PG&E POSS and TECH Test Practice (EEI)

Which EEI tests PG&E uses

PG&E runs a long list of its own pre-employment tests, from typing to substation maths, and two of the tests on its pre-employment testing page come from the Edison Electric Institute. In PG&E's words: "Visit Edison Electric Institute (EEI), one of our testing partners, for test preparation guides on the following tests":

• Power Plant Operator Selection Test (POSS), PG&E's name for EEI's Plant Operator Selection System, for plant operators
• Technical Test (TECH), EEI's Technician Occupations Selection System, for technician roles

Every other test on that page is PG&E's own and is not an EEI battery, so if your invitation names something else, use the preparation guide PG&E links for it.

What PG&E says about retesting

PG&E's rule covers all its pre-employment tests: "The second attempt must be no earlier than 90 calendar days after the first attempt", and the same 90 days apply between every later attempt. For tests of aptitude, which is what POSS and TECH are, the number of retakes is unlimited. The page also says that, depending on the test, you may sit it online unproctored, proctored on a computer or proctored on paper; your invitation will say which.

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 PG&E 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 POSS and TECH.

• 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 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.

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

What is the PG&E Power Plant Operator Selection Test?

EEI's POSS, the Plant Operator Selection System, which PG&E names as one of the tests its partner EEI provides preparation for.

How long must I wait to retake it?

At least 90 calendar days between attempts, under PG&E's retesting policy.

Also applying in California? See our Southern California Edison guide, which covers its EEI CAST and TECH tests.