Shotcrete Nozzleman (Dry-Mix) Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling

Why There Is No Single National Exam Calendar

Candidates searching for 2026 exam dates for the ACI dry-mix credential often expect a fixed schedule: a spring window, a fall deadline, a registration cutoff. That is not how this credential works. The American Concrete Institute International (ACI) is the governing body and credential issuer, but it does not run one nationwide test calendar for shotcreters. Examinations are delivered through ACI-approved sponsoring groups and examiners, and each sponsor sets when and where sessions happen.

The practical consequence is that "exam dates" really means three separate questions: when a sponsor is offering a written exam, when a performance session is running near you, and how your own eligibility timeline lines up with both. This guide walks through each so you can build a realistic schedule instead of waiting for a date that will never be published in one place.

The Name Change and What You Are Actually Scheduling

Many people still search for the older "nozzleman" wording, and this site retains that legacy name. ACI's current official title for the credential is Shotcreter (Dry-Mix Process). Public ASA materials, including a 2025 magazine feature on the first female ACI-certified nozzleman, corroborate the nozzleman-to-shotcreter rename. If you are searching sponsor calendars, search for both terms, because listings may use either.

It also matters which credential you are booking:

• This article covers the full dry-mix credential, not wet-mix certification and not Shotcreter-in-Training.
• Wet-mix and dry-mix are separate processes, and experience hours are counted per process. If you work in both, the schedule for each is a separate project. For a side-by-side view, see our overview of Shotcrete Nozzleman (Dry-Mix) certification.
• Vertical placement is the baseline performance orientation. Overhead is an additional certification orientation, which affects both your required hours and your session time.

Two Exam Parts, One-Year Clock

The single most important date rule is the one-year window. The written examination and the two-part performance examination must be completed within one year. Treat that as your real "deadline." There is no published annual cutoff, but your own clock starts when you begin the sequence.

The written component

The written exam is closed-book, allows 60 to 90 questions, and gives you 90 minutes. You need 75% to pass. ASA's program page describes the items as multiple choice, while ACI's policy permits true/false or multiple-choice items, and no single exact question count is assigned within the 60 to 90 range. ASA also lists a Prometric option for the English written exam, which can offer more scheduling flexibility than waiting for an in-person session. The written exam is separate from the practical.

The performance component

The closed-book performance examination is where scheduling gets harder, because it requires a physical session with equipment, a test panel setup, an examiner and later coring. It has two parts:

• Part I: a workmanship checklist, with at least 75% required.
• Part II: evaluation of five cores. You fail if any core is graded above 3, or if more than two cores receive a grade of 3.

Because core evaluation follows placement, results are not always instant. If you are cutting it close to the one-year limit, build in margin for a retest session rather than assuming a single attempt will land cleanly. For a sense of how demanding the practical side is, read How Hard Is the Shotcrete Nozzleman (Dry-Mix) Exam? and the passing score breakdown.

Eligibility Checks Before You Book Anything

You cannot simply pick a date and show up. Eligibility is verified through documented experience, and getting that paperwork sorted is usually the real bottleneck. ACI imposes no specific education prerequisite, but it does impose hours.

Two points trip people up. First, the 500 hours are not all required to be direct hand-nozzling; only 200 of them are. Second, a trainee can later upgrade by adding 475 qualifying hours, but that upgrade only runs for the remainder of the original certification term. It does not restart the five-year clock. If you are weighing the two routes, see the full requirements guide for the detailed breakdown.

Sponsor Paths: ASA Sessions, Prometric and Other ACI-Approved Groups

The American Shotcrete Association (ASA) is a delivery sponsor, not the issuer. Its program page, together with its sponsored-certification policy and fee schedule, is the most visible public source of session information. Other ACI-approved sponsoring groups also exist, and the right choice depends on your region and employer.

ASA-specific scheduling rules

ASA requires its education/refresher training for initial certification and for recertification, subject to its stated retest and orientation-addition exceptions. This is an ASA sponsor requirement, separate from ACI's own education and experience rules. In practice, that means an ASA-routed candidate has to fit a training event into the calendar in addition to the exams, so ask early whether the training and testing are bundled into one session or separate.

Written exam logistics

Because the Prometric option applies only to the English written exam, it can decouple the written test from the physical session. The practical remains a separate event. Confirm with your sponsor which written-exam delivery options apply to you, since policies can differ by sponsor.

Questions to ask any sponsor before booking

1. What session dates are open, and what is the registration cutoff?
2. Is the education/refresher training required, and is it held the same week?
3. Are vertical and overhead orientations tested in the same session?
4. Who supplies equipment, materials, test panels and coring, and who pays?
5. What is the retest procedure if a core grades above the limit?

Fees and Timing: Budgeting by Component

ASA's currently linked fee file (December 2024) lists charges by component, with separate ASA-member and non-member rates, in USD. These are component charges, not an all-inclusive national candidate fee. Session, equipment, materials, coring and other applicable costs must be budgeted separately.

The timing implication: session setup and session-day charges are typically a crew or employer cost spread across candidates, so employers tend to schedule multiple workers into one session rather than sending people individually. If you are an individual candidate, ask whether you can join an existing session. For the full picture of what to expect, see our certification cost breakdown.

Renewal Timing: Five Years Goes Faster Than You Think

Certification lasts five years. Scheduling for renewal should begin well before the expiry date, because renewal has its own eligibility rules and sponsor paperwork.

Two renewal routes

• Re-examination: take the then-current written and performance examinations, and meet the applicable experience requirements.
• Structured interview plus performance: an eligible route requiring prior certification in the same process issued within six years and at least 500 work hours in the preceding two years, including 100 in each process and orientation sought.

The ACI versus ASA discrepancy

Here is a point that causes real confusion. ACI's interview-route threshold is 500 hours over the preceding two years. The ASA sponsored certification policy (effective April 2025) still states 1,000 hours for its renewal written-examination waiver. Do not treat these as identical. If you are testing through ASA, resolve which requirement applies to you before booking, because a mismatch could leave you needing to sit the written exam you thought you were exempt from, with no time left to schedule it.

The six-year window on prior certification means you cannot let a lapse run indefinitely and still use the streamlined route. If you have been working in the field consistently, our ROI analysis explains why many employers prefer to keep credentials continuous.

A Domain-Based Prep Calendar

The exam covers ten official knowledge areas. ACI does not publish percentage weights for them, so do not assume any domain is "worth more"; plan by when each topic is easiest to practice. Here is one way to sequence an eight-week lead-in before a written exam or session, tying the order to how the topics connect. Our domains guide expands each area.

For the written side, drill under timed conditions on our practice test so the 90-minute pacing feels familiar. For a broader method, the study guide covers how to turn weak domains into strengths.

Booking Checklist

Use this sequence to avoid the common failure modes: expired windows, missing hours and surprise costs.

1. Confirm the credential name. You are pursuing ACI Shotcreter (Dry-Mix Process), formerly called nozzleman.
2. Tally verified hours. 500 total for full certification, with the 100-per-process-and-orientation and 200 hand-nozzling minimums.
3. Pick a sponsor. ASA and other ACI-approved groups each publish their own sessions and policies.
4. Ask about training requirements. ASA requires education/refresher training for initial and recertification.
5. Match the written exam delivery. Prometric may be available for the English written test.
6. Budget by component. Itemize exam, session, setup, materials and coring costs separately.
7. Start the one-year clock deliberately. Plan the written exam and both performance parts to finish inside twelve months, with a buffer for a retest.
8. Set a renewal reminder. Count forward five years from your issue date, and note the ASA-versus-ACI hour discrepancy.

If you are still deciding whether this credential fits your path, start with what the certification is and browse dry-mix shotcrete jobs to see where employers want it.

Frequently Asked Questions