1.4 Performance Exam Format and Grading
Key Takeaways
- The performance examination is closed book.
- ACI describes the performance exam as six actual demonstrations plus a verbal description of ASTM C172/C172M sampling.
- The examinee is judged on correctly performing or describing all required steps for each procedure.
- Performance grading is checklist-based and pass or fail for each required standard.
What Happens on the Performance Side
The performance examination is also closed book. ACI's current program description says it requires actual demonstration of six of the required test methods and practices plus a verbal description of Practice C172/C172M sampling. The candidate is judged on the ability to correctly perform or describe, where allowed, all required steps for each procedure.
This wording avoids a common error. Do not describe the performance exam as only hands-on stations. Sampling under C172/C172M is the part ACI describes as a verbal description on the current program page. ACI policy also notes that C172 may be described verbally or performed at the local sponsoring group's discretion, so candidates should follow session instructions while preparing to explain sampling clearly.
The performance exam is not an interview about whether you have done field testing before. It is an observed procedure exam. The supplemental examiner uses a performance checklist and indicates pass or fail for each step. Incorrect performance or omission of a required checklist step can cause failure of that trial.
| Performance area | Candidate duty |
|---|---|
| C1064/C1064M temperature | Demonstrate the required temperature measurement and reporting behavior |
| C143/C143M slump | Demonstrate the required slump procedure and measurement discipline |
| C138/C138M density | Demonstrate correct use of the measure, consolidation, strike-off, mass, and result recording concepts |
| C231/C231M pressure air | Demonstrate the required pressure meter procedure for the available qualified setup |
| C173/C173M volumetric air | Demonstrate the required volumetric air procedure and reading discipline |
| C31/C31M specimens | Demonstrate making a compression test specimen as required by policy |
| C172/C172M sampling | Verbally describe the sampling practice unless the local session requires performance |
Closed book means you cannot rely on notes at the station. You need a memorized sequence and enough understanding to recover if you feel pressure. The best practice sessions mimic exam conditions: set up equipment, perform the method from start to finish, speak critical steps when appropriate, record the result, and then compare your work against a checklist.
Recording results is part of the performance expectation. ACI policy states that at the conclusion of performing each test method the examinee must record the results of the test. Candidates who focus only on physical motions can forget the record step. Build it into every practice repetition.
Candidates should also understand the trial structure. ACI policy allows the examinee to suspend one trial and begin over, and a voluntary suspension is not counted as a failure of that trial. A failed first trial may allow a second trial for that method, but the second trial is the entire method from the beginning. This is not permission to be casual; it is a reason to know the rules before stress arrives.
Performance success comes from calm, repeatable habits. Set equipment in a logical order, do not skip preparation checks, keep sample protection in mind, consolidate correctly, measure carefully, and record results. The examiner is not looking for style. The checklist is looking for required steps.
How does ACI's current program page describe the performance exam structure?
What does the performance examiner judge?
What must the candidate do at the conclusion of each performed test method?