IBEW Study Guide: Free Guides by Section and Local JATC
Written and fact-checked by the IBEW Test Prep team — working electricians with 12+ years in the trade About us
Start here
Format, scoring and sample questions for the test itself are in one place: the IBEW aptitude test guide. This page indexes every guide and every local JATC.
New to the IBEW aptitude test? Start with our complete guide. For the naming history, read our NJATC aptitude test guide. Free, plain-English guides to electrical apprenticeship aptitude tests. The electrical training ALLIANCE battery runs 97 minutes across two sections — algebra and functions, then reading comprehension. There is no national minimum. Of the 43 JATCs we have checked, sixteen publish a number — two require a 3, ten require a 4 and four require a 5. Eleven tell you only whether you passed, without a score. Nine publish no minimum at all, all of them GAN locals. Seven publish no rule. Your local's own page is the only answer that counts. Check the local pages below for each published rule.
Start with the test overview, drill the section you're weakest on, then work through the application and interview prep. Every guide is free and updated for 2026. When you're ready to run the real thing, take the free timed practice test.
The test
Format, scoring, and what actually shows up on test day.
IBEW Aptitude Test: Complete Guide
What the IBEW aptitude test is, the exact two-section format, how the 1-9 bands are scored, and a four-week study plan.
NJATC Aptitude Test (2026 update)
Why the NJATC aptitude test and the IBEW aptitude test are the same exam under two names, and the few places the wording still differs.
GAN Aptitude Test Guide
The other electrical apprenticeship battery: GAN's subtests, duration, no-calculator rule, 0-100 scoring with the Personal Experience Form, and which locals use it.
Electrical Apprenticeship Test Prep
Electrical apprenticeship tests compared: the electrical training ALLIANCE battery, GAN, Ramsay, IEC and ABC, and how to tell which one your program uses.
IBEW Test Scoring Bands Explained
What the 1–9 band means, and why the number your local needs is not the same as anyone else's.
Practice by section
Drills for each part of the exam, plus the mechanical add-on.
Algebra & Functions Practice
The algebra and functions section of the IBEW aptitude test: the exact question types, worked examples, and no-calculator pacing drills.
Reading Comprehension Practice
IBEW reading comprehension practice for dense, unfamiliar factual prose, official-sample question types, and the time limit.
Ramsay Electrical Test
Ramsay's two electrical tests, the 36-question Electrical Aptitude Test and the 60-question ElecTest: what each covers and how they differ from the IBEW exam.
Passing & applying
Study plan, application paperwork, and the committee interview.
How to Pass the IBEW Test
A four-week study plan to pass the IBEW aptitude test: what to drill each day, how to practice under real timing, and what to skip.
Apprenticeship Application Checklist
Every document, transcript and deadline an IBEW apprenticeship application needs, and the paperwork mistakes that disqualify people.
IBEW Interview Questions
The questions IBEW apprenticeship committees actually ask after you pass, and how to answer them without sounding rehearsed.
By IBEW local
Application windows, testing frequency, and score thresholds for individual locals.
Locals using the electrical training ALLIANCE battery
CA
NY
PA
Locals using the GAN battery
The GAN Aptitude Test Battery is a different test with different sections — reading, numerical computation, numerical reasoning, paper folding, problem solving and mechanical comprehension — scored 0–100 alongside a Personal Experience Form. See the GAN aptitude test guide.
Test not named by the JATC
These JATCs' own pages do not name their aptitude test. Confirm with the training center.
Ready to practice for real?
Take the free 14-minute timed practice test. 18 questions, instant score, no credit card.
Start the free test