Some questions about being an apprentice plumber?
Asked by larryyinger
I have applied for an apprenticeship with the local Plumber's Union and I have two questions. First, I have been told that I need to take a General Aptitude Test Battery and I don't really know what to expect from it. Is it just a general test or are there plumbing/pipefitting specific questions. And Second, I have heard rumors that the union can knock time off the apprenticeship for previous training (I have completed the Navy Nuclear Training Pipeline - know quite a bit about fluid flow, heat transfer, piping materials, and the like). Any truth to this?

Best Answer:
The people who write tests are looking for something specific. In the case of an aptitude test it is how you look at things. An example might be a very odd shaped 2-D box. You are to fold it up in your mind and indicate which 3-D drawing it would make. Association test like a hammer is to a nail as wrench is to a _____. If the guy or gal who wrote the test is any good at all no amount of studying will help. It would be like studying for a sperm test. OK I just finished reading the whole question, DUH, I feel like a 10 year old. If you finished Navy Nuclear Training, heII if you got into it, you will do fine on the test. There should be no problem at all unless you try to screw it up. My Dad is dead now but before he retired he was a Union Master Plumber and Pipe Fitter. He said you only need to know three things to be a plumber. SHlT won't run up hill, Friday is pay day and don't bite your nails. Had to throw that in. Just go take the test, do the best you can and you will be delighted with the results. As far as trimming time, that is a Union matter as far as I know. I don't think the Union my Dad was in would trim time off but I'm not 100% sure either. The demand and availability for Journeymen would probably have something to do with whether or not they would trim time. You know, if they need 100 more than they have, they have to come from somewhere. I would guess that the more advanced apprentices would be one source. Hey man, Good Luck on the test and the program and you owe me a fix on a leaking faucet...