Pass Your 2020 IBEW Electrical Aptitude Test with Accurate Practice

What Is the Purpose of the Electrical Aptitude Test?

Becoming an electrical apprentice requires both skill and commitment. During your apprenticeship you will go through around 900 hours of classes and 8,000 hours of on-the-job training.

So, if you are to become an electrician apprentice (and eventually an electrician), the institutes and labor unions of electrical workers want to make sure you have the ABILITY TO LEARN the required skills.

As such, the Electrical Aptitude Test, conducted by the IBEW (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers) is designed to assess your learning and problem-solving abilities before you may start the apprenticeship program.

What Is the IBEW Aptitude Test?

The IBEW Electrical Apprenticeship Aptitude Test is a mandatory written test that contains 2 main topics:

• Basic Math (Trades Math)
  • Algebra (functions, equations, etc.)
  • Number series
• Reading comprehension

Equivalent Names of the IBEW Apprenticeship Aptitude Test:

All of the following titles refer to the IBEW Test:

• NJATC Aptitude Test / JATC Aptitude Test
• Electrical Aptitude Test
• Electrician Apprentice Test / Electrician Pre-Apprenticeship Test
• Electrical Training Alliance Aptitude Test

Who Needs to Take the IBEW Apprenticeship Aptitude Test?

If you want to take an apprenticeship path in the electrical industry, you will be required to pass the IBEW Aptitude test. These include:

• Inside wireman
• Outside wireman
• Residential wireman
• Installer technician / Sound and communication technician
• Etc.

Near the end of the page you can find more about each position.

Taking on the IBEW Apprenticeship Aptitude Test Challenge

When candidates for the IBEW apprenticeship program face an aptitude test, many of them get discouraged. It immediately takes them back to memories of blackouts, anxiety, and the feeling that their professional future rests on math and reading comprehension drills.

We get weekly emails from genuinely disheartened and frustrated candidates, who know they could be excellent electricians, if only they could get away with the aptitude test.

It doesn't have to be that way.

• Start with an IBEW diagnostic test to create a personalized study path for you.
• Practice hundreds of questions tailored specifically for the IBEW Aptitude Test.
• Complete your practice with 3 full-length simulations of the test.

Reduce your stress, improve your skill, and get that apprenticeship. We've got your back.

How Does the IBEW Apprenticeship Test Look Like?

The exact structure of the test may vary, but the general structure is the following:

Find some sample questions further down the page.

What Makes the IBEW Aptitude Test Challenging?

Compared to the things you’ll learn and deal with as an electrician, the IBEW Test isn’t that difficult in and of itself. And yet, it still gets to confuse and annoy so many good candidates.

So, what is it that makes this particular test such a challenge?

Over the past years we’ve connected with dozens of IBEW test-takers. Here are their top 3 answers:

Challenge #1 – Uncertainty

I assume you have already done some research about the test. You may have noticed that the IBEW and the NJATC disclose very little about it. Usually, all you get is that it is a “Basic Math and Reading Aptitude Test” or something similar.

This lack of information keeps most candidates confused about what, how, and when to learn.

Challenge #2 – Material

Not only is the IBEW Test’s material something you probably haven’t seen in years (when was the last time you solved a polynomial??) it also connects directly to where most people tasted failure for the first time – school.

Both math and reading comprehension immediately relate to what most people experienced as a challenge in school. These bad memories often get them discouraged before they even started.

Challenge #3 – Time

Like in many aptitude tests, the main difficulty of the IBEW Test is not the questions themselves, but the short time given to answer them. That requires you not only to learn how to solve, but how to solve FAST.

Now, let's have a look at some IBEW Test sample questions, then we'll talk about how you overcome each of these 3 difficulties.

IBEW Sample Questions & Explanations

How to Pass the IBEW Apprenticeship Aptitude Test?

To pass, tackle each of the three main challenges I’ve mentioned above: uncertainty, material, and time.

That’s how I recommend doing it:

Overcome the IBEW Test Uncertainty – Practice the Real Thing

What do you do when you are anxious about a certain task? You do it in advance. That is true for speaking in front of an audience, rock climbing, or aptitude testing. And the closer your practice is to the real task, the simpler it will eventually be.

The more you sweat in training, the less you bleed in battle.

I can tell you, understanding how the real IBEW Apprenticeship Aptitude Test looks like wasn’t easy. But, through meticulous data collection from dozens of candidates, we have been able to bring forth their experience to help YOU.

Overcome the IBEW Test Material – Customize Your Practice

To get professional in the IBEW Aptitude Test material, keep the 2 following guidelines in mind:

#1 – Customize Your Practice to the Test Level

No one expects you to be a math professor. To become an electrician, you need to show that you have the ability to learn and solve IBEW test-level questions.

Were you ever taught in school that: “It’s not the result that counts but the way you solved it?”

Forget about it. Here it’s ALL about the result. It’s all about technique. And that is what you should do.

#2 – Customize your practice to your level

Before you start, understand exactly where you stand on each and every test topic. That way you will get the most precise, personalized and effective preparation for your needs.

The thing is, most people don’t REALLY know their strengths and weaknesses. You may know you’re weak on math, but what math? Equations? Number series?

That level of detail may seem trivial, but it is crucial if you want your preparation to be effective, especially if you’re short on time.

Look into your skills thoroughly and sincerely, down to the subject level.

Overcome the IBEW Test Time – Practice in Depth

To be able to quickly recognize questions and maximize your solving speed, it is important to practice in depth – that is, to solve a high number of questions on the same topic, one after another.

That way you get more familiar with the material, better to memorize and quicker to recognize patterns you have already encountered.

The Electrician Apprenticeship Program

During the program, you will go through training both in classroom and on-the-job. The scope of training varies depending on field and location, but the general standard is:

• Classroom – Classes will include 575-1,000 hours.
• Field training – Between 8,000 to 10,000 hours.

There are four main fields of electrical apprenticeships:

Inside Wiremen

The majority of the inside wireman’s work deals with connecting customer’s electrical equipment to the inner power network.

Outside Wireman

An outside wireman’s training and work focus on transmission lines, distribution systems, and connection to end-users.

Residential Wireman

The residential wireman’s job is very similar to the inside wireman. The difference is that while the latter focuses on commercial and industrial systems, the former specializes in residential ones.

Installer Technician

Specializes in low-voltage systems connected to the high-voltage electricity system like sound, CCTV, or signaling systems.

Summary

If you want to become an electrician, there’s no way around the IBEW Apprenticeship Aptitude Test. But if you have it in you to take on a professional, technical and demanding career, you definitely have it in you to pass that aptitude test.

All you need is some guidance and a lot of practice.

Have something to ask me? Contact me at ask_shlomik@jobtestprep.com.

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