Hello everyone:
I am trying to become an inside wireman apprentice througth the IBEW local 569, but I am having some difficulties with some of the mechanical comprehension questions that are supposed to be on the aptitude test I will be taking on Oct. 12. (The algebra and reading comprehension parts I have down packed.) If anyone is willing to provide study resources to these problems,it would be greatly appreciated. The questions can be found at: http://ucallitme569.tripod.com/sampletest4.pdf
Any email responses can be sent to ucallitme@adelphia.net

THANKS!

[This message has been edited by ucallitme (edited 09-18-2005).]

[This message has been edited by ucallitme (edited 09-18-2005).]

[This message has been edited by ucallitme (edited 09-18-2005).]

Yahoo says this site is unavailable.

Must be nice....getting the test in advance- then having someone else give you the answers!

If everybody had it that easy we would all be out of jobs. Let us know if you pass and who passed it for you.

No disrespect to anyone, but I have already passed NJATC's online tech math course (within one month) they provide through the University of Tennessee. I have also bought a study guide (Has blue cover and says math on the front) for $5 that the NJATC supplies, which does not show or explain any of the questions I have posted on http://ucallitme569.tripod.com/sampletest4.pdf . I am not asking for a free ride, all I am asking for is some help in an area I need to improve in.

It looks like an interesting test. I think it's fascinating that you understand algebra, but can't see the answers to these problems. I'm not going to give you the answers either, but to be slightly helpful, you can set some of these up...like the crank and hook one...to find the answers.

Good Luck

Dave

I'm having trouble believing this is a serious test.

It is a basic test, Larry. If any of us (Electricians, that is) had a real brain, we would have stayed in school.

Dave

Some of the questions are missing since I looked quickly before. Some real easy ones are gone.

Maybe I overanalyze things sometimes, but I have a real problem with questions like these. They're poorly worded and leave you to guess what the test writer had in mind.

"Which chain holding the sign is the strongest?" - how could we tell from the picture if one chain is stronger than the other? Maybe they mean "Which chain has to be stronger", but that's not what it says.

"Which way will the board move?" - do they mean horizontally? vertically? - which end? - it's already defying the laws of Gravity, it's not easy to be sure what is meant here.

Bill

It’s a poorly conceived test, likely written by an educational psychologist than someone in the trades that has actually yanked a wrench or pulled some cable. Whether or not there’s any correlation between getting a high score on this turkey, and doing well in the electrical fields is highly questionable.

Harvey
(Retired electricity/electronics instructor, 33 years teaching experience)


[This message has been edited by Harvey (edited 09-19-2005).]

These questions are horrible, but I’ll attempt to answer them the best I can.

1. Assuming the wheel on the right has more mass it would be harder to stop due to rotational inertia.

2. My gut tells me they are both equal. If you add an unbalanced weight to either one it will cause rotation.

3. The diagram violates physics as Bill stated

4. They are trying to trick you into thinking one side will have a torque on it due to the arm. However where the chains are the torque on the arm does not come into play. So they both need to be able to hold the same weight.

5. The weight diagram is messed up from what I can see, I cant tell what they are showing.

6. Assuming the post and the arm are a pivot point the arm will be pulled clockwise. Therefore there will be a force on B.

7. This can be done with force vectors, but its easier to think of it this way. Assume that the incline is actually perfectly horizontal. Obviously the vertical weight would pull the other off the “table”. Now incline the table slightly, it will still be pulled off. With no friction it would continue to do so until the angle is made vertical for both pieces. I hope that makes sense.

8. The gears from the picture appear to be in a stable state, so unless they specify a force, there is no question.

Thats an "aptitude test"?!

One might be better off with ink blots! Or "go fetch me a cable stretcher" type stuff... Which I think this is the written version of. But I guess this is the "sample test", and totaly non-reflective of the type of questions you'll actualy get, I hope. Like the Ca Electrician Certification "sample" test has questions about "real estate licensing". It is just an example of how the test is given.

ucallitme, if you want to do well on the actual test you're going to really take, think praticaly, and brush up on "test taking" skills. There are stratagies, like spending only a certain amount of time on each question, and going back after completing as many as you can. (if allowed) A little reaseach on the what and how your score is determined will help you a lot.

Or for that matter knowing when and where to show up with what paperwork to be allowed to sit for the test could be key! Main reason I'm not in the union today!

That is the total of the advice I can give, but wish you luck.... Oh, except for the one with the wheels (#1), all answers are "C", and #1 is "neither", but they did not state it as a choice.

The person(s) who wrote this aptitude test failed. As others have noted, it's poorly written and confusing. The best craftsmen have the ability to "see" the work completed in their mind, and see the logical steps needed before they start the task.
We used to select apprentices for all the skilled trades, (electricians, fitters, carpenters, painters, metal bashers), with a simple full-scale drawing of a wire coathanger. Each candidate got a piece of soft copper wire, and just had to bend it to make one. Boy, that sorted out the wheat from the chaff in ten minutes flat!
Ucalltime,
A way to get a better mark is to do lots of practice tests beforehand to hone your mind up for the real thing.
The questions appear to involve inertia, balance, gravity and levers, so read up those subjects.
As to "answers", I'll do one for you based on logic.
The wheels, if of equal weight, have different inertias, ( because mass concentrated nearer the rim has to travel further when rotated ). So, the spoked wheel is a better flywheel and can store more kinetic energy at any given rpm. Now, which wheel is hardest to stop?

Alan

Thanks to everyone for their time & advice. I'm glad I am not the only one who thinks these test questions could be written better. Since posting this topic, I have found some books that may help those who maybe in a similiar situation, and or who may just want to learn something new. Here they are:
Understanding Basic Mechanics, Frederick Reif, [ISBN: 0471116246]
How to Prepare for the Mechanical Aptitude & Spacial Relations Test, Joel Wielsen, [ISBN: 0764123408]
Mechanical Aptitude & Spatial Relations Tests, Joan Levy, Norman Levy, [ISBN: 0768916992]

THANKS AGAIN EVERYONE!

Seriously, I don't remember seeing much of that on the entrance exam and I know for a fact I haven't seen any of that since then.

I have just now started my third year of apprenticeship with the Local here in Atlanta. I will advise you to keep your math skills before you fill your head up with that junk.

Basically all they want to know is this. Can you see two dimension and make it happen in a three dimensional work place?
That comes into play with reading prints and that is a major part of the job in latter parts of your training. But don't stress on it for now.


Just my opinion though. Take it for what it's worth.

Philip

My opionion of general apptitude tests is if i wanted to be a general i would have enlisted in the army.

This is related to the inclined plane problem shown 1st on 2nd page.
The force that A imposes on the cord is F=ma
The force that B imposes on the cord is only the y component (vertical direction) of the total force that B could have provided. Since the question stated that there was no friction and the masses where the same, and a=gravity=9.8m/s^2 for both objects, I would say that the assembly slides toward A, since B doesn't have its entire weight working for it, only the y component.
That's the best decription I can give without a bunch of scribble on a drawing.