Working parts specialists from a diverse group of industry firms participated in the Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) test writing workshop for the ASE Automobile Parts Specialist (P2) test.
The following industry experts provided input and guidance on the development of the ASE P2 test: Brendan Baker, Babcox Media Inc.; Craig Bradley, NAPA; Peter Chapman, Car Parts Warehouse; Elizabeth Estes, Bumper to Bumper Auto Parts; Kris Hankey, Advance Auto Parts; Robert Joynt, Auto-Wares, Inc.; Richard Marra, New Canaan Auto Parts; Dee Dee Moore, Midtown Auto Parts; Bryan Tobey, O’Reilly Auto Parts; and Freddy Walker, AutoZone.
“The goal of the ASE Parts Specialist Certification Program is to improve the quality of service offered by automobile and medium-heavy truck parts specialists through the voluntary testing and certification of parts professionals,” said Tim Zilke, ASE president and CEO. “We want to thank these subject matter experts for volunteering their time and sharing their knowledge to ensure we have a comprehensive and challenging P2 test that will help in the development of effective parts professionals.”
The ASE Parts Specialist series includes three tests with questions about product knowledge, vehicle systems, and communications and sales skills. ASE offers separate tests for automobile and medium/heavy truck parts specialists. The questions, written by experts who work in the parts industry every day for a living, are entirely job-related. Each question is first drafted in an ASE “item-writing” workshop where industry experts, including representatives from parts and equipment suppliers, working parts specialists, and industry trainers, meet to share ideas and translate them into test questions.
The Automobile Parts Specialist test (P2) was developed in cooperation with the aftermarket wholesale and retail automobile parts industry to assess the knowledge of the skills necessary to work competently as a parts specialist at a retail or jobber parts store. Automobile parts specialists must possess knowledge about a wide range of vehicle components and systems for all makes and models, as well as possess customer relations, sales, merchandising, vehicle identification, cataloging and inventory management skills.
