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GAN aptitude test

GAN aptitude test study guide

By the nodiexam team Updated

To study for the GAN aptitude test, practice arithmetic and fractions by hand, number series, paper folding and simple machines, read short passages under a timer, then take full timed tests. GAN does not publish how many questions each section has or how long each section lasts, and where programs say so, calculators are not allowed.

Your program has sent you a GAN test date and you want to use the weeks well. This guide goes section by section: what it asks, how to work it, and one example worked through. Then come plans for two or four weeks and a test-day list.

The sections

Some programs list six sections: reading, numerical computation, numerical reasoning, paper folding, problem solving and mechanical comprehension. Others list five sections: reading, numerical computation, numerical reasoning, paper folding and mechanical reasoning. Study every section unless your program's letter says otherwise.

Reading

in GAN's sample reading page, each question has four choices, and you pick the one that best completes a sentence about a short passage. The passages are short, so the clock is the hard part. Read the sentence you have to finish first, then find the line in the passage that settles it. The answer is always in the passage. Pick the ending the passage supports, not the one that matches what you already know.

Worked example. Cordless tool batteries lose power faster in cold weather. Keeping spare batteries in a warm truck cab or an inside pocket helps them last through the shift. A cold battery should warm up before it goes on the charger, because charging it below freezing can damage it.

A cold battery should warm up before charging because

  • A. the truck cab is the only place to charge it.
  • B. charging it below freezing can damage it.
  • C. the charger will not fit a cold battery.
  • D. warm batteries weigh less.

The answer is B. The last sentence gives the reason in almost the same words. A, C and D are not in the passage.

Numerical Computation

in Numerical Computation every question has five choices, answers are exact and not rounded, and fractions are in lowest terms. Practice the four operations with fractions until they are automatic: find a common denominator to add or subtract, multiply straight across, and flip the second fraction to divide. Reduce every answer.

Worked example. 5/6 − 1/4 =

  1. A common denominator for 6 and 4 is 12.
  2. 5/6 = 10/12 and 1/4 = 3/12.
  3. 10/12 − 3/12 = 7/12. It is already in lowest terms.

The answer is 7/12. A common slip is subtracting straight across, 4/2 = 2, which is far too big.

Try it

  1. 2 1/2 × 1 3/5 =
  2. 4.2 × 0.15 =
  3. 15% of 240 =
Show answers
  1. 5/2 × 8/5 = 40/10 = 4.
  2. 42 × 15 = 630. There are three decimal places in all, so 0.630, which is 0.63.
  3. 10% of 240 is 24 and 5% is 12, so 15% is 36.

Numerical Reasoning

Numerical Reasoning gives a series of numbers that follows a rule, and you pick the number that comes next from five choices. Look at the gaps between numbers first. If the gaps are not the same, try times or divide, then look at the gaps between the gaps, then at two series taking turns. Also, one applicant at Pipe Fitters Local 597 wrote that the number series include fractions, which the guide touches on only once, so practice series of fractions too.

Worked example. 2 5 11 23 47 ?

  1. The gaps are 3, 6, 12, 24. Each gap doubles, so the next gap is 48.
  2. 47 + 48 = 95.
  3. Check with a second rule: each number is double the one before, plus 1. 47 × 2 + 1 = 95. Both agree.

The next number is 95.

Try it

  1. 4 9 6 11 8 13 ?
  2. 1/2 3/4 1 5/4 ?
  3. 81 27 9 3 ?
Show answers
  1. Two series take turns: 4, 6, 8 and 9, 11, 13. The next number belongs to the first: 10.
  2. Each step adds 1/4. 5/4 + 1/4 = 6/4, which is 3/2.
  3. Each step divides by 3. 3 ÷ 3 = 1.

Paper Folding

Paper Folding shows a square sheet being folded, then one or two holes punched through it, and you pick which of five unfolded sheets shows the holes. Work backward: open the last fold first. Every hole on the part that was folded over gets a twin, mirrored across the fold line, the same distance from the line on the other side. Then open the fold before it. applicants at Pipe Fitters Local 597 and in an IBEW forum report that paper folding gave them trouble, so give it extra time. The paper folding guide has worked examples with drawings.

Mechanical Reasoning

Mechanical Reasoning shows a picture of a simple, everyday mechanism and asks a question about it, with no special knowledge needed. A few rules answer most questions:

  • Gears. Meshed gears turn opposite ways. A smaller gear turns faster.
  • Belts. An open belt keeps the direction, and a crossed belt reverses it.
  • Levers. Weight times distance from the pivot must match on both sides.
  • Pulleys. Count the rope strands that hold up the moving pulley. The effort is the load divided by that count.
  • Fluids. Pressure grows with depth. A narrow pipe carries the same flow faster.

Also, one applicant at Pipe Fitters Local 597 wrote that the mechanical part was larger than GAN's guide suggests, about 40 to 50 questions. The mechanical comprehension guide works through each rule.

Problem Solving

Only some programs give this section. The questions are short word problems on rates, mixes, measurements and money. Write down what the question asks for before you start, and keep the units with every number.

Worked example. One pump fills a tank in 6 hours. A second pump fills it in 3 hours. How long do both take together?

  1. The first pump fills 1/6 of the tank each hour, and the second fills 1/3.
  2. Together: 1/6 + 1/3 = 1/6 + 2/6 = 3/6 = 1/2 of the tank each hour.
  3. Half a tank an hour means 2 hours for the whole tank.

The answer is 2 hours. Adding the times, 9 hours, is the usual slip. Two pumps must be faster than either one alone.

A 4-week plan

  1. Week 1. Take the free practice test under the clock. Note your two weakest sections. Do 20 minutes of fractions by hand every day.
  2. Week 2. Your weakest section every day, plus number series. Read one short passage a day and finish its sentences under a timer.
  3. Week 3. Paper folding and mechanical drills, 30 minutes each, every other day. Keep the daily arithmetic.
  4. Week 4. A full timed test early in the week. Review every miss, then go over your notes for each section. Rest the day before.

A 2-week plan

  1. Days 1 to 2. The free practice test, then a review of every question you missed.
  2. Days 3 to 10. Your two weakest sections every day, plus 15 minutes of fractions and series.
  3. Days 11 to 12. A second full timed test and its review.
  4. Days 13 to 14. Light review only. Get a good night's sleep.

On test day

  • At Lincoln and Minneapolis, bring a photo ID and your GAN login details; late arrivals are not let in, and pencils and paper are provided.
  • Where programs say so, calculators are not allowed. Work on the scratch paper you are given.
  • Each section has its own clock. Answer every question before time runs out.

The PEF, GAN's experience form

Most GAN programs score a form along with the test: the Personal Experience Form asks for your work history with hours, your schooling, training and military service, with documents to back each answer. Local 26 says GAN awards points only for answers backed by uploaded documents. Local 26 and Louisville give you two weeks to finish the form once GAN sends it. Collect transcripts, pay stubs that show hours, and a letter of recommendation before the email comes.

Study material

GAN sells its own study guide for $20, in print or as a download, and a set of practice problems for $30. GAN's guide explains each test that may be given, with tips, rules and practice problems with answers. Boston emails every applicant a free digital copy of GAN's study guide. Canton calls GAN's $20 guide the most reliable way to know what to expect and warns against sites that claim to have leaked test questions.

Our free practice test adds what a guide can't: every section on its own clock, and a worked answer for every question. Our questions are written by us to the published format. They are not GAN's.

nodiexam is not affiliated with GAN Human Resources Associates, Inc. We use the name GAN only to name the test.

Questions people ask

Is there a free GAN study guide PDF?

GAN's own guide is not free: GAN sells its own study guide for $20, in print or as a download, and a set of practice problems for $30. Boston emails every applicant a free digital copy of GAN's study guide, so check what your program sends you. This page and our practice test are free. Copies of GAN's guide posted on file-sharing sites are not GAN's to give away, and Canton calls GAN's $20 guide the most reliable way to know what to expect and warns against sites that claim to have leaked test questions.

How long should I study for the GAN aptitude test?

Four weeks is a good target if fractions and decimals are rusty. With two weeks, follow the 2-week plan: the free practice test on day 1, then your two weakest sections, then a second full test.

What math is on the GAN test?

Mostly arithmetic done by hand: whole numbers, fractions, decimals and percents, plus number series and short word problems. In Numerical Computation, in Numerical Computation every question has five choices, answers are exact and not rounded, and fractions are in lowest terms. There is far less algebra than on the electrical training ALLIANCE test.

Is GAN's own study guide worth buying?

It comes from the test publisher, which makes it the most reliable picture of the format, and one applicant wrote that GAN's own study guide had everything they needed for the test. It has practice problems, not full timed tests, so pair it with a timed practice test before test day.

Sources

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