UA pipe trades apprenticeship aptitude test practice
Practice for the written aptitude test United Association locals use to choose plumber, pipefitter, steamfitter, sprinkler fitter and HVAC-R apprentices. Math without a calculator, reading, mechanical reasoning and spatial relations: the areas local announcements and test descriptions name. What your local sets varies, so check its notice.
Check your local's notice first. There is no single official UA test. Each local's apprenticeship committee (JATC) chooses its own, and the sections, timing and pass mark vary by local — check your local's notice. Our questions are original practice, not any local's official test.
Math
Fractions, decimals and algebra by hand, plus pipe offsets, fall, pressure, volume and tape reading.
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Reading comprehension
Short passages about the trade with questions on what they say and mean, plus gap-fill passages.
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Mechanical reasoning
Gears, levers, pulleys and hydraulics from a diagram, plus how water, pressure and heat behave.
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Spatial reasoning
Paper folding, shapes turned or flipped, counting cubes and folding cube nets.
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What the UA aptitude test is
Plumber, pipefitter, steamfitter, sprinkler fitter and HVAC-R apprenticeships in the United Association are run by local unions and their joint apprenticeship committees (JATCs), and most of them ask applicants to pass a written aptitude test before an interview. There is no single national paper. Local 342's announcement lists math, spatial relations and mechanical aptitude with a 75% composite pass mark; Local 396 asks for 70% to reach the interview; other locals use ACT WorkKeys, the Wonderlic, or their own math test.
Prep providers describe a battery many locals use of about 140 questions in six timed sections, covering reading, number work, problem solving, paper folding and mechanical comprehension. Locals do not publish those details themselves, so treat them as a guide, not a rule — and check your own local's notice for what you will actually sit.
The sections
Fractions, decimals and algebra by hand, plus pipe offsets, fall, pressure, volume and tape reading.
Short passages about the trade with questions on what they say and mean, plus gap-fill passages.
Gears, levers, pulleys and hydraulics from a diagram, plus how water, pressure and heat behave.
Paper folding, shapes turned or flipped, counting cubes and folding cube nets.
The pace shown is our own practice pace, and the section mix is ours too: UA locals choose their own tests, and the sections, timing and pass mark vary by local. Always check your local's notice.
Guides
Plain-English background on the test, how locals differ, and the math behind the trade.
These are original practice questions written to reflect what UA locals publicly describe about their apprenticeship aptitude tests. They are not official questions, and this site is not affiliated with or endorsed by the United Association, any UA local or any JATC. Formats vary by local — always check your local's notice.