Construction and Skilled Trade [CAST Exam] - 2024
Are you about to take a Construction and Skilled Trade Selection System (CAST) exam? You are probably wondering why you were invited to take the pre-employment test and what type of content you should expect in the questions.
Since we know that your time is limited and you are probably searching for the best material to study for your test with, we have created this definitive guide that will help you prepare for your exam. By reading this article, you will get a quick and comprehensive review of everything that you should expect in the CAST exam. The material in this article is all you need to give yourself that extra edge to do well in the official CAST test.
What Is the Cast Exam?
The CAST exam is a skill and aptitude test given to candidates who have applied to jobs in the construction and skilled trade industries. This pre-employment exam was developed and is maintained by the Edison Electric Institute (EEI), an association that was founded in 1933 and represents all investor-owned electric companies in the U.S.
The CAST is used by the employer to assess if prospective employees have the relevant [skills and aptitudes needed for a job in transmission and distribution, machining and vehicle repair, meter service and repair, facilities and equipment, and electric repair.
Although the CAST is maintained by the EEI, it is administered by individual utility companies to measure candidates’ aptitudes in areas that relate to construction and skilled trade jobs. Since individual companies administer this skills assessment test, they are responsible for determining the minimum score that test takers should get on this construction and skilled test. Additionally, EEI does not report the number of people who take this test to see how well they perform, but since investor-owned electric companies employ more than 500,000 people in the U.S, it is assumed that several thousand people take it every year.
The job market is very competitive and scoring well does not necessarily mean that you will get the job. Therefore, if you are really determined to get the job, you ought to go to the test prepared adequately. Taking practice tests from our CAST exam test prep pack exposes you to questions that simulate those that you will find in the official test. Every question in the online test prep has its answer explained, and this allows candidates to see the chain of thoughts that they are expected to use during the real test. The explained answers in the CAST practice test prep also put candidates in a better position to make correct educated guesses for questions that they do not know the answers to. You can take several online practice tests from the test prep pack to practice adequately for each area that is tested in the real CAST exam.
Cast Exam Areas
The CAST exam is used to assess candidates for a wide array of jobs in construction and skilled trades. Each candidate’s score is used to predict their probability to perform in a given position. To allow employers to get a holistic picture of a candidate’s ability, the CAST exam four paper-and-pencil tests and takes around two hours to complete. The four tests that make up the CAST exam are:
Graphic Arithmetic
Graphic arithmetic tests a candidate’s ability to solve basic mathematics questions based on information presented in prints or drawings. The entire test is based around two drawings with 16 follow-up questions that test takers are expected to complete within 30 minutes.
Mechanical Concepts
The mechanical concepts section helps to gauge your ability to understand fundamental mechanical principles. This test is made up of 44 multiple choice questions, each with three possible answers relating to an illustration of a mechanical situation. Candidates are expected to pick the answer that describes the mechanical situation best. Test takers are given 20 minutes to complete this section.
Reading for Comprehension
Reading for comprehension is comprised of 32 multiple choice questions to be finished in 30 minutes of the allotted time. This section helps employer’s to test your ability to comprehend written material. Candidates are given four passages with follow-up questions relating to the passage in this section.
Mathematical Usage
Mathematical usage tests your ability to solve basic mathematical problems with the information that is provided at the beginning of the test. This section is the shortest as it comprises of 18 questions that participants are to complete within 7 minutes.
If you are about to take a Construction and Skilled Trade CAST exam, you ought to be fully prepared for all four tests in order to be ahead of your competitors. Out CAST exam test prep pack covers all four sections of the CAST exam. Taking our free practice tests exposes you to questions that you will find in the real CAST test. Unlike most prep sample tests, ours is always up-to-date as our experts take the CAST exam often to find out if there are any changes in the content of the exam. Additionally, they interview candidates who have taken the test before to find out how they scored and how this impacted the hiring process. You can take as many free CAST tests as you wish from our test prep pack to give yourself extra preparation for the areas that you do not feel confident in.
Which Score Is a Good Score in the Cast Exam?
Since individual companies determine the minimum score that a candidate should get to be considered for a job, there is no single passing score on this test. Even if you attain the cut-off mark set by your prospective employer, the chances are that you will not get the job if your CAST score is not the highest.
The CAST exam is scored manually or by a machine. You score on every single test is combined to form a single index score that is described using a scale that ranges from 1 to 10. EEI does not say if one section weighs heavily on your performance than the other. Therefore, you ought to be prepared equally for all sections of the test. To increase your chances of beating your competitors and securing your dream CAST job, you ought to ensure that your score is as close to a ten as is possible.
How to Get the Best Score on the Cast Exam
If You Want to Do Better Than Your Competitors in This Exam:
- Get rid of anxiety by preparing for the test beforehand
- Arrive at the test early to get acquainted with the environment and spot anything that might distract you from fully concentrating on answering the questions
- Read and comprehend every question before answering it
- Since time limits are very strict on this test, avoid lingering on one question by making educated guesses if you do not know the answer.
- Practice for the test with our test prep pack to get a detailed overview of what to expect on the official exam and a complete breakdown of what is covered in each section of the CAST exam. Our test prep pack is prepared by the best psychometric and aptitude experts, who know exactly what employers look for in candidates for skilled trade and construction jobs. Taking several CAST sample tests from our test prep pack exposes you to some of the questions that you will find in the official test, giving you an edge over your competitors. To ensure you land the job of your dreams, we give you a detailed report of your score, enabling you to see why you did not get some answers correct and what you can do to improve your current score.
