Cincinnati Electrical JATC Aptitude Test
The aptitude test, interview and ranking list for the IBEW Local 212 and NECA electrical apprenticeship in Cincinnati
IBEW Aptitude Test tasks Cincinnati Electrical JATC uses
The NJATC Apprenticeship Test Battery, given monthly at the training centre.
- Algebra
- Reading Comprehension
- Committee interview: Six members, scored 0 to 100
Source: Cincinnati Electrical Training Center application page, 2026.
The test the training centre gives
The training centre's application page calls it the NJATC Apprenticeship Test Battery, the old name for the electrical training ALLIANCE aptitude test that IBEW and NECA programmes use. It is given monthly at the centre, takes about two and a half hours and has two parts: Algebra and Functions, 33 questions in 46 minutes, and Reading Comprehension, 36 in 51. There is no calculator and no penalty for guessing.
You learn only whether you qualified: exact scores are not provided. The qualifying score is the JATC's own, so if you want to know it, ask the centre rather than trusting a figure from a prep site.
If you already work in the trade
Applicants with 2,000 or more hours of electrical work still sit the test, but the centre does not require them to reach a minimum score to be interviewed. Everyone else needs a qualifying score to reach the interview.
The interview and the ranking list
A six-member JATC committee interviews you, three members appointed by IBEW Local 212 and three by NECA. Each member scores you from 0 to 100, and the average is your interview score. Applicants are ranked from the highest score down, and your score stays on the ranking list for two years.
If you do not qualify
The centre's page asks you to wait three months from your last test date, and charges $25 to retest. Waits differ between JATCs, from three to six months, so ask your JATC if you are applying to more than one. Applications are taken only from 1 January to 28 February, so ask the centre how a retest fits that window.
Practise the tests
- Algebra and Functions (46 minutes, free) - 33 questions in 46 minutes: formulas, expressions, number patterns and tables, without a calculator.
- Reading Comprehension (51 minutes) - 36 questions in 51 minutes, each answered from the passage in front of you.
- Full Aptitude Test (Both Tests) (97 minutes) - Both parts back to back with a short break, as on the day.
Our guides to Algebra and Functions and Reading Comprehension walk through the question types, and how the IBEW aptitude test result works covers qualifying, the interview and retakes.
Common questions
Is the NJATC test the same as the IBEW aptitude test?
Yes. The NJATC is now the electrical training ALLIANCE, and its aptitude test is what people mean by the IBEW aptitude test. The Cincinnati centre still uses the older name.
Do I need to know about electricity?
No. The test covers algebra and reading only, and each question gives you any formula it uses.