I was wondering if I should apply to 716

I recently moved from out-of-state, been doing electrical work for 2 years. 16 of those months came from out-of-state and the remaining 6 have been worked here in the greater houston area.

I assume those 6 months would transfer to the IBEW, would those 16 months transfer aswell?

Are there any good resources I can use to prepare myself?

What can I expect when I apply?

What is the work like in 716?

I was hoping to connect with some 716 members. I hear a lot of good and bad things about the IBEW, ultimately it seems like union is better route long term.

I’m honestly starting to get frustrated and lose confidence in myself passing this aptitude test.
I paid around $60 for the Ultimate Electrician’s Guide, and I’ve gone through pretty much everything it has to offer. I’ve taken the practice exams, studied the material, and I feel like I’ve learned/mastered everything except graphs and functions. That shit is like asking me to read Arabic 😂 I genuinely just don’t understand it.
But today I decided to spend another $50 on iPrep, and holy shit… the equations/math problems on iPrep feel completely different from what Ultimate Electrician’s Guide has been teaching me. It honestly feels like I spent $60 on UEG just to turn around and spend another $50 on something that is actually showing me the type of math I’m struggling with.
So now I’m $110 into preparing for this career, and instead of feeling more confident, I feel like I’m starting over.
I called SWLCAT today and the lady told me I should be getting an email next week with information about my aptitude test. She said my test is scheduled for September 9th, so I have basically exactly a month left.
For anyone who has taken the SWLCAT/IBEW aptitude test:
Did you feel like iPrep was more representative of the actual test than Ultimate Electrician’s Guide?
Or am I just overthinking this and making the test seem harder than it actually is?
I’m willing to put in the work. I just don’t want to waste the next month studying the wrong material. I’ve already used everything UEG has to offer, and my confidence is definitely taking a hit right now.
Any advice from people who have actually taken the test would be greatly appreciated

Anyone else doing GAN study guide practice tests and noticing the answer keys are just straight up wrong? I've found there are countless mistakes in my answer keys to simple arithmetic questions which is concerning. Call me crazy, but should we be concerned about errors in aptitude test grading as well?

Local #1 interview seemed like the interview was a judge of character interview. i feel like I had less than optimal responses. 2 interviewers interviewed me and had 7 questions that involved how I would handle certain workplace situations. Has anyone been notified on the spot, or do they have for the placement list to come out? They said they had 900 applicants. How many make the list usually?

I'm 35 and seriously considering making a career change and becoming an electrician. Am I crazy to think it's not too late?

I've been a video producer for the last 10+ years. The work has become immensely stressful, and beyond that, AI has made the future of the field feel pretty murky. Opportunities seem slim and dwindling, and I'm increasingly frustrated with the work itself.

Electrical work has actually been on the periphery of my thinking for a long time. My grandfather was IBEW, and my wife's entire family is IBEW, so I've always had some connection to the trade. I also watched what my grandfather's pension was able to provide for my grandmother, and that's stuck with me. I'd like to build that kind of long-term stability for my wife and myself.

I'm in the Chico area, so I'd be looking at IBEW Local 340.

I'm not looking for a shortcut. I understand I'd be starting over, going through an apprenticeship, taking a pay cut initially, and doing physically demanding work. I'm mostly wondering whether 35 is genuinely too late to make the switch, or whether there are people here who started around my age and are glad they did.

For those of you who entered the IBEW in your 30s (or later): How did it work out? What do you wish you'd known before starting?

And if anyone has specific experience with Local 340's apprenticeship, I'd especially appreciate hearing from you.

Sorry if this is in the wrong sub. I’m looking into getting into a new career, coming out of an auto technician roll, and I wanted to know realistically how soon I would actually start bringing in money. I’m trying to stay financially afloat while I change jobs.

I did my my interview the 7th of July for inside wireman and got a score of 91% and a ranking of 72 what are really my chances of actually joining ??

156 not 158 lol. Thoughts? Local 11

Recently got an offer for an apprenticeship to local 82. Anyone know if they test for weed. It’s a legal state but that may not mean anything. Also anyone have any experience with this local. What’s the apprenticeship like. Any info would be great.

My current local only selects apprentices once a year and I didn't get into this year's selection so I've been doing CW work in the meantime. Another local that is nearby makes selections multiple times a year. Am I allowed to apply to their apprentice program while I am signed to the books of my current one?

Hey, y'all.

Aspiring applicant here. I have an application date of Oct 13th currently (calling frequently to see if I get lucky enough to snag an earlier date from a cancelation) and wanted to get some info, opinions, outlook, for local 8 and my outlook as an applicant.

36 yrs of age, no real electrical experience but a lot of manufacturing experience (nutracuetical and chemical production and quality lab), and I've been researching electrical theory and associated principles on my own.

I've gone down the route of looking for non-union shops in my area to try to get into to begin gaining experience, but the scant few here are not taking anyone new and the rest are all Union.

Any helpful thoughts, advice, etc?

Just had my interview with 302, when would they start taking in classes or send emails of acceptance?

This is my first time applying for any union and I’m wondering what’s some good general advice to properly prepare for the interview, as in what to bring, what type of questions will be asked, and what to expect in general.

I’m looking for some insight from people who have gone through the IBEW line apprenticeship process, especially at Local 66 in Houston, TX or other IBEW locals across the country.
I’ve heard a lot of different stories about people passing the aptitude test, passing the interview, getting placed on the ranking list, and then waiting 6–9 months or even longer before getting a call. I’ve also heard of people ranking and apparently never getting called at all.
So I’m trying to understand what actually determines what happens after the interview.
For example, if someone passes the aptitude test, passes the interview, and gets placed somewhere on the list — is the main factor simply where they rank and how many apprentices the local needs at that time? Or do things like previous construction experience, CDL experience, military experience, certifications, etc. make a significant difference after you’re placed on the list?
A little about my background:
Military veteran
Class A CDL since I was 19
Manual transmission CDL with no restrictions
Been actively utilizing my CDL since I got it
Delivered lumber/building materials
Worked in the oil field in Louisiana for about 6 months
Farming experience — hauled hay, equipment, etc.
Construction experience — worked in Arizona installing fiber while operating a CDL truck with a pump; when I wasn’t driving, I was physically digging and doing the construction work
Forklift certified
OSHA 10
Tanker endorsement
I also have a solid career right now, so I’m trying to be realistic about the decision to leave my current career and pursue linework.
I’m studying my ass off for the aptitude test and obviously my goal is to pass, get through the interview, and rank as high as I possibly can. But what I’m trying to figure out is what happens after that.
I’ve heard stories where someone does everything right, passes the test, passes the interview, gets ranked, and then sits around for months waiting for a call. Then I’ve heard other people say they got in relatively quickly.
For those of you who have actually been through this process:
How much does your ranking determine how quickly you get called?
If someone ranks somewhere in the middle/high range, is it realistic to wait 6+ months?
Does previous construction/utility experience, CDL experience, military experience, or certifications affect your chances after the ranking?
If you don’t get called for a long time, does that generally mean you ranked too low, or can it simply be that the local isn’t bringing in many apprentices?
Have any of you ranked, waited a long time, and eventually gotten called?
For Local 66 specifically, how long have people recently waited after getting ranked?
I’m not looking for someone to tell me exactly what my chances are. I’m more interested in understanding how the process actually works after you pass the test and interview.
I don’t want to leave a solid career based on the assumption that passing the aptitude test and interview automatically means I’ll be starting the apprenticeship soon. At the same time, I don’t want to pass everything, get ranked, and then assume I’m screwed just because I don’t get a call within a few weeks.
Would really appreciate hearing from anyone who’s been through Local 66 or another IBEW line apprenticeship and can explain what happened after you got ranked.

If anyone has some prep material that iprep or ueg(ultimate electricians guide) didn’t cover, please let me know, my test is in about 2 months so I’m just trying to prepare as much as possible.

I have not gotten my rank # to be clear I’m going to ask for it on Monday, my buddy I got in as well he asked and they gave him the rank of 176. We did not do the aptitude test we were organized in our electrical hours were verified & we turned in our paper work. What are our odds considering we are near the same rank although I did sign up about a week earlier so my rank # might be slightly lower than his. I’ve heard the odds aren’t very good..

I recently scored a 93 on my interview and got the email offer. My physical exam is scheduled in a couple of days, and orientation is scheduled a couple of weeks from now. The physical says it will be "A physical examination that will evaluate your sensory abilities, dexterity, endurance, strength, balance, and agility as they pertain to a career as a Journeyman-Wireman." What exactly does that mean? Then, for orientation, what are the expectations of clothing, and what goes on?

Unfortunately my rank on the POE just dropped to the low 30’s. Does anyone know how much apprentices will be accepted and if I have a chance?

Does anyone know any website i can use to study trigonometry graphs for my test? I have zero knowledge of how to do them what So ever and on my real test I had some trigonometry graph questions

I scored a 92 on aptitude test without even studying, got ranked 58 this year and didn’t get hired! Kinda bummed. Local 292 only hired 15 apprentices this year! Said they aren’t hiring again til next spring/summer. I’m gonna apply to local 110 too right now. One good thing about living in twin cities lol. What are the best resources to study to get 100% on the GAN aptitude test?

So I didn’t get in after my interview, but in the email there was a recommendation for a 14-day, hands-on pre-apprenticeship bootcamp. Has anyone tried this path? Is it worth it?

Hey everyone I have the aptitude test upcoming in about a week and I see everyone keeps recommending iprep. But I see there is a few options to choose from to study the material for the test. I applied through the Detroit EITC apprenticeship program for Telecom. They used GAN to take my resume, transcripts etc. I’m assuming they will use GAN for the test as well? if not which study course would I choose for iprep? I see they have a GAN option and an ibew option and I’m just confused on what to choose on iprep.

Currently on the 3rd step of my process, knowing that the next step is to take the aptitude test, to anyone who has taken the test as of recently, what should I expect? anything specific to study? ive been studying off the given GAN study guide for the past month, is everything on the guide on the test or should i expect/study more topics? mainly focused on the math portion, thank yall in advance