How the quiz works
Each set serves its questions in a shuffled order, with the options shuffled too. 7 questions show a drawing: a part with the current marked, or an indication under visible particles, dry powder or UV-A light. The rest are technique questions on current type, magnetizing method, particles, baths, demagnetization and false indications. Check your answer and you get the reason the right option is right, why each of the other three is wrong, and the standard or topic the point rests on.
You score one point per question. At the end you see your score by topic: Field direction, Magnetizing methods and current, Particles, baths and viewing, Demagnetization, Reading indications, weakest first, so you know where to spend your next hour. Each explanation also tags the question with ASNT's MT General heading for exams before 15 December 2026 and the domain that covers it after, so you can re-file your notes under either list. The MT outline change guide maps the old headings to the new domains. Hit New shuffle for a fresh order, and quote the set number if you report an error.
The questions are original, written in our own words to ASNT's published topic headings. None comes from an exam, and nothing is copied from ASTM E709, ASTM E1444/E1444M or ASME BPVC Section V, Article 7, which are cited by number only.
Worked examples
Example 1: which flaw does this setup show?
Step 1: find the field. A yoke sends its field from one leg to the other, so here it crosses the weld from the upper leg to the lower. Step 2: apply the rule that decides every direction question. A discontinuity leaks most when it lies across the field and least when it lies along it. Step 3: sort the flaws. A crack running along the bead stands across the field and shows. A crack running from the top of the plate to the bottom lies in the field's direction and can be missed. Step 4: finish the job. Turn the yoke a quarter turn and examine again, so the second pass covers the direction the first one missed. The MT field direction and technique guide sets out this draw-the-part, flaw and field routine for head shots, coils and yokes.
Example 2: real, nonrelevant or false?
Step 1: read the shape. The lines wander in every direction, cross each other, and have soft edges. A crack leaks sharply and follows the stress in the part, so this does not look like one. Step 2: ask what in the part could leak without being a flaw. Marks like these fit magnetic writing, left when another magnetized piece of steel touched or rubbed the part. Step 3: test it. Demagnetize the part, magnetize it again and re-examine. Writing disappears and does not return, so the lines were a nonrelevant indication. Had they come back in the same places, you would treat them as real and go on to evaluate them. Because the leak was magnetic, calling them false is the wrong box.
New to the process itself? How magnetic particle testing works covers the physics, the two field types and the steps in plain terms. For coil, head shot and prod current arithmetic, use the MT amperage calculator.
Magnetic particle testing quiz FAQ
How many questions are on the MT Level 2 General exam?
ASNT lists the MT Level II General exam as 50 items in 2 hours, on both its topic list for exams before 15 December 2026 and its list for exams after. This quiz is a shorter practice set of 18, so use it to find weak topics, not to rehearse the exam's length.
Do I need to memorize amperages and field strengths?
Know how to use them first. In practice the written procedure and the standard it follows set the current, the field and the limits, and they change with the part, the technique and the code. Know why a field direction, a current type or a bath check matters, and keep the arithmetic sharp with the MT amperage calculator. A number you cannot place in a setup helps less than a reason you can explain.
What's the difference between relevant, nonrelevant and false indications?
A relevant indication comes from a discontinuity you must evaluate. A nonrelevant one is a real magnetic leak with a cause that is not a flaw, such as a sudden change of section or magnetic writing. A false one has no magnetic leak at all, like powder caught on rough spatter. A light puff or a rewash removes a false one, and demagnetizing then retesting clears magnetic writing. Your procedure and the governing standard set the exact wording and what gets recorded.