ACT WorkKeys Applied Technology Free Practice Test

 

What Is the WorkKeys Applied Technology Test?

The ACT WorkKeys applied technology test assesses your understanding of basic technological principles and ability to solve problems in four technological areas – electricity, mechanics, fluid dynamics, and thermodynamics.

The test has 4 difficulty levels, ranging from 3 to 6. The levels build on each other, and each includes and relies on the skills assessed in the previous levels. For example, in level 6, you will need the skills used in levels 4 and 5.

You will have 34 questions to answer in 55 minutes in the computer administrated test or 45 minutes in the paper-and-pencil test.

The use of calculators or formula sheets is prohibited.

If you're looking for free practice, you can check our Free Workkeys Practice Test. 

note

WorkKeys Applied Technology Test – Level 3 Questions

In level 3 of the WorkKeys applied technology test, you will be presented with straightforward questions about one system that can include 2 to 5 components. You will need to demonstrate skills such as identifying how basic tools work and applying basic principles to solve problems.

View all level 3 skills
  • Identifying how basic tools work
  • Identifying how simple machine parts work
  • Applying basic principles to solve problems in a simple system
  • Solving basic problems
  • Identifying physical symptoms that indicate the source of a problem
  • Identifying the best solution for a problem

Let's see how it looks –

  • WorkKeys Applied Technology Test Level 3 – Practice Question #1

You are planning an electric system that monitors security in a small business. Each light bulb represents a different room (1- the living room, 2 – the kitchen, 3 – the bedroom).
If the electrical switch is turned on, which light bulbs will light up?

 

A.   no. 1
B.   no. 2
C.   no. 3
D.   Numbers 1 and 2
E.   All three
Correct Answer
Incorrect Answer

When switching the electrical switch on, the electrical circuit will be closed and bulb 3 will light up. Bulb 2 is dysfunctional so it cannot light up. Additionally, it breaks the electrical circuit, thereby blocking the electric current from reaching bulb 1. Consequenctly, bulb 1 will not light up either.

The correct answer is C

 

  • WorkKeys Applied Technology Test Level 3 – Practice Question #2

In the circuit below, how many bulbs would light up if switch I were closed and switch II was open?

A.   One
B.   Two
C.   Three
D.   Four
E.   None
Correct Answer
Incorrect Answer

If you close switch I and leave switch II open (see the red line in the drawing), you can see that bulbs c, b and a are still sitting on a closed circuit containing the battery.

The branch containing bulb d is disconnected from the circuit, causing zero current to flow through it, and thus this bulb does not light up. Without it, only three bulbs would light up.

The correct answer is C

WorkKeys Applied Technology Test – Level 4 Questions

In addition to the type of questions you answered in level 3, you will be presented with moderately complex questions that can include two or more systems that have up to ten components and one or two variables. You will need to demonstrate skills such as understanding moderately complex tools and diagnostic equipment operation and applying less obvious principles to solve problems.

View all level 4 skills
  • Identifying how basic tools work
  • Identifying how simple machine parts work
  • Applying basic principles to solve problems in a simple system
  • Solving basic to moderated problems
  • Identifying physical symptoms that indicate the source of a problem
  • Identifying the best solution for a problem
  • Understanding the function of moderately complex tools and diagnostic equipment
  • Understanding the operation of moderately complex systems and machines
  • Applying less obvious principles to solve problems
  • Eliminating physical symptoms that don’t indicate the source of a problem

Let's check it out –

  • WorkKeys Applied Technology Test Level 4 – Practice Question #1

Two systems of tanks and pumps are shown in the diagram below. In which system, will container V begin to fill up first?

 

A.   System A
B.   The time will be identical
C.   System B
D.   Can't tell
E.   Depends on the volume
Correct Answer
Incorrect Answer

You can see that the two systems are virtually identical, with the exception of the position of the pump in the smaller tank.

In the first system, the pump suctions from the bottom of the tank, whereas in the second system, the pump suctions from the middle of the tank; In practical terms, in the first system (A), the pump will start suctioning right away whilst in the second system (B), the smaller tank will have to be at least half full in order for the pump to start suctioning.

Therefore, container V will begin to fill in system A before it does in system B.

The correct answer is A

 

  • WorkKeys Applied Technology Test Level 4 – Practice Question #2

 

You want to take a shower, but only hot water comes out. Checking the different taps, you notice that the cold taps are non-responsive, while all the hot taps are working as they should. What is the problem?

A.   The cold water supply is not constant or interrupted
B.   The water pump is malfunctioning
C.   The water heater thermostat is broken, resulting in the water constantly being heated
D.   There is blockage after the second junction
E.   The electric immersion heater is malfunctioning
Correct Answer
Incorrect Answer

All the other answers cannot explain the situation: answers (A) and (B) would produce no water whatsoever, while answer (C) would produce cold water.

The correct answer is D

WorkKeys Applied Technology Test – Level 5 Questions

In addition to the type of questions you answered in levels 3 and 4, you will be presented with advanced questions with extraneous information that can include several systems that affect each other as well as systems with two or three variables. You will need to demonstrate skills such as choosing the best tools to fix a problem and applying two or more interacting principles on moderately complex systems.

View all level 5 skills
  • Identifying how basic tools work
  • Identifying how simple machine parts work
  • Applying basic principles to solve problems in a simple system
  • Solving basic to advanced problems
  • Identifying physical symptoms that indicate the source of a problem
  • Identifying the best solution for a problem
  • Understanding the function of moderate to complex tools and diagnostic equipment
  • Understanding the operation of moderate to complex systems and machines
  • Applying less obvious principles to solve problems
  • Eliminating physical symptoms that don’t indicate the source of a problem
  • Identifying clues to find the source of a problem

Let's view practice questions –

  • WorkKeys Applied Technology Test Level 5 – Practice Question #1

A stone is falling straight down. You film it with your phone, keeping a static frame and making sure no details about the surroundings are given away in the video.
Later, you show it to two groups of people — one group sees the original video (group 1) and the other sees it played in reverse (group 2).

In which way, will each group of viewers see the acceleration pointing?

A.   Both groups will see the acceleration pointing downwards
B.  Both groups will see the acceleration pointing upwards
C.   Group 1 will see the acceleration pointing downwards, while group 2 will see it pointing upwards
D.   There is no acceleration; the stone is in free fall
E.   Group 2 will see the acceleration pointing downwards, while group 1 will see it pointing upwards
Correct Answer
Incorrect Answer

As is visible in the drawing, the ball is accelerating downwards. (The distance crossed in the first second is smaller than the distance in the second.) Playing the video in reverse will show the ball falling up, albeit slower with each passing second. Therefore, the acceleration is always pointing downwards.

Answer (B) is wrong. The idea behind this is that both groups will see the same change in velocity between each second. In each sketch, there is a different speed to be seen, so acceleration is present. Group one will see the stone falling down with greater and greater speed (acceleration downward), while group 2 will see the stone falling up, but slower and slower (still, acceleration downward).

Answer (C) is misleading as you might mistake speed for acceleration. The same goes for answer (E).

Answer (D) may confuse those who do not properly understand free fall and acceleration. By definition, a free-falling object is accelerating toward the center of the Earth.

The correct answer is A

 

  • WorkKeys Applied Technology Test Level 5 – Practice Question #2

Before you are two globes filled with conducting material. You know that, together, both contain a positive electrical charge of 2q. Another globe of material is then placed near the first two. The new globe has a positive charge of q. You go about measuring one of the original globes and find that it now carries a negative charge of -q. What charge will the other globe have now?


A.   The globe will have a charge of -q
B.  The globe will have a charge of 2q
C.  The globe will have a charge of 3q
D.  The globe will have a charge of q
E.  The globe will have a charge of -2q
Correct Answer
Incorrect Answer

Electric charges cannot be created, only transported, so the total amount of charge in a system must remain constant. Because the new globe is not touching the two original globes, there is no charge being transported. Originally the two globes had a charge of 2q. Therefore, the unmeasured globe must have a charge of 3q.

The correct answer is C

WorkKeys Applied Technology Test – Level 6 Questions

In addition to the type of questions you answered in levels 3 to 5, you will be presented with questions that can include complex systems and tools and the usage of technical terms and their meaning as is implicit from the context. You will need to demonstrate skills such as testing possible hypotheses to ensure the best solution to a problem.

View all level 6 skills
  • identifying how basic tools work
  • Identifying how simple machine parts work
  • Applying basic principles to solve problems in a simple system
  • Solving basic to advanced problems that can include electrical, mechanical, thermal, or fluid faults
  • Identifying physical symptoms that indicate the source of a problem
  • Identifying the best solution for a problem
  • Understanding the functions of moderate to complex tools and diagnostic equipment
  • Understanding the operation of moderate to complex systems and machines
  • Applying less obvious principles to solve problems
  • Eliminating physical symptoms that don’t indicate the source of a problem
  • Identifying clues to find the source of a problem

Let's have a look at some examples–

  • WorkKeys Applied Technology Test Level 6 – Practice Question #1

Below are the schematics of your home coffee machine:

As you go about making your coffee, you notice that the steamer is giving out a stronger-than-usual jet of steam. In addition, the coffee is very hot, almost boiling, and the coffee has a bitter, burnt taste.
You have checked the water tank to see that it is full, and there seems to be no other external problem (electricity, water blockage, etc.).

Where should you look for the problem?

A.   The heating element
B.   The heat exchanger
C.   The pump
D.   The pressurestat
E.   The brew water pipe
Correct Answer
Incorrect Answer

The pressurestat is the only element that can explain all the problems you have experienced. If the pressurestat was damaged, the heating would not stop upon reaching a certain pressure, thus causing a higher pressure (strength) steam jet. In addition, the high pressure/temperature of the water/steam that would be the result of a malfunctioning pressurestat could, in turn, "burn" the coffee.

Answer (A) is incorrect because if the heating element were damaged, there would be no hot water and no steam.

Answer (B) is incorrect because if the heat exchanger were damaged, the coffee would either be cold or too hot, but it would not affect the steam.

Answer (C) is incorrect because if the pump were damaged, there would be no steam or water.

Answer (E) is wrong because it is just a pipe. It has no effect on the steam or temperature of the water.

The correct answer is D

 

  • WorkKeys Applied Technology Test Level 6 – Practice Question #2

You arrive at a laboratory and are presented with the following experiment:

A ray of light is shot through a half-transparent mirror set at 45 degrees to the flight direction of the light. The reflected beam then passes through a cogwheel with very fine teeth, rotating at an adjustable speed. The light can only pass through the gaps between the teeth. Some of the light then continues along a very long, straight tunnel to be reflected from a perpendicular mirror at the end of the tunnel. On its way back, the light must pass again through the teeth of the cog wheel. After this second passage, the light must pass through the half-transparent mirror again to be registered by a detector. The experiment requires that you measure the rotational speed of the cog wheel and correlate it to the light pulses reaching the detector.

By running the experiment, you can:

A.   Measure the accuracy of the placement of the mirrors
B.   Measure the speed of light
C.   Measure if (and by how much) the tunnel deviates from a straight line
D.   Measure the strength of your light source
E.   Measure the ratio of light reflected and light transversed by mirror s1
Correct Answer
Incorrect Answer

By measuring the rotational speed of the cog wheel and knowing the distance of the tunnel, one can deduce the speed of light, as the light must pass through the holes between the cog wheel's teeth
The reader must be able to interpret all the information given and understand the logic that will allow them to deduce the speed of light.

S1 and S2 are just mirrors, where S1 is built to reflect some of the light and to let some of it pass.

The experiment is built in in the following way:

The cogwheel is placed in such a way that it can completely block the light source with its teeth, or it can allow some of the light through between its teeth. The light pulse then travels along the tunnel and back, and can only pass through the cogwheel if its teeth are out of the way, where it is then detected by the detector. In short, you start spinning the cogwheel until there is nothing on the detector, and then start to spin it faster or slower, until you get a blip on the detector. If you know the speed at which the cogwheel is spinning, the size of its teeth, and the distance that the light must cross, you can pack it all together in a formula to get the speed of light. After all, speed is nothing more than distance divided by time.

If the distance between mirrors is h, the time between the first and second reflections on the rotating mirror is 2h/c (c = speed of light). If the mirror rotates at a known constant angular rate ω, it changes angle during the light roundtrip by an amount θ given by:

θ = 2 h ω/ c = ω t

The speed of light is calculated from the observed angle θ, known angular speed ω and measured distance h as:

c = 2 ω h /θ

The correct answer is B

note

Think you got it? Check out our full WorkKeys practice test

----

JobTestPrep's WorkKeys assessment test PrepPack guides you through all the difficulty levels of the applied technology test, honing the specific required skills from levels 3 to 6.

Learn more about JobTestPrep's WorkKeys assessment test PrePack

 WorkKeys Workplace Documents Test Solving and Preparation Tips

note

Answer all the questions
The WorkKeys applied technology Test score is based on the number of correct answers, and there is no penalty for wrong answers. So, ensure you answered all the questions; it is better to guess than leave them unanswered.

note

Refresh your vocabulary
During the test, you will encounter many technical terms; some are common, while others are rare. Make sure you know the jargon and basic technological processes so you can focus on the questions without unnecessary obstacles.

noteUse your reasoning
The WorkKeys applied technology test is focused on your reasoning rather than your numerical skills. You will not be required to perform mathematical calculations but rather demonstrate your understanding of tools, systems, and procedures and how they integrate.
note

Break it down
To evaluate the question, you can break it down into segments. This will simplify the system and the technological process you need to address. 

JobTestPrep's WorkKeys assessment test PrepPack will familiarize you with the test’s format and questions with accurate simulations tailored for each of the difficulty levels of the WorkKeys applied technology test.

Or read more about our ACT WorkKeys Preparation Pack

WorkKeys® is a registered trademark belonging to ACT, Inc. ACT, Inc. is not involved with or affiliated with JobTestPrep, nor does ACT, Inc. endorse or sponsor any of the products or services offered by Job Test Prep.
;
Not what you were looking for?
Contact Us Today
?