POSS (Power Plant Operator Selection System) Test

[VIPBOY7]

Ive studied the practice exams from the EEI but from what im reading those questions arent that similar to the real exam so I dont want to rely on that.

[mtr1514]

If you do not have any mechanical aptitude background, I would say you have your work cut out for yourself.  I would recommend absorbing anything and everything mechanical from the ASVAB book you have.  After that, get another ASVAB book and do the same.  And then get another book such as the ARCO's Mechanical and Spatial Relations and go through that.  The library can help alot.

The math section will consist of three sections: conversions, simple algebra and word problems.  That means you will be using your addition, subtraction, multiplication and division skills in great quantities and in minimal time.

The EEI practice tests are the same format as the real test, however the real test questions are more difficult.  Your right, dont rely on that alone.  Again, I dont know what your background is but judging from the practice tests, work on your weak areas.

[VIPBOY7]

could you give me some examples of certain things I definitely need to know for the mechanical portion of the exam that you may remember?

[mtr1514]

That is true.  I found success here by reading through every POSS related thread.  Do your research and dont expect to be spoon fed here.  It's a tough crowd just like the industry.  Good luck to you!

[nred]

I have been trying to apply through FPL website for the POSS but I can't find any info on how to apply and be schedule for the poss exam. Can anyone advice me on how to go about it?

Thanks

[Creeker]

The POSS is only given by a utility when they are looking to hire an individual.  So, if you're scheduled for an interview for a position that required successful completion of the POSS exam as a pre-req for employment, the utility will schedule the POSS coincident with the interview process.  They generally wont expend the time or resources on it otherwise.

[shipoffools]

There's some conflicting info regarding penalties for guessing, leaving questions blank, etc. on the site, so I'll throw out what the test administrator told us prior to taking the exam.  Not saying its gospel truth, but its what the HR person told us. 

No points are deducted for leaving questions blank.  There is a penalty for incorrect responses, although HR did not divulge what the penalty was.  Guessing was encouraged only if options were narrowed down to 50/50.  The exception to the guessing policy was the "parts and assemblies" section - HR indicated that incorrect responses were not penalized in this section only.  HR did not state one way or another if there was a minimum that must be answered per section.   

We were informed of our results in a short face to face a couple days later.  No information was given about test results and performance other than pass or fail. 

As for any test taking tips, I'd suggest getting accustomed to skipping questions and coming back to them if the answer doesn't slap you in the face right away, especially in the math section.  Be careful when leaving questions blank that you don't bubble in the wrong place - one person in our group lost valuable time because of this.  Become familiar with the less common unit conversions on the EEI practice test.  Most of the unit conversion questions can be done in one step, but there are several that require an intermediate conversion.     

Hope this info helps...or at least doesn't muddy the water any further. 

[ski2313]

I took the POSS a few weeks ago with Dominion.. received a "recommend" grade (just a passing grade). From what I can gather (through this site and operators I know) the test is graded both on accuracy and total number of questions answered. In other words, answering half of the total questions and getting them 100% right could be better than answering every question but only getting 75% correct answers.. To pass you need a certain percent accuracy with a minimum number of questions answered.

Supposedly there are a few different versions of the test. You could wind up with a shortened or extended math section for example that may or may not include algebra.. I studied for a few weeks prior and went into the test with a gameplan.

The plan was to go through each section as fast as possible, and if there was any hesitation on the answer I skipped it immediately and went on to the next question.  Once I got to the end of the section I was always confident that I had answered, accurately, enough questions that I would be able to pass the section without answering any more questions. At that point any test-stress was gone, and I could "leisurely" go back through the test and take my time on the un-answered questions and simply boost the score. Never answer a question if you are not 100% sure of the answer! - and don't waste time trying to answer one question that takes some figuring when you could accurately answer 5 other intuitive questions.

That's about all the advice I have... oh, and memorize as many conversions as possible.. it will save you some time in the math section.

-ski

[ncon315]

Hi  I just took the exam and had a question about the reading grading.  There was one or two questions that were a little fuzzy. My question was in the proctor instructions she stated to finish each section before going on to the next.  I planned on coming back to these questions but ran out of time.  Is skipping these questions going to result in not recommended?

[UncaBuffalo]

Hi  I just took the exam and had a question about the reading grading.  There was one or two questions that were a little fuzzy. My question was in the proctor instructions she stated to finish each section before going on to the next.  I planned on coming back to these questions but ran out of time.  Is skipping these questions going to result in not recommended?

If you only skipped 2 questions, but got all the others correct, you should be fine.

Good luck!  

[Rennhack]

Sounds like there is a market for a better study guide.  If some one wants to make one, I'll be happy to post it online for everyone.

[2004blackwrx]

A Good study guide sounds like a nice Idea. I have read a lot of the advice on this site and decided to use a ASVAB Study Guide to prepare. Hopefully this will help me succeed at this exam. I think the greatest value in a dedicated study for the POSS in specific would be that when you use a Study Guide designed for a particular test you can feel confident that you are prepared for what to many of us is the most important tests we will take.

[2004blackwrx]

I took the POSS Test last week. I just got my results. I was recommended, now its time to prove in an interview that a person with a business degree is who they want to hire.  The book I used to prepare for the test was ASVAB for dummies. I started studying a week before the test. The book was helpfull especially for the math section. For me reteaching myself high school math was the hardest part. The ASVAB book did not have the exact kind of math as on the POSS but it was a good tool for teaching me math and giving myself practice working quickly with my mathematical skills. The ASVAB book also had a mechanical Knowledge section which was somewhat helpful but not exactly like the test. Like many have said mechanical concepts are something you just know. The ASVAB book also let you practice spatial relations skills. The spatial relations in the book were different then the test but I think give your mind exercises with manipulating shapes. The ASVAB book also had reading comprehension practice. I feel that this is straight forward but if you struggle at reading comprehension the book may help. There was no table and graph section in the ASVAB book. When studying, use common sense, look at the POSS practice test to see the exact style questions there are and make sure you can do the level of problems that are on the practice POSS. Use this forum to learn about the test experiences of others. Lastly, if you want more practice which I recommend use google to find problems that match what you want to study. In the end for me my biggest question was whether I answered enough problems to do well.   

[jerochan]

I got invited to the Power plant operator apprentice interview next week and I wonder how should I prepare for the interview. it seems like there isn't any materials out there to help me prepare for the interview. I knew the interview is combine with written, math and oral interview but that is about it. thanks 

[Cycoticpenguin]

I got invited to the Power plant operator apprentice interview next week and I wonder how should I prepare for the interview. it seems like there isn't any materials out there to help me prepare for the interview. I knew the interview is combine with written, math and oral interview but that is about it. thanks 

what is an operator apprentice??? Is this for that job in new york? 

this is what happened on my operator interview.

http://www.nukeworker.com/forum/index.php/topic,26272.0.html

[Grasenrack]

I asked this exact question when I took the test for a nuclear operator position.  You cannot score too high on the POSS test.

[Kakashi86]

I got contacted by the HR representative for Constellation up in NY- Ontario that they are going to fly me there to take the EEO and PPOS exams next week. I never heard of the EEO exam. I think she meant the EEI POSS exam series. I'm really excited and nervous with only a couple days to study. I also applied to Exelon a while ago and had an interview completed by they didn't want to fly me out to take their exams on short notice. They informed me 2 days prior to the test. Being in Hawaii this would be extremely difficult for me. I wonder with the merger if it will make it easier to transfer the results if Exelon wanted to hire me at Forked River Plant. Either way I'm really excited.

[my name is.....]

I got contacted by the HR representative for Constellation up in NY- Ontario that they are going to fly me there to take the EEO and PPOS exams next week. I never heard of the EEO exam. I think she meant the EEI POSS exam series. I'm really excited and nervous with only a couple days to study. I also applied to Exelon a while ago and had an interview completed by they didn't want to fly me out to take their exams on short notice. They informed me 2 days prior to the test. Being in Hawaii this would be extremely difficult for me. I wonder with the merger if it will make it easier to transfer the results if Exelon wanted to hire me at Forked River Plant. Either way I'm really excited.

The transferring of test results is really a non-issue. EEI has all the records and they can be obtained directly from them by the plant/company needing them. I have had five instances where the plant wanting to interview me had already gotten my scores just because I had it listed on my resume. Don't worry about it.

[Kakashi86]

I got everything except 15 on the first tables and 5 on the graph. Other than that I thought it would be worse. Maybe it's due to the prep work prior to. Thank you everyone for the advice. Now for the interview and wait results and maybe a second interview!

[Papa Nuc]

Great news kakashi.  You are getting called in for interviews which is good, what is your prior experience?

[Kakashi86]

just got notified i passed. did the interview, thought it went well. just wait for the call back. EWS, QAI qualified ET submariner. Only have background that the navy has given me. I got asked 2 "bonus" questions about exam security cause i told them about me being the Engineering Department Training Assistant.

[Kakashi86]

I just got called and emailed. we were calling each other basically at the same time. I got offered the position of AO at the Ginna Plant!!!!!

[Papa Nuc]

Great news, good luck with your new career 

[Higgs]

Congratulations sir!

[luke7750]

I just took my poss test and I am waiting to hear the results. I have done alot of searching on this site and it has helped me tremendously on the test. My only concern since there is not a clear answer on grading is about the assembly portion. I answered the ones I new I could get right before tme ran out. The only problem is I only answered 12 out of 20 from what I counted. My question is granted I got all 12 right would this be enough for a passing score in that section? Any replies would be appreciated. Thanks