ASE A6 Electrical Practice Test
A6 practice questions only help if they test circuit diagnosis the way the real exam does: a measurement, a symptom, and one answer that survives the reasoning. Below are worked A6 questions on voltage drop, charging, and parasitic draw — each with the rationale, not just the letter — followed by free interactive practice. Study the A6 content first, then use these to find the area to drill.
What this practice covers
A6 practice should hit the areas that carry the test: general circuit diagnosis (voltage drop above all), battery and starting, charging, lighting and grounds, and body electronics. The worked questions below model the format; for the full content breakdown, see the A6 study guide.
Worked A6 questions
1. Dim headlights. With the headlights on, you measure 12.6 V at the battery and 11.9 V at the headlight socket. What should you do first?
- Answer: Voltage-drop test the circuit. The 0.7 V lost under load is resistance in the feed or ground. Measure drop across connections and grounds with the lights on; the bulb and battery are fine. Replacing parts before finding the drop is the trap.
2. Repeat dead battery, alternator “tests good.” Engine running with load, you read 14.2 V at the alternator B+ terminal but only 13.1 V at the battery positive. Most likely cause?
- Answer: High resistance in the charging circuit between the alternator and battery. Over a volt is being dropped in the cable or a connection, so the battery never sees full charging voltage. The alternator is producing output — the path is the problem. Voltage-drop test the positive charging cable and its connections.
3. Parasitic draw. After the modules go to sleep, the key-off current draw on a typical modern vehicle should be closest to:
- Answer: Under about 50 milliamps (commonly 25–50 mA). A draw well above that will flatten the battery over a few days. The method matters: let the modules time out before measuring, and pull fuses one at a time to isolate the circuit. Confirm the current spec for the specific vehicle in service data.
Reading your result
If your misses cluster in one area — say charging, or grounds — that’s your next study block, not the whole test. Get each area consistently above ~80% across a few attempts before you register. Then start free A6 practice to drill questions until the voltage-drop reasoning is automatic, and review the A6 study guide for the underlying content.