Short answer: This independent four-week plan organizes practice across the sections listed by your apprenticeship program. It is not an official GAN study guide or testing schedule. Confirm whether your program uses five or six sections, and follow its instructions for timing, permitted materials and test-day procedures.
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Original GAN-style practice, not official GAN questions.
Confirm your local format first
GAN says its battery measures basic math, reading and spatial skills. Official program pages do not all publish the same list. Minneapolis describes six sections: Numerical Computation, Numerical Reasoning, Reading Comprehension, Paper Folding, Mechanical Reasoning and Problem Solving. Boston publishes five areas and does not list Problem Solving separately. Copy the section names from your program page or appointment notice before using this plan.
The official pages checked here do not publish one universal count or time per section. Use your own appointment instructions when you set up a full simulation.
Free official and program-provided study resources
Boston JATC says applicants receive a free digital GAN study guide and information about free in-person preparation classes after applying. Nashville also publishes test-preparation guidance. Access rules differ, so begin with your own program’s applicant page or messages.
This four-week plan is independent. It does not replace a program’s official materials, establish the formal test specification, or make a third-party practice set official.
Four week schedule
| Week | Focus | End of week check |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Numerical Computation and baseline | Untimed mixed set, timed computation set and error log |
| 2 | Numerical Reasoning and Reading | Two short timed sets in each area |
| 3 | Paper Folding and Mechanical Reasoning, plus Problem Solving if listed | Mixed half length session |
| 4 | Timed mixed work and repair | Two simulations at least 48 hours apart |
Practice percentages do not convert to an official score or rank.
Week 1: computation and baseline
| Day | Time | Work |
|---|---|---|
| — | —: | — |
| 1 | 30 minutes | Take a small untimed mixed set. Record every miss. |
| 2 | 30 to 45 minutes | Review whole number operations and estimate before calculating. |
| 3 | 45 minutes | Practice fractions: simplify, compare and perform all four operations. |
| 4 | 30 to 45 minutes | Practice decimals and percentages. |
| 5 | 45 minutes | Practice ratios, proportions and unit conversions without a calculator. |
| 6 | 45 to 60 minutes | Complete a timed computation set. Mark slow items. |
| 7 | 30 minutes | Redo every missed or slow item, then update the error log. |
For each calculation, identify the operation, estimate the answer range, calculate, and check with the inverse operation when possible. If 3 boxes hold 24 fittings equally, division gives 8 per box. Multiplication checks it because 8 times 3 returns 24.
Mix several fraction operations so you must identify the operation from the wording. If arithmetic is accurate but slow, use sets of five and record completion time rather than rushing a long set.
Week 2: number patterns and reading
| Day | Time | Work |
|---|---|---|
| — | —: | — |
| 8 | 30 minutes | Find constant and changing differences in short series. |
| 9 | 45 minutes | Practice alternating steps and two interleaved series. |
| 10 | 30 to 45 minutes | Take a timed series set, then explain each rule. |
| 11 | 45 minutes | Read two passages. Write each main idea and paragraph purpose. |
| 12 | 45 minutes | Answer detail and inference questions using only passage evidence. |
| 13 | 45 to 60 minutes | Complete one timed number set and one timed reading set. |
| 14 | 30 minutes | Redo misses and label the cause. |
For a series, test the simplest relationship first. In 7, 10, 14, 19, the increases are 3, 4 and 5, so the next increase is 6. If one difference does not fit, test alternating operations or odd and even positions. A rule must explain every displayed step.
For reading, separate the passage from outside knowledge. State the main point, then locate words that support the answer. Limits such as only, before, both and unless matter. If a notice says applicants who complete both forms by Friday receive scheduling instructions, one form is not enough.
Week 3: spatial and mechanical relationships
| Day | Time | Work |
|---|---|---|
| — | —: | — |
| 15 | 30 to 45 minutes | Practice one fold and reflect a mark across the crease. |
| 16 | 45 minutes | Practice two folds and always undo the last fold first. |
| 17 | 30 minutes | Review touching gears and open or crossed belts. |
| 18 | 45 minutes | Practice levers using force times distance. |
| 19 | 45 minutes | Practice ideal pulleys by counting supporting rope segments. |
| 20 | 30 to 45 minutes | If listed, put Problem Solving conditions in a table. |
| 21 | 45 to 60 minutes | Complete a mixed practice session of a length supported by your available questions, then repair two weak areas. |
Treat paper folding as a sequence. Number the folds. A punch away from a crease normally creates a mirrored position when that fold opens. A punch on the crease does not. Reverse order matters with two folds.
For mechanical items, name the relationship before using numbers. Touching external gears reverse at each contact. An open belt preserves direction while a crossed belt reverses it. A lever balances force times distance. In an ideal pulley model, divide the load by supporting segments.
Week 4: timed practice and repair
| Day | Time | Work |
|---|---|---|
| — | —: | — |
| 22 | 45 minutes | Make a checklist from the local notice and choose a quiet simulation time. |
| 23 | 30 to 45 minutes | Repair the two largest error categories. |
| 24 | 60 minutes | Complete a timed mixed set and practice moving on. |
| 25 | 30 minutes | Review only missed, guessed and unusually slow items. |
| 26 | Time based on your practice plan | Complete a mixed simulation using the sections listed by your program. Use official timing only if published; otherwise use labeled practice limits. |
| 27 | 30 to 45 minutes | Redo misses without notes and review test day details. |
| 28 | Time based on your practice plan | Complete a second mixed simulation with different original questions. Review accuracy, pacing and recurring errors; do not treat it as an official score or admission prediction. |
Keep at least 48 hours between full simulations. Repeating one set measures memory as much as skill. Repair a weak section with small sets before another long session.
Practice method by section
| Area | Practice method | What to record |
|---|---|---|
| Computation | Estimate, calculate, check | Operation, copied value, decimal or fraction error |
| Numerical Reasoning | Write differences and test cycles | Rule chosen and step that disproved another rule |
| Reading | State main idea and locate evidence | Missed qualifier or unsupported inference |
| Paper Folding | Number folds and unfold in reverse | Fold order, crease position and count |
| Mechanical | Name direction, force, speed or distance first | Relationship or arithmetic error |
| Problem Solving, if listed | Put each condition in a grid | Overlooked condition or added assumption |
Error log
Use one row per problem. Record date, area, result, time, guess status, specific cause and next drill. "Treated alternating steps as one series" is useful. "Careless" is not.
| Area | Result | Specific cause | Next drill |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computation | 18 of 25 | Lost common denominators | Ten fraction addition items |
| Number series | 14 of 20 | Missed alternating rules | Five alternating and five interleaved series |
| Mechanical | 16 of 22 | Compared lever force only | Six moment balance items |
How to adjust this plan
The four-week schedule is a suggested practice structure, not a required preparation period. If basic arithmetic is still difficult after week 1, repeat the problem types you regularly miss before moving to longer timed sets. Spend more time on your weakest listed areas while keeping short reviews of the others.
For a five-section program, use the optional Problem Solving session for your weakest listed section. For a six-section program, keep that session. Choose practice-set lengths from the questions and time available, and use official timing only when your program confirms it.
Final week checklist
- Confirm address, date, arrival time and identification from the notice.
- Confirm calculator rules. Minneapolis, Columbus, Fresno, Nashville and Lincoln say no calculators, but your program controls.
- Use only paper and materials the proctor authorizes.
- Plan travel with a buffer. Several programs publish no late admittance.
- Review the error log instead of adding new topics the night before.
- Do not compare a practice percentage with another program’s rank.
A final check is to explain one method from each listed section without notes. If you cannot explain why a rule works, return to a small untimed set before the final simulation.
Use our guide to getting an apprenticeship with no experience if you also need application basics.
If your program uses the electrical training ALLIANCE aptitude test instead of GAN, review the Electrical Apprenticeship Aptitude and Interview Kit and confirm its format matches your program.
Applying in Texas? Review the Texas Electrical Apprenticeship Entry Kit for its listed program-specific guidance before purchasing.
Not affiliated with GAN, the IEC, ABC, the IBEW, NECA or any apprenticeship program. Program names belong to their owners.
For additional GAN-style practice, explore the GAN Aptitude Test Practice Pack (US$29). It contains independent practice, not official GAN questions.
Sources checked October 2026
- GAN: https://ganhumanresources.com/gan-aptitude-test
- Nashville: https://www.nejatc.org/test-prep
- Minneapolis: https://mplsjatc.org/applicants/
- Boston: https://bostonjatc.com/interested-in-applying/
