTM C702/C702M - Reducing Samples of Aggregate to Testing Size
Splitting and quartering methods that preserve a representative test sample.
Domain 3: ASTM D4318 - Liquid Limit, Plastic Limit, and Plasticity Index of Soils
Atterberg limits testing and index calculations for fine-grained material.
Domain 4: ASTM D7928 - Particle-Size Distribution by Hydrometer Analysis
Sedimentation-based gradation testing for fine-grained soils.
Domain 5: ASTM D2216 - Laboratory Determination of Water (Moisture) Content
Mass-based moisture content procedures and calculation checks.
Domain 6: ASTM D1557 - Compaction Characteristics Using Modified Effort
Modified Proctor procedures (56,000 ft-lbf/ft³) and moisture-density curve interpretation.
Domain 7: ASTM D698 - Compaction Characteristics Using Standard Effort
Standard Proctor procedures (12,400 ft-lbf/ft³) and how results compare against Domain 6.
These are the official ASTM standard sections themselves - not an equal-weight breakdown - so some sections carry more procedural detail than others on both the written and performance components. Because passing requires at least 60% within every required standard section plus 70% overall, you can't schedule your exam date around "average" readiness; you need to be solidly prepared in each of the seven areas individually. A full walkthrough of what to master in each is in ACI-AGGREGATE-BASE Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 7 Content Areas.
Retest Rules and Rescheduling a Failed Component
If you don't pass on your first attempt, understand exactly what a retest covers before you rebook: a retest is for the entire failed examination component, not just the sections you missed. That means if you fail the written exam because one standard section fell below 60% even though your overall score cleared 70%, you retake the whole written exam - all seven Domains, all ~75 questions - not just the weak section. This has a direct scheduling consequence: don't book a retest the moment a sponsor offers a slot if you haven't actually closed the specific gap that caused the failure. Because the retest resets the entire component, walking in underprepared in the same section a second time wastes both a testing slot and, likely, another workbook review cycle. If you're unsure how close you are to passing-ready, the qualitative difficulty patterns are covered in How Hard Is the ACI-AGGREGATE-BASE Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026, and general pass/fail patterns are discussed in ACI-AGGREGATE-BASE Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows.
Calculators, Open-Book Rules, and Exam-Day Logistics
The written examination is open-book, meaning you may use ACI-approved references - practically speaking, your CP-46 workbook - during the two-hour session. The closed-book performance examination is different: it requires you to demonstrate procedures directly, with verbal descriptions allowed only where the specific checklist permits it. That distinction matters for how you schedule your prep time - open-book familiarity with where information lives in CP-46 helps on the written test, but it won't help you on exam day for the performance portion, where muscle memory and procedural sequencing matter more.
On equipment: approved simple-function, nonprogrammable calculators are permitted for the written exam. Mobile devices cannot be used as calculators, so don't plan on your phone as a backup - confirm with your sponsoring group in advance what calculator model is acceptable and bring a compliant one on test day.
Renewal Timing: Planning for the Five-Year Cycle
Certification lasts five years, and renewal requires passing both examinations again - the written and the performance exam. This is a meaningful scheduling point to build into your long-term calendar: don't wait until your certification is about to lapse to start looking for a sponsoring group's next session. Because sessions aren't offered on a fixed national schedule, building in a few months of lead time before your five-year expiration gives you room if a sponsor's next available date is further out than expected.
If you're weighing whether the investment of time and repeat testing is worth maintaining over multiple five-year cycles, see Is the ACI-AGGREGATE-BASE Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 and ACI-AGGREGATE-BASE Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis for broader career context.
Pathway Timing for AASHTO Holders and Level 1 Technicians
Two scheduling shortcuts are worth knowing before you plan a full first-time testing calendar:
- Current AASHTO Methods holders: If you already hold the AASHTO Methods version of this credential, you can earn the ASTM Methods credential by passing only the ASTM written examination - provided you do so within one year of obtaining your AASHTO certification. This is a tighter clock than the standard one-year written-to-performance window, so if you're on this pathway, schedule the ASTM written exam as soon as a sponsor offers it rather than waiting.
- Current Aggregate Testing Technician-Level 1 holders: Candidates who already hold Level 1 certification may receive specified performance-procedure exemptions, which can shorten the performance-exam scheduling burden. Confirm with your sponsoring group exactly which procedures are exempted before you register.
Eligibility mechanics for these pathways, along with standard prerequisites, are detailed in ACI-AGGREGATE-BASE Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify.
A Practical Scheduling Timeline
Rather than a generic weekly study template, the timeline below is built around the actual mechanics above - sponsor lead time, the one-year written/performance window, and the seven Domains.
Confirm your sponsor and order materials
- Identify an ACI-approved sponsoring group offering the ASTM Methods (not AASHTO) track
- Order CP-46, first edition, and check for applicable errata
- Confirm calculator policy and closed-book performance checklist format
Work through sampling and reduction Domains
- Domain 1 (D75/D75M sampling) and Domain 2 (C702/C702M reduction) - foundational procedures that feed every later test
Soil classification and moisture Domains
- Domain 3 (D4318 Atterberg limits), Domain 4 (D7928 hydrometer gradation), Domain 5 (D2216 moisture content)
Compaction Domains and mock performance runs
- Domain 6 (D1557 modified effort) and Domain 7 (D698 standard effort) - practice both back-to-back since they're frequently compared
- Run full closed-book performance rehearsals against the actual checklist format
Book both exam components within the same window
- Schedule the written exam and performance exam close enough together to stay well inside the one-year rule
For a condensed reference you can use during this final stretch, see the ACI-AGGREGATE-BASE Cheat Sheet 2026: One-Page Review of Must-Know Facts, and for a more structured prep plan overall, check the ACI-AGGREGATE-BASE Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt. You can also work through timed practice questions on our practice test platform to gauge readiness against the 60%-per-section, 70%-overall passing standard before you commit to a sponsor's session date.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. ACI sets the governing policy and grades the exam, but ACI-approved sponsoring groups and examiners/proctors administer and schedule the actual written and performance sessions locally, so availability varies by region.
Both the written examination and the closed-book performance examination must be passed within one year of each other. If too much time passes between the two, you may need to retest the earlier component.
You still need at least 60% in every required standard section as well as 70% overall - falling below 60% in any one section means failing the component, and a retest covers the entire written exam again, not just that section.
No. Approved simple-function, nonprogrammable calculators are permitted, but mobile devices cannot be used as calculators under any circumstance.
Within one year of obtaining your AASHTO Methods certification - passing the ASTM written examination inside that window is what lets you add the ASTM Methods credential without a full separate application cycle.