What Is ATT2 Certification?

What Is ATT2 Certification?

ATT2 stands for Aggregate Testing Technician - Level 2, a credential issued by the American Concrete Institute (ACI). It is the advanced tier in ACI's aggregate testing track, sitting directly above the Aggregate Testing Technician - Level 1 credential. You cannot walk into an ATT2 exam cold: ACI requires candidates to hold a current Aggregate Testing Technician - Level 1 certification before they are eligible to sit for Level 2. That prerequisite alone tells you a lot about the scope of ATT2 - it assumes you already know basic aggregate sampling and testing conventions, and it builds on that foundation with more specialized, standard-by-standard technical depth.

If you're still confirming exactly what the letters mean and how the credential is structured, our companion pieces on What Is ATT2?, ATT2 Meaning, and What Does ATT2 Stand For? cover the naming and scope in more detail. This article focuses specifically on what the certification requires, how it's administered, and what it costs.

Who Issues ATT2 and Who Requires It

ACI does not run every ATT2 exam session itself. Instead, examinations are administered through ACI-approved sponsoring groups and examiners - regional chapters, ready-mix associations, and testing organizations that have been authorized to deliver the written and performance components under ACI's rules. That's why fee structures, class schedules, and even workbook bundling vary by location even though the underlying exam content, passing thresholds, and Job-Task Analysis are set nationally by ACI.

Employers who need ATT2-certified staff are typically the same organizations that rely on aggregate quality data for concrete production and highway materials work: aggregate producers, ready-mix suppliers, geotechnical and materials testing labs, and DOT-adjacent quality control operations. Because the credential requires a current Level 1 certification as a prerequisite, employers generally view ATT2 holders as technicians who have already demonstrated basic competency and are now certified on a deeper, more specialized battery of test methods. For a closer look at where this credential fits into a career path, see ATT2 Jobs and Is the ATT2 Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026.

The Ten ATT2 Study Domains

ATT2's content is organized around ten standards, each drawn from ACI's Job-Task Analysis approved September 30, 2024. On the written exam, each standard receives roughly eight to 12 questions out of the approximately 100 total. Three of the ten are written-exam-only - meaning they are never tested on the performance portion - while the remaining seven are tested both on paper and hands-on.

For a deeper breakdown of how these ten areas interact and where candidates most often lose points, read the ATT2 Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 10 Content Areas.

Exam Format: Written and Performance Components

ATT2 certification requires passing two separate components, and both must be passed to earn the credential.

Written examination: Open-book, using only ACI-approved references, lasting two hours with approximately 100 multiple-choice questions. Coverage is spread across all ten standards, with eight to 12 questions per standard, so no single domain can be skipped in preparation without real risk to your overall score.

Performance examination: Closed-book, requiring candidates to correctly demonstrate - or, where permitted, verbally describe - the prescribed procedure steps for each applicable standard. Because three standards (AASHTO T 96/ASTM C131, AASHTO T 104/ASTM C88, and ASTM C535) are written-exam-only, the performance exam concentrates on the remaining seven practical standard areas.

Passing Score Requirements

ATT2's scoring rule has two layers, and both must be satisfied simultaneously:

• At least 60% on every individual standard - meaning a strong score on nine standards can't offset a weak score on the tenth.
• At least 70% overall across the full written exam.

On top of the written score requirements, candidates must also separately pass the performance examination. Failing either component means that component must be retaken in full, though a component you've already passed stays valid and usable as long as you complete the other within the one-year window. This per-standard floor is one of the more distinctive features of ATT2 compared to exams that only enforce an overall passing percentage - it rewards balanced preparation across all ten domains rather than over-indexing on a few familiar ones. A full walkthrough of the scoring mechanics is available in ATT2 Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass, and general trends in how candidates perform are discussed in ATT2 Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows.

Registration, Sponsoring Groups, and Fees

Because ATT2 exams run through ACI-approved sponsoring groups rather than a single national testing center, published fees are set locally and can vary meaningfully in what they include. Two published 2026 examples illustrate the range:

These are named local packages, not a single national ACI price - so before registering, confirm exactly what a given sponsoring group's fee covers, whether the CP-45 workbook is bundled or separate, and whether a review session is included. For a complete cost breakdown across scenarios, see ATT2 Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown, and for eligibility mechanics before you register, check ATT2 Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify. Timing your registration also matters, since both exam components must be passed within a one-year window - details on scheduling are in ATT2 Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling.

Preparation Resources and Allowed Tools

ACI's official preparation resource is the CP-45 workbook, seventh edition. It's sold standalone for USD 133 at the regular rate, or USD 69 for ACI members - separate from any sponsoring group's bundled exam fee, so check whether your local package already includes it before buying a duplicate copy.

On exam day, candidates are permitted to use a simple-function, nonprogrammable pocket calculator. That restriction matters for standards involving void content and density calculations (Domains 1 and 7 in particular), since you'll need to be comfortable running those formulas manually rather than relying on stored functions.

Underlying administration and certification requirements - including retake rules, the one-year component window, and Annex 620.3-2 - are documented in ACI's CPP 620.3-20, revised September 21, 2020. If you want a single condensed reference for exam day, our ATT2 Cheat Sheet 2026: One-Page Review of Must-Know Facts distills the highest-yield facts from across all ten standards, and a broader prep walkthrough is in the ATT2 Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt. You can also work through timed multiple-choice questions modeled on the real exam format at our practice test platform before committing to a scheduled sitting.

Scheduling Your Study Around the Ten Standards

Because the written exam allocates eight to 12 questions to each of ten standards, an even, standard-by-standard study plan tends to outperform cramming a few favorite topics. A practical way to sequence preparation is to group the three written-only standards together early (since they require no hands-on rehearsal), then dedicate later weeks to the seven practical standards where you'll also need muscle-memory familiarity with procedure steps for the performance exam.

Certification Validity and Recertification

ATT2 certification is valid for five years. When it lapses, recertification isn't a simple paperwork renewal - you must pass both the written and performance examinations again in full. That makes it worth treating the five-year window as a planning horizon rather than a formality: candidates who let their credential lapse are effectively starting the exam process over rather than doing a light refresher.

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