- What "Passing" Actually Means for ACI-AGGREGATE-L1
- Written Exam Scoring: The 60/70 Rule Explained
- Performance Exam: Pass/Fail Without a Percentage
- The One-Year Clock and What a Retest Covers
- Calculator and Reference Rules That Affect Your Score
- What Happens If You Fail One Component
- Budgeting for a Retest: What It Actually Costs
- A Domain-by-Domain Study Timeline Built Around the Passing Score
- Frequently Asked Questions
- You need 60% minimum on each required standard AND 70% overall on the written exam - missing either fails you.
- The written exam is open-book with ACI-approved references, 100 MCQs, two hours.
- The performance exam has no percentage score - every required procedure must be completed successfully.
- Both components must be passed within one year, or the clock resets on whichever component lapses.
What "Passing" Actually Means for ACI-AGGREGATE-L1
Most candidates researching the Aggregate Testing Technician-Level 1 credential assume "passing score" means one number, like 70% on a single test. It doesn't. ACI-AGGREGATE-L1 splits certification into two separate, differently-scored components: a written examination and a performance examination. You must clear both, and each has its own pass logic.
The written exam uses a dual threshold: you need at least 60% on each required standard covered by the test, and at least 70% overall across the full exam. That means a strong score on one standard can't quietly compensate for a weak score on another - every standard has to clear its own floor before the overall percentage even matters.
The performance exam works differently again. There is no overall percentage to hit. Instead, you must successfully complete every required procedure, with verbal descriptions accepted only where the program specifically permits them. It's a completion-based pass/fail structure, not a points-accumulation one.
Written Exam Scoring: The 60/70 Rule Explained
The written exam is open-book, meaning you're allowed to use ACI-approved references during the test - but open-book access doesn't lower the bar, it just changes what "knowing the material" looks like. You have a two-hour limit to answer approximately 100 multiple-choice questions pulled from the eight paired AASHTO/ASTM standard areas that define the program's scope.
Because scoring is calculated per standard as well as overall, the practical implication is this: you can't treat the exam as one undifferentiated pool of 100 questions. Each of the eight domains functions almost like its own mini-test with its own 60% pass line. If you want a full breakdown of what's tested in each of those eight areas, the ACI-AGGREGATE-L1 Exam Domains Guide maps every standard to its likely question focus.
| Domain | Standard Pairing |
|---|---|
| Domain 1 | AASHTO R 90 / ASTM D75 - Sampling of Aggregates |
| Domain 2 | AASHTO R 76 / ASTM C702 - Reducing Samples to Testing Size |
| Domain 3 | AASHTO T 11 / ASTM C117 - Materials Finer than 75-µm (No. 200) Sieve by Washing |
| Domain 4 | AASHTO T 27 / ASTM C136 - Sieve Analysis of Fine and Coarse Aggregates |
| Domain 5 | AASHTO T 85 / ASTM C127 - Specific Gravity and Absorption of Coarse Aggregate |
| Domain 6 | AASHTO T 84 / ASTM C128 - Specific Gravity and Absorption of Fine Aggregate |
| Domain 7 | AASHTO T 255 / ASTM C566 - Total Evaporable Moisture Content by Drying |
| Domain 8 | AASHTO T 21 / ASTM C40 - Organic Impurities in Fine Aggregates |
Sieve Analysis and Specific Gravity Domains Deserve Extra Attention
Because Domains 4, 5, and 6 involve calculation-heavy procedures (percent passing, bulk specific gravity, absorption), written-exam questions on these standards often test whether you understand the math logic, not just the memorized steps. A shaky grasp here risks dropping you below the 60% floor on that specific standard even if you're comfortable elsewhere.
- Know how sample mass reduction (Domain 2) feeds into sieve analysis inputs
- Understand why washing (Domain 3) precedes dry sieving in the same sample workflow
- Be able to explain absorption and specific gravity formulas conceptually, not just recite them
Performance Exam: Pass/Fail Without a Percentage
The performance component is closed-book, which is a meaningful contrast to the written exam. There are no reference sheets to lean on while you're physically running a procedure. You're evaluated on whether you correctly execute each required step for the standards being demonstrated, and whether any verbal description you give (in place of a physical action, where permitted) is accurate and complete.
Because there's no partial-credit percentage, the practical passing logic is simpler to state but harder to satisfy: every required procedure has to be done right. Missing a step, performing steps out of sequence, or mishandling a calculation worksheet can cost you the entire component - not just a few points.
Key Takeaway
Performance calculation worksheets carry a maximum of 30 minutes each - not a single 30-minute cap for the whole performance exam. Budget your time per worksheet, not across the entire session.
If you're still deciding how much this component adds to overall exam difficulty, How Hard Is the ACI-AGGREGATE-L1 Exam? walks through the performance side in more detail alongside the written side.
The One-Year Clock and What a Retest Covers
Both the written and performance components must be passed within a one-year window of each other. This isn't a suggestion - it's a hard eligibility rule tied to how the certification is granted. Pass the written exam in month one and drag the performance exam past the twelve-month mark, and you'll need to revisit the requirement rather than simply schedule a make-up session.
If you fail a component, the retest covers the entire failed component - not just the standards or procedures you missed. Fail the written exam because you dropped below 60% on one standard, and your retest is still the full ~100-question, two-hour exam across all eight domains, not a shortened re-check of the weak spot.
Calculator and Reference Rules That Affect Your Score
Small procedural details can quietly cost points if you show up unprepared for them. Only approved simple-function, nonprogrammable calculators are permitted during testing - a phone's calculator app is not an acceptable substitute, even in a pinch. If you walk in planning to use your phone for arithmetic on the written exam, you'll be stuck doing math by hand instead, which can eat into your two-hour limit unnecessarily.
On the written side, remember it's open-book with ACI-approved references specifically - not any textbook or personal notes you bring. The ACI-AGGREGATE-L1 Cheat Sheet is a useful supplement while you study, but your actual exam-day reference material needs to match what's approved for the session.
What Happens If You Fail One Component
Failing the written exam and failing the performance exam trigger the same core rule - you retest the entire component you failed - but the practical impact differs. A written retest means another two-hour, ~100-question sitting, often scheduled sooner since it can run through Prometric as well as sponsor sessions. A performance retest means re-demonstrating every required procedure again from scratch, closed-book, which typically requires re-booking equipment time with a sponsoring group.
Neither failure disqualifies you from the credential permanently - but both consume time against your one-year window, so a fail early in your testing timeline is far less costly than one that happens close to the twelve-month deadline. This is one of the clearer arguments for taking a full structured study guide approach before your first attempt rather than treating the written exam as a formality.
Budgeting for a Retest: What It Actually Costs
Fees vary by sponsoring group, since ACI-AGGREGATE-L1 testing is administered through approved sponsors rather than a single national price list. As one dated local example, Central Texas ACI's September 12, 2026 session in Pflugerville listed $675 for full certification, $475 for a written-only retest, and $525 for a performance-only retest - with the CP-44 workbook priced separately in every case.
That workbook detail matters: CP-44, eighth edition, is the official program workbook containing the AASHTO standards (not the ASTM texts), and ACI's own store listing shows it at $138 non-member / $72 member as of a September 10, 2026 check. Since it's excluded from session fees, plan for it as its own line item. For the fuller fee picture across sponsors, see the ACI-AGGREGATE-L1 Certification Cost breakdown.
A Domain-by-Domain Study Timeline Built Around the Passing Score
Because the written exam scores each standard separately at a 60% floor, the smartest prep sequence treats each domain as its own pass/fail checkpoint during study, not just a slice of a combined score. Generic weekly study templates work fine as a scaffold, as long as you slot the eight domains in deliberately rather than reviewing everything at once the week before your exam.
Sampling and Sample Reduction
- Domain 1 (AASHTO R 90/ASTM D75) and Domain 2 (AASHTO R 76/ASTM C702) - these feed every later procedure, so weak fundamentals here compound downstream
Washing and Sieve Analysis
- Domain 3 (AASHTO T 11/ASTM C117) and Domain 4 (AASHTO T 27/ASTM C136) - practice the calculation logic, not just sieve identification
Specific Gravity and Absorption
- Domain 5 (AASHTO T 85/ASTM C127) and Domain 6 (AASHTO T 84/ASTM C128) - the densest calculation domains, worth extra worksheet drills
Moisture and Organic Impurities, Then Full Review
- Domain 7 (AASHTO T 255/ASTM C566) and Domain 8 (AASHTO T 21/ASTM C40), followed by a full-length open-book practice run against the two-hour clock
Running timed practice sets against the actual question count and time limit is the closest way to rehearse the 60/70 scoring rule before exam day - you can track your per-domain accuracy on a full-length set at our ACI-AGGREGATE-L1 practice test platform to see exactly which standard is dragging your overall percentage down before it costs you a retest.
Frequently Asked Questions
You need at least 60% on each required standard and at least 70% overall. Both conditions must be met - a high overall average doesn't excuse falling below 60% on any single standard.
No. The performance exam requires successful completion of every required procedure, with verbal descriptions accepted only where permitted. It's evaluated as pass/fail on task completion, not a numeric score.
No. A retest covers the entire failed component. Failing the written exam means retaking the full ~100-question, two-hour test, not just the standard you scored below 60% on.
One year. Both components must be passed within that window of each other, so spacing your attempts too far apart risks losing progress on the one you already passed.
No. Only approved simple-function, nonprogrammable calculators are permitted. Mobile devices cannot be used as calculators during either component.
For a broader look at how these scoring rules fit into eligibility and renewal, the ACI-AGGREGATE-L1 Requirements guide and the ACI-AGGREGATE-L1 Pass Rate overview are useful next reads, and you can sharpen your per-domain accuracy further with timed sets on our practice test platform before you commit to a scheduled sitting.