IBEW Aptitude Test Reading Comprehension: 36 Questions in 51 Minutes, Question Types and How to Read the Passages (2026)

Not affiliated with the IBEW, NECA, the electrical training ALLIANCE or any JATC. Program names belong to their owners. The format facts below come from the electrical training ALLIANCE applicant pages and JATC pages we opened in October 2026. The practice passage and questions on this page are our own.

The reading section at a glance

Item	Reading Comprehension
Questions	36
Time	51 minutes
Average time per question	85 seconds
Order	After the 33 question Algebra and Functions test and a short break
Guessing penalty	None
Passages	The ALLIANCE public sample page does not state a fixed count. One JATC describes four passages; confirm your local instructions
Outside knowledge needed	None. Answers come from the passage

The electrical training ALLIANCE application page gives 36 items and 51 minutes, and says most applicants have enough time if they work steadily without spending too long on one question. Its sample test page describes the test as measuring your ability to get information from written passages, and notes that the sample passage is shorter than the ones on the real test. That public ALLIANCE page does not state a fixed number of passages. The Waterloo and Mason City Electrical JATC describes its reading test as four passages with 36 questions in 51 minutes. Your local instructions control, so use 36 questions in 51 minutes as the pacing target rather than assuming every test uses the same passage count.

The question types

The ALLIANCE sample passage is on a general topic, not an electrical one, and its sample questions ask what the passage says. From that sample and the way reading tests are usually built, plan for these five types.

Type	What the question asks	Where to look
Detail	“According to the passage…” a fact, date, number or name	The one sentence that holds that fact
Main idea	What the passage is mostly about, or a fitting title	The first and last sentences of each paragraph
Inference	What the passage suggests but does not state	Two facts in the passage that together point to the answer
Word in context	What a word means as used in a sentence	The sentence around the word, not the dictionary meaning
Sequence or cause	What happened first, or why something changed	Time words such as before, after, later, because

Detail questions may be quicker when the answer appears directly in the passage. Inference questions may require more time because you need to decide which choice is supported without adding assumptions. These are useful practice categories, not an official breakdown of the test. For every question, look for evidence in the passage rather than choosing an answer because it sounds reasonable.

A reading method for a 51-minute section

1. Glance at the question stems before you read. Identify the information you may need, but do not study every answer choice first. Then read for the passage’s main point and return to specific lines for detail questions.
2. Read the passage once at a steady pace. Do not reread sentences you understood. Mark names, numbers and dates with your pencil if scrap paper or the booklet allows.
3. Answer detail questions by going back to the line. Do not answer from memory. Put your finger on the sentence that proves the answer.
4. For inference questions, eliminate choices the passage contradicts or that need assumptions it does not support, then pick the choice the passage supports.
5. If a question is stuck at 2 minutes, guess and move on. There is no penalty for a wrong answer.

As a pacing drill, allow about 8.5 minutes for a six-question passage and its questions, including reading time (6 × 85 = 510 seconds). That follows the section average of 85 seconds per question. It is a practice benchmark, not an official limit for each passage; real passages vary in length, so adjust.

Practice passage 1: learn the question types

The passage below is a made-up example written for practice. The town and its program are fictional.

The town of Millbrook replaced its old streetlights in two stages. In the first year, crews changed the 400 lights on the main roads, because those lights burned the most hours and cost the most to run. The council waited to see the results before paying for the rest. After twelve months, the main road lights used about half the energy they had used before, and residents reported fewer dark spots between poles. In the second year, the council approved the 600 lights on side streets. Some residents on side streets had asked to go first, since their streets were darker, but the council kept to its plan. By the end of the second year, all 1,000 lights had been changed, and the town began using the savings to repair sidewalks.

Question 1 (detail). How many lights were changed in the first year?

A. 400. B. 600. C. 1,000. D. The passage does not say.

Question 2 (sequence or cause). Why were the main road lights changed first?

A. Side street residents asked for it. B. They burned the most hours and cost the most to run. C. They had the most dark spots. D. The sidewalks needed repair.

Question 3 (inference). What does the passage suggest about the council?

A. It ignored the energy results. B. It wanted proof the first stage worked before spending more. C. It changed its plan because of resident requests. D. It stopped after the first year.

Question 4 (word in context). In “the council kept to its plan”, kept to most nearly means:

A. stored. B. stayed with. C. delayed. D. hid.

Passage 1 answers and why

1. A. The second sentence says crews changed the 400 lights on the main roads in the first year. B is the side street number, and C is the total.
2. B. The passage gives the reason with the word “because”: those lights burned the most hours and cost the most. A is the opposite of what happened.
3. B. The council “waited to see the results before paying for the rest” and approved stage two after twelve months. C is contradicted: residents asked, but the council kept to its plan.
4. B. The council did not change its order, so kept to means stayed with.

Check: 400 + 600 = 1,000, which matches the total in the last sentence, so question 1 cannot be C.

Practice passage 2: build reading stamina

This second passage is longer than passage 1 and runs over several paragraphs, so it trains you to hold your attention. It is made up, and its length and difficulty are not matched to the real test. The county and its bus routes are fictional. Set a timer for 8.5 minutes for the passage and all 6 questions, about 85 seconds per question.

Linden County ran one bus line, Route 9, as a single loop through the county. In 2024 a bus came every 70 minutes, and riders said the wait was the main reason they drove instead. The county’s transit board surveyed 1,200 riders that spring. Most trips, the survey found, began or ended at one of three places: the hospital, the community college and the downtown transfer center.

In 2025 the board split the loop into two shorter routes. Route 9A runs east-west and Route 9B runs north-south, and the two meet at the transfer center. The county did not add buses. The same six buses now drive the shorter routes, so each bus completes its route twice as often, and a bus comes every 35 minutes on each route.

The change had a cost for some riders. About 80 regular riders lost the stop nearest their homes, because the new routes no longer passed their streets. For them the board started a call-ahead van. Riders book a ride by 6 p.m. the day before, and the van takes them to the nearest 9A or 9B stop.

After the first year, average weekday ridership rose from 900 to 1,150. The board credited the shorter wait for most of the gain. The van is popular with the riders who use it, but it costs the county more per rider than the buses do. The board plans to review the van at the end of the year and decide whether to keep it, change it or replace it.

Question 1 (detail). After the change, how often does a bus come on each route?

A. Every 70 minutes. B. Every 35 minutes. C. Every 50 minutes. D. The passage does not say.

Question 2 (main idea). Which choice states the main idea of the passage?

A. Linden County bought new buses to shorten waits. B. The county split one long bus loop into two shorter routes, reducing wait times and increasing ridership while leaving some riders farther from a regular bus stop. C. The call-ahead van replaced the bus routes. D. The hospital is the busiest stop in the county.

Question 3 (cause). Why could buses come twice as often without adding buses?

A. The county hired more drivers. B. Fewer riders used the buses. C. The same buses drove shorter routes. D. The van carried the extra riders.

Question 4 (inference). What does the passage suggest about the call-ahead van?

A. It will be removed next month. B. The board may change or end it after reviewing its cost. C. It costs less per rider than the buses. D. Every rider must book it.

Question 5 (word in context). In “the board credited the shorter wait for most of the gain”, credited most nearly means:

A. paid. B. lent. C. said the result was caused by. D. doubted.

Question 6 (not supported). Which statement is NOT supported by the passage?

A. The survey covered 1,200 riders. B. The two routes meet at the transfer center. C. About 80 riders lost their nearest stop. D. The county added two buses to make the change work.

Passage 2 answers and why

1. B. The second paragraph says a bus comes every 35 minutes on each route. A is the old loop.
2. B. The passage describes a route redesign that reduced waiting times and increased ridership, while about 80 riders lost their nearest regular bus stop. A is contradicted because no buses were added. C is false because the van connects riders to the regular routes rather than replacing them. D is unsupported because the passage does not identify the busiest stop.
3. C. The same six buses drive shorter routes, so each completes its route twice as often. A is not stated, and D is about a different group of riders.
4. B. The board plans to review the van and decide whether to keep it, change it or replace it, and the passage notes its higher cost per rider. A is not stated, and C is the opposite.
5. C. The board said the shorter wait caused most of the rise. Paid and lent are money meanings that do not fit here.
6. D. The passage says the county did not add buses. A, B and C are each stated.

Check: 70 ÷ 2 = 35, which matches a bus every 35 minutes once each bus runs its route twice as often, and 1,150 – 900 = 250 more weekday riders.

Practice finding the condition that changes an answer

The electrical training ALLIANCE provides reading samples to assess what you can obtain from a passage. For the original exercise below, answer only from the text. Do not add assumptions from your own work experience.

The training office accepts application documents online until Friday at 4 p.m. An application submitted before the deadline remains incomplete until all required files are received. Applicants whose files are complete receive an email explaining the next step. The office does not promise an interview date when an application is submitted.

For each answer, point to the sentence that supports it. Label your reasoning as directly stated, inferred from the wording, or unsupported. This helps distinguish a missed condition from unfamiliar vocabulary.

Conditions in a passage

1. TX-063: An applicant submits the form on Thursday but omits a required file. Is the application complete?
   Answer: No. The passage says all required files must be received.
2. TX-063: Does submitting a form guarantee an interview date?
   Answer: No. The final sentence explicitly says no interview date is promised on submission.
3. TX-063: Who receives an email explaining the next step?
   Answer: Applicants with complete files. The passage does not state that every submitted form triggers that email.

Official references checked October 16, 2026

• Electrical training ALLIANCE: sample aptitude questions

How to practice in the weeks before the test

• Read one short article a day and write its main idea in one sentence. News explainers and how-it-works pieces are close to test style.
• Time every practice set. Use 85 seconds per question as your target, including reading time.
• Keep a miss log by question type. If inference is your weak type, do the cross-out step on every choice until it is automatic.
• Rehearse the published ALLIANCE order only if your JATC uses that test. Complete 33 algebra questions in 46 minutes, take a short break, and then complete 36 reading questions in 51 minutes. Confirm your local testing instructions before using this as your final test-day rehearsal.

Reading is also part of the job after you are in. Apprentices read prints, specs and safety rules every week. If you are still choosing a path, see our comparison of union and non-union electrical apprenticeships.

If your JATC uses GAN

Some JATCs, such as JATC Local 26 and the Nashville Electrical JATC, now use the GAN aptitude test. GAN also has a reading section, but it is one of several sections (Local 26 lists five, the Minneapolis Electrical JATC six) and is taken on a computer at the Nashville JATC. The 36 question, 51 minute format on this page is the electrical training ALLIANCE version.

In Texas? The Texas Electrical Apprenticeship Entry Kit covers 13 Texas programs.

FAQ

Sources checked October 2026

• electrical training ALLIANCE, The Application Process: https://www.electricaltrainingalliance.org/SamplePage/ApplyingforApprenticeship
• electrical training ALLIANCE, Preparing for the Test: https://www.electricaltrainingalliance.org/SamplePage/PreparingfortheTest
• Waterloo and Mason City Electrical JATC, Aptitude Test: https://www.ibewjatc.org/aptitude-test
• NECA-IBEW Electrical Training Center, Preparing for the Aptitude Test: https://nietc.org/applicants/preparing-to-apply/preparing-for-the-aptitude-test-and-the-interview/
• JATC Local 26, GAN Bullet Points: https://www.jatc26.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/GAN-Bullet-Points-1.pdf
• Nashville Electrical JATC, information packet (8-24-2026): https://irp.cdn-website.com/e99e4dc1/files/uploaded/NEJATC+INFO+PACKET+8-24-2026+WEB.pdf