ASE Prep Lab

ASE A5 Brakes — Free Course & Practice Test

The complete ASE A5 course, free on YouTube: 42 video lessons built from ASE's published A5 task list, with a printable workbook for every module. The ASE A5 exam itself is 55 questions (45 scored + 10 unscored) in 75 minutes.

Hydraulics, drum and disc brakes, and ABS/ESC — the complete A5, lesson by lesson.

Course modules — watch free on YouTube

Printable workbooks (Etsy)

Prefer to study on paper? Each module has a printable follow-along workbook with worksheets and practice questions drawn from the same 300-question bank as the video course.

ASE A5 practice test — sample questions

Seven questions from the ASE A5 question bank, spread across the modules. Pick your answer, then open the reveal to check it and read the explanation.

Sample question 1 (Q1.7-4, Module 1)

An unloaded pickup's rear wheels lock before the fronts during hard braking. The proportioning valve is a height-sensing type. Which of these could be the cause?

  1. The sensing linkage is seized at the loaded (high) position
  2. The metering valve is stuck closed
  3. The master cylinder compensating port is blocked
  4. The front pads are worn out
Show answer

Answer: A. Frozen at the loaded setting, the valve passes high rear pressure the empty bed's tires can't use. Distractors: B affects front timing on light stops; C self-applies all brakes with heat; D doesn't raise rear pressure. Source: Task A13.

Sample question 2 (Q1.15-2, Module 1)

On a caliper-integrated parking brake, the cable lever applies the brake by:

  1. Squeezing the caliper bracket
  2. Driving an internal cam/screw mechanism that mechanically advances the piston
  3. Pulling the pads together with a cross-spring
  4. Locking the rotor with a pin
Show answer

Answer: B. The mechanism screws the piston out to clamp — which is also why these pistons rotate back for service. Distractors: A/C/D describe hardware that doesn't exist in this design. Source: Tasks A25/A29.

Sample question 3 (Q2.2-3, Module 2)

A drum's friction surface shows bluish, raised, heat-checked islands that a fingernail catches on. These are:

  1. Normal machining marks
  2. Hard (heat) spots — the drum's heat damage, generally a replace decision
  3. Rust scale that will wear off
  4. Glazing that sandpaper cures
Show answer

Answer: B. Hard spots are metallurgical damage; lathe bits skate over them and they return. Distractors: A — machining marks are uniform grooves. C/D dress up damage as cosmetics. Source: Task B3.

Sample question 4 (Q2.5-3, Module 2)

A rear wheel bearing growl changes noticeably when the vehicle swerves gently left versus right at speed. This load sensitivity most strongly suggests:

  1. Tire noise
  2. A failing wheel bearing on the corner that gets louder when loaded
  3. An out-of-round drum
  4. A dragging shoe
Show answer

Answer: B. Bearing noise follows load transfer (task B11); it quiets on the unloaded side and growls on the loaded side. Distractors: A — tire noise is comparatively load-stable. C/D produce pulsation/drag symptoms, not speed growl modulated by swerving. Source: Task B11.

Sample question 5 (Q3.3-4, Module 3)

A rotor's thickness measures 0.001 in BELOW its stamped minimum thickness, with a perfect surface. The rotor should be:

  1. Machined lightly
  2. Installed with new pads
  3. Replaced — a rotor at/below minimum is done regardless of surface
  4. Measured again after cooling
Show answer

Answer: C. Below-minimum is a verdict, not a condition grade. Distractors: A removes more metal from a condemned part. B/D stall the inevitable. Source: Task C8.

Sample question 6 (Q3.8-3, Module 3)

Before the road test after disc service, the static checks include all EXCEPT:

  1. Pedal pumped firm and held under pressure while corners are inspected
  2. Reservoir level verified
  3. A full-throttle acceleration run
  4. Parking brake hold-and-release
Show answer

Answer: C. Static means in the bay; the road test has its own phases. Distractors: A/B/D are the checklist. Source: Tasks C12/C13.

Sample question 7 (Q4.5-1, Module 4)

At key-on, both brake warning lamps illuminate for a few seconds. This is:

  1. A fault
  2. The bulb check / prove-out — a lamp that does NOT light here is itself diagnostic data
  3. A bulb test only the dealer can interpret
  4. Low voltage
Show answer

Answer: B. Prove-out verifies the telltales themselves. Distractors: A inverts it. C/D deflect. Source: Task D3.

All 300 questions for ASE A5 — with full answer keys — are in the printable workbooks above, and every one is worked through in the free video lessons.