Prepare for the CAT exam by first confirming which pathway you qualify under: the experience route uses a 160-question exam with a scaled passing score of 80, while the education route uses 150 questions with a 75% pass mark in 3 hours. Study from the handbook's content outline and its listed references, arrange your two proctors early, and build your calendar around the 30/30/180-day retake rules and the annual December 31 renewal.
What the CAT credential assesses
The CAT certification verifies knowledge and experience for technicians working on accessibility equipment and private residence lifts. It is a NAEC industry credential, separate from the CET and QEI programs and from state licensing.
NAEC created the Certified Accessibility and Private Residence Lift Technician (CAT) program to confirm that technicians can work safely on accessibility equipment. The certification verifies knowledge and experience related to industry codes, technical theory, components, and competencies for this equipment class.
The scope is narrower than NAEC's other credentials. CET covers general elevator technicians, and QEI covers inspectors who verify code compliance. If your work centers on platform lifts, stairway chairlifts, inclined platform lifts, and private residence elevators, CAT is the matching credential.
One boundary matters before you apply. NAEC certification is an industry credential, not a license. Where a state regulates elevator or accessibility-lift work, licensing runs through a separate public process; NAEC's own materials treat continuing education as something that helps certified individuals meet state licensing requirements, which confirms the two systems are distinct. Check your state's rules for the legal authority to perform this work.
Official sources: NAEC CAT applicant handbook — Application, fees, examination format, content outline, proctoring, results, retesting, and appeals sections; Certification - National Association of Elevator Contractors — CAT certification overview, qualification requirements, fees, and scope of NAEC certifications; Certification Hub - National Association of Elevator Contractors — Certification process timeline, exam FAQ (duration, retakes), renewal, continuing education, and appeals
Two pathways and how the exam differs
Experience-path candidates take a 160-question exam and need a scaled score of 80 to pass. Education-path candidates take 150 questions and must answer 75% correctly within 3 hours. Both are closed-book, computer-based, and offered in English only.
The exam is computer-based through a platform called Exam Builder. You select an answer and click to register it; an unclicked choice is not saved. Flag and Skip options let you mark questions and return to them through a review link, so plan a final pass over anything you flagged before submitting.
If you qualify through experience, your exam draws 160 questions randomly selected across subjects, with no unscored trial questions, and you need a scaled score of 80 or above. If you qualify through the CAT education program, the exam draws 150 questions, and you must answer 75% correctly within the 3 hours allotted.
NAEC's undated certification hub summarizes CAT as 160 questions in 3.5 hours, closed book, without separating the two pathways. The applicant handbook distinguishes the 160-question experience route from the 150-question, three-hour education route. Confirm your assigned route, question count and time allowance with NAEC when scheduling. Approved applicants have 365 days to pass, including retakes.
Official sources: NAEC CAT applicant handbook — Application, fees, examination format, content outline, proctoring, results, retesting, and appeals sections; Certification - National Association of Elevator Contractors — CAT certification overview, qualification requirements, fees, and scope of NAEC certifications; Certification Hub - National Association of Elevator Contractors — Certification process timeline, exam FAQ (duration, retakes), renewal, continuing education, and appeals
Eligibility routes and the application
You qualify either with 6,000 documented on-the-job hours in the accessibility and residential field as of December 31, 2014, or by completing the NAEC CAT education program or an equivalent. Then submit the online application with documents, fees, and photos.
The experience route requires a minimum of 6,000 documented hours, about three years, of on-the-job training in the accessibility and residential industry as of December 31, 2014. The education route accepts completion of the NAEC CAT Training Program, the NEIEP program, L.I.T.S., EDM-A, or an equivalent.
Graduates of the NAEC CAT education program face additional steps before certification: all five courses completed, at least 4,200 documented on-the-job training hours from the approval of their candidate application, completed skills verifications, and a passed final exam. The program itself is a two-year, employer-sponsored track requiring a CAT Supervisor (CAT-S), age 18 or older, a high school diploma or GED, and an annual administration fee.
The application packet includes the completed application, a signed confidentiality agreement, the certification statement, a verification-of-experience form, the code of ethics, copies of licenses or certificates supporting your eligibility, fees, and a recent color photograph. NAEC reviews the online submission, requests signatures and payment, and the Certification Board issues a decision; the certification hub lists an initial review of about 10 business days and board approval of about 15 business days. Complete the process within 90 days of starting, or the application is archived.
The current certification page lists application fees of $785 for members and $1,265 for non-members on the experience path, or $115 and $170 on the education path. These differ from the older handbook's prices. The fee is non-refundable and the current page includes the first two attempts; check the fee for your route before submitting payment.
Official sources: NAEC CAT applicant handbook — Application, fees, examination format, content outline, proctoring, results, retesting, and appeals sections; Certification - National Association of Elevator Contractors — CAT certification overview, qualification requirements, fees, and scope of NAEC certifications; Certification Hub - National Association of Elevator Contractors — Certification process timeline, exam FAQ (duration, retakes), renewal, continuing education, and appeals; Education - National Association of Elevator Contractors — CAT education program overview, qualification requirements, and program structure
Exam day: proctoring and testing rules
You take the exam online under two physically present proctors who keep you in direct sight the whole time. The exam is closed book, you must show valid photo identification, and NAEC cannot issue your certification without the signed, notarized proctoring statement.
Proctor selection is specific. The first proctor must be an officer of the company where you work. The second must be another competent adult who is not related to you, not your supervisor, and not an examinee in the program. Both must be physically present with a direct line of sight for the entire exam, and you submit their names to NAEC ahead of time; once NAEC receives the proctor form, an exam can be scheduled within about two business days.
The testing space must be quiet, well lit, and isolated from traffic, which may mean testing outside normal working hours. Before you start, the proctors verify a legal picture ID, such as a driver's license, military ID, employee badge, or state ID, and close every other program on the computer.
The exam is fully closed book. You may not bring books, phones, or personal belongings to the test area, you may not leave until you finish, and the proctors provide the only paper and pencil, then collect and shred them. Proctors answer administrative questions only; coaching on content is prohibited.
Afterward, both proctors sign the proctoring statement, which must be notarized and returned with copies of their IDs. NAEC states plainly that certification cannot be issued without it. Falsifying documents or breaking these rules can bring suspension or revocation, dismissal, a bar of one year to permanently, and forfeiture of your fee.
Official sources: NAEC CAT applicant handbook — Application, fees, examination format, content outline, proctoring, results, retesting, and appeals sections; Certification Hub - National Association of Elevator Contractors — Certification process timeline, exam FAQ (duration, retakes), renewal, continuing education, and appeals
What to study: the outline and the reference list
The experience-path outline lists Safety, Code and General Knowledge without percentage weights. The education route names five courses, from industry fundamentals through private residence elevators. Use those as a study map, then check NAEC's exam reference editions separately from your jurisdiction's adopted codes.
The experience-path table groups the tested knowledge under Safety, Code and General Knowledge. It does not give domain percentages. The education route names five courses: introduction to the vertical transportation industry, vertical platform lifts, inclined platform lifts, inclined stairway chairlifts, and private residence elevators. Organize your notes around these equipment subjects, with separate safety and code review.
The handbook's authoritative references list names specific documents: the 2008 National Electrical Code Section 620, the 2007 ASME A17.1 Safety Code for Elevators and Escalators, the 2005 ASME A18.1 Safety Code for Platform Lifts and Stairway Chairlifts, and the 2005 or newer Elevator Industry Field Employees' Safety Handbook. Read the handbook's own caveats carefully: the list is a study aid only, NAEC does not endorse those specific editions, and exam questions are not necessarily taken from those sources.
Check two different reference questions before studying. Ask NAEC which editions apply to your scheduled exam; check your jurisdiction separately for the codes governing actual work. A listed exam resource does not establish the legally adopted edition in every location. The CAT education pathway also requires supervised skills verification, so paper preparation supports that practical training.
A sensible study order, as your own plan rather than an official requirement: read the applicant handbook first, gather the listed references, build notes around the five equipment subjects plus safety and code topics, and finish with timed mixed practice using the exam's flag-and-review features.
- Read the applicant handbook before anything else; it defines the process, fees, and accommodations
- Organize notes by the five course subjects: industry introduction, vertical platform lifts, inclined platform lifts, stairway chairlifts, private residence elevators
- Gather the handbook's study references and confirm the exam editions with NAEC; check jurisdictional adoption separately.
- Arrange your two proctors early, since both must meet specific relationship and role rules
- Practice with the Exam Builder workflow: register every answer, flag uncertain ones, and review before submitting
Official sources: NAEC CAT applicant handbook — Application, fees, examination format, content outline, proctoring, results, retesting, and appeals sections; Certification Hub - National Association of Elevator Contractors — Certification process timeline, exam FAQ (duration, retakes), renewal, continuing education, and appeals
Results, retakes, and renewal
Results arrive after you finish, with failures shown immediately. Retakes require a 30-day wait after the first and second attempts, a $100 fee plus a 30-day wait before the third, and a 180-day wait before reapplying after a third failure. Certification renews annually by December 31 with 10 continuing-education hours.
NAEC notifies you of results after you complete the exam. Passing candidates receive the certification, and NAEC issues the final credential after proctoring paperwork and ID copies are returned; failing results are available immediately, and you contact NAEC if you want to retake.
The retake schedule is fixed. After a first failure, wait at least 30 days before the second attempt. After a second failure, wait at least 30 days again and pay a $100 retest fee for the third attempt. If the third attempt fails, you may reapply only after 180 days from that last attempt, with a new application and the eligibility rules in effect at that time. Your approval window for all of this is 365 days from the original approval.
Certification is annual. CAT certifications expiring on the usual December 31 date follow a cutoff: certify between January 1 and September 30 and you renew by December 31 of that same year; certify between October 1 and December 31 and you renew by December 31 of the following year. Renewal requires 10 continuing-education contact hours annually, at least one focused on safety; a dual CAT/CET holder needs 15 hours. If your certification lapses for more than one calendar year past the expiration date, you must reapply and retake the exam.
Practice exercise
You fail your first CAT attempt on March 10, take the second attempt at the earliest permitted date and fail, then take the third attempt at its earliest permitted date, pay the required fee, and fail again. Assuming every waiting period runs from the previous attempt's date, what are the earliest dates of your second and third attempts, what extra fee applies to the third attempt, and what is the earliest date you may reapply?
Show answer
Second attempt: April 9. Third attempt: May 9, with a $100 retest fee. Earliest reapplication: November 5, 180 days after the May 9 attempt.
Count 30 calendar days from March 10 to get April 9, then another 30 to get May 9. The third attempt carries a $100 retest fee. Count 180 days from May 9 to reach November 5, the earliest reapplication date under the stated assumptions. This is an original calendar exercise, not an official exam item or a booking guarantee. Assume the first three attempts fall within the existing 365-day approval window; after three failures, reapplication starts a new application under the rules then in force.
Official sources: NAEC CAT applicant handbook — Application, fees, examination format, content outline, proctoring, results, retesting, and appeals sections; Certification Hub - National Association of Elevator Contractors — Certification process timeline, exam FAQ (duration, retakes), renewal, continuing education, and appeals
Mistakes that cost time and money
The costly errors are administrative: assuming the exam is open book, delaying proctor arrangements, missing the 90-day application completion window, and studying from the wrong code editions.
Each of these traps follows directly from a written rule, so each is avoidable with a checklist. The exam is closed book; bringing study materials is impossible and relying on them during preparation builds the wrong habit. Finding two qualifying proctors, one a company officer and one an unrelated non-supervisor, can take weeks, so start as soon as your application is approved.
The application itself must be completed within 90 days of starting or it is archived, and the fee is non-refundable. Studying from newer code editions than the handbook lists can misalign you with NAEC's stated question sources, while ignoring your jurisdiction's adopted edition can misalign you with the field; verify both before committing to a study set. Finally, treat the notarized proctoring statement and ID copies as part of the exam itself, because NAEC will not issue the certification without them.
Official sources: NAEC CAT applicant handbook — Application, fees, examination format, content outline, proctoring, results, retesting, and appeals sections; Certification Hub - National Association of Elevator Contractors — Certification process timeline, exam FAQ (duration, retakes), renewal, continuing education, and appeals
Where to verify and what to do next
Treat the CAT applicant handbook as your primary document and NAEC's certification and hub pages for current fees and timelines. Confirm anything uncertain directly with the certification office before you pay or schedule.
Because the handbook and NAEC's web pages disagree on current fee amounts, and the hub reflects the newer process timeline, verify the numbers that affect your budget directly with NAEC. The certification team answers at certification@naec.org and 770-760-9660.
Your immediate next steps: confirm which pathway you qualify for and document your hours or program completion; download the current handbook and read the application, exam, and proctoring sections; budget using the fees NAEC confirms for your path; and set calendar reminders for the 90-day application window and, once certified, the annual renewal cycle.
Official sources: NAEC CAT applicant handbook — Application, fees, examination format, content outline, proctoring, results, retesting, and appeals sections; Certification - National Association of Elevator Contractors — CAT certification overview, qualification requirements, fees, and scope of NAEC certifications; Certification Hub - National Association of Elevator Contractors — Certification process timeline, exam FAQ (duration, retakes), renewal, continuing education, and appeals
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