The ACT® WorkKeys Applied Technology Free Practice Test
The ACT® WorkKeys applied technology test is an assessment of your understanding of basic technological principles in four fields – electricity, mechanics, fluid dynamics, and thermodynamics.
This test is one of 8 sections of the ACT WorkKeys assessment, an evaluation tool of work-related “soft” and “hard” skills and competencies.
Although this section is not required for receiving the National Career Readiness Certificate (NCRC), it can amp up your resume and improve your chances when applying to a position in the energy and manufacturing industries.
On this page, you will receive all the information you need to ace the ACT WorkKeys applied technology test, with practice questions, detailed explanations, and solving tips.
Are you about to take the WorkKeys Applied Technology Test? JobTestPrep can prepare you for the exam with detailed test information, sample questions, and more. Start practicing today and apply with confidence.
Are you about to take the WorkKeys Applied Technology Test? JobTestPrep can prepare you for the exam with detailed test information, sample questions, and more. Start practicing today and apply with confidence.
Scoring high on the WorkKeys test will demand vast knowledge and understanding in various scientific fields, best achieved with proper practice and guidance. Make sure to check our:
ACT WorkKeys Test Guide and Practice • Free WorkKeys Practice 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.
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.
Let's see how it looks –
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?
In the circuit below, how many bulbs would light up if switch I were closed and switch II was open?
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
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.
Let's check it out –
Two systems of tanks and pumps are shown in the diagram below. In which system, will container V begin to fill up first?
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?
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.
Let's view practice questions –
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?
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?
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.
Let's have a look at some examples–
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?
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:
Think you got it? Check out our full WorkKeys practice test
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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
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.
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.
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
