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Calibration laboratory technician vs test technician

The differences between calibration laboratory technicians and test technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a calibration laboratory technician and a test technician. Additionally, a test technician has an average salary of $43,171, which is higher than the $36,454 average annual salary of a calibration laboratory technician.

The top three skills for a calibration laboratory technician include calibration procedures, RF and calipers. The most important skills for a test technician are test procedures, test results, and hand tools.

Calibration laboratory technician vs test technician overview

Calibration Laboratory TechnicianTest Technician
Yearly salary$36,454$43,171
Hourly rate$17.53$20.76
Growth rate--
Number of jobs45,78371,414
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 54%Associate Degree, 45%
Average age5050
Years of experience1212

Calibration laboratory technician vs test technician salary

Calibration laboratory technicians and test technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Calibration Laboratory TechnicianTest Technician
Average salary$36,454$43,171
Salary rangeBetween $24,000 And $53,000Between $30,000 And $61,000
Highest paying City-Washington, DC
Highest paying state-Hawaii
Best paying company-Nokia
Best paying industry-Technology

Differences between calibration laboratory technician and test technician education

There are a few differences between a calibration laboratory technician and a test technician in terms of educational background:

Calibration Laboratory TechnicianTest Technician
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 54%Associate Degree, 45%
Most common majorElectrical EngineeringElectrical Engineering
Most common collegeNortheastern UniversityNortheastern University

Calibration laboratory technician vs test technician demographics

Here are the differences between calibration laboratory technicians' and test technicians' demographics:

Calibration Laboratory TechnicianTest Technician
Average age5050
Gender ratioMale, 82.6% Female, 17.4%Male, 83.6% Female, 16.4%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 8.0% White, 70.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 8.0% White, 70.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage8%8%

Differences between calibration laboratory technician and test technician duties and responsibilities

Calibration laboratory technician example responsibilities.

  • Lead aerobic, anaerobic and UV light testing, chemical residue testing and centrifuge to separate chemicals from water.
  • Instruct and advise in any matter concerning electronic or physical dimensional item use, repair and metrology.
  • Calibrate and repair hand tools by NIST standards.
  • Measure parts to within specifications, using micrometers and other precision instruments.
  • Execute and analyze tests in areas including chemistry, hematology and urinalysis to aid physicians in diagnosing and treating disease.
  • Perform routine specimen processing, analysis and resulting of hematology, microbiology, chemistry, urinalysis, serology and blood samples.

Test technician example responsibilities.

  • Install and manage windows applications for the user, maintain servers and manage help desk operations.
  • Manage and distribute cad standards to contributing design consultants and assist with any design issues as necessary.
  • Perform in-circuit emulation and boundary scan testing (JTAG).
  • Perform extensive testing on CVD, PVD, display and solar tooling.
  • Configure bios to better suit the operating system, motherboard and CPU's needs and requirements.
  • Use of micrometers, calipers, torque wrenches, rivet and crimping tools, electrical test equipment, drill presses.
  • Show more

Calibration laboratory technician vs test technician skills

Common calibration laboratory technician skills
  • Calibration Procedures, 12%
  • RF, 10%
  • Calipers, 8%
  • Metrology, 8%
  • Laboratory Equipment, 7%
  • Micrometers, 7%
Common test technician skills
  • Test Procedures, 8%
  • Test Results, 8%
  • Hand Tools, 7%
  • Test Data, 5%
  • RF, 5%
  • Engineering Drawings, 4%

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