This article investigates the potential to streamline the double-edge-notched tension (DENT) test for asphalt binders by optimizing the number of replicates and ligament lengths required to reliably evaluate binder strain tolerance and resistance to fatigue cracking at intermediate temperatures. The standard DENT test requires two replicates at each of three ligament lengths: 5, 10, and 15 mm. This rigorous fracture mechanics–based analysis ensures reliable binder strain tolerance determination, independent of specimen size, beyond the linear viscoelastic (LVE) domain. Data from the Federal Highway Administration’s Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center of 78 binders were analyzed, and they represent various binder sources, formulations, and modifiers, including crumb rubber terminal-blend, terpolymer, styrene-butadiene-styrene, and high polymer modifiers. The crack tip opening displacement (CTOD) was calculated using all three ligament lengths and compared with a simplified version of the analysis using only two ligament lengths (5 and 15 mm), labeled as “CTOD2P,” and a further simplified index called the strain tolerance index (STI), which is based on a single ligament length (10 mm). All parameters were calculated with two sample sets to evaluate repeatability between replicates and the analysis parameters. Statistical analysis (F- and t-tests) showed that CTOD2P and corrected STI are generally statistically indistinguishable from full CTOD for most binders, supporting the feasibility of a reduced protocol for ranking binder cracking resistance beyond the LVE domain. The recommended procedure uses two replicates at a 10-mm ligament length to obtain STI and its coefficient of variation (COV), with a 5 % COV threshold above which a third specimen is advised, and the results further indicate that uncorrected STI can be used directly—without conversion to CTOD—as a practical, standalone index for routine specification, quality control, and binder.