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Free EIAT sample questions with answers

Updated September 15, 2026 · 15 min read

Below are 16 free practice questions in the style of the Elevator Industry Aptitude Test (EIAT) and the tool knowledge assessed alongside it, each with a worked answer. They are original questions written to match the formats NEIEP shows in its public study guide. They are not official NEIEP questions. Try each one before opening the answer.

The real EIAT is 100 multiple-choice questions on paper: 35 reading comprehension, 35 mechanical aptitude and 30 math, with a 70% pass mark. For the full picture, read the EIAT explained.

Reading comprehension questions

NEIEP's published reading example is a cloze passage: prose with numbered gaps, and four words to choose from for each gap. Read the whole passage, and often the sentence after the gap, before choosing.

Question 1. Working safely on a site depends on paying close ___(1)___ to what is happening around you. A hazard that goes ___(2)___ can injure someone long after the person who created it has walked away. Every member of the crew has a ___(3)___ to raise anything unsafe, however minor it looks. Doing so early is almost always ___(4)___ than dealing with the consequences afterwards.

Which word belongs in blank (1)?

  1. distance
  2. decoration
  3. attention
  4. luggage
Show the answer

C: attention. Blank (1) takes "attention". Read the whole sentence before choosing: the other three words are ordinary English but none of them makes sense where the gap sits.

Question 2. Accurate measurement matters more in this trade than almost any other ___(1)___. A component cut a fraction too short usually cannot be ___(2)___, and the material is wasted. Checking a figure twice before you cut costs very little ___(3)___. The old advice to measure twice and cut once survives because it is still ___(4)___.

Which word belongs in blank (2)?

  1. ordered
  2. salvaged
  3. loaded
  4. painted
Show the answer

B: salvaged. Blank (2) takes "salvaged". Read the whole sentence before choosing: the other three words are ordinary English but none of them makes sense where the gap sits.

Math questions

Work these by hand. NEIEP's example math questions have a fifth option, "No answer", for when none of the four figures matches your result, and one of the questions below uses it.

Question 3. 12.6 ÷ 0.3 = ?

  1. 42
  2. 43
  3. 41
  4. 84
  5. No answer
Show the answer

A: 42. 12.6 ÷ 0.3 = 42.

Question 4. 3 1/2 × 2/3 = ?

  1. 3 1/3
  2. 1 1/3
  3. 2 1/3
  4. 4 2/3
  5. No answer
Show the answer

C: 2 1/3. 3 1/2 × 2/3 = 2 1/3.

Question 5. ((18.4 − (2.2 × 5)) ÷ 1.6) ÷ 0.8 = ?

  1. 6.78125
  2. 5.78125
  3. 4.78125
  4. 11.5625
  5. No answer
Show the answer

B: 5.78125. Work from the inside out: 2.2 × 5 = 11, then 18.4 − (2.2 × 5) = 7.4, then (18.4 − (2.2 × 5)) ÷ 1.6 = 4.625, then ((18.4 − (2.2 × 5)) ÷ 1.6) ÷ 0.8 = 5.78125.

Question 6. What is 40% of 65?

  1. 27
  2. 25
  3. 52
  4. 13
  5. No answer
Show the answer

E: No answer. 40% means 40 hundredths. 40/100 × 65 = 26. None of the four figures offered matches, so the answer is "No answer". The option is there to be used — check your result against the list rather than picking the closest.

Question 7. Solve for x: 3x + 7 = 25

  1. 7
  2. 5
  3. 12
  4. 6
  5. No answer
Show the answer

D: 6. Take 7 off both sides: 3x = 25 − 7 = 18. Then divide both sides by 3: x = 18 ÷ 3 = 6.

Mechanical aptitude questions

NEIEP's mechanical examples show a diagram and ask which of two things happens, with a third option such as "no difference". You are judging the mechanism, not calculating a number.

Question 8. Gear A is turned in the direction shown. Which way does gear B turn?

AB
  1. Clockwise
  2. Counterclockwise
  3. It cannot turn
Show the answer

B: Counterclockwise. Meshed gears turn opposite ways, so the direction flips at every gear along the row. Gear B is an odd number of gears from A, so it turns the opposite way — counterclockwise. The number of teeth changes the speed, never the direction.

Question 9. The beam shown is free to pivot. What happens when it is released?

10 kg15 kg3 m2 m
  1. The left side goes down
  2. The right side goes down
  3. It stays balanced
Show the answer

C: It stays balanced. Turning effect is weight multiplied by distance from the pivot: left is 10 x 3 = 30, right is 15 x 2 = 30. They match, so it balances — the heavier weight sits closer in, which is exactly how it evens out.

Question 10. The same load is lifted by the two arrangements shown. Which one needs less force on the rope?

AB
  1. Arrangement A
  2. Arrangement B
  3. Both take the same force
Show the answer

B: Arrangement B. Count the rope sections actually holding the load up. A has 1 and B has 2, and the weight is shared between them, so arrangement B needs less force. The catch is rope: the easier one has to be pulled 2 times as far.

Question 11. The two cylinders are joined and filled with oil. Which piston can push with the greater force?

AB
  1. Piston A
  2. Piston B
  3. They are the same
Show the answer

B: Piston B. The pressure in the oil is the same everywhere, and force is pressure multiplied by area. Piston B is the wider one, so the same pressure acts over a bigger area and gives a bigger force. That is how a bottle jack lifts a car.

Question 12. Two ladders lean against a wall as shown. Which is less likely to slip at the foot?

AB
  1. Ladder A
  2. Ladder B
  3. They are equally safe
Show the answer

A: Ladder A. The further out the foot is, the harder the ladder pushes sideways along the ground, and the more friction it needs to stay put. Ladder A stands more upright, so it pushes outwards less and is less likely to slip. Lean one too far back and no amount of grip will hold it.

Tool knowledge questions

NEIEP says tool assessment answers count toward your interview score. These cover reading a tape measure to a sixteenth of an inch, recognizing tools and choosing the right one.

Question 13. What measurement is the arrow pointing to on the tape?

1234
  1. 2 3/8"
  2. 2 7/16"
  3. 2 5/16"
  4. 2 1/4"
Show the answer

A: 2 3/8". It reads 2 3/8" — 6 of the sixteenth-inch marks past 2. Count the small marks rather than judging by eye. The longest mark between the inches is the half, the next longest the quarters, then the eighths, and the shortest are the sixteenths.

Question 14. What is the tool shown?

  1. Hacksaw
  2. C-clamp
  3. Claw hammer
  4. Flat-head screwdriver
Show the answer

A: Hacksaw. This is a hacksaw, used for cutting through metal such as bolts, rod and conduit.

Question 15. Which tool would you use to pull a bent nail out of a wooden board?

  1. Spirit level
  2. Allen key (hex key)
  3. Claw hammer
  4. Lineman's pliers
Show the answer

C: Claw hammer. A claw hammer is the tool for driving nails, and pulling them out with the claw.

Question 16. What is a feeler gauge used for?

  1. Measuring the outside diameter of a shaft
  2. Measuring the width of a narrow gap between two parts
  3. Cutting thin sheet metal
  4. Checking that a surface is level
Show the answer

B: Measuring the width of a narrow gap between two parts. A feeler gauge is a set of thin blades of known thickness. You slide blades into a gap until one fits snugly, and its marked thickness is the size of the gap.

How did you do?

If one area went noticeably worse, that is where your preparation time should go first. These are representative rather than hard; the challenge on the day is doing 100 of them on paper at pace. Each section has a free timed sample on our EIAT practice page, and the EIAT study guide works through NEIEP's own examples and sets out a four-week plan.

Frequently asked questions

Are these the real EIAT questions?

No. They are original practice questions written to match the formats NEIEP shows in its public study guide. Official test questions are not published, and this site is not affiliated with NEIEP or the IUEC.

Where can I find official EIAT example questions?

NEIEP's free EIAT study guide PDF includes example questions for reading comprehension, mathematics and mechanical aptitude, with an answer key. It is linked in the sources on this page.

What does 'No answer' mean on EIAT math questions?

In NEIEP's examples it is the fifth option, for when none of the four figures offered is correct. Check your result at the precision the options are given in before choosing it.

Sources

Apprentice Tests is an independent practice resource, not affiliated with NEIEP, the IUEC, any local union or any elevator company. Recruitment rules and test formats are set by NEIEP and the locals and can change, so always follow the guidance issued with your own recruitment.

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Related guides

EIAT study guide: the official topics, worked examples and a four-week plan

The Elevator Industry Aptitude Test (EIAT) explained

How hard is the EIAT, really?

EIAT passing score: what the 70% pass mark means

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