NCCCO specialty written exam prep: LAT, TLL, TSS

You also need the Core written exam for any of these three, so plan both. This article covers the specialty side. For a full side-by-side with Service Truck Cranes (STC), see the specialty written exams comparison.

What the specialty exam looks like

From the candidate handbook (cover revision 01/25):

	Specialty (LAT, TLL, TSS)
Questions	28
Time	60 minutes
Calculator	Permitted
Site	about 23%
Operations	about 23%
Technical Knowledge	about 19%
Load Charts	about 35%

Each specialty only asks about cranes in its own area, so a TLL candidate does not get lattice boom questions. One caution: older CCO documents list 26 questions, so confirm the count with CCO before your test date. Either way you get a little over two minutes per question, which is roughly double Core's pace.

Why the calculator changes how you study

With a calculator allowed, arithmetic is no longer the bottleneck. Chart reading is. About 10 of the 28 questions are chart work, so one weak habit shows up several times. The usual losses are the wrong radius row, a missed deduction the notes require, and using gross capacity where the question wants net.

Do the steps by hand first, then check with a calculator. That way you notice an unreasonable answer before you trust it. A worked example with invented numbers:

An invented chart lists 26,400 lb gross at your radius and boom length. The notes require deducting the hook block (700 lb), a stowed jib (1,350 lb) and rigging (250 lb). Deductions: 700 + 1,350 + 250 = 2,300 lb. Net capacity: 26,400 − 2,300 = 24,100 lb. A 22,000 lb load uses about 91% of that. If your answer comes out near 26,000, you forgot the deductions, and that is exactly what a quick sanity check catches.

Chart parts to know for specialties

The specialty chart domain asks you to know the parts of a load chart: notes, specifications, range diagram, work area diagram, boom and jib erection charts and rated capacity charts. It also asks you to find maximum radius, gross capacity and net capacity for a configuration, and to tell maximum line pull from the safe working load of the running ropes.

Since January 2023, the specialty exams use a generic load chart rather than a chart from one manufacturer, according to CCO's notice. So practice on several unfamiliar charts, where the notes and deductions sit in different places, instead of getting used to one maker's layout. Be careful with practice material written before 2023.

Good drills here:

• Find the maximum radius at which a given load is still within net capacity.
• Compare two configurations and say which one allows more.
• Explain a chart note in your own words before you use it.

The load chart practice tool runs these on invented telescopic and lattice charts. It is not built from manufacturer or exam charts.

The machine topics that fill the rest

Outside the charts, the specialty outline covers boom assembly and disassembly, outriggers and stabilizers, crawlers, pick and carry, limiting devices, boom stops, two-blocking and standing rope inspection. Study these by crane type:

• Lattice (LAT): boom sections and pendants, assembly, crawler and ground bearing, jib erection.
• Telescopic (TLL and TSS): outrigger setup, boom extension and retraction, telescoping sequence and boom angle limits.

Both types share the two-blocking and limiting devices topics. For the ground side, read crane ground conditions, outriggers and mats.

A short plan for the specialty

If you already hold or are about to sit Core, three weeks of short sessions is a reasonable shape (a plan, not a promise of a result):

1. Week 1: chart parts and the five-step lookup on telescopic or lattice charts, whichever matches your crane.
2. Week 2: machine topics for your crane type, then deductions and net capacity under a calculator.
3. Week 3: timed sets of about 28 items in 60 minutes, then redo every miss.

Fees from the NCCCO schedule: $140 for Core and $80 per written specialty. Retakes of the same written exam wait four weeks unless an alternate form is available, and the 12-month window starts when you pass your first exam. Details are in written test cost and retakes.

Next step

The free 10-question check at /nccco-written is scored by Core domain, so it shows exactly which Core topics to fix first. It does not test the specialty outline, so use it for the Core half of your plan and the load chart practice tool for the specialty half.

FAQ

Do I need Core to take a specialty exam?

For LAT, TLL and TSS, yes: certification needs the Core written exam plus one written specialty per crane type. Service Truck Cranes (STC) has its own written exam and no Core.

Can I use a calculator on the specialty written exam?

Yes. The handbook permits one on LAT, TLL and TSS. STC does not allow one.

Is there a separate practice bank for each specialty?

Specialty practice follows the shared specialty outline, with invented lattice and telescopic charts. There is no separate bank for each one on this site.

Which specialty should I take?

The one that matches the crane you run. TLL covers cranes where the operator station rotates with the upper works, and TSS covers cranes with a fixed operator station. Lattice booms are LAT.