PHOENIX (AP) -- As early as next spring, thousands of high school students in Arizona will be required to sit for new state-run tests to prove they are ready to repair an engine, assist in a laboratory, or run an office and keep the books.

State officials hope to be ready to administer the tests to about 10,000 students in 30 vocational courses by spring 2009.

By 2011, the state will administer tests for all 72 vocational courses offered in the state's high schools.

Courses include fashion design, aircraft mechanics, and bioscience and engineering.

Students who pass the tests earn a new state credential to certify their competency.

Officials hope the tests will help ensure that students who finish a vocational course in Mesa master the same skills as students who complete the course in Flagstaff.

The number of students passing the exams and getting certified also will help state officials measure the effectiveness of each school's vocational programs.

"Parents are going to begin to see that technical training is valued and industry is behind it, and my son or daughter can walk out with this certificate that says, 'I'm a skilled pharmaceutical technician,'" said Cliff Migal, a vocational-education consultant helping to create the testing and credential system.

Students who can't pass the test will not earn state certification in their field, but can still receive school credits toward graduation for the classes they attended.

Last year, Congress mandated that all states develop vocational exams and certify students who pass.

The federal mandate has a 2013 compliance date, and many states are just in the planning stages.

The new online tests in Arizona have 80 to 100 questions and are expected to grow into more complex testing, including using simulation to examine more practical skills.

Those creating the certification system haven't yet decided how often a student can retake the test.