EEI Pre-Employment Testing
POSS, MASS, and TECH are EEI pre-employment exams utilities use to screen candidates for plant, maintenance, and technical jobs. Know which test fits the job, what sections you will face, and how to prep before the hiring process cuts you loose.
Know Your Battery
Plant Operator Selection System. Plant operator and control room trainee roles. Tests reading, math, mechanical concepts, and figural reasoning.
Power Plant Maintenance Positions Selection System. Plant mechanic, electrical maintenance, and I&C maintenance. Tests mechanical concepts, math, reading, and assembling objects.
Technician Occupations Selection System. Utility technician and technical field roles. Tests graphic problem solving, mechanical reasoning, and interpreting technical information.
Test Breakdown
Screens plant operator candidates for fossil, nuclear, hydro, and other generation jobs where you read procedures and track equipment status around pumps, valves, breakers, alarms, and control boards. Common outlines run roughly 118 to 146 multiple-choice questions in about 67 to 77 minutes depending on the version.
The math is fast. The mechanical section uses pulleys, gears, levers, ramps, pressure, and motion. The reading section feels like utility procedure language, not jobsite small talk.
For power plant maintenance positions: mechanics, electricians, welders, instrument techs, and maintenance trainees inside generating stations. A commonly reported format runs Assembling Objects (20 questions / 15 minutes), Mathematical Usage (18 / 7), Mechanical Concepts (44 / 20), and Reading for Comprehension (36 / 30).
For a linehand moving toward substation or plant maintenance, MASS rewards the same habits that keep you alive around energized equipment. Read the whole instruction, track the drawing, and never assume the answer because it looks right.
Screens technical occupations that require reading diagrams, solving mechanical problems, and working through technical information under a clock. It is not about climbing, rubber gloving, hot sticking, or framing a pole.
TECH matters for utility technician openings, meter work, relay technician support roles, communications, and field technical jobs where the employer wants aptitude before training dollars get spent.
Prep Order
Do not study like this is a code book exam. Study speed, accuracy, and pattern recognition.
Field Note
If you are applying for a lineworker job, ask which EEI test is required. Many utilities use CAST for lineworker and substation electrician roles, not POSS, MASS, or TECH.
That matters. CAST leans construction and skilled trades aptitude. POSS leans plant operations. MASS leans maintenance. TECH leans technician work. Do not waste a week studying the wrong battery. Read the job posting, check the testing email, and match your prep to the exact test name.
Common Questions
No. CAST is more common for lineworker, substation electrician, and skilled trade field jobs. POSS, MASS, and TECH are usually tied to plant, maintenance, and technician job families.
Some employers provide calculators during testing. TVA specifically says calculators will be provided for its selection testing.
The utility sets the retest rule. Some make you wait months before trying again. Treat the first attempt like it counts, because it does.
The timed math and mechanical sections give people the most trouble. Not because the math is advanced, but because the clock is tight.
Keep Reading
Pass the right test, then chase the right call. Lineworker, apprentice, groundman, substation, transmission, and underground openings.
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Open ToolsWritten by Matthew Sorensen. Skilled trades recruiting executive and founder of PowerLinemanJobs.com. 15+ years placing electrical and commercial trades professionals, author of four books on hiring, and host of the Hired podcast.