A5 Brakes Practice Tests

A5 Brakes – What the Test Covers

The A5 test is 45 scored questions in 75 minutes. Hydraulics and power assist carry 43 percent of it on their own, and electronic brake control has grown to 22 percent — more than drum and nearly as much as disc. A technician who only knows friction work will struggle here.

Content areas and their weighting below come straight from the 2026 Official ASE Study Guide task list. Every question on this site was written against one of these tasks, and the four tests in this subject are weighted to match.

Content Areas on the A1 Test:

• Hydraulic, Power Assist, and Parking Brake Systems Diagnosis and Repair43% OF TEST
  19 questions, the largest area on the test. Diagnosing poor stopping, dragging, high or low pedal and hard or spongy pedal from master cylinder faults, pushrod length, master cylinder failure testing and external leakage, removal, bench bleeding and installation, lines, hoses and fittings including fabrication and correct routing, metering, proportioning, pressure differential and combination valves, load and height sensing proportioning valves, warning lights, switches and sensors, bleeding and flushing by every method, fluid type and condition, vacuum and hydraulic power assist units and their testing, and parking brake adjustment, cables and indicator operation including electric parking brakes.
• Drum Brake Diagnosis and Repair11% OF TEST
  5 questions. Diagnosing poor stopping, pulling, dragging and incorrect pedal travel from drum hydraulic and mechanical faults, noise, grabbing and pedal pulsation, drum removal, cleaning, measurement and machining against manufacturer specifications, mechanical component inspection, lubricating shoe support pads and self-adjusters, wheel cylinder leakage and replacement, shoe and hardware installation, preadjustment before drum installation, final adjustment, and wheel bearing noise, repacking and seal replacement.
• Disc Brake Diagnosis and Repair24% OF TEST
  11 questions. Diagnosing poor stopping, pulling, dragging, noise, grabbing and pedal pulsation from disc hydraulic and mechanical faults, retracting caliper pistons by the correct procedure, caliper removal and inspection, mountings, slides and pins, pads and retaining hardware, caliper cleaning and inspection, measuring rotors with a dial indicator and micrometer against specification, rotor removal, replacement and on-car or off-car machining, pad and caliper installation with correct lubrication, fastener torque, and road testing with proper pad burnishing.
• Electronic Brake Control Systems: ABS, TCS, and ESC Diagnosis and Repair22% OF TEST
  10 questions on antilock brakes, traction control and electronic stability control — a fifth of the exam. Identifying system components and configuration, diagnosing faults using scan tool data, DTCs and service information, wheel speed sensors and tone rings including waveform interpretation, hydraulic control unit service, bleeding procedures that require a scan tool, depressurizing accumulators safely, repairs that affect ABS operation such as tire size changes, and sensor calibration or relearn procedures after component replacement.