FirstEnergy EEI Test Practice and Guide

Which tests FirstEnergy uses

FirstEnergy's EEI testing page says: "We administer selection tests for a variety of positions. The required tests have been developed by the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), a trade association of investor-owned electric utility companies." Its testing brochures page, updated in August 2025, lists eight:

• CAST, labelled "Lineworker, Substation Electrician and other similar positions"
• MASS, the Power Plant Maintenance Positions Selection System
• POSS, the Plant Operator Selection System
• TECH, the Technician Occupations Selection System
• SO/PD, the System Operator/Power Dispatcher Selection System. EEI's current version is SO/PD II
• CSR (customer service), MRAB (meter readers) and SASS (administrative), which we do not simulate

What FirstEnergy says about the process

"Testing is held at various locations throughout our service territory based on where the job is located." So you sit it in person, near the job, not at home. FirstEnergy also points out that "The EEI website does not allow access to actual tests": the practice tests it links to are for preparation, and it strongly encourages candidates to review the sample brochures and use the practice tests before the real thing.

How the EEI tests are marked

Every subtest is scored as the number you get right, and EEI's brochures say "There is no penalty for guessing or wrong answers", so leave nothing blank. The utility never sees a subtest on its own: the subtests in a battery are combined into one index (1 to 10 on CAST, 0 to 15 on POSS, Recommended or Not Recommended on SO/PD II), and the utility sets its own cut-off. Neither EEI nor any utility we have read publishes that cut-off, so aim to do well on every subtest rather than at a number. EEI does not give results to candidates; the utility does.

Practise for the FirstEnergy EEI test

Each game below is one EEI subtest on EEI's own clock where EEI publishes one, with free movement between questions as on the paper and no penalty for a wrong answer. Together they are every subtest we simulate from CAST, MASS, POSS, TECH and SO/PD II.

• EEI Mechanical Concepts (44 questions · 20 minutes · free) - In CAST, CAST-R, MASS, POSS and TECH: 44 drawings in 20 minutes, three options each. Free, and the one to start with.
• EEI Reading Comprehension (26-36 · 22-30 minutes) - Choose your battery: 32 questions in 30 minutes for CAST, 36 in 30 for MASS and POSS, 26 in 22 for SO/PD II.
• EEI Mathematical Usage (18-46 · 7-17 minutes) - The short form, 18 questions in 7 minutes, or the long POSS form, 46 in 17. Formulas are given; the fifth option is N, none of these.
• EEI Graphic Arithmetic (16-21 · 19-30 minutes) - Arithmetic on dimensioned drawings that are not to scale. CAST and CAST-R settings, plus a TECH Graphic Problem Solving setting.
• EEI Assembling Objects (20 questions · 15 minutes) - MASS only: 20 puzzles in 15 minutes, joining labelled or unlabelled parts.
• EEI Figural Reasoning (20 questions · 10 minutes) - POSS only: 20 picture series, comparisons and progressions in 10 minutes, about 30 seconds each.
• EEI Interpreting Diagrams (20 questions · 15 minutes) - TECH: count and read symbols on a sector map against a legend. EEI publishes no clock, so ours is 20 questions in 15 minutes.
• EEI Reasoning from Rules (15 questions · 15 minutes) - TECH: apply a set of routing rules to each case. EEI publishes no clock, so ours is 15 questions in 15 minutes.
• EEI Analytic Thinking Skills (23 questions · 45 minutes) - SO/PD II: 23 questions in 45 minutes across arguments, problem solving and TRUE, FALSE or INDETERMINABLE logic.

Which subtests make up each battery, and what we do not simulate, is on the EEI practice page. The EEI test guide covers calculators, scoring and retake rules across utilities.

Common questions

Which test do FirstEnergy lineworkers take?

CAST. FirstEnergy's brochures page lists it for "Lineworker, Substation Electrician and other similar positions".

Can I take the FirstEnergy EEI test online?

No. FirstEnergy holds testing at locations across its service territory, based on where the job is.

Is SO/PD the same as SO/PD II?

FirstEnergy's list says SO/PD; EEI's current battery for system operators is SO/PD II, on a computer. Our Analytic Thinking Skills game follows SO/PD II.

Also applying elsewhere? Our Exelon and Dominion Energy guides cover the same tests.