The elevator tool assessment: hand tools and measuring to know

Alongside the EIAT, IUEC apprenticeship applicants take a tool assessment. NEIEP says the recruitment process assesses "general tool knowledge", and that "correct responses on the tool assessment will count toward the final score on the interview." Because the interview score is what ranks you on the hiring list, this short assessment matters more than it first appears.

NEIEP does not publish the tool assessment's format, length or question list. What follows is our guide to the tool knowledge a well-prepared applicant should have: what common hand tools are called, what each is for, and how to read a tape measure quickly. It is not a copy of the official assessment.

Why it is worth an evening

• It feeds the number that ranks you. The EIAT itself is pass/fail; your interview score, including tool assessment answers, sets your position.
• It is quick to learn. Recognizing tools and knowing their uses sticks faster than arithmetic practice.
• You will use it. Tools and measurements are daily work in the trade.

Striking and driving

• Claw hammer: drives nails; the curved claw pulls them out.
• Ball-peen hammer: a rounded head instead of a claw, for metalwork such as striking punches and shaping metal.
• Flat-head (slotted) screwdriver: for screws with a single straight slot.
• Phillips screwdriver: for screws with a cross-shaped recess. A flat-head in a Phillips screw damages the head.

Turning nuts and bolts

• Combination wrench: an open end on one side and a closed box end on the other.
• Adjustable wrench: a jaw you open and close to fit different sizes. Convenient, but more likely to slip than a wrench of the right size.
• Socket and ratchet: interchangeable sockets on a handle that turns the fastener without being lifted off each time.
• Allen (hex) key: an L-shaped bar for screws with a hexagonal socket in the head.
• Torque wrench: tightens a fastener to a specified torque rather than by feel.

Gripping and working with wire

• Lineman's pliers: heavy pliers with flat gripping jaws and a cutting edge, for twisting and cutting wire.
• Needle-nose pliers: long, thin jaws for tight spaces and bending wire.
• Wire strippers: remove insulation without nicking the conductor underneath.
• Crimping tool: squeezes a connector onto a wire so it grips permanently.

Cutting and holding

• Hacksaw: a fine-toothed saw in a frame for cutting metal such as bolts, rod and conduit.
• Tin snips: heavy shears for sheet metal.
• C-clamp: holds parts together while you drill or fix them.
• Twist drill bit: the standard bit for drilling holes in metal and other materials.

Measuring and checking

• Tape measure: see the next section.
• Spirit level: a bubble in a vial shows whether a surface is level, and a vertical vial whether it is plumb.
• Plumb bob: a pointed weight on a string that hangs straight down, giving a true vertical line over a long height, useful in a hoistway where guide rails must run true.
• Caliper: measures outside and inside dimensions and depths far more precisely than a rule.
• Micrometer: measures small outside dimensions, such as a shaft diameter, more precisely than a caliper.
• Feeler gauge: a set of thin blades of known thickness for measuring a narrow gap.

Reading a tape measure fast

If you practice one measuring skill, make it reading an imperial tape to a sixteenth of an inch. Between two inch marks there are sixteen spaces. The longest mark in the middle is the half; the next longest are the quarters; shorter again are the eighths; the shortest are the sixteenths. Read from the nearest long mark instead of counting from the inch line, then reduce the fraction (6/16 is 3/8). Our tape measure guide goes through it step by step.

The look-alikes people mix up

• Level vs plumb bob: a level checks the surface it sits on; a plumb bob gives a true vertical line over a long drop.
• Caliper vs micrometer: both are precise; the micrometer is the more precise for small outside dimensions.
• Lineman's vs needle-nose pliers: heavy and flat for gripping and cutting, versus long and thin for reaching.
• Adjustable vs combination wrench: the adjustable fits many sizes; the fixed size grips better.

Practice

Our tools and measuring practice covers tool identification from drawings, choosing the right tool for a job, instrument knowledge, and tape readings from a drawn tape.