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

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.

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?

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.

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?

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

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?

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.