What is the EIAT passing score?

You need at least 70% correct across the test to be considered qualified. Above 70% raises your ranking; below and you're not moved forward to interviews.

What do EIAT reading items look like?

The current NEIEP study guide uses cloze (fill-in-the-blank) items — a sentence with a missing word and 4–5 options to complete it. Older prep materials, including some of ours, use short-passage items with a question about what the passage supports. Both formats test the same core skill: answer strictly from the text on the page, not from outside knowledge.

How long is the EIAT?

Total testing time is roughly 90 minutes for 100 questions across three sections — Reading Comprehension (35), Arithmetic Computation (30), and Mechanical Comprehension (35). Exact section timing is set in your local testing notice.

The content is high-school level, but the time pressure and mechanical reasoning section trip up applicants who haven't practiced. NEIEP publishes a study guide free on their site — start there.

How often is the EIAT offered?

NEIEP opens applications in specific windows announced on neiep.org. You typically test once per application cycle. If you don't qualify, you re-apply in the next window.

Can I use a calculator on the EIAT?

No. All arithmetic must be done by hand. Practicing long-hand arithmetic and ratios is essential.

What kind of math is on the EIAT?

Whole-number and fraction arithmetic, ratios, proportions, percentages, and basic algebra. No trigonometry or calculus.

How is the EIAT scored?

Each section is scored, then combined into a single percentage. The overall percentage determines whether you move to the interview and, along with your interview, where you rank on the list.

What comes after passing the EIAT?

An in-person interview — typically around 15–20 minutes with two interviewers, one from the IUEC and one from an employer. Your test score and interview score together produce your ranking. IUEC locals hire off the ranked list as spots open.

Are these the real EIAT questions?

No — the real items are secure. These match the format, difficulty, and topic mix.

How many practice questions before the EIAT?

At least 150 timed items across the three sections. Weight mechanical comprehension heaviest.

Elevator Industry Aptitude Test (EIAT) Practice

Free sample questions and a focused prep plan for the EIAT — NEIEP's entrance test for IUEC elevator constructor apprenticeships.

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By PrimedPrep Editorial TeamTest Prep EditorsLast reviewed 2026-07-13

What is the Elevator Industry Aptitude Test (EIAT)

The Elevator Industry Aptitude Test (EIAT) is the standardized entrance exam used by NEIEP (the National Elevator Industry Educational Program) to screen applicants for IUEC elevator constructor apprenticeships across the United States and Canada. Per the NEIEP study guide it is a paper-and-pencil, no-calculator test with 100 multiple-choice questions across three sections — Reading Comprehension, Arithmetic Computation, and Mechanical Comprehension — and total testing time is roughly 90 minutes. You need to score 70% or higher to be considered qualified for an interview.

Try free sample questions

Five real-format questions covering the two sections you'll see on test day. Pick an answer, then check the worked explanation.

Mechanical Reasoning

Question 1 of 4

Two gears are meshed together. Gear A has 20 teeth and Gear B has 40 teeth. If Gear A turns clockwise at 60 RPM, how does Gear B turn?

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One focused course, built for the exact test. Full-length timed practice tests that mirror the real exam, worked explanations for every question, and a day-by-day plan that walks you from diagnostic to test day.

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Elevator Industry Aptitude Test (EIAT) — Complete Prep Pack

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2 full-length timed EIAT practice tests (all three sections)
Full-length practice tests with step-by-step explanations
Arithmetic reasoning refresher (ratios, fractions, percentages — no calculator)
Reading comprehension strategy guide
Day-by-day 2-week study plan
NEIEP interview prep after you pass
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Test format

Per the NEIEP study guide, 100 multiple-choice questions across three sections. Total testing time is roughly 90 minutes; your exact section timing is set in the local testing notice. No calculator; paper administration at scheduled testing sessions.

Section	Questions	Time	Focus
Reading Comprehension	35	See local notice	Short passages with factual and inference questions.
Arithmetic Computation	30	See local notice	Whole numbers, fractions, ratios, proportions, percentages — no calculator.
Mechanical Comprehension	35	See local notice	Gears, pulleys, levers, springs, fluid dynamics, basic physics.

Scoring explained

The EIAT is scored as a combined percentage across the three sections. You need a 70% or higher to be considered qualified for an interview with NEIEP.

Your test percentage plus your interview score determine your rank on the NEIEP list. IUEC locals hire off the ranked list as apprenticeship spots open — a higher rank means a shorter wait for a call.

Applicants who fail are removed from that cycle's pool and may re-apply in a subsequent recruitment period. There is no fixed retest waiting period beyond the cycle. Call-back timing depends entirely on local openings — some applicants hear back within weeks; others wait a year or more.

How to prepare

Mechanical comprehension is the section that decides most EIAT results. Reading and arithmetic are steady if you drill fundamentals; mechanical questions punish anyone who hasn't seen many diagram-based items.

Read NEIEP's official study guide — it's free on their site and shows the exact question style.
Drill mechanical reasoning — gears, pulleys, levers, springs. 30 minutes a day for two weeks.
Practice no-calculator arithmetic — ratios, fractions, percentages, on paper.
Time yourself — practice to a steady pace of under a minute per question so you never stall on one item.
Prep the interview — NEIEP interviews test motivation and reliability. Have specific answers ready.

Deep dives

Frequently asked questions

Sources

Other tests in the same cluster prep candidates often take alongside this one.

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