ROLE-SPECIFIC SKILLS

Fundamentals of electricity test for hiring

Check the electrical basics candidates need before working with circuits and equipment.

10 minutes
15 questions
Entry level
Multiple choice
Questions in English
Phone and desktop

Use this test free See the question formats

The short answer

The fundamentals of electricity test is a 10-minute, 15-question multiple-choice assessment for entry-level electrical roles. It measures working knowledge of electrical principles, circuits and components, digital logic, and electric power through questions on voltage, current, resistance, logic gates, and safe loading. Use the score as evidence to review alongside other hiring information.

What it measures

Working knowledge of basic electrical principles, circuits and components, digital logic, and electric power.

Electrical principles

Questions cover voltage, current, and resistance, using short calculations with simple whole numbers.

Circuits and components

Candidates answer about series and parallel circuits and common electrical components.

Digital logic

Questions ask candidates to work with logic gates and truth tables.

Electric power

This area covers power, energy, and safe loading.

Question formats

Multiple choice

The candidate: Reads a short situation, table or statement and picks the right answer, or every right answer.

You see: Whether the candidate knows the material well enough to apply it, not just recognize it.

15 questions in 10 minutes, served one at a time.

Roles this test fits

Entry-level electrical roles: electrician helpers and apprentices, electrical maintenance technicians, line installers and repairers, power plant operators, construction workers who handle electrical tasks, and equipment service staff.

What this test can show

Reasoning with circuit basics
See how candidates handle questions about series and parallel circuits, components, and stated electrical values.
Applying logic
Truth-table and logic-gate questions give you evidence of how candidates approach basic digital logic.
A fairer knowledge check
Questions avoid country-specific wiring codes, wire colors, plug types, and supply voltage; each needed value is stated.
Tools for calculations
Candidates may use the on-screen calculator and scratch paper for short calculations involving power, energy, and other electrical values.

What you get for each candidate

Example report (fictional data)Fundamentals of Electricity

72%Percentile 48. Benchmark: HireValid candidates, n = 1,437

Electrical principles81%

Circuits and components78%

Digital logic55%

Electric power72%

Integrity ScoreHigh confidence

Stayed on the test tab throughout
No pasted answers
Answered at a steady pace

Scores, profiles and integrity signals are evidence for you to review alongside an interview, never an automatic decision.

Use this test free

How the test handles integrity signals

Each candidate gets a different set of questions from large question pools, in a different order, with answer options shuffled. The browser receives one question at a time, and answer keys stay on HireValid’s servers. The 10-minute timer runs on the server; reloading restores the same question with only the remaining time. Candidates cannot go back to an earlier question. Question text cannot be copied or selected, and blocked copy attempts are recorded. HireValid summarizes signals such as time away from the test tab, pastes into answers, and answers faster than a question can be read in an Integrity Score and evidence timeline for employer review. It does not decide on its own. With candidate consent, employers can add webcam photos at random moments.

How we prevent AI cheating · Integrity signals

Use the score as one hiring signal

Review the score alongside a work sample and a structured interview, not on its own. For example, ask the candidate to talk through a basic circuit scenario, then compare their reasoning with their responses on series and parallel circuits or stated electrical values. The result is evidence for a person to consider, not a hiring decision. You can also compare this assessment with Equipment Maintenance or HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) when those skills fit the role.

Structured interview questions

How would you work through a basic circuit question when the supply voltage is provided?
Listen for a clear sequence of steps, use of the stated values, and attention to units.
If equipment stopped working, how would you reason through whether a circuit component might be involved?
Listen for a practical explanation of how they would approach the circuit and its components.
How would you use a truth table to check a simple logic-gate problem?
Listen for how they apply the table to the problem, rather than a definition of a truth table.
What information would you consider when judging whether an electrical load is appropriate for equipment?
Listen for relevant reasoning about power, energy, and safe loading.

Understand scoring and benchmarks

Fairness and accommodations

Questions rely on principles that hold everywhere, not on any one country's wiring code, wire colors, plug types or supply voltage; every value a question needs, including the supply voltage, is stated in it. Units are SI with common prefixes, no money appears, names and settings are varied, and the wording is kept plain so the test measures electrical knowledge rather than reading. Circuits are described in words and tables rather than diagrams, and every candidate may use the on-screen calculator and scratch paper.

You can give any candidate extra time as an accommodation. Results are evidence for a person to review, never an automatic decision.

Provisional: reliability is reported once 200 candidates have completed it.

Read our fairness approach

Test details

A short, timed check of the core ideas a person needs before working on electrical circuits and equipment. Candidates answer practical questions on voltage, current and resistance, series and parallel circuits and common components, logic gates and truth tables, and power, energy and safe loading. Calculations are short and use simple whole numbers.

Questions are in English.
Aids allowed: A calculator, Scratch paper.
Each question is answered once, in order, with no going back.
4 practice questions, 3 minutes, before the timed test.

Frequently asked questions

Who should use the Fundamentals of Electricity test?+

It is for entry-level electrical roles, including electrician helpers and apprentices, electrical maintenance technicians, line installers and repairers, power plant operators, construction workers who handle electrical tasks, and equipment service staff. Its questions cover basic electrical knowledge before working on circuits and equipment.

How does the Fundamentals of Electricity test keep questions fair across locations?+

Questions rely on electrical principles rather than a particular country's wiring code, wire colors, plug types, or supply voltage. Each question states the values it needs. Wording is kept plain, settings and names vary, and circuits are described in words and tables instead of diagrams. See our [candidate-friendly hiring guide](/guides/candidate-friendly-hiring) for more on the candidate experience.

Can candidates use a calculator on the Fundamentals of Electricity test?+

Yes. Every candidate may use the on-screen calculator and scratch paper. Calculations are short and use simple whole numbers, with needed values stated in the question. The test uses SI units with common prefixes.

What practice set comes with the Fundamentals of Electricity test?+

Candidates can try a practice set of 4 questions with a 3-minute time limit. It offers a chance to become familiar with the question experience before the 10-minute, 15-question test. Browse more options in the [test library](/tests).