EIAT passing score: what the 70% pass mark means

The EIAT passing score is 70%. NEIEP's FAQ says the test "is scored on a pass/fail basis, with 70% correct being the minimum passing grade." On a 100-question paper that means 70 correct answers. What passing earns you is an interview, not a place: your ranking on the hiring list comes from your interview score.

Pass or fail, not a ranking

Some trade entrance tests rank you by score, so every extra mark helps. NEIEP describes the EIAT differently. It is a gate: clear 70% and you move on to the interview; fall short and you do not.

The interview is then scored and used to rank candidates. NEIEP's FAQ says interviews are conducted by two members of the local Joint Apprenticeship Committee (one from the IUEC and one from the employer side), that everyone is asked the same questions and scored on the same rubric, that the score is the average of the two interviewers' scores, and that 70% is the minimum passing interview score. It also says correct responses on the tool assessment count toward that interview score.

Why a near miss is expensive

If 71% and 95% lead to the same place, why prepare hard? Because of what happens if you land at 68%.

Locals do not recruit continuously. NEIEP says recruitments are held "after all the applicants on a recruitment list have been hired, or when the list expires every two years." If you fail, NEIEP's answer is to re-apply during the next or a later recruitment period, which can be a long wait.

Demand makes that worse. The Northwest Labor Press reported that when IUEC Local 23 in Portland opened applications in July 2025 it hit its limit of 750 in less than 36 hours. In its 2023 cycle, 713 people applied, 224 made it through application review, the aptitude test and the interview, and about 65 were hired.

What aiming higher is worth

• Margin. Aim for exactly 70% and one bad section puts you under. Aim for a comfortable pass instead.
• Headspace for the interview. The interview is what ranks you, and walking in knowing the test went well helps.
• Nothing is wasted. The arithmetic, measuring and mechanical reasoning come up again in the job and in NEIEP classes.

What to do with this

Prepare until you clear 70% with room to spare on timed practice, then put real effort into the interview and the tool assessment. To see where you stand today, take a free timed sample on the EIAT practice page, or read how hard the EIAT is.