A method of retrofitting a probe station having a head plate (12), so that the probe station (10) is adapted to mate with a predetermined probe card dish (16) and any tester (18) out of a set of testers. A depression is then machined into the head plate to create a head plate-tooling plate attachment region. Next, fastening and alignment items are provided and installed in this region. Further, a set of tooling plates (110) are provided, each having fastening and alignment items adapted to mate to the fastening and alignment items on the attachment regions and defining an aperture designed to engage the predetermined probe card dish. The user may then select a desired one of the tooling plates and mate and fasten the selected tooling plate to the head plate-tooling plate attachment region using the alignment and fastening items.