Most apprentice slots come down to a written test before they come down to an interview. Here are the three test paths you will face: NEAT, CAST, and the broader EEI battery, with section counts, time limits, pass scores, and a thirty-day prep plan.
Chasing a journeyman ticket, a groundman spot, or an apprentice slot? Your test lands in one of three buckets. Inside JATCs and outside locals run the Electrical Training Alliance aptitude test, formerly the NJATC test. The New England outside local brands its application as NEAT. Investor-owned utilities including Duke, Dominion, Entergy, PSEG, AEP, ComEd, Exelon, and Southern Company run CAST. Plant operator and meter tech roles use POSS, MASS, or TECH from the same EEI battery.
| Test | Owner | Sections | Test Time | Pass Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ETA (NEAT / IBEW outside) | etA, IBEW-NECA | 2: Algebra, Reading | 97 min, ~2.5 hr session | 3/9 outside, 4/9 inside |
| CAST | EEI | 4: Graphic Arith, Math Usage, Mechanical, Reading | ~90 min, ~2 hr session | 1 to 10 index, employer sets cut |
| POSS | EEI | 4: Math, Mechanical, Reading, Figural | ~2.5 hr | Employer sets cut |
| MASS | EEI | 4: Mechanical, Math, Reading, Assembly | ~2.5 hr | Employer sets cut |
| TECH | EEI | 4 sections, 91 questions | ~2 hr | Employer sets cut |
CAST is the Construction and Skilled Trades Selection System, the EEI test for distribution and transmission lineworker, substation electrician, and T&D operator postings at investor-owned utilities. About 110 multiple-choice questions across four sections, paper and pencil, no calculator under standard EEI rules. Plan on roughly two hours including check-in.
Read measurements off prints and sketches, then calculate dimensions, totals, and conversions. Drafting or shop math experience pays off here.
Unit conversions under hard time pressure, under 24 seconds per question. Most candidates do not finish.
Levers, pulleys, gears, fluid mechanics, basic circuits. Visual, no calculation, about 27 seconds per question.
Four passages of roughly 400 words, eight questions each.
Section scores combine into one index from 1 to 10. The index predicts probability of job success, not pass or fail. Each utility sets its own minimum, usually a 4 to 6 depending on the role and applicant pool. There is no penalty for wrong answers, so guess on every blank before time is called. A 7 or higher puts you near the top of any list. Deeper drill in the CAST test prep guide.
NEAT is the Northeastern Apprenticeship and Training program out of IBEW Local 104, covering the New England outside lineman territory. The written you sit is the Electrical Training Alliance aptitude test, the same one the inside apprenticeship uses, scored on the same 1 to 9 stanine.
Outside lineman applicants need a 3 out of 9 to qualify for the oral interview. Inside wireman applicants need a 4. That gap is the only difference between the two tracks at the test stage.
33 questions, 46 minutes. Variables, exponents, factoring, basic functions. Algebra I level, no calculator, scratch paper provided.
36 questions, 51 minutes. Passages with detail, inference, and main-idea questions. Total seat time runs about 2.5 hours with a short break.
You apply through neat1968.org. Minimum requirements: 18 years old, a Class B CDL permit with the air brake restriction removed, and a $25 application fee. The sequence is application, written, oral interview, ranked list.
The list does not move on a calendar; it moves on call volume. If two years pass without a call, you reapply, retest, and reinterview from scratch. Plenty of applicants sign the books as groundmen and work locally while the list moves. Full walkthrough in the NEAT test prep guide.
Applicants coming from a power plant, substation, or system operator background often get routed to a different EEI test.
CAST is the test most utility lineman, groundman, and substation candidates will see. Check the careers page; SCE, FirstEnergy, Georgia Power, and others list the specific EEI test number for each posting. See the POSS, MASS, and TECH breakdown.
Most candidates wing the lineman aptitude test and score below average. Treat it like a tested skill, not a hazing.
Each test has its own waiting period. Read them before you sit. A bad first attempt can cost you six months and a hiring class.
The math is mid-level high school algebra and basic mechanical reasoning. The difficulty is the clock. CAST Math Usage gives you under 24 seconds a question. NEAT Algebra gives you about 84 seconds. If your arithmetic is rusty, the timer turns easy questions into misses.
Each utility sets its own threshold on the 1 to 10 index. Most lineworker postings put the cut between 4 and 6. Aim for a 7 or higher to clear any threshold and rank near the top of the candidate pool.
No. CAST and the Electrical Training Alliance aptitude test are both no-calculator under standard rules. Pencil and scratch paper are provided. Some POSS and MASS sittings allow a basic calculator; confirm with the proctor at check-in.
Yes. The Electrical Training Alliance test has a six-month wait at most JATCs. EEI tests including CAST require 30 days between attempts and limit you to two attempts in any 12-month window at the same utility.
On Mechanical Concepts and the prints in Graphic Arithmetic, yes. On Math Usage and Algebra, only if you kept your math sharp. A 15-year journeyman who has not run conversions in a decade will miss easy points on the speed sections without practice.
No. NEAT is specific to IBEW Local 104 in New England. Other outside locals run the same Electrical Training Alliance aptitude test under different application names. Non-union investor-owned utilities run CAST instead.
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