Ramsay tests are multiple-choice skills tests that employers use to hire maintenance techs and electricians. Below: what each test covers, 15 free practice questions with answers, and hands-on labs for the electrical and PLC topics.
Not affiliated with or endorsed by Ramsay Corporation. Ramsay says it does not sell test-prep material and has not approved any online practice tests. Every question here is our own original, not a real test item.
Ramsay Corporation has published employment tests since 1973. Employers use them for hiring, promotion and training decisions in maintenance and craft jobs. Most Ramsay tests are multiple choice, come on paper or online, and must be taken with a live proctor.
When a job posting says “Ramsay test,” it usually means the MultiCrafTest for multi-skill maintenance roles or the ElecTest for electrical roles. The MecTest is the mechanical-only version, and some employers add a mechanical aptitude test. This page focuses on the electrical and PLC topics.
There is no published pass mark. Ramsay says each employer sets its own cut score, and Ramsay does not publish time limits for these knowledge tests.
Summarized from Ramsay's 2026 catalog and product pages, checked 25 October 2026.
| Test | Items | Topics Ramsay lists |
|---|---|---|
| MultiCrafTest | 60 multiple-choice | Mechanical and electrical maintenance: hydraulics and pneumatics, welding and rigging, power transmission and lubrication, pumps and piping, motors, control circuits, schematics and print reading, digital electronics, power supplies, computers and PLCs, test instruments, AC/DC theory, power distribution. |
| ElecTest | 60 multiple-choice | Motors and drives; digital and analog electronics; schematics, print reading and control circuits; AC/DC theory and electrical maintenance; computers, PLCs and test instruments; power supplies; power distribution and installation; hand and power tools. |
| PLC Test | 60 multiple-choice | PLC and I/O basics, ladder logic, programming basics, peripherals and systems, troubleshooting, relays and controls. |
| Industrial Electrician | 60 multiple-choice | Industrial electrical work with more troubleshooting than ElecTest and no board-level electronics. |
| Electrical Troubleshooting | 36 multiple-choice | AC/DC circuits, motors, schematics and print reading, computers and PLCs, construction, installation and distribution. |
| Maintest | 153 items, 2½ hours | A broad maintenance test across 21 areas, including control circuits, test instruments, and computers and PLCs. |
Original questions on the electrical, motor-control, meter and PLC topics that Ramsay lists. Pick your answer, then open the explanation. Each one links to a hands-on lab on the same skill.
Question 1 · AC/DC theory
A 24 V DC relay coil measures 480 ohms. About how much current does it draw?
Answer: B. 50 mA
Ohm's law: I = V / R = 24 / 480 = 0.05 A, which is 50 mA.
Question 2 · AC/DC theory
Three 100-ohm resistors are connected in parallel. What is the total resistance?
Answer: C. About 33 ohms
Equal resistors in parallel: divide one value by the count. 100 / 3 is about 33 ohms. In series they would add to 300 ohms.
Question 3 · AC/DC theory
A 120 V heater draws 10 A. How much power does it use?
Question 4 · Control circuits
In a three-wire start/stop motor circuit, what keeps the contactor energized after the start button is released?
Answer: B. A normally open auxiliary contact of the contactor, wired in parallel with the start button
The contactor's own auxiliary contact closes when it pulls in and bypasses the start button. This is the seal-in, or holding, contact. Pressing stop breaks the circuit and drops it out.
Question 5 · Motors
Where is the overload relay's normally closed contact wired in a typical motor starter?
Answer: C. In series with the contactor coil in the control circuit
The overload senses motor current in the power circuit, but its NC contact sits in the control circuit in series with the coil. When it trips, the contact opens, the coil drops out and the motor stops.
Question 6 · Motors
How do you reverse the direction of a three-phase induction motor?
Answer: B. Swap any two of the three line leads
Swapping any two phases reverses the rotating magnetic field. A reversing starter does this with two contactors wired to swap two phases.
Question 7 · Control circuits
In a forward/reverse starter, why is a normally closed contact of the reverse contactor wired in series with the forward coil?
Answer: B. To stop both contactors from closing at the same time
If both contactors closed together, two phases would be shorted. Each coil is interlocked through a normally closed contact of the other contactor, so only one can be energized.
Question 8 · Test instruments
You want to check whether a fuse is blown. The circuit is locked out and the fuse is removed. Which meter setting do you use?
Answer: C. Continuity or ohms
With the power off, a good fuse shows continuity (near zero ohms) and a blown fuse shows open. Voltage tests need the circuit energized, and an amps setting is never used across a component.
Question 9 · Troubleshooting
A 120 VAC contactor coil will not pull in. You read 120 V from terminal A1 to neutral and 0 V across A1 and A2. What is the most likely fault?
Answer: C. The return (neutral) wire from A2 is open
Voltage is present at A1, so supply and upstream contacts are fine. With an open return, no current flows, so there is no voltage drop across the coil and A2 floats up to the same potential as A1. Check the wire from A2 back to neutral.
Question 10 · Test instruments
Why must you never connect a meter set to measure current directly across a voltage source?
Answer: B. The meter has very low resistance on the current setting, so it creates a short circuit
On the current setting the meter is a low-resistance path. Across a voltage source it becomes a short, which can blow the meter fuse, damage the meter or cause an arc flash. Current is measured in series, or with a clamp meter.
Question 11 · PLCs
A normally closed stop button is wired to a PLC input. Nobody is pressing it. What state is the input in?
Answer: A. ON (1)
A normally closed button passes voltage until it is pressed, so the input is ON. In the program you examine it with a normally open instruction (XIC in Allen-Bradley), so the rung stays true until someone presses stop or a wire breaks.
Question 12 · Ladder logic
A rung has Start (normally open) in parallel with a Motor_Run contact, then Stop (examined as closed), then the Motor_Run output coil. The operator presses and releases Start. What happens?
Answer: B. The motor starts and keeps running until Stop opens
This is the PLC version of the seal-in circuit. Once Motor_Run turns on, its own contact holds the rung true after Start is released. Opening Stop breaks the rung.
Question 13 · PLCs
A TON timer has a 5-second preset. Its rung goes true for 3 seconds, then false. What happens?
Answer: C. The done bit never turns on and the accumulator resets to 0
An on-delay timer only times while its rung is true. If the rung goes false before the preset, the accumulator resets and the done bit stays off. A retentive timer (RTO) is the one that would hold 3 seconds.
Question 14 · PLCs
A PNP (sourcing) proximity sensor is being wired to a 24 V DC PLC input card. What kind of input does it need?
Answer: B. A sinking input
A PNP sensor sources current out to the load. The input must sink it, with the card's common tied to 0 V. An NPN sensor is the opposite and needs a sourcing input.
Question 15 · Instrumentation
A pressure transmitter outputs 4–20 mA for 0–100 psi. It reads 12 mA. What is the pressure?
Answer: B. 50 psi
The span is 16 mA (20 − 4). 12 mA is 8 mA above 4 mA, which is half the span, so 50 psi. A reading near 0 mA usually means an open loop, not zero pressure.
Multiple-choice questions test whether you understand a circuit. The fastest way to build that understanding is to wire it, break it and fix it. These labs run in your browser.
Three-wire starters, interlocks, forward/reverse and overloads.
19 fault labs: open returns, blown fuses, tripped overloads, sensor wiring.
Voltage, resistance and continuity readings, with the safe setting for each.
Inputs, outputs, seal-ins, timers and counters, plus troubleshooting a running program.
Free to start: 32 practice scenarios, starter wiring and fault labs, and the first 6 ladder lessons, with no card needed. Moving from the tools into PLCs? Read PLC training for electricians.
Test descriptions checked on 25 October 2026. Practice questions are original to this site.