This overview includes information to help you prepare for the Construction and Skilled Trades Selection System, commonly called the CAST test. You will find details about the test format, registration, scoring, test-day procedures, retakes, preparation, and study resources.
Questions110 multiple-choice questions | Timed Testing87 minutes |
Aptitude Tests4 separately timed sections | Test DeveloperEdison Electric Institute |
Exam Background and Purpose
The Construction and Skilled Trades Selection System, or CAST, is a pre-employment aptitude test battery developed by the Edison Electric Institute. Energy companies and other employers use it to help evaluate applicants for construction, maintenance, repair, and skilled-trade positions.
Jobs that may require CAST testing include electrical repair, transmission and distribution, facility maintenance, vehicle maintenance, machine repair, meter service, construction, and other craft or technical positions.
The test measures an applicant’s ability to interpret drawings, apply mechanical principles, understand technical reading material, and solve mathematical problems under strict time limits.
Key point: CAST is designed for construction and skilled-trade positions. MASS is a related EEI battery used primarily for power plant maintenance and craft positions.
CAST Test Overview
The CAST test contains 110 multiple-choice questions divided among four separately timed aptitude tests. The timed sections total 87 minutes.
The complete testing appointment may take longer when check-in, instructions, practice questions, administrative activities, and breaks are included.
Employers may use paper-based, computer-based, or other approved delivery arrangements. Follow the instructions in your testing invitation because procedures can vary by company.
The exam is highly time-pressured. Mechanical Concepts allows an average of about 27 seconds per question, while Mathematical Usage allows an average of about 23 seconds per question.
Graphic Arithmetic
Graphic Arithmetic measures your ability to obtain information from prints or drawings and use that information to solve mathematical problems.
A drawing may include dimensions, labels, distances, elevations, angles, or other information. Several questions may refer to the same drawing.
Graphic Arithmetic Skills
- Reading dimensions and labels accurately
- Addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division
- Fractions and decimals
- Ratios, proportions, and percentages
- Perimeter, area, and volume
- Unit conversions
- Applying information from diagrams to formulas
Mechanical Concepts
Mechanical Concepts contains pictorial questions involving common mechanical situations. Candidates determine how an object or system will behave based on the physical principles shown.
The section is not primarily a vocabulary test. You must recognize the principle represented by the diagram and apply it quickly.
Mechanical Topics to Review
- Force, motion, speed, acceleration, and momentum
- Gravity, balance, and center of gravity
- Friction and traction
- Levers and fulcrums
- Pulleys and mechanical advantage
- Gears and rotational direction
- Pressure, fluids, buoyancy, and hydraulics
- Work, energy, simple machines, and basic equipment
Reading for Comprehension
The Reading for Comprehension section contains four passages followed by a total of 32 questions.
The passages may resemble technical instructions, training material, operating procedures, or workplace manuals. Questions are based on information contained in the passages.
Reading Skills Measured
- Identifying the main idea
- Locating supporting details
- Following a sequence or process
- Recognizing cause-and-effect relationships
- Drawing conclusions supported by the text
- Understanding words from context
- Distinguishing facts from unsupported claims
Mathematical Usage
Mathematical Usage contains 18 questions with a seven-minute time limit. This makes it the most aggressively timed section of the CAST battery.
Necessary formulas or mathematical information may be provided at the beginning of the test. Candidates must recognize the correct method and complete calculations efficiently.
Mathematical Topics to Review
- Whole-number operations
- Fractions and mixed numbers
- Decimals and percentages
- Ratios and proportions
- Elementary algebra
- Measurement and unit conversion
- Basic geometry
- Substitution into formulas
Registration, Costs, and Locations
Applicants generally cannot register for CAST directly through EEI. The test is administered as part of an employer’s hiring or employee-selection process.
Begin by applying for a position with an electric utility, construction organization, or another employer that uses the CAST battery. Candidates selected to continue in the hiring process receive testing instructions from that employer.
Registration Basics
- The hiring company determines who is invited to test.
- EEI does not normally schedule individual applicant appointments.
- Testing may take place at an employer facility, training center, testing center, or another approved location.
- The employer determines the available dates and delivery method.
- Follow the instructions in the employer’s invitation.
How Much Does the CAST Test Cost?
There is no universal applicant fee for the CAST test. Many employers administer it as part of the hiring process without charging the applicant separately.
Any testing, rescheduling, cancellation, or missed-appointment charge is established by the employer or organization administering the test.
What Should I Expect on Test Day?
Test-day requirements vary by employer and delivery method. Review the testing invitation carefully before the appointment.
How Is the CAST Test Scored?
Results from the four aptitude tests are combined into an overall CAST index score. Employers use the score to help estimate whether an applicant is likely to succeed in training and perform effectively in covered skilled-trade positions.
CAST results are commonly reported on a scale ranging from 1 to 10. The score is not simply the percentage of questions answered correctly.
EEI does not establish one universal applicant-facing passing score. Each participating employer determines the standard required for its positions and how CAST performance is considered with interviews, experience, education, physical requirements, and other hiring factors.
A score accepted by one employer may not satisfy another employer’s selection standard. Passing CAST also does not guarantee an interview or job offer.
Receiving Your Results
Results are normally provided or discussed by the employer that administered the test. EEI does not generally send individual score reports directly to applicants.
Processing time and the amount of information released to candidates vary by company.
Retaking the CAST Test
There is no single CAST retesting rule that applies to every company. The employer determines waiting periods, attempt limits, score-validity rules, and whether previous results may be reused.
Contact the recruiter or testing administrator before attempting to schedule another exam. Do not rely on a waiting period published for a different employer.
Before Retesting
- Confirm the employer’s required waiting period.
- Determine whether the full battery or only certain sections must be repeated.
- Ask whether an earlier CAST score can be transferred or reused.
- Identify which question types caused the greatest difficulty.
- Complete additional timed practice before scheduling another attempt.
How Can I Prepare for the CAST Test?
CAST is an aptitude battery rather than a test of one employer’s procedures. Preparation should focus on understanding each question format and solving problems accurately under the official section limits.
Begin with untimed practice to learn the methods. Once the formats are familiar, repeat the exercises under increasingly strict time limits.
CAST Study Checklist
- Practice reading dimensions, labels, and measurements from drawings.
- Review arithmetic, fractions, decimals, percentages, proportions, conversions, geometry, and elementary algebra.
- Study gears, pulleys, levers, balance, friction, force, motion, pressure, fluids, energy, and simple machines.
- Practice reading technical passages and locating supporting details quickly.
- Memorize common arithmetic procedures to reduce calculation time.
- Complete short timed drills before attempting the entire battery.
- Practice making reasonable estimates to eliminate impossible answer choices.
- Review the reasoning behind every missed question.
Section-Specific Strategies
Graphic Arithmetic and Reading
| Mechanical Concepts and Mathematics
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CAST Study Resources
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CAST and Construction and Skilled Trades Selection System are test names associated with the Edison Electric Institute. EEI is not involved with or affiliated with Mometrix Media LLC or StudyGuideZone.com, nor does EEI endorse or sponsor any products or services offered by Mometrix Media LLC or StudyGuideZone.com.
