Am I allowed a calculator?

It depends on the employer. EEI's CAST-R brochure says a calculator is permitted for Graphic Arithmetic, but some utilities tell candidates calculators are not allowed and others say one will be provided. Assume you will not have your own unless your invitation says otherwise, and practice both ways — our drill has an on-screen calculator you can switch off.

Are these real CAST questions?

No. Every drawing and question here is original and was written from the published description of the section. The real test's content is copyright and confidential, and we neither have it nor want it.

Graphic Arithmetic free demo

In CAST and CAST-R · about 4 minutes · Choose an answer; an on-screen calculator is available

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About the Graphic Arithmetic section

Graphic Arithmetic is the section candidates for line worker and skilled trades jobs usually meet first. EEI's CAST and CAST-R brochures describe 16 questions in 30 minutes based on two drawings. That sounds generous until you see that a single question can need three or four figures lifted from different parts of the same drawing.

The skill is a real job skill: reading a print and getting the numbers right. Crews work from drawings every day, and a misread dimension is expensive. Questions are built so that a careless reading produces one of the wrong options, which is why taking two seconds to check what a label actually says pays for itself.

Our version generates fresh drawings and figures every run, so there is nothing to memorize. Practice mode explains every answer and shows which figure on the drawing it came from; the timed run paces you the way a 30-minute section does.

Tips from practice

Read the question first, then go to the drawing knowing exactly which figures you need.
Check the units on the drawing before you calculate. Mixed feet and inches is the most common trap.
Write the numbers down as you take them off the drawing rather than holding them in your head.
If two options are close, redo the arithmetic rather than re-reading the drawing — that is usually where the slip was.

Common questions

Am I allowed a calculator?: It depends on the employer. EEI's CAST-R brochure says a calculator is permitted for Graphic Arithmetic, but some utilities tell candidates calculators are not allowed and others say one will be provided. Assume you will not have your own unless your invitation says otherwise, and practice both ways — our drill has an on-screen calculator you can switch off.
Are these real CAST questions?: No. Every drawing and question here is original and was written from the published description of the section. The real test's content is copyright and confidential, and we neither have it nor want it.

This demo is independent practice, written from publicly published descriptions of the section. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Edison Electric Institute or any utility, and it is not identical to any real test.