IBEW Aptitude Test Practice Questions — Math, Reading & Mechanical
The single most effective thing you can do to prepare for the IBEW aptitude test is to work through practice questions. Below are 20 questions in the same format as the NJATC exam, with the answer and a worked explanation for every one.
Download Free Practice Questions PDFMath Practice Questions
1. What is 3/4 + 5/8?
Answer: 11/8 (or 1 3/8)
Common denominator 8: 6/8 + 5/8 = 11/8.
2. If 3x + 7 = 22, what is x?
Answer: 5
3x = 22 − 7 = 15. x = 15/3 = 5.
3. What is 15% of 240?
Answer: 36
10% of 240 = 24. 5% of 240 = 12. 24 + 12 = 36.
4. A wire runs 3 ft for every 2 ft of conduit. If the conduit is 14 ft, how long is the wire?
Answer: 21 ft
14 / 2 = 7 units. 7 × 3 = 21 feet.
5. A 240 ft wire run costs $0.85/ft. What is the total cost?
Answer: $204.00
240 × 0.85 = $204.
6. 5 electricians complete a job in 12 days. How long would 3 electricians take?
Answer: 20 days
Total man-days = 5 × 12 = 60. 60 / 3 workers = 20 days.
7. A motor turns 1750 RPM. Convert to revolutions per second.
Answer: ≈ 29.17 RPS
1750 / 60 = 29.17.
8. What is 7/12 − 1/4?
Answer: 1/3
Common denominator 12: 7/12 − 3/12 = 4/12 = 1/3.
9. 240V drops 4% over a wire run. What is the voltage at the end?
Answer: 230.4V
4% of 240 = 9.6. 240 − 9.6 = 230.4V.
10. An apprentice earns $22.50/hr. What is gross pay for a 40-hour week?
Answer: $900
22.50 × 40 = $900.
Number Sequence Practice
11. 2, 5, 10, 17, 26, ___
Answer: 37
Differences are 3, 5, 7, 9 — increasing by 2. Next: +11 = 37.
12. 144, 121, 100, 81, ___
Answer: 64
Perfect squares descending: 12², 11², 10², 9², 8² = 64.
13. 3, 6, 12, 24, ___
Answer: 48
Each number doubles. 24 × 2 = 48.
14. 1, 4, 9, 16, 25, ___
Answer: 36
Perfect squares: 1², 2², 3², 4², 5², 6² = 36.
15. 100, 50, 25, 12.5, ___
Answer: 6.25
Each value is halved.
Reading Comprehension Practice
16. According to the passage, what must be done before inserting fish tape?
Answer: Remove burrs from cut ends
The passage states the conduit must be free of burrs before pulling begins. Fish tape comes after.
17. According to the passage, what can damage insulation?
Answer: Pulling too fast
Directly stated in the last sentence.
18. What is applied to the conductors before pulling?
Answer: Wire pulling lubricant
Stated in the third sentence.
Mechanical Reasoning Practice
19. A lever is 10 ft long with the fulcrum 2 ft from the load. If the load is 200 lbs, how much force is needed at the other end?
Answer: 50 lbs
Effort arm = 8 ft. Load arm = 2 ft. Mechanical advantage = 8/2 = 4. 200 / 4 = 50 lbs.
20. Gear A has 20 teeth, drives Gear B with 5 teeth. If A spins 100 RPM, what is B?
Answer: 400 RPM
Inverse ratio. 100 × (20/5) = 400.
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Take the Free Timed TestFrequently Asked Questions
Where can I find free IBEW aptitude test practice questions?
Sparky AI offers 20 free practice questions covering every section of the NJATC aptitude test — math, reading comprehension, number sequences, and mechanical reasoning. No account required.
Are IBEW practice questions the same as the real test?
Official test questions are not published, but practice questions based on the NJATC test format closely mirror the difficulty and structure of the actual exam. The same four sections are covered and the question types are consistent.
How many questions are on the IBEW aptitude test?
The full NJATC aptitude test has two parts: 33 algebra and math questions in 46 minutes, and 36 reading comprehension questions in 30 minutes. The mechanical reasoning and number sequences sections vary by local.
Related Resources
Michael B.
IBEW Local 134 Journeyman Electrician · Licensed Electrical Contractor
Michael is a licensed electrical contractor and IBEW Local 134 journeyman with years of field experience. He built Sparky AI after ChatGPT gave him wrong NEC code information on a job — costing him $800 in callbacks. Every answer in Sparky AI is verified against the actual NEC.