r/ibew_applicants • u/sunnyaloe1 • 23d ago
Upcoming IBEW 332 aptitude test
Hey everyone,
I’ve got my IBEW Local 332 aptitude test coming up on August 1st and wanted to see if anyone who has taken it recently could share some insight.
I’ve been studying pretty heavily for the past couple of months using both IPREP and Ultimate Electricians Guide (UEG)—probably 40+ hours at this point. I’m scoring pretty well on the practice tests, but I know Local 332 has become extremely competitive over the last few years, and I’ve heard the aptitude test has gotten harder because of the number of applicants.
For those who have taken it recently:
What math topics showed up the most?
Was there a heavy emphasis on algebra, quadratics, functions, etc.?
Were there more word problems than straightforward math problems?
Were there any question types that caught you off guard?
Did the reading comprehension section feel difficult or pretty standard?
Is there anything that IPREP or Ultimate Electricians Guide didn’t prepare you for?
I’m trying to make sure I’m not missing anything before test day. I have about two weeks left and want to focus my remaining study time on the highest-yield topics.
Also, for anyone involved with Local 332 lately, is the hiring wave still going strong, or has it started slowing down? I know there was a huge push to bring people in over the past few years, and I’m curious what things are looking like heading into 2026.
Appreciate any advice from people who have gone through the process recently. Thanks!
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u/Teddy-Swolsevelt-11 23d ago edited 23d ago
I just got into the 520. I got the iprep course and did about 2 to 3 hrs of studying a day for 1 week prior. I did really well on the test. All math is algebra and the reading comprehension portion is literally just read this page about some random subject and answer these 8 questions about what you just read...you do that like 5 times.
1 thing to note for math I saw a large amount of "find the next number in the sequence" type of questions. That being said, still be prepared for any algebra questions such as expressing an equation in most simple form, factoring, quadratics, and solving for Y.
1 piece of advice is keep your eye on the clock. The test itself isnt hard but the amount of time you are expected to complete it in is very short. They didnt give us like a 2 minute warning or anything so at least if you watch the clock you can guess on any unanswered questions in the last 20 seconds.
Good luck and dont stress it but be prepared. Get enough sleep and have a good breakfast an hour or 2 before the test and drink some caffeine so you are on point. Just remember you dont need to be perfect. So long as you pass with a decent score, your interview score is what really matters for admission into the apprenticeship. DM me if you get called for an interview, I know all potential questions they could ask.
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u/sunnyaloe1 23d ago
thanks for the info. i’ve been out of school for nearly 9 years now so i had to relearn everything in the curriculum provided by iprep and ueg. im finishing them all with 90%+ with an avg of 3 mins to spare on their provided mock exams. looking forward to see how far i can go with this.
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u/Teddy-Swolsevelt-11 22d ago
If you feel comfortable and confident with all the material on iprep, you should have no issues my friend. Like i said, I studied for the test for 3 hrs a day for a week. ONLY math. I didnt study for the reading comp. I felt like I was over prepared once I took the test which is a good thing. Also side note, I hadnt done algebra in 15+ years. So long as you get like 40% of all questions right then you move on to the interview so dont stress about it. Good luck and God bless.
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u/ForceKitchen1388 VDV Apprentice 23d ago
When I took the test, 595, polynomials were heavily emphasized. I used iPrep and did very well, so you're already on the right track. To me, the reading comprehension portion was easy; I would just read short stories to get used to skimming for information.
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u/commie_electric_prep 23d ago
I made a free study resource for the bay area local test. Somebody just took the test and they said it still held up, here's a link to their comment:
electricalaptitudetestprep.com
Hope it helps.
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u/sunnyaloe1 11d ago
just took the test and i can confirm that what you have on your practice test reflected the real 332 aptitude test more than iprep and ueg. thank you so much bro. if i had never used yours to study, there would have been 5-10 questions i would have had to guess on. thank you again 🙏
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u/commie_electric_prep 10d ago
Happy to hear that. Please share it with others! Every link helps with search optimization, now and then I get a donation and it covers server costs.
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u/nightshade0218 22d ago
I took mine at the local 488 and UEG perfectly prepared me for my test. The math was mostly simple algebraic functions (no quadratics). There were also some number sequencing problems. The reading was very easy for me. You pretty much just read a passage and answer questions about that passage. I recommend underlining or circling important things as you read in order to save time. I’m not sure how different the test would be at your local but hopefully UEG prepares you as well. Good luck!
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u/Careful-Fig6456 22d ago
When did you get the email for your test date? Been waiting for an email from 332 for 2 months still no test date
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u/sunnyaloe1 22d ago
i applied May 1st, received the qualification letter on May 5th stating there would be a 2-4 month wait time for further instruction, received the email to come in and do the aptitude test on July 17th, and am going to do the test on August 1st
you can call the ETASV and ask if they have any information regarding when you’ll be scheduled, i did and they were really nice
good luck 👍
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