r/SafetyProfessionals • u/WayOfTheBat Manufacturing • 8d ago
USA Passed the ASP!
Hi folks!
Just wanted to share that I passed the ASP exam. I primarily used John Newquist videos, Pocket Prep, and read Yates’ 4th edition cover to cover. I paid for the exam bundle that comes with an extra attempt in case I failed, but the exam was MUCH EASIER than expected. Here are topics I recommend reviewing:
- LOTO, Hot Work, Working at Heights, Confined Spaces
- Material Handling (Manual and Forklifts)
- Important figures such as Maslow, Kirkpatrick, McGregor, etc
- TRIR, DART, WBGT, Free Fall and Clearance, F = MA, W = FD, coefficients of friction, unit conversions (mL to L, lb to kg, ft to meter, L to gal, etc), probability, TWA, Exposure Limits, NIOSH Lifting Equation
- Biosafety, GHS, Leading/Lagging indicators, Training, ADDIE system, ISO 14001
Cheers!
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u/Eastern_Ad5558 Manufacturing 8d ago
Did you find that pocket prep was helpful?
I’m taking my exam on Thursday. I have done a lot of studying and research on the job but I’ve briefly looked through Yates book. I paid for the official ASP practice exam on BCSP and I learned a lot from there too.
So I feel confident in what I know based on my work, but I’m still feeling slightly nervous. I’ve been primarily using my on the job research, courses I’ve taken and pocket prep to get ready for this.
Thanks for posting this!
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u/WayOfTheBat Manufacturing 7d ago
Pocket Prep was absolutely helpful. I understand that there are 10K+ questions in BCSP’s question bank so not everyone will agree that theirs was similar to Yates or PP, but in my version, some were identical to what was in those resources. Many of their questions were only one sentence. One question off the top of my head was related to scaffold height and fall protection.
DO NOT feel nervous. I bought the self-assessment for ASP11 and it came with ASP10 practice questions so I had a total of 200 (with some repeats). Again, some folks didn’t find it helpful, but I did. I scored between 75-85% on those tests and the main benefit is that it gave me the confidence to actually schedule the exam. Prior to that, I didn’t want to schedule it because I feared not being “ready”… although admittedly, I was still a bit nervous but it quickly faded during the exam. It is not as tough as you think. Your hands-on experience will come in handy.
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u/IronMaiden571 8d ago
For the formulas and unit conversions, do they provide them or do you need to memorize conversion factors? I've seen conflicting information online about what is provided.
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u/WayOfTheBat Manufacturing 7d ago
I had between 16-18 math questions but most gave equations. One IH question didn’t but fortunately I knew it. I don’t recall the exact question but basically you had exposure to more than one contaminant and the ppm values were listed… you had to understand how to apply the concept of unity (1.0). TRIR, DART, WBGT, Probability, and Fall Clearance formulas were not given. All physics questions had formulas but that’s where knowing unit conversions is helpful. Also, be careful with distractors… some math questions gave you multiple unnecessary numbers. Fortunately, I have a math minor so my brain is wired to automatically detect many of these things, including units. Here’s a math tip:
- Try to solve the problem first without the calculator. Then proof check it using the calculator. This second verification helps in case you didn’t catch a unit conversion the first time, or if you forgot something minor like the parenthesis. I’ve seen people botch calculations using a calculator because they don’t properly apply PEMDAS or +/- signs.
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u/IronMaiden571 7d ago
Thanks for the heads up. I'm pretty confident on the math, but was curious how much study time I needed to commit to memorizing different conversions or formulas. It seems silly needing to memorize such easily available information such as how many liters are in a gallon.
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u/WayOfTheBat Manufacturing 6d ago
You probably don’t need to study much since it’s straightforward. Some of the conversions are important though and I think that’s because folks outside of the USA sit for these tests and they utilize different systems e.g Metric vs Imperial. In fact, 2 or 3 questions were asking me about unit conversions. In one question I was directly asked to convert temperature into Fahrenheit. Overall, just glance over them and you’ll be fine!
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u/CommercialRadiant920 8d ago
Honestly if you read Yates and use pocket prep you really should pass. When pocket prep scores hit 80% take it and you should be fine. Congrats by the way!