Pick the exam before you pick the study material
Preparation looks different depending on the credential. Rigger Level I candidates mostly need to recognize hardware, choose and inspect slings, understand hitches and follow a plan someone else has written. Rigger Level II candidates must also estimate load weight, locate the center of gravity and work out sling tension on their own. Crane operator candidates meet rigging questions too, though as a smaller slice of their exams.
Decide which credential you are going for, download the certifying body's current handbook and content outline, and use that outline as your syllabus. Our comparison of rigging credentials explains the main options if you have not chosen yet.
Stage 1: Learn the hardware by sight
Before doing any calculations, you should be able to look at a piece of gear and name it, state what it is for, and spot the defects that would take it out of service.
Build a personal reference of:
- Slings: wire rope, alloy chain, synthetic web and round slings. Learn what their identification tags must show and the common removal criteria (broken wires, kinks, heat damage, cuts, missing tags).
- Hardware: screw-pin and bolt-type shackles, hooks with latches, eyebolts, swivels, turnbuckles, spreader and lifting beams.
- Standards: ASME B30.9 covers slings and ASME B30.26 covers rigging hardware. You do not need to memorize them, but know what each governs.
A good drill: photograph gear in your shop or yard, then quiz yourself on identification and inspection points.
Stage 2: Master the core calculations
Rigging math is not hard, but it must be reliable. Practice each of these until you can do it without notes.
Load weight
Find volume, then multiply by unit weight. Widely used reference values include roughly 490 pounds per cubic foot for steel and about 150 pounds per cubic foot for concrete. For hollow shapes, subtract the inside volume. Always add the weight of rigging and below-the-hook devices.
Center of gravity
For a uniform object, the center of gravity sits at its geometric center. For irregular loads, treat the object as simple pieces, find each piece's weight and position, and calculate the balance point. Exams like questions where the hook is not over the center of gravity, so be ready to explain what the load will do.
Sling angle and tension
As a sling leg flattens, the tension in it rises. For a symmetrical two-leg lift, each leg carries half the load multiplied by a load angle factor (1 divided by the sine of the angle measured from horizontal):
| Sling angle from horizontal | Load angle factor (approx.) |
|---|---|
| 90° | 1.000 |
| 60° | 1.155 |
| 45° | 1.414 |
| 30° | 2.000 |
At 30°, each leg sees tension equal to the full load. That is why many rigging standards and manufacturers caution against low sling angles.
Hitch capacity
The hitch changes a sling's working load limit. A choker hitch has a reduced rating compared with a vertical hitch, and a basket hitch can carry more when both legs are vertical, provided the load is controlled. The sling tag or the manufacturer's chart is your reference; learn to read it.
Stage 3: Practice with your hands
Written knowledge falls apart if you have never tied it to real gear. Before a practical exam:
- Rig and inspect several types of loads with a mentor watching.
- Practice attaching tag lines and keeping clear of pinch points.
- Rehearse the hand signals you will be expected to use. Our signal person certification overview is a handy review.
- Talk through each lift aloud: weight, center of gravity, hitch, angle, hardware, path and landing.
The practical exam is about safe, methodical work, not speed. Our practical test checklist helps you rehearse the routine.
Stage 4: Rehearse the written exam
Once the skills are in place, switch to exam-style practice:
- Work through questions by topic until you rarely miss.
- Move to mixed sets under a time limit.
- Keep a log of every miss, with the reason.
- Revisit the weakest topics, then take another mixed set.
Self-paced courses make this loop easier because you can return to a lesson the moment a question exposes a gap. Our Rigger Level 1 online course and Rigger Level 2 online course follow this structure.
If you are a crane operator, too
Crane candidates face rigging questions on their own exams, and mobile crane Core exams expect you to account for rigging weight in capacity calculations. If you plan to add a rigging credential, doing both in the same season can be efficient, since the math overlaps with mobile crane certification prep.
A worked example to test yourself
Try this before looking at the reasoning. A steel plate measures 8 feet by 4 feet by 1 inch thick. It will be lifted with a two-leg bridle, each leg at 60 degrees from horizontal.
- Volume: 8 ft x 4 ft x (1/12) ft = about 2.67 cubic feet.
- Weight: 2.67 x 490 = roughly 1,307 pounds, before rigging.
- Tension per leg: half the load is about 654 pounds; multiplied by the 60-degree factor of 1.155, each leg sees roughly 755 pounds.
- Selection: each sling, and each shackle, must be rated for at least that tension in the hitch used, with the rigging weight added to the crane's load.
If you can do that quickly and explain every step, you are on track. If any step felt shaky, that is where your next study session should go.
Common preparation mistakes
- Memorizing answers instead of methods. Exam numbers change; methods do not.
- Forgetting rigging weight. Spreader bars and blocks are part of the load.
- Guessing at angles. Learn to estimate angles from sling length and spread.
- Skipping inspection details. Removal criteria show up on both the written and practical exams.
After you pass
Rigging certifications from NCCCO last five years. Keep a record of your rigging work and refresh your math every so often, because it fades faster than hardware knowledge. Many riggers go on to signal person or lift director credentials once they are comfortable leading lifts.