EEI SASS Test: Administrative Roles at Utilities

SASS is the Support and Administrative Selection System, one of the Edison Electric Institute's family of pre-employment batteries. EEI's own catalogue describes it as "used to help select employees for a wide range of administrative positions within an electric utility, such as Administrative Assistant and Clerk."

It exists because utilities hire far more than linemen and plant operators, and the tests that screen for craft work are the wrong instrument for office roles.

SASS and BCAB are the same conversation

You will see both names, sometimes together. Hawaiian Electric lists the battery on its employment testing page as "Support and Administration Selection System - BCAB (SASS)", and Southern California Edison's candidate guide for the Basic Competency Assessment Battery directs test-takers to "SASS Support and Administrative (Paper)" on EEI's brochure site.

The practical reading: SASS is the selection system for administrative roles, and BCAB is the basic competency battery at its core — Classifying (5161), Spelling and Grammar (5162), Basic Mathematics (5163) and Filing/Sorting (5164), with the complete battery numbered 5206. Our BCAB guide goes through each component.

If an invitation says SASS, expect BCAB content. If it gives a bare number in the 5160s or 5206, that is the same battery.

Which utilities use it

Utilities publish their own test lists, and SASS appears on some and not others. Hawaiian Electric names it among the EEI tests it uses, alongside TECH, CAST, MASS, POSS and the Customer Service Representative battery. Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corporation, by contrast, lists only CAST, MASS, POSS and a combined POSS/MASS — no SASS at all.

That variation is the general rule with EEI batteries. Which ones you face depends entirely on the employer and the specific vacancy. AECC notes that "if a position requires EEI Testing, it will be indicated under the Minimum Qualifications for the position" — reading the posting properly is the first step.

What it is not

Three things people conflate with SASS:

• The CSR battery. Customer service representative roles have their own test, which EEI describes as "a simulation-based test that provides applicants with an interactive experience that 'looks' like the job". That is a different instrument from a clerical battery. See our CSR guide.
• The craft batteries. CAST, POSS and MASS assess mechanical reasoning and spatial ability against diagrams. SASS does not. Practice for one is not practice for the other.
• A typing or software test. Employers may add their own assessments on top of the EEI battery. Those are the employer's, not EEI's.

Scores

No cut score is published for SASS, any more than for the other batteries. Employers set their own thresholds against local hiring needs and generally do not disclose them. Some tell candidates only whether they qualified. Our scoring guide explains what is and is not published.

Where an employer administers the test on site, results can be immediate: AECC publishes that "if a pre-employment test is taken on-site with an AECC Test Administrator, test results will be available immediately following testing."

Retakes and transfers

Retake rules are the employer's. AECC's published policy — 15 days minimum between first and second attempts, and no more than twice in twelve months on the same test — is one example rather than an industry standard. Our retake guide collects what different utilities publish, and our transfer guide covers moving a result between employers.

Preparing for it

Employers that use SASS generally point candidates to EEI's own brochures and practice area, supplying login credentials with the invitation. That is the material to work from, and Hawaiian Electric's caveat is a fair one: preparation "may improve your chances of qualifying on the test. However, there is no guarantee that by reading the brochures and the test preparation guides you will qualify."

This site's practice sections are built for the craft batteries — CAST, CAST-R, POSS and MASS — and their Mathematical Usage and Reading Comprehension material is aimed at those tests rather than at clerical work. If you are sitting SASS or BCAB, the honest advice is to work from what your employer sends you. If you are also considering craft roles, the free demos will show you what those batteries look like, and pricing covers full access.

Frequently asked questions

What is the EEI SASS test?

The Support and Administrative Selection System, an EEI battery used to select for administrative positions at electric utilities such as administrative assistant and clerk.

Is SASS the same as BCAB?

They overlap. Employers list the battery as "Support and Administration Selection System – BCAB (SASS)"; BCAB is the basic competency battery within SASS.

What jobs require the SASS test?

Administrative and support roles at utilities that use the battery. Whether a specific vacancy requires it is stated in the job posting's minimum qualifications.

What score do I need to pass SASS?

No employer publishes one. Cut scores are set locally and are not disclosed.

Can I retake the SASS test?

Under the employer's policy. AECC publishes 15 days between attempts and a maximum of two attempts in twelve months on the same test; other utilities set their own rules.

Does this site have SASS practice?

No. Our sections are built for the CAST, CAST-R, POSS and MASS batteries. For SASS, work from the brochures and practice material your employer gives you access to.