NAEC CET exam: what to study and how to prepare

The NAEC Certified Elevator Technician (CET) exam has 140 multiple-choice questions, a six-hour limit and approved open-book references. The passing score is 300 on a 100–500 scale. Start by checking your eligibility route, then use the sixteen-domain outline to identify gaps and practise finding information in the permitted references.

What the CET credential certifies

CET is NAEC’s certification for elevator technicians; it has its own eligibility requirements and exam.

The National Association of Elevator Contractors (NAEC) runs three separate certifications. CET is for elevator technicians, CAT for accessibility and private-residence lift technicians, and QEI for inspectors. Their eligibility rules, exams, and scopes differ, so build your preparation from CET materials rather than CAT or QEI resources.

Sources: Certification - National Association of Elevator Contractors — naec.org certification page, retrieved 2026-09-13; CET Applicant Handbook — Version 1.3, adopted August 6, 2013, updated June 30, 2026

Two routes to eligibility

NAEC reviews an education route and a documented-experience route. The experience route has a specific historical cutoff.

The experience route requires at least 10,000 documented hours (5 years) of on-the-job training in the elevator industry. The handbook states this minimum as of December 31, 2007, so confirm your situation with NAEC if your hours fall outside that window. Acceptable proof includes union statements, W2s, itemized earnings statements, and employer verification letters.

The handbook's hour-counting rules shape your documentation. Two thousand hours equal one full-time work year, and only field time on elevators counts proportionally: someone who spent 75% of a year on hands-on elevator work claims 1,500 hours, not 2,000.

The education route accepts completion of the NAEC CET Training Program, NEIEP, CEIEP, L.I.T.S., or an equivalent program, evidenced by a transcript or certificate of completion.

Complete the online application with its documents and fees within 90 days; incomplete applications are archived. After approval, the current certification page allows 365 days to pass, including retakes. Confirm any uncertainty about your route with NAEC before applying.

Sources: Certification - National Association of Elevator Contractors — naec.org certification page, retrieved 2026-09-13; CET Applicant Handbook — Version 1.3, adopted August 6, 2013, updated June 30, 2026

Exam format and administration

The English-language computer exam requires two eligible proctors to be physically present throughout the sitting.

Proctoring is a constraint worth planning around. You need two proctors physically present with a direct line of sight for the entire exam. The first must be an officer of your employing company; the second must be a competent adult who is not related to you, not your supervisor, and not an examinee in the program.

The test space must be quiet, well-lit, and low-traffic — preferably an isolated room — which may mean testing after working hours. You must show legal picture identification, and certification is not issued until both proctors return a signed, notarized proctoring statement.

Sources: CET Applicant Handbook — Version 1.3, adopted August 6, 2013, updated June 30, 2026

The official content outline

Use the content weights alongside your own weak areas when allocating study time.

The June 30, 2026 handbook gives the sixteen domains below. The percentages describe the outline; they are not domain passing thresholds or guaranteed question counts for a particular exam.

Check unfamiliar equipment categories as well as the larger domains. A technician whose work focuses on one type of elevator may need additional review of the other categories listed.

Sources: CET Applicant Handbook — Version 1.3, adopted August 6, 2013, updated June 30, 2026

Approved references to bring

Prepare the editions on the CET handbook’s reference list and confirm the exam-day reference rules with NAEC.

The handbook lists seven authoritative references, and proctors check that you bring nothing else. NAEC notes the list is a study aid only: it does not imply endorsement, and exam questions are not necessarily taken from these sources.

Pay attention to the editions the handbook names: the 2020 Elevator Industry Field Employees' Safety Handbook, Elevator Maintenance Manual 3rd Edition (McCain), the NEMI Installation Manual (Elevator World), ASME A17.1 (2019), ASME A18.1 (2014), NFPA 70 (2017), and ASME A17.2 (2017). Study and bring these editions rather than silently substituting newer ones, and keep in mind that fieldwork in your jurisdiction may follow locally adopted code editions.

Build a reference map that connects each content area to the book, chapter and relevant table or exception. Practise looking up information and checking the surrounding conditions. Confirm permitted marking or tabbing before altering books for use in the exam, and check the portal’s current computer requirements.

Sources: CET Applicant Handbook — Version 1.3, adopted August 6, 2013, updated June 30, 2026

Scoring, retakes, and appeals

Use a failed exam’s domain report to identify gaps. Do not convert the scaled passing score into a raw percentage.

The exam is scored on a scale from 100.0 to 500.0, and 300 is required to pass. Because domains carry different weights, the handbook warns against averaging your domain results to estimate a score. The sample diagnostic report in the handbook shows how correct and total items are reported per domain after a fail — use it to target your next weeks of study.

After the first failure, wait at least 30 days before a second attempt. Before a third attempt, wait at least another 30 days and pay the $100 retest fee. After a third failure, you may reapply 180 days after that attempt. The handbook repeats these same steps in its application instructions.

A documented emergency or hardship may qualify for rescheduling without an additional charge after Certification Board review. Appeals concerning eligibility or exam results must be filed within 30 days of the results. If an exam is in beta testing, results are delayed until beta testing concludes.

Sources: CET Applicant Handbook — Version 1.3, adopted August 6, 2013, updated June 30, 2026

Fees and what they include

Application fees depend on the route and on whether your employer is an NAEC member.

The application fee differs by route and membership. The experience path costs $785 for employees of NAEC member companies and $1,265 for non-members; the education path costs $115 and $170 respectively. Fees are non-refundable, must accompany the application, and the handbook notes they may vary if the exam is in beta testing.

The fee covers application review, online exam access, and first and second attempts at the certification exam, plus the support documents: the applicant handbook, certification statement, code of ethics, and confidentiality agreement. A third attempt therefore costs extra — the $100 retest fee from the retake policy.

Sources: Certification - National Association of Elevator Contractors — naec.org certification page, retrieved 2026-09-13; CET Applicant Handbook — Version 1.3, adopted August 6, 2013, updated June 30, 2026

Keeping the certification current

Plan for continuing education and annual renewal after certification.

The certification term is one year, expiring on December 31. If you certify between January 1 and September 30, you recertify in the same calendar year. If you certify between October 1 and December 31, your first renewal falls due the following year.

Each year you must complete 10 hours of continuing education, of which 1 hour is safety — though no more than 3 safety contact hours count toward the total. You sign and submit the CET Code of Ethics and pay a renewal fee, currently $125 for NAEC members or $225 for non-members. These fees are set annually and can change.

Sources: CET Applicant Handbook — Version 1.3, adopted August 6, 2013, updated June 30, 2026

How to organize your study sessions

Review unfamiliar topics, practise reference lookup and keep a record of what each error reveals.

Use this sequence as a study suggestion, adapting the time to your experience and exam date. The syllabus weights help you prioritize, but a weak area may need more time than its weight alone suggests.

• Mark each content domain as familiar or needing review, based on tasks and equipment you have actually studied or worked with.
• For a topic needing review, locate the relevant section in an approved reference and note the scope, definitions, tables and exceptions.
• Use original practice questions to test understanding and reference navigation. After an error, record whether the difficulty was the concept, locating the rule or applying its conditions.
• Return to the weak point with a different practice question. Include mixed topics and timed lookup so you can work efficiently across the reference set.
• Review the proctoring, identification and computer arrangements before committing to an exam appointment.

Sources: CET Applicant Handbook — Version 1.3, adopted August 6, 2013, updated June 30, 2026

Final checklist before you apply

Confirm eligibility route, documentation, fees, references, and proctors before submitting.

• Confirm your eligibility route and assemble the matching proof documents.
• Budget the non-refundable application fee for your route and membership status.
• Obtain the seven approved references in the editions the handbook lists.
• Recruit two eligible proctors and reserve a quiet, isolated testing space.
• Submit ADA accommodation forms with medical documentation if you need them.
• Track the 90-day application window and the 365-day exam window after approval.
• Set a renewal habit now: continuing-education hours, the ethics form, and the fee each certification year.

Sources: CET Applicant Handbook — Version 1.3, adopted August 6, 2013, updated June 30, 2026

Sources

Facts checked: Sep 13, 2026

• Certification - National Association of Elevator Contractors
• CET Applicant Handbook

Next steps

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