Page 1 of 136
ASQ CCT - CERTIFIED CALIBRATION
TECHNICIAN EXAM | 2026/2027 EDITION |
VERIFIED QUESTIONS WITH DETAILED
ANSWERS AND RATIONALES | BRAND NEW!
1. A calibration technician is establishing a new measurement
laboratory and needs to maintain reference standards that define
units with the lowest available uncertainty. These standards are
typically maintained by national metrology institutes such as NIST.
Which type of standard is being described?
(A) Working standard
(B) Transfer standard
(C) Primary standard
(D) Reference standard
Correct Answer: (C) Primary standard
Primary standards are the highest-level measurement standards
maintained by national metrology institutes (NMIs) such as NIST in the
United States. They define the unit with the lowest measurement
uncertainty and serve as the foundation for the traceability hierarchy.
Working standards are used in daily laboratory operations, transfer
standards convey traceability between laboratories, and reference
standards are intermediate between primary and working standards.
,Page 2 of 136
2. A calibration laboratory is preparing to calibrate a precision torque
wrench with a tolerance of ±5% of full scale. The technician discovers
that the preferred 0-600 ft-lb electronic calibrator (0.25% of reading) is
out of service. The available alternative is a spring-and-needle torque
calibrator with 0-1000 ft-lb range and 1% of reading ±2 ft-lb accuracy.
The torque wrench operates over a 0-250 ft-lb range in the clockwise
direction only. What should the technician do?
(A) Proceed with the available calibrator since it is in calibration
(B) Refuse the calibration entirely and reschedule for when the
electronic calibrator is repaired
(C) Evaluate whether the spring-and-needle calibrator's accuracy is
adequate by applying test uncertainty ratio (TUR) principles
(D) Use the calibrator in counter-clockwise direction to improve
accuracy
Correct Answer: (C) Evaluate whether the spring-and-needle
calibrator's accuracy is adequate by applying test uncertainty ratio
(TUR) principles
The technician must evaluate the TUR before proceeding. A minimum
TUR of 4:1 is typically required, meaning the calibrator accuracy must
be at least four times better than the item under test. The spring-and-
needle calibrator's accuracy is 1% of reading ±2 ft-lb. At 250 ft-lb, this
equals 2.5 + 2 = 4.5 ft-lb, or approximately 1.8% of reading. The torque
wrench tolerance is ±5% of full scale, which at 250 ft-lb is ±12.5 ft-lb or
5%. The TUR is approximately 5%/1.8% = 2.78:1, which may be marginal
depending on the laboratory's quality standards. A thorough evaluation
is required before accepting or rejecting the substitution.
,Page 3 of 136
3. A calibration technician is calibrating a digital pressure gauge that
displays 0.001 psi resolution. The manufacturer's specification states
accuracy as ±0.05% of full scale, with a full-scale range of 100 psi.
What is the tolerance of this instrument in psi?
(A) ±0.0005 psi
(B) ±0.005 psi
(C) ±0.05 psi
(D) ±0.5 psi
Correct Answer: (C) ±0.05 psi
The tolerance is expressed as percent of full scale. Full scale = 100 psi.
0.05% of 100 psi = 0.0005 × 100 = 0.05 psi. This means the instrument's
indication can deviate from the true value by up to ±0.05 psi and still be
within specification. The resolution of 0.001 psi is a separate
consideration related to the instrument's ability to display fine
increments but does not determine the accuracy tolerance.
4. During a calibration of a precision balance, the technician observes
that all readings are consistently 0.003 g higher than the reference
standard values. The specification tolerance is ±0.002 g. What type of
measurement error is present?
(A) Random error
(B) Bias
(C) Drift
(D) Hysteresis
Correct Answer: (B) Bias
, Page 4 of 136
Bias is a systematic error that causes all measurements to deviate in the
same direction by a consistent amount. In this scenario, the consistent
+0.003 g offset across all readings indicates a systematic bias, possibly
caused by a zero offset that needs correction or a calibration
adjustment. Random error would cause scatter around the true value in
both directions. Drift refers to a progressive change over time, and
hysteresis is direction-dependent error that differs between increasing
and decreasing measurements.
5. A calibration technician is calculating measurement uncertainty and
needs to determine the standard uncertainty due to the resolution of
a digital thermometer that displays readings to 0.1°C. What is the
standard uncertainty associated with this resolution?
(A) 0.1°C
(B) 0.05°C
(C) 0.029°C
(D) 0.01°C
Correct Answer: (C) 0.029°C
The resolution of 0.1°C creates a semi-range limit of ±0.05°C. Because
there is no specific knowledge about where within this interval the true
value lies, a rectangular (uniform) distribution is assumed. The standard
uncertainty for a rectangular distribution is calculated as a/√3, where a
is the semi-range. Therefore: 0.05°C / √3 = 0..732 = 0.029°C. This
Type B uncertainty component is then combined with other uncertainty
contributors using root sum square methods.
ASQ CCT - CERTIFIED CALIBRATION
TECHNICIAN EXAM | 2026/2027 EDITION |
VERIFIED QUESTIONS WITH DETAILED
ANSWERS AND RATIONALES | BRAND NEW!
1. A calibration technician is establishing a new measurement
laboratory and needs to maintain reference standards that define
units with the lowest available uncertainty. These standards are
typically maintained by national metrology institutes such as NIST.
Which type of standard is being described?
(A) Working standard
(B) Transfer standard
(C) Primary standard
(D) Reference standard
Correct Answer: (C) Primary standard
Primary standards are the highest-level measurement standards
maintained by national metrology institutes (NMIs) such as NIST in the
United States. They define the unit with the lowest measurement
uncertainty and serve as the foundation for the traceability hierarchy.
Working standards are used in daily laboratory operations, transfer
standards convey traceability between laboratories, and reference
standards are intermediate between primary and working standards.
,Page 2 of 136
2. A calibration laboratory is preparing to calibrate a precision torque
wrench with a tolerance of ±5% of full scale. The technician discovers
that the preferred 0-600 ft-lb electronic calibrator (0.25% of reading) is
out of service. The available alternative is a spring-and-needle torque
calibrator with 0-1000 ft-lb range and 1% of reading ±2 ft-lb accuracy.
The torque wrench operates over a 0-250 ft-lb range in the clockwise
direction only. What should the technician do?
(A) Proceed with the available calibrator since it is in calibration
(B) Refuse the calibration entirely and reschedule for when the
electronic calibrator is repaired
(C) Evaluate whether the spring-and-needle calibrator's accuracy is
adequate by applying test uncertainty ratio (TUR) principles
(D) Use the calibrator in counter-clockwise direction to improve
accuracy
Correct Answer: (C) Evaluate whether the spring-and-needle
calibrator's accuracy is adequate by applying test uncertainty ratio
(TUR) principles
The technician must evaluate the TUR before proceeding. A minimum
TUR of 4:1 is typically required, meaning the calibrator accuracy must
be at least four times better than the item under test. The spring-and-
needle calibrator's accuracy is 1% of reading ±2 ft-lb. At 250 ft-lb, this
equals 2.5 + 2 = 4.5 ft-lb, or approximately 1.8% of reading. The torque
wrench tolerance is ±5% of full scale, which at 250 ft-lb is ±12.5 ft-lb or
5%. The TUR is approximately 5%/1.8% = 2.78:1, which may be marginal
depending on the laboratory's quality standards. A thorough evaluation
is required before accepting or rejecting the substitution.
,Page 3 of 136
3. A calibration technician is calibrating a digital pressure gauge that
displays 0.001 psi resolution. The manufacturer's specification states
accuracy as ±0.05% of full scale, with a full-scale range of 100 psi.
What is the tolerance of this instrument in psi?
(A) ±0.0005 psi
(B) ±0.005 psi
(C) ±0.05 psi
(D) ±0.5 psi
Correct Answer: (C) ±0.05 psi
The tolerance is expressed as percent of full scale. Full scale = 100 psi.
0.05% of 100 psi = 0.0005 × 100 = 0.05 psi. This means the instrument's
indication can deviate from the true value by up to ±0.05 psi and still be
within specification. The resolution of 0.001 psi is a separate
consideration related to the instrument's ability to display fine
increments but does not determine the accuracy tolerance.
4. During a calibration of a precision balance, the technician observes
that all readings are consistently 0.003 g higher than the reference
standard values. The specification tolerance is ±0.002 g. What type of
measurement error is present?
(A) Random error
(B) Bias
(C) Drift
(D) Hysteresis
Correct Answer: (B) Bias
, Page 4 of 136
Bias is a systematic error that causes all measurements to deviate in the
same direction by a consistent amount. In this scenario, the consistent
+0.003 g offset across all readings indicates a systematic bias, possibly
caused by a zero offset that needs correction or a calibration
adjustment. Random error would cause scatter around the true value in
both directions. Drift refers to a progressive change over time, and
hysteresis is direction-dependent error that differs between increasing
and decreasing measurements.
5. A calibration technician is calculating measurement uncertainty and
needs to determine the standard uncertainty due to the resolution of
a digital thermometer that displays readings to 0.1°C. What is the
standard uncertainty associated with this resolution?
(A) 0.1°C
(B) 0.05°C
(C) 0.029°C
(D) 0.01°C
Correct Answer: (C) 0.029°C
The resolution of 0.1°C creates a semi-range limit of ±0.05°C. Because
there is no specific knowledge about where within this interval the true
value lies, a rectangular (uniform) distribution is assumed. The standard
uncertainty for a rectangular distribution is calculated as a/√3, where a
is the semi-range. Therefore: 0.05°C / √3 = 0..732 = 0.029°C. This
Type B uncertainty component is then combined with other uncertainty
contributors using root sum square methods.
