EEI CAST Practice Test for Lineworkers and Skilled Trades [2026]
The EEI CAST Test (Construction and Skilled Trades Selection System) is a pre-employment assessment used by utility companies to hire lineworkers, electricians, substation technicians, and T&D professionals. The test consists of 110 questions across four sections - Graphic Arithmetic, Mechanical Concepts, Mathematical Usage, and Reading Comprehension - and takes approximately 90 minutes to complete.
- The CAST is scored on an index of 1-10 - the score reflects your predicted probability of success on the job, not a simple pass/fail. Each utility sets its own minimum threshold.
- The hardest section for time pressure is Mathematical Usage - 18 questions in just 7 minutes, meaning under 25 seconds per question.
- There is no penalty for wrong answers - every unanswered question is a missed opportunity.
Here you’ll find free practice questions taken from the EEI CAST Test, which evaluate the knowledge expected.
Looking for a more dedicated breakdown of the EEI exams? Visit the following pages:
Graphic Arithmetic
In the Graphic Arithmetic CAST Test, you'll be given a diagram with various measurements. Your task is to determine and fill in the missing measurements using the information in the questions.
Let's look at a few examples, taken from our online CAST Prep Course:
Use the diagram below to answer the following 4 questions.
What is the total length (A) of the Foundation?
Answer:
The correct answer is D.
The simplest way to calculate the length (A) of the Foundation – is to sum the length of the Crown Block, and the two lengths from the edges of the Crown Block to the corresponding edges of the Foundation:
What is the total length (C) of the Platform?
Answer:
The correct answer is C.
The simplest way to calculate the length (C) of the Platform – is to sum the length of the Crown Block, and the length from the right edge of the Crown Block to the corresponding edge of the Foundation, and then subtract the length from the right edge of the Platform to the corresponding edge of the Foundation:
118' + 45' – 27' = 136'
What is the total height (D) of the Catwalk?
Answer:
The correct answer is A.
To calculate the height of the Catwalk – we will use the answer from question 2 (height B).
Calculate the sum of the height between the edges of the Catwalk and the corresponding top edges of the Foundation and the Crown Block. Subtract the sum from the total height between the top edges of the Foundation and the Crown Block:
226' + 54' = 280'
294' – 280' = 14'
What is the height (B) from the top of the Foundation to the bottom of the Catwalk?
Answer:
The correct answer is B.
The simplest way to calculate the height (A) from the top of the Foundation to the bottom of the Catwalk – is to sum the height of the Platform, and the two heights from the edges of the Platform to the corresponding edges of the Foundation and the Catwalk:
142' + 31' + 53' = 226'
Graphic Arithmetic Tips
- When answering these questions in the test – it is essential to work methodically, look for the fastest ways to calculate the required measurements, and make sure that there is no overlapping.
- It is recommended to write down the calculation and mark the answers to previous questions – as we will demonstrate how it can be useful for later questions in the test.
- It is important to keep this in mind, since the object in the drawing may appear from more than one viewpoint in the real exam.
- The drawing presented here represents a front view of the object, but in the real test, you may receive a top/bottom view as well, which makes the test far more challenging.
CAST Test Tip: Prioritize What You Know
Focus on answering questions you're confident about first. For the CAST exam, only the questions you answer correctly count toward your score. If unsure about a question, it's better to leave it blank than to guess, as unanswered questions don't negatively impact your score.
The next section of the test also includes mathematical skills – but this time instead of visual abilities you must be able to work with different measurements and conversions from a table. Let's continue!
Mathematical Usage
Quick Math Tip: When performing calculations (especially without a calculator), calculating the precise number may be challenging and time-consuming. If the answers are distinctly different, try to round the numbers to perform faster and easier calculations to reach an answer closest to one of the distractors.
Mechanical Concepts
The following questions are designed to test your intuition about fundamental mechanical concepts. They contain complex subjects broken down into simple answers. Understanding the subject in full can help you avoid common pitfalls.
Let's look at a few examples:
Observe the following electrical circuit
If the electrical switch is turned on, which light bulb will light up?
Two balloons are placed side by side. Balloon A is inflated fully, while Balloon B is only half-inflated.
Which balloon has more air pressure inside?
Closely observe this belt-and-pully system.
If the system is activated in the direction of the light-blue arrow, which way will the wheel on the left spin?
Below is an image of an accelerating train car with a pendulum hanging from the ceiling.
In which direction is the train car acceleraing?
CAST Test Tip: Practice Mechanical Concepts Daily
The Mechanical Concepts section assesses your understanding of fundamental mechanical principles. Regular practice with topics like levers, pulleys, and gears can significantly improve your performance. Utilize online CAST prep courses that offer targeted practice questions to strengthen these areas.
CAST Mechanical questions require a specific set of skills and knowledge. The final section, Reading for Comprehension, may look trivial but requires verbal, grammatical, and logical abilities. Let’s continue.
What Is the Best Way to Study for the EEI CAST Test?
Practicing with real-format CAST questions and building a solving strategy beforehand will significantly increase your chances of passing and securing the role.
What's included in the CAST PrepPack?
- Practice tests for every section - Graphic Arithmetic, Mechanical Concepts, Mathematical Usage, and Reading Comprehension
- 402 practice questions with in-depth solutions and strategies
- Instant access from any device
With JobTestPrep you will:
- Identify weak areas and focus your prep where it counts
- Practice under timed conditions designed to be more demanding than the real test - so exam day feels easier
- Walk into exam day confident, having already faced harder questions than you'll see on the actual CAST
Reading for Comprehension
The Reading Comprehension Test assesses your ability to understand verbal communication, make logical inferences, and focus on the main idea of a passage. It also tests your familiarity with core mechanical vocabulary and terminology. It is a critical part of the CAST Test.
Let's review some examples:
CAST Test Tip: Simulate Test Conditions
To build confidence and improve time management, take practice tests under timed conditions. This approach helps you get accustomed to the pace of the CAST exam and reduces anxiety on test day.
How Did You Do?
You just worked through questions covering Graphic Arithmetic, Mechanical Concepts, Mathematical Usage, and Reading Comprehension - the four sections of the real EEI CAST.
Some sections probably felt straightforward. Others may have exposed gaps you did not expect - a calculation that slowed you down, a mechanical principle you recognized but could not pin down under pressure.
The CAST is a timed screening assessment, and the utilities using it - including Duke Energy, Dominion, Entergy, and PSEG - use the results to make real hiring decisions. The questions you just saw are a small sample. The actual test is longer and moves faster.
If any section gave you pause, that pause is worth paying attention to. The candidates who pass are not necessarily the most experienced - they are the ones who prepared specifically for the CAST format and question style.
JobTestPrep's CAST PrepPack gives you 402 practice questions, full section simulations, and detailed answer explanations - so you walk into exam day knowing exactly what to expect.
The CAST Test - General Information
Understanding the CAST Exam
The CAST exam is a standardized assessment used by employers in the construction and skilled trades industries to evaluate candidates' aptitude. It consists of four sections: Graphic Arithmetic, Mathematical Usage, Mechanical Concepts, and Reading Comprehension. Each section is designed to assess specific skills relevant to skilled trade jobs.
The Importance of Practice Tests
Engaging with CAST practice tests is crucial for success. They familiarize you with the question formats and help identify areas where you need improvement. Many online CAST prep courses offer a variety of practice questions that mimic the actual exam, providing valuable feedback and boosting your readiness.
Tips for Effective Preparation
In addition to practicing, it's essential to understand the scoring system of the CAST exam. Each employer may set their own passing score, so it's beneficial to inquire about the required score for the specific position you're applying for. This knowledge allows you to tailor your study efforts effectively.
EEI CAST Test FAQ's
The CAST is considered one of the more demanding utility industry pre-employment tests, primarily because of its time pressure rather than raw complexity. The Mathematical Usage section gives you under 25 seconds per question, and the Mechanical Concepts section runs 44 questions in 20 minutes. The content itself - arithmetic, basic mechanics, reading comprehension - is not advanced, but performing accurately at speed is what separates passing candidates from failing ones. Scoring is competitive too: the index scale runs 1-10, and simply meeting a utility's minimum threshold is often not enough - employers typically favor higher scorers when multiple candidates qualify.
The Construction and Skilled Trades Selection System (CAST) test is designed to help select candidates for various roles including the lineworker position.
This test evaluates essential skills and abilities needed for this job, including math problem-solving using information from prints and drawings, understanding mechanical principles, and reading comprehension. Additionally, a physical assessment test is required as part of the hiring process.
The passing score for the CAST (Construction and Skilled Trades) exam can vary depending on the employer and the specific job requirements.
Each company or utility that administers the test may set its own passing threshold based on the needs of the positions they are hiring for. Generally, the CAST exam is scored on a scale, and the required score to pass might be adjusted to suit the level of skill and competence deemed necessary for different roles
The CAST is a paper-and-pencil exam, administered on-site by the hiring utility rather than at an independent testing center. Each section is timed separately, so you cannot carry spare time from one section to another. This matters for preparation: practicing on-screen or at your own pace does not replicate the real conditions. You should practice each section in isolation under its exact time limit, and get comfortable doing arithmetic by hand since calculators are not permitted.
Free PDFs - including the official EEI sample tests available through utility career pages - are useful for understanding the question format and structure. However, they are short, static, and do not simulate timed conditions or provide answer explanations. A PDF cannot tell you why you got a question wrong or where your time is going. For serious preparation, full-length timed simulations with detailed explanations are significantly more effective - which is the gap JobTestPrep's CAST PrepPack is built to fill.
Not Sure Which EEI Test You're Taking? Find the Right Prep
Customer reviews
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Based on 84 reviews
Very thorough practice for POSS operator selection test. A lot more information and study information than the free tests/courses online!
This practice program is harder than the actual test and helped identify where I was weak at. I passed the test and it was easy compared to these practices.
I had roughly two weeks to prep for the EEI SOPD II exam and have zero experience with the test, the actual job, or really anything related to this position. I’ve been with my current employer, a very large electric and natural gas utility for 9 years. I’ve been in my current professional field for 32 years and needed a change. I’m at a plateau in my career with nowhere to really advance or elevate myself to.
I feel that the prep tests were worth every dollar that I paid. (I did the longest subscription) I think that it mirrored the actually test very accurately, with one exception which I will mention later.
If you can do well with these practice tests, I can pretty much guarantee that you will do well on the actual exam. Since this is a standardized test normally graded on a curve because you are in competition with others, I think my assessment is fair.
Each section is timed, and I was allotted a total of three hours for the actual exam. I finished in an hour and ten minutes. Not a brag, this course really prepares you.
After the first two sections I was allowed a ten minute break, which I actually skipped because I felt that the exam was going so well that I didn’t want to break my momentum. The third section went equally as well.
The last and final section is where I feel like this practice test blindsides you a bit, because there’s nothing in the course material that was anything like the last test module.
Without giving too much away, in the final section you are required to manage four very different tasks simultaneously, and they are all timed. And when you answer or complete a task the timer immediately resets. I would compare it to a game of Super Whack-A-Mole. It’s extremely stressful, and it’s intentionally supposed to be.
I will share the strategy that I used. I managed the three easiest tasks to the very best of my ability, and I think I did very well on these three. The most difficult task? I won’t lie, it was difficult to focus on and after the first few rounds I was essentially guessing as I realistically had a 25% chance of being right. So I focused on the 75%, and did my best on the 25%.
There are two test sessions like this, five minutes each with a one minute break in between. Remember that ten minute break I skipped? I really wish it were available between these two test sessions. One minute wasn’t long enough as I feel that it was the most stressful part of the test.
So, overall I rated the test practice at five stars, but the content at four stars for the lack of prep on the final section, and five stars for the time framing and number of questions.
I got an email five hours after my test stating that I had passed with a “recommended” rating. You’re rated “not recommended”, “acceptable”, or “recommended”.
I start my dispatcher in training position this month. It’s a twelve month training program to get me up to speed. I’m starting on the ESO side with the first six months working with Substations, then six months on distribution working with transmissions and the trouble desk.
Good luck guys and girls! Buy this course if you want to elevate your career path.
Practice test was much more difficult, but it resulted in a perfect 10/10 on the actual test, so overall very satisfied.
I took my test and was recommended for the position. The test really is harder than the test I took which set me up for success. Let me know the flow of the test and how to prepare.
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