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Elevator apprenticeship test

Elevator aptitude test (EIAT)

By the nodiexam team Updated

The Elevator Industry Aptitude Test (EIAT) is the test for applicants to International Union of Elevator Constructors (IUEC) elevator apprenticeships. The National Elevator Industry Educational Program (NEIEP) publishes its study guide. It has 100 multiple-choice questions: Reading Comprehension 35, Mechanical Aptitude 35 and Mathematics 30. You need 70% to pass, and the testing fee is $25.

Start the free quiz Take the full practice test See full prep, $35

NEIEP says the EIAT assesses the skills and knowledge needed to be a successful apprentice in the International Union of Elevator Constructors. In an elevator apprenticeship recruitment, it is the step between your application and the interview.

The test at a glance

Questions100 multiple-choice questions, and the EIAT is given on paper Source
SectionsReading Comprehension 35, Mechanical Aptitude 35, Mathematics 30 Source
Passing scoreNEIEP scores the EIAT pass or fail, and 70% correct is the lowest passing grade. Source
Testing fee$25 for each applicant who tests Source
Time limitNot published. NEIEP's 2024 study guide and its FAQ give no time limit for the EIAT. Your test letter or the recruitment notice may give one. Source
CalculatorNot published. NEIEP's 2024 study guide and its FAQ give no calculator rule. Our practice allows none. Source
If you failUnder NEIEP's rules, an applicant who fails the EIAT is not interviewed and is removed from the pool, but may re-apply at the next or a later recruitment. Source
Tool assessmentNEIEP's study guide, FAQ and Apprenticeship Opportunities page give no number of questions, time, format or sample for the tool assessment. Nor do they say when you take it, or whether its questions are part of the EIAT. Source

Checked on October 26, 2026. Your local's recruitment notice and your test letter come first.

Try 15 questions under the clock

One reading passage with five blanks, five mechanical questions and five math questions, in 14 minutes. That is the pace of our full practice test. No account and no email, and we don't collect your answers. If you reload the page, the quiz starts over. In reading, the passage shows above each of its questions, and Hide passage folds it away.

  • 15 questions
  • 14 minutes
  • No calculator our practice rule

Want the whole test? The free full-length practice test has all three sections with NEIEP's question counts, each on its own clock.

What each section asks

NEIEP's study guide shows a few sample questions for each section. Our practice follows that format with questions we wrote.

  • Reading Comprehension. You fill in blanks: in NEIEP's sample, reading is a passage with numbered blanks, and each blank has four word choices. The right word fits its sentence and the passage around it. Also, the guide tells readers to practice identifying the main ideas and key concepts in a question, and names relationships between ideas, drawing conclusions and evaluating information.
  • Mechanical Aptitude. You read drawings of simple machines: in NEIEP's four mechanical samples, each shows a picture and has three choices, such as A, B or "No difference". For topics, the guide names levers, pulleys and gears, hydraulics (area and pressure), and fulcrums and balancing objects of different weights.
  • Mathematics. Arithmetic and basic algebra: the guide names arithmetic (the four operations, fractions, decimals and percentages) and algebra (solving equations, manipulating formulas, basic expressions). Also, in NEIEP's three math samples, each question has five choices and the last is "No answer". "No answer" means none of the other choices is right, so work each question out before you look at the choices.

The EIAT study guide takes each section with a worked example and a sample passage.

How the EIAT is scored

The EIAT is pass or fail. NEIEP tells you whether you passed or failed, and a passing applicant also gets instructions for the next steps.

  • A pass. In NEIEP's FAQ, applicants who score 70% or higher on the aptitude test are scheduled for an interview.
  • A fail. You are out of that recruitment, and the next one may be a long way off: each local runs its own recruitments, after everyone on its list has been hired or when the list expires every two years.

Your place on the hiring list comes from the interview. NEIEP's FAQ says the interview score is the average of the two interviewers' scores, and your rank on the hiring list is based on it. It also says correct responses on the tool assessment count toward the final score on the interview. NEIEP does not say when you take the tool assessment, or whether its questions are part of the EIAT or a separate step. Ask your local, or check your test letter. To be safe, learn the basic tools as you study for the EIAT. The tool assessment page has what NEIEP and one local's notice say, with practice questions.

The pass mark counts correct answers, so a blank never helps. Mark an answer for every question.

Time and calculator

NEIEP publishes no time limit and no calculator rule for the EIAT. Your test letter or the recruitment notice may give both, so read it closely.

Our practice needs a clock, so we set one. The times are ours: Reading 30 minutes, Mechanical 25 and Math 35, 90 minutes in all, one part after another. Our practice allows no calculator. Every math sample in NEIEP's guide can be worked with a pencil, and so can every one of our questions.

Before test day

If your test letter leaves something out, ask your local before the day:

  • How long is the sitting?
  • Is a calculator allowed?
  • What ID should I bring, and should I bring pencils?
  • Is the tool assessment that day, or another day?
  • When will I hear my result?

How to prepare

Start with NEIEP's own material. NEIEP publishes an approved study guide for the EIAT: the 2024 EIAT study guide. It gives the format, the topics and a few samples per section. NEIEP says no specific prior knowledge or training is required to become an apprentice, and you can study all three sections from scratch.

Then add what a short guide can't give you:

  • A full timed test. The free practice test has all three sections on their own clocks, so you learn your pace.
  • Worked answers. Every question shows the method, and why each wrong choice is wrong.
  • A plan. The study guide has a method for each section and plans for two or four weeks.

Our questions are written by us to the format NEIEP's samples show. They are not NEIEP's questions, and we never use copied test material.

Full EIAT prep

$35 one payment

When you want more than the free test: more full-length tests, practice by topic and a printable pack.

45 days of access from the day you pay. Nothing renews.

  • 3 full-length practice tests in the simulator, each part on its own clock, with NEIEP's question counts and our times
  • Each section as a test on its own, and practice by topic, timed or untimed, with worked answers
  • A diagnostic test and a study plan built from your result
  • Review mode: every question you missed, with its method
  • Tools and measuring practice for the tool assessment: tests and practice by topic on hand tools, measuring tools, reading a tape measure and working with lengths. It is our own practice and not part of our full-length practice tests.
  • Printable pack (PDF): a method sheet that covers every section, printable copies of full tests 1 to 3 and of the tools and measuring tests, with answer keys and worked solutions, and a study plan for four, two or one week. Download it any time for a year.

You pay by card on Stripe's secure page. Your statement shows NODIEXAM.

Refunds: email support@nodiexam.com within 7 days of paying and we refund the full $35, no questions asked. A refund ends your access to the online practice and your download links.

See everything in full prep

Questions people ask

What is on the elevator aptitude test?

Three sections, in NEIEP's study guide. Reading Comprehension is short passages with blanks to fill. Mechanical Aptitude asks about pictures of levers, pulleys, gears and pistons. Mathematics is arithmetic and basic algebra: fractions, decimals, percents and equations. NEIEP's FAQ also lists general tool knowledge, and the tool assessment page has what NEIEP says about tools.

How many questions are on the EIAT?

There are 100: 35 in Reading Comprehension, 35 in Mechanical Aptitude and 30 in Mathematics. All of them are multiple choice.

What score do you need to pass the EIAT?

You need 70% of the questions right. The test is pass or fail, and a pass gets you an interview. Your rank on the hiring list then comes from the interview score. See how the EIAT is scored.

How long is the EIAT?

NEIEP doesn't publish a time limit for the EIAT, so check your test letter or the recruitment notice.

Can you use a calculator on the EIAT?

NEIEP's study guide and FAQ give no calculator rule, so check your test letter, and practice working by hand in case none is allowed.

What happens if you fail the EIAT?

You are not interviewed, and you are out of that recruitment. You can apply again at a later one, but a local holds its next recruitment after its list is used up or expires, so one weak sitting can mean a long wait.

How much does the EIAT cost?

NEIEP's FAQ gives a testing fee of $25 for each applicant who tests. Check your local's recruitment notice for how to pay it.

Is the elevator union test hard?

It does not test elevator know-how. The math is school arithmetic and basic algebra that you can work by hand, and the mechanical questions rest on a few rules about levers, pulleys, gears and pressure. If school math was years ago, give yourself a few weeks with the EIAT study guide.

Keep reading

  • Free EIAT practice test: all three sections with NEIEP's question counts, timed, with worked answers.
  • EIAT study guide: each section with a worked example, a sample passage and plans for two or four weeks.
  • Tool assessment: what NEIEP and one local publish, the common tools by job and practice questions.
  • Elevator apprenticeship: the path from recruitment to the Mechanic's Exam, with pay.
  • Full prep: 3 full-length timed tests, besides the free one, practice by topic and a printable pack, $35.

Sources

Facts on this page come from these pages. We checked each one on the date shown.