Water Heaters - WH button reset twice

Read some previous post. Likely my thermostat than the elements. My 3 questions are - Should I pull the elements out vs buying a ohm meter (??? is that correct?) to test the elements? Second, is their a way I can test my thermostat? Both thermostat were set at 140. I turned both down to 120 degree. Third, if I have to remove the elements, should I go ahead to replace the thermostats too? Thanks for any help.

replace the elements first they are cheaper

I am assuming you mean the thermostats are tripping (and having to press the reset). That is probably not an element. They trip normally because the water reaches a very high temperature (above the max setting on the thermostat), which happens when the thermostat does not switch off when it is supposed to. Of course, it could also be tripping because the reset is broken, but either way, it is a thermostat problem. If I read the question correctly, I think element replacement is a lot of extra work and wasted money. More details may change my mind.

Measuring the resistance on an element is easy, but be careful, make sure power is turned off to the unit!! To get a good measurement, turn off the power (open the breaker) for the water heater, verify no power to the unit with your voltmeter. Disconnect one wire from an element (so you do not read the resistance of the thermostat) and measure across the element terminals.

I am replacing both thermostats on my heater for the same reason, overheat tripping. I could try one at a time and see if it fixes it, but I figure I may as well do both. My only concern is I am not certain State water heaters use the generic thermostats available at the box stores. I guess I will find out tonight.

I would replace the thermostats LONG before I replaced the elements!!

A $10 ohmeter will tell you whether the elements are good or not. There's no reliable way to the 'stats.

My experience has been that the 'stats will go bad long before the elements do,