QEI Certification

What the NAESA QEI Credential Actually Is

The Qualified Elevator Inspector (QEI) credential is issued and administered by NAESA International, the National Association of Elevator Safety Authorities. It is the certification that demonstrates an individual has been qualified to inspect elevators and related conveyances against the recognized safety codes. If you are new to the terminology, our explainers on what QEI certification is and what QEI stands for cover the basics; this article focuses on how the credential works in practice.

One clarification matters before anything else. The letters QEI are used by other, unrelated credentials in other industries. This article, and this entire site, concerns only the NAESA Qualified Elevator Inspector. If you are researching a different credential that happens to share the acronym, the fees, exam format, and renewal rules described here will not apply to it.

The credential is built around code knowledge rather than hands-on technique alone. The exam is a test of whether you can locate, interpret, and apply requirements from a defined library of safety codes and standards. That design shapes everything about preparation, and it is why so much of this article is about the reference library itself.

The Eligibility Gate Before You Can Test

Unlike many exams where you register, pay, and sit, the QEI process starts with an application. NAESA must approve your documented education and training, together with your elevator experience, against ASME QEI-1 and the application requirements before an exam can be scheduled. In other words, passing is only half the credential; being approved to sit is the other half.

Two points deserve emphasis:

• Documentation drives approval. Treat your work history and training records as evidence to be organized, not recollections to be summarized. Gather employer letters, training certificates, and descriptions of the equipment you have worked on well before you apply.
• The review course is not a shortcut. The optional four-day training course does not replace eligibility. Attending it will not substitute for the experience and education that NAESA evaluates.

The detailed eligibility routes are set out in NAESA's Inspector Applicant Handbook. At the time of this article's public source review (October 15, 2026), the current linked handbook, dated September 2024, could not be retrieved, so this article does not restate specific route details from older applications. Download the current handbook directly from NAESA before you plan your timeline. For a broader walkthrough of how candidates typically think about qualifying, see our guide to QEI requirements and eligibility.

Exam Format: Open Book, Online, Proctored

The QEI examination is delivered online under proctoring. The core facts, drawn from NAESA's course and certification materials, are:

Some details that trip up first-time candidates:

• The break. A 30-minute break is required. The course flyer does not clarify whether that break falls inside the 8-hour allowance, so confirm the interpretation with NAESA before exam day rather than assuming.
• Demographic questions. The six demographic questions are separate from the 160 code questions. They are not described as pilot or unscored items, so count your question total as 160 when pacing.
• Equipment. You supply an internet-connected laptop and install the required testing software. Other programs cannot run on the exam laptop, which means no digital notes, search tools, or reference apps on that machine.
• References. Hardcopy references are recommended. PDF references may be used, but only on a separate device from the exam laptop.
• Proctors. For independently arranged sittings, you need two approved proctors, and direct supervisors, friends, and family are excluded. NAESA course events supply proctors for you.

Two items that candidates often ask about cannot be answered from verified public sources: an official passing-score threshold and a cohort pass rate. Neither was found in the retrieved materials, so treat any specific figure you see quoted elsewhere with skepticism. Our pages on the QEI passing score and QEI pass rate discuss what is and is not known.

The Nine Reference Titles You Need to Own

NAESA publishes a required-codebook list for examinations taken after March 1, 2026. The nine titles below are the issuer-required references. Treat them as nine preparation topics, not as nine officially weighted exam domains. NAESA does not publish a percentage allocation, so there is no verified "highest-weight" topic to prioritize. For a deeper tour of each, see the complete guide to the QEI content areas.

Reference titles and editions were verified against NAESA's list, but access to the paid codebook contents was not claimed, so this article does not describe specific code sections. Also note that NAESA has separately announced reference changes effective March 2027; those are not applied to the 2026 scope described here. If you plan to test in 2027 or later, re-check the current list.

Fees, Retakes, and the Membership Question

The codebooks are a real part of your budget. Because the exam is open book and hardcopy references are recommended, plan to purchase the full set rather than relying on borrowed copies, and add that to the exam fee when you calculate your total outlay. Our QEI certification cost breakdown works through the complete picture.

Membership matters beyond the exam fee because it affects renewal pricing, discussed below. If you are weighing whether the investment pays off, see our analysis of whether the QEI certification is worth it.

The Four-Day Review Course Option

NAESA offers a QEI training course combined with the certification exam. The published example is a session in Hanover, Maryland, running November 9 to 13, 2026. The four-day training plus examination package is $1,295, compared with $500 for the exam alone.

Weigh the choice honestly:

• Case for the course: structured walkthrough of the codebooks, supplied proctors (no need to recruit two approved proctors yourself), and a defined exam date.
• Case for exam-only: lower cost, scheduling on your own terms, and suitability if you already work with these codes daily.

Remember that the course does not replace eligibility. You still need NAESA's approval of your education, training, and experience. For dates and scheduling mechanics, see our overview of QEI exam dates and deadlines, and for more on training formats, our page on QEI training.

Sequencing Your Preparation Around the Codebooks

Since the exam is open book and tests code navigation, preparation should be about building a usable reference system, not memorizing paragraphs. NAESA does not publish a practice examination, so use original, independently written practice questions rather than anything claiming to reproduce real exam items. You can try questions on the QEI practice test site and pair them with our QEI study guide.

One sensible way to sequence the nine reference titles over an eight-week window:

Because no official domain weighting exists, this order reflects dependency, not importance: later standards are easier once you know A17.1's structure. Keep your quick-reference notes in a form you can use at the exam: hardcopy, since the exam laptop cannot run other programs. For a condensed review aid, see the QEI cheat sheet.

Keeping the Credential: Annual Renewal

The QEI is not a one-time achievement. Renewal is annual and requires:

• 10 approved educational hours (1.0 CEU)
• Completion of the online Maintenance of Qualifications survey
• A renewal fee of $200 for members or $250 for nonmembers

Expiration falls on either June 30 or December 31. Track your own date and plan your continuing education early in the cycle so approved hours are not a last-minute scramble. The member versus nonmember fee gap is one reason the membership question above is worth resolving. Source for renewal rules: NAESA's recertification page at naesai.org/recertification.

Note for Canadian Candidates

NAESA's required-codebook list includes separately listed alternatives for Canadian candidates: B355-2019 (R2024), CAN/CSA-Z185:23, and CSA C22.1-2024. If you are testing under the Canadian list, work from those alternatives rather than the U.S.-oriented titles, and confirm your specific list with NAESA before purchasing books.

Who Hires Certified Elevator Inspectors

Qualified elevator inspectors are needed wherever elevators, escalators, lifts, and hoists are regulated and inspected. Typical employers include jurisdictional and municipal inspection authorities, third-party inspection and consulting firms, insurance and risk-management organizations, and building owners or facility operators with in-house conveyance oversight. We do not cite specific earnings here because public sources do not support a verified figure; our QEI salary guide and QEI jobs page discuss the market qualitatively. Candidates who want the plain-language definition of the role can start with what a QEI is.

Frequently Asked Questions