SKAT Electrical Practice Test & Prep Course

The SKAT Electrician Test, officially the SKAT Electrical test, is a multiple-choice pre-employment test used by Georgia Power, a Southern Company subsidiary, to screen applicants for Apprentice Electrician and Apprentice Rotating Equipment Repairman positions. For Apprentice Electrician roles, candidates must also qualify on the Construction and Skilled Trades (CAST) test, and some postings require passing it first.

The test checks the basic knowledge and skills that new apprentices need from their first day. Southern Company's study guide explains that Georgia Power's job experts identified the content as critical for new hires, and that the questions emphasize understanding each subject along with the ability to apply it. That matches what the jobs require: Georgia Power's postings for Apprentice Electricians list basic transformer theory, wiring diagrams and control schematics, electrical symbols and formulas, AC and DC theory, hand and power tools, and the use of precision measuring tools, including Vernier and standard scales.

The test has 4 sections: Electrical Knowledge, Hand Tools and Power Tools, Rule Reading, and Tools and Precision Measurement. It lasts approximately 2 hours, and some questions refer to figures such as diagrams, schematics, drawings, and charts. Some questions require calculations, and calculators are permitted and provided, along with a formula sheet. Southern Company doesn't publish the number of questions or a passing score.

The questions come in several types: definitions of terms, how two concepts or measurements relate, interpreting a job situation to find what is happening or what is wrong, calculating electrical values or measurements, how-to questions about job tasks, and applying concepts on the job. In practice, that means naming a component from its description, identifying a tool from a picture, and working out a measurement from a ruler or a diagram, so understanding the material matters more than memorizing facts.

The real SKAT Electrical test lasts approximately 2 hours and covers four areas in one sitting: electrical knowledge, hand tools and power tools, rule reading, and precision measurement. The questions below sample each of the 4 sections. Work through them the way you would on test day: read each question and any diagram or chart carefully, since questions range from simple definitions to job situations and calculations. Calculators are permitted and provided on the real test, along with a formula sheet, so focus on knowing which formula applies and on converting measurements correctly.

Try the question below, which asks you to find the current in a DC motor from a circuit diagram and its waveforms. It combines diagram reading with a calculation.

Try the question below, which asks how to apply force when pulling out a nail. Hand Tools and Power Tools questions cover basic hand tools and how they are used.

Try the question below, which asks you to read dimensions from a floor plan, find two differences, and compare them. Rule Reading questions ask you to read standard measurements and make measurement calculations.

Try the question below, which asks what an instrument's output graph tells you about how it responds to its input. Tools and Precision Measurement questions test your knowledge of measuring instruments.

The questions above are a sample of what to expect, but the real SKAT Electrical test runs approximately 2 hours across all four sections, and that kind of stamina is hard to build by reading alone. Our PrepPack™ includes 12 practice tests with 358 questions, including 4 tests of 1 hour or longer on electrical knowledge, tool identification, and measurement reading, so test day is not the first time you work through the material for that long.

We've created a comprehensive SKAT Electrician PrepPack designed to help you succeed. It includes 12 practice tests with 358 questions and 2 study guides covering all 4 sections of the test, with multiple-choice questions, diagrams, and answer explanations, like the real test. Your scores and practice history show which topics need more work, so you can focus on your weaker areas and feel confident and ready on test day.

Why preparation matters: The SKAT Electrical test lasts approximately 2 hours and covers electrical knowledge, hand tools and power tools, rule reading, and tools and precision measurement, and Southern Company doesn't publish a passing score or the number of questions. Calculators and a formula sheet are provided, so the challenge is knowing the concepts, which formula applies, and how to read measurements correctly. Our practice tests build that knowledge section by section, with answer explanations that show how each problem is solved, so the questions on test day feel familiar.

Southern Company's study guide names two Georgia Power positions that use the SKAT Electrical test: Apprentice Electrician and Apprentice Rotating Equipment Repairman. Georgia Power's postings for these roles also require qualifying on the Construction and Skilled Trades (CAST) test to be considered for an interview. Both are union-covered training positions: apprentices learn the trade on the job and in the classroom while working alongside journeymen.

Repair Shop Apprentice Electricians, based in Forest Park, Georgia, repair and recondition distribution and transmission equipment such as transformers, reclosers, mobile substations, and breakers, and learn to operate an oil processing station. Their daily work involves hand tools along with cranes, forklifts, saws, drill presses, and pneumatic tools, and the position requires the ability to work shifts around the clock, including holidays, and to respond to emergency callouts. The training program lasts 4.5 years, followed by automatic progression to Journeyman Electrician.

Substation Apprentice Electricians maintain Georgia Power's substations. They operate, maintain, repair, troubleshoot, and time power circuit breakers, service large power transformers, install and commission new substation equipment, and train in trades such as rigging, welding, and calibration, including live line work in substations. The job involves working outdoors in all climate conditions and at significant heights, responding to callouts within 45 minutes, and working assigned storm duty. Candidates must be willing to relocate, and the posting expects a Class A commercial driver's license (CDL) or permit, or the ability to earn the CDL within 6 months of hire. The training program lasts about 3 to 4 years, after which apprentices can bid on Journeyman Electrician positions as they open.

Apprentice Rotating Equipment Repairmen, also called Electric Motor Winders, work in the Repair Shop in Forest Park repairing and reconditioning motors and generators. Their tasks include disassembling, cleaning and inspecting, rewinding, balancing, assembling, and painting rotating assemblies, using equipment such as overhead cranes, forklifts, ovens, a VPI tank, and balance machines. The program lasts 3.5 years, followed by automatic progression to Journeyman Rotating Equipment Repairman.

Starting pay for these positions is set by the wage schedule in the agreement between Georgia Power and IBEW Local 84 and is not negotiable, and union membership is optional. Recent Repair Shop postings listed $6,218 per month ($35.87 per hour, about $74,600 a year) for both Apprentice Electricians and Apprentice Rotating Equipment Repairmen. A recent Substation Apprentice Electrician posting listed $5,724 per month (about $68,700 a year), with an increase every 6 months until the top of the job classification and a cost-of-living increase every July.

Southern Company's benefits summary lists the following, and notes that for employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement, certain benefits may not apply or may differ under the agreement:

• Health coverage includes 3 medical plan options with preventive care paid at 100%, 3 dental plan options, and spending accounts such as a Health Savings Account.
• Retirement includes a pension plan and a 401(k) to which Southern Company contributes 5.1% when you contribute 6%.
• Time off includes 80 to 200 hours of vacation per year depending on years of service, up to 12 company-paid holidays, and up to 80 hours of personal or sick time.
• Income protection includes company-paid life insurance equal to your base pay, up to $150,000.
• Career growth includes tuition reimbursement of up to $5,250 per year and access to internal job postings.
• Performance pay may be available to eligible employees through the Performance Pay Program, a cash bonus tied to company and individual goals.