Is the Ramsay test the same as the IBEW test?

No. Ramsay Corporation sells its tests to employers. IBEW/NECA apprenticeship programs run their own selection: every JATC we have checked that names its test (38 of 43) uses the electrical training ALLIANCE battery (algebra and reading) or the GAN battery.

How hard is the Ramsay electrical test?

The aptitude test is fast: 30 seconds a question. The ElecTest is a journey-level test and assumes working electrical knowledge.

Do I need a Ramsay study guide?

Only if an employer has told you it uses a Ramsay test. Find out which form, then study that form's published content areas. We do not sell Ramsay practice questions.

Ramsay Electrical Test: Format, Timing and How to Prepare

Q: What does the Ramsay electrical test consist of?

It depends on the form. The Electrical Aptitude Test is 36 multiple-choice questions in 18 minutes across mathematics, electrical concepts, electrical schematics, process flow, signal flow and electrical sequences. The ElecTest is 60 multiple-choice questions across eight areas of practical electrical knowledge, from motors and drives to PLCs and power distribution.

Ramsay Corporation sells two electrical tests to employers. Which one you sit decides what to study. Neither is the IBEW test.

Which Ramsay electrical test?

Employers say "the Ramsay" for more than one test. Ramsay Corporation publishes an Electrical Aptitude Test for apprentice and entry-level hiring, and a separate ElecTest for journey-level electricians. Ask the employer which form you are sitting before you study anything.

What's on it

Electrical Aptitude Test (apprentice and entry level). 36 multiple-choice questions in 18 minutes: 30 seconds a question. Ramsay lists six content areas: mathematics, electrical concepts, electrical schematics, process flow, signal flow and electrical sequences. Ramsay says it measures the ability to learn electrical and maintenance work, not what you already know.

ElecTest (journey level). 60 multiple-choice questions. Ramsay's product page states no time limit. It lists eight content areas: motors and drives; digital and analog electronics; schematics, print reading and control circuits; basic AC/DC theory and electrical maintenance; computers, PLCs and test instruments; power supplies; power distribution and construction/installation; mechanical and hand/power tools.

Mechanical aptitude is a separate Ramsay product, the Mechanical Aptitude Test. A fourth, the MultiCraft Aptitude Test, mixes mechanical and electrical aptitude.

Who uses it

Ramsay sells these tests to employers. It describes the aptitude test as a screen for apprenticeship and trainee programs in maintenance jobs, and the ElecTest as a test for applicants or incumbents in jobs that need practical electrical knowledge. None of the 43 JATCs we have checked uses a Ramsay test: every JATC we have checked that names its test (38 of 43) uses the electrical training ALLIANCE battery or the GAN battery. If you are applying to an IBEW/NECA program, read the IBEW aptitude test guide instead, or check which test your program uses.

Difficulty

On the aptitude test the clock is the hard part. Thirty seconds a question is nearly three times the pace of the electrical training ALLIANCE battery, which allows about 84 seconds a question. The ElecTest is hard for a different reason. It is a journey-level test, so its questions assume working knowledge of motors, PLCs and power distribution.

How to prepare

For the aptitude test: get Ohm's law and the series and parallel circuit rules automatic. Drill schematic symbols. Practice following a process or a signal through a diagram one step at a time, against a clock.

For the ElecTest: study from the eight areas above, starting with the ones you have not worked in.

We do not sell Ramsay practice questions. The Test-Day Pass includes a mechanical reasoning set. It is general mechanical reasoning practice, not a Ramsay question bank and not practice for the electrical content above.

Sources

Checked 10 October 2026.

Ramsay Electrical Aptitude Test