You would THINK that the more ASE Certs a person has, the more they would make or the more the company would appreciate them. In the automotive world thats not the case (In my 4 shops, 8 years experience). I was suppose to be reimbursed for my tests and never was. The last 2 I took were over $100. When I realized that being certified gains me NOTHING except a piece of paper, I told myself I would not be renewing my certs.
Certs are not very hard at all. They sometimes have trick questions, but the reason most people stopped taking them, is its not worth it. (Unless your company gives you a raise like cordell's)
I still think that any ASE tech should make a significant more amount a money over a mechanic that is not certified. In Cordells case he did get a raise. In my past shops ASE techs do not get a raise. And everyone that I have worked with (even the older guys) gave up on ASE and let them expire.
At toyota you did not have to be ASE certified, you had to be Toyota certified to do recalls / warranty jobs.