The ISA CST Associate certificate program is designed to provide you with validation that you have the fundamental on-the-job skills needed to excel as a control systems technician working in industrial automation environments.
The CST Associate certificate program defines the criteria needed to be eligible to sit for the exam and offers a detailed exam review course to help you prepare. Successful completion of the exam review course satisfies the eligibility requirements to sit for the exam—even if you don’t meet the education and work experience requirements listed below.
A Step Closer to Certification
Earning this valuable certificate not only provides proof of your instrumentation and control skills, it also counts as a full year of work experience toward the requirements to earn the ISA Certified Control Systems Technician® (CCST®) certification—a mark of career excellence that affirms your commitment to quality and demonstrates your expertise.
Exam Eligibility
You must meet at least one of the criteria below to be eligible to take the CST Associate exam:- Completed a two-year academic degree in a related technology area (e.g., degree in instrumentation engineering technology). Related technology areas include instrumentation, measurement and control, electrical, electronics, or mechanical technologies. Computer programming courses related to practical engineering applications qualify.
- Successfully completed 16 semester course hours or 24 quarter hours from an educational institution within the automation and controls field and/or related areas. Courses in basic science, mathematics, social science, humanities, and communications do not count toward the eligibility requirements.
- Two years of work experience in a related technology area and the minimum education of a high school diploma.
- Successfully complete the ISA CST Associate Certificate Exam Review Course (TS08M). The exam fee is included with the purchase of the course.
Exam Review Course
The ISA CST Associate Certificate Exam Review Course (TS08M) is designed to help you prepare for the exam, no matter your level of prior knowledge and experience. If you meet one of the education or work experience requirements listed above (1–3), this course is optional, but can be beneficial by providing extra confidence and assurance as you go into the exam.The course teaches skills such as how to:
- Describe and apply the fundamentals of temperature, flow, level, and pressure instrumentation
- Interpret basic P&IDs and define calibration principles
- Demonstrate appropriate loop checking techniques and start-up of control systems
- Exam specifications by domain
The Exam
The CST Associate certificate exam focuses on the technical knowledge typically covered in a technician training program. You will find the distribution of exam questions in the table below.
Note: The CST Associate certificate exam is a closed book exam.
| CST Associate Specifications by Domain | % of Test |
|---|---|
| I. Calibration | 31% |
| II. Loop Checking | 21% |
| III. Troubleshooting | 32% |
| IV. Start-Up | 16% |
| Total | 100% |