Which NWSA certification do you actually need?
Five certifications, one ladder. Here is what each one is for, what it requires, and what the exam looks like — from the current NWSA Candidate Handbook (REV 10/25) and from the way crews actually use the cards.
The ladder
| Certification | Who it is for | Requires | Exam |
|---|---|---|---|
| TTT-1 | Entry-level tower technician: climbs, rigs and installs under direction | Nothing — this is the entry ticket | 85 questions · 90 min |
| TTT-2 | Experienced technician who can supervise TTT-1s and trainees, sign off rigging plans, run a climb | Active TTT-1 | 100 questions · 2 hours |
| A&L Specialty | Antenna and line work: mounts, azimuth and tilt, transmission lines, weatherproofing, grounding, sweeps | Active TTT-2 | 70 questions · 2 hours |
| ARC Specialty | Advanced rigging: rigging plans, gin poles, load calculations, condition assessment | Active TTT-2 | 95 questions · 150 min |
| Foreman | Crew leadership: EHS, quality, productivity, documentation, stop-work authority | Active TTT-2 | 70 questions · 90 min |
Start here: what stage are you at?
You are new, or you have climbed but hold no NWSA card
TTT-1. There is no way around it — every other certification requires it, directly or through TTT-2. The exam is 85 questions in 90 minutes, and the two biggest domains are fall protection (about 30%) and appurtenance installation (about 20%). If you have field time, the material will be familiar; what fails experienced climbers is the standards language — A10.48 classifications, TIA-222 terms, the exact rescue and inspection rules — not the work itself.
You hold TTT-1 and you are being asked to run climbs or crews
TTT-2. This is the card that lets you supervise TTT-1 technicians and trainees, and most contractors will not put a technician in charge of a climb without it. The exam is 100 questions over two hours and it is written from the supervisor's seat: fall protection and rigging together are over half of it. Study it as "would I sign this off?", not "do I know what this is?".
You hold TTT-2 and want the next card
This is where people buy the wrong exam. The three specialties are not a sequence; they are different jobs.
- A&L if your days are antennas, mounts, lines, sweeps and grounding — line and antenna crews, carrier upgrade work. About 57% of the exam is appurtenances and antenna systems.
- ARC if you rig — gin poles, heavy lifts, rigging plans, load calculations. 43% of the exam is executing the plan, and it expects the arithmetic.
- Foreman if you run the crew. 45% of the exam is leadership; the rest is EHS, rigging and quality. It is the card safety managers look for when they need someone accountable on site.
Nothing stops you holding all three. The Career Pack exists because a lot of technicians end up doing exactly that over a few years.
Things that surprise people
- There is no practical exam any more. Everything is written and remotely proctored. Hands-on skill still matters on site; it is not what the exam measures.
- Every exam is $274, and a retest is another $274. There is no cheaper second attempt.
- Certifications last five years. Recertify in the 12 months before expiry; there is no grace period. Foreman and A&L certificants maintain their lower-level cards by passing only the current Foreman or A&L exam.
- Passing scores are not published. NWSA sets them by a standard-setting process and reports pass or fail. Anyone quoting you "you need 75%" is guessing.
- Your ID must show your date of birth — a passport, government driver's licence, military ID or alien registration card — and it must be valid on exam day.
What to study for each
The domain weightings for all five exams are on our exam guide, and the fees and recertification rules are on what it costs. Our courses map one-to-one to the five certifications — TTT-1, TTT-2, A&L, ARC and Foreman — each built to the published weightings with a weighted practice exam.
Study to the weightings, not to rumours
Each of our five courses is built module-for-module on the domain weightings above, with a weighted practice exam and a weak-area report that tells you which domain to go back to. Single courses from $39; the Career Pack is all five for $179, and every course has a 7-day money-back guarantee.See the guides Try the free 8-question Gauntlet
Questions people ask
Can I take TTT-2 without TTT-1?
No. The NWSA Candidate Handbook requires an active TTT-1 certification to sit the TTT-2 exam.
What is the difference between A&L, ARC and Foreman?
All three require an active TTT-2 and are specialties, not a sequence. Antenna & Line covers antenna systems, appurtenances, transmission lines, grounding and hazards; Advanced Rigging Concepts covers rigging plans, onsite verification, condition assessment and executing lifts; Foreman is mostly leadership plus EHS, rigging and quality.
Which NWSA certification should a new tower climber get first?
TTT-1. It has no prerequisite and every other NWSA certification requires it directly or through TTT-2.
Do NWSA certifications expire?
Yes, after five years. Recertification must be completed in the 12 months before expiry with no grace period; a lapsed certification means taking the full exam again.
Source for every NWSA figure on this page: NWSA Candidate Handbook, CH REV 10/25. Exam fees, formats and rules change — the handbook is the authority, we are not. Not affiliated with or endorsed by NWSA.