What decides your rank

The lineman apprenticeship interview

In the IBEW outside programs that publish their process, the interview is what ranks you. Committee members score you, the scores are averaged, and you sit on a ranked list for one or two years. The test only gets you in the room.

Checked against official pages October 24, 2026. Non-official sources are labeled.

How it’s scored

0 to 100 per committee member, averaged. SELCAT, Mo Valley, MSLCAT and NEAT all describe it this way.
You’re ranked by that score, not by when you interviewed. NEAT: the list is “entirely based upon score and not the timing of your interview.”
The list lasts two years at SELCAT, MSLCAT, NEAT, NW Line and Cal-Nev; one year at Mo Valley, ALBAT and SWLCAT.
Cal-Nev’s interview runs about 15 to 20 minutes with line contractors and union members. SWLCAT’s is “oral, with no demonstration.”
MSLCAT interviews everyone who applies. At most others you have to pass the test first.

Re-interviewing to move up

If your score is low, some programs let you interview again after you’ve added experience: ALBAT after 450 documented hours of line construction or two related college classes; Mo Valley after 90 days with 450 hours of line work or two post-secondary industry classes; NW Line after three months with 500 hours of industry work. Groundman hours count toward a re-interview and toward priority interviews at several programs.

Questions to be ready for

Programs don’t publish their questions. These are our own general interview tips, not questions any program has published.

1. Why line work?
They’re checking you know what the job is: weather, nights, storms, travel, heights, and being away from home. “I like working outside” isn’t enough. Say what you’ve seen of the work and why you still want it.
2. Are you willing to travel anywhere in our territory?
Most programs cover several states, and several say so on their requirements page. A hesitant answer here can sink you. If you can travel, say yes plainly.
3. Tell us about your work history.
Reliability is what they’re scoring. Show up on time, stayed through the hard parts, came back the next day. Physical, outdoor or early-start jobs are worth naming.
4. Tell us about a time you made a mistake or were corrected.
Line work runs on taking direction. Give a real example, say what you changed, and don’t blame anyone.
5. What have you done to prepare?
Name the concrete things: the CDL, First Aid/CPR, a flagging card, groundman hours, line school, studying for the aptitude test, talking to linemen.
6. How do you handle working in a crew?
An example of a team where your part mattered and you covered for someone, or they covered for you.
7. Is there anything else we should know?
Your close. One or two sentences on why you’ll finish the apprenticeship. Have it ready; don’t improvise it.

The basics that cost points

Bring every document the program asked for. A missing transcript or CDL copy is an easy reason to pass on you.
Dress clean and plain. Arrive early.
Short, specific answers beat long ones. Say it, give one example, stop.
Practice out loud. Answers you’ve only thought through come out worse than you expect.

Still need to pass the test first? See the lineman aptitude test.

Where these facts come from · all checked October 24, 2026