IBEWTESTPREP

GAN Aptitude Test

The other electrical apprenticeship battery — what it contains, how it is scored, and which locals use it.

Written and fact-checked by the IBEW Test Prep team — working electricians with 12+ years in the trade About usLast updated:

Most people reach this page the same way: they prepared for the two-section IBEW aptitude test, then found out their JATC uses something else. That something else is usually the GAN Aptitude Test Battery, and it is a different test.

Your local uses GAN? Free untimed GAN drills — paper folding, mechanical reasoning and numerical reasoning, no timer and no account.

GAN vs the electrical training ALLIANCE battery

The electrical training ALLIANCE battery is two sections — 33 algebra and functions questions in 46 minutes, then 36 reading comprehension questions in 51 minutes, 97 minutes in total of testing — scored 1–9, with a cut score set by each local.

The GAN battery is five or six subtests, including paper folding and mechanical comprehension, scored into a 0–100 composite in which the test is only part of your score — and at several locals there is no pass mark at all. Preparing only algebra and reading leaves you unready for paper folding and mechanical comprehension.

Not sure which one your JATC uses? Check your local.

Who writes and administers it

The GAN Aptitude Test Battery is developed and administered by GAN Human Resources Associates. GAN both writes the test and proctors it on site at the JATC.

GAN says it was “created to assess basic math, reading, and spatial skills” and was “developed based on a job analysis of the skills and abilities required for performance in school and on the job.” GAN states it has been “administered to over 200,000 applicants” across “more than 50” apprenticeship programs — not only electrical, but bricklayers, tile-setters, plumbers, pipe-fitters, operating engineers, carpenters, roofers, sheet metal and service employees.

The subtests

JATCs list the subtests slightly differently. Rather than pick one version, here is what each publishes:

  • Denver Local 68 lists five: “Paper Folding, Numerical Computation, Numerical Reasoning, Reading Comprehension, Mechanical Reasoning”.
  • Washington DC Local 26 lists five: “Numerical Computation, Reading, Mechanical Reasoning, Numerical Reasoning, and Paper Folding”.
  • Los Angeles Local 11 lists five: “mathematical reasoning, numerical reasoning, reading comprehension, mechanical reasoning, and paper folding”.

How long it takes

Duration is also stated differently by different locals. Boston says “The 3-hour test”; Los Angeles says “2 hours and 20 minutes”. Go by what your own JATC publishes.

What is not published

Item counts and per-subtest time limits are not published by GAN or by any JATC we have found. If a prep site tells you how many paper folding questions there are, or how many minutes you get for numerical reasoning, it is not citing a published source. We will not either.

Test conditions

  • No calculator. “Use of calculators is not permitted when taking the test.”
  • No electrical knowledge needed. “Electrical construction knowledge is not part of the aptitude test.”
  • No dexterity or pegboard component — Boston states this explicitly.

How GAN is scored

Scoring is completely different from the eTA battery. There is no 1–9 band. “Application scores from 0-100 are factored from the GAN Aptitude Test, Personal Experience Form, and Letter of Recommendation.” At Minneapolis the test is 50% of the total application score; at Los Angeles the Personal Experience Form is “up to 40% of your final score”. Acceptance runs “from #1 (the highest score) down the eligibility list.”

Several GAN locals have no minimum score at all. Boston: “There is no minimum score required, however, your test score will be considered as part of the selection process and a higher test score will reflect favorably.” Phoenix says the same. Washington DC Local 26 goes furthest: “Minimum score requirements for the aptitude test and personal interview have been eliminated”, and “Scores from prior aptitude tests and interviews will not transfer into the GAN scoring system.”

The Personal Experience Form can replace the interview

At Local 26, “The GAN Personal Experience Form (PEF) replaces the personal interview.” Boston: “In lieu of in-person interviews, applicants will be required to complete a Personal Experience Form (PEF).” The PEF is typically time-limited once opened — two weeks at Local 26 and Denver, after which it closes, is scored, and cannot be reopened.

Study material

GAN sells its own study guide. Boston offers applicants “a link to a FREE digital GAN Aptitude Test Study Guide” and free prep courses. Ask your JATC what it provides before you buy anything.

Which locals use the GAN battery

These are the locals we have verified as using GAN. This is the set we have checked, not a complete national list — no such national list is published by anyone.

How to practice for it

We do not have a GAN question bank, and we will not pretend otherwise. What we do have is a free timed benchmark for reading and numerical work — the ground the two batteries share. It covers only part of the GAN battery: it will not prepare you for paper folding or mechanical comprehension.

Take the free benchmark, then read what is and is not published about scoring.

FAQ

The GAN Aptitude Test Battery is developed and administered by GAN Human Resources Associates. GAN writes the test and proctors it on site at the JATC. GAN says it was created to assess basic math, reading, and spatial skills, and was developed based on a job analysis of the skills and abilities required for performance in school and on the job.

Related guides

See where you stand

Free 18-question benchmark, no card. Modeled on the official format, run at a faster pace so it fits in 14 minutes.

Start the free benchmark