BMST (Basic Math and Science) Test

[Steve B]

It depends on how far away from the hiring date that you took the exam and did your interview. I would say that if you haven't received a job offer before the posting is taken off of the website or definitely before the class starts then you were not selected.

To answer your second question...the next step would be a telephone call or email from HR with information regarding the companies offer. You would then review the offer and contact HR to inform them that you accept, decline, or wish to negotiate.

Good luck to you.

[thestellarinc]

Just wanted to add my two cents here:
I just happened to take the POSS twice this week, I interviewed for Duke and Exelon. I was suprised that the test was exactly the same both times, there are not different versions. I think the answers might have been mixed around so you cant memorize a-b-c-a...but the questions were the same. I am a recent graduate with a BS nuclear engineering degree, and I have to say the test was not difficult. The only section I couldnt finish was the table section, cause 60 questions in 5 minutes is insane. Thats 5 seconds a question and it takes me about 3 seconds to fill in the bubble. After reading through other posts, I really dont think its worth doing extensive studying for the test, its designed I think so you can either do it or not. The only studying I did was the short practice test to familiarize myself with the types of questions. I passed it both times. I feel I did very good on it but I wont know since we dont get a percentage grade back. At Exelon it was public that only 2 of us passed in a group of 6. At Duke there were total 4 people and I dont know who else passed. I was surprised not more people passed though because I was taking it with some mechanical and electrical engineers that failed.

Exelon also had me take the BMST which had a little more difficult questions but nothing too hard with my degree. There was only maybe 5 or 6 questions I had to absolutely guess on and those were either chemistry or electrical engineering questions. Time was not an issue for this test, it took me 2 hours about and I was given 3, I then spent another half hour going over it. Advice for this is to study basic chemistry, circuits, trig, and geometry. Also basic nuclear physics if you arent familiar with it. I wont find out until probably monday or tuesday if I passed it but Im sure I did.

I already had interviews with both companies so now I wait and hopefully will be an equipment/auxiliary operator!

If you have any questions regarding the test I will try to answer, but Im not going to give specifics since it was the same test twice. The layout of the test seems to pretty well covered in other posts too.

[Fermi2]

Take ASVAB practice tests absolutely helps.

And yes it's possible to get the table questions done. I did it.

[thestellarinc]

Just heard back, I passed the BMST too! Or in their words I was recommended on the BMST.

[ash0128]

I am taking the BMST for Exelon next week.  Is there any free and good study guides for this test.

[Rennhack]

As someone who took the BMST last month, I was disappointed to see that multiple threads existed on this topic, all saying nearly the same thing (very little).  If those people had just used the search function, my time could have been better well spent.  Does this say something about your chances of getting into ILT class with me?  Maybe.  On a more serious note; you're probably doing the Exelon supervisory assessment, so good luck.  Oh and don't worry about the flight simulator, everyone struggles....

A search of "BMST" provided these results....(Place the mouse cursor over the blue letters, depress the left mouse button.  A new window will appear with the chosen topic.  To see the next topic, simply lower the mouse cursor and repeat.)

http://www.nukeworker.com/forum/index.php/topic,22636.0.html
http://www.nukeworker.com/forum/index.php/topic,16332.0.html
http://www.nukeworker.com/forum/index.php/topic,22658.0.html
http://www.nukeworker.com/forum/index.php/topic,15921.0.html
http://www.nukeworker.com/forum/index.php/topic,12937.0.html
http://www.nukeworker.com/forum/index.php/topic,14625.0.html
http://www.nukeworker.com/forum/index.php/topic,22958.0.html

In all reality, it would be nice if this thread were deleted and the others combined.  I'm just sayin...

Sounds like a candidate for a moderator job.

[Nuclear NASCAR]

Sounds like a candidate for a moderator job.

And here we could use one for this forum too.  Hmmmmmmm.

[HydroDave63]

I know if I could vote I'd vote for Mell !

[tselby]

they will only give you the results if you are hired in otherwise no results will be forth coming.

[tselby]

A lot of helpful hints below

Another thing to remember is if you do not know the answer right away or how to solve the question skip it and move on, the test will take the whole 3 hours alloted because you can not use a calculator, eveything is by hand

I took the test on Oct 5,2010 and passed

also remember a question left blank (unanswered) is wrong and you must pass this test to be considered for employment, you fail you will not get hired

[Buffa98]

A lot of helpful hints below

Another thing to remember is if you do not know the answer right away or how to solve the question skip it and move on, the test will take the whole 3 hours alloted because you can not use a calculator, eveything is by hand

I took the test on Oct 5,2010 and passed

also remember a question left blank (unanswered) is wrong and you must pass this test to be considered for employment, you fail you will not get hired

Well I took it today.........I feel I did OK on it.  Will have to wait and see.  The poss was a little more fast paced than I expected.  Will let everyone know if I made it to the interview phase.   

[Derrick]

Hi,

My name is Derrick and i have an upcoming test with Exelon.I seen on a post couple years ago you said that if anyone needed any info on the test to message you.Well i am wondering if you could supply me with some info regarding the test.The POSS test i am familar with but the BMST i am not familar with it at all.Where did you get info on it and what can i expect to see on the test also what approach worked best for you.For example how many questions did you do out of 50..? the number ratio...I am a lil worried.I have been studying like crazy.Please could you help me

[HockeyFan]

Don't compromise the test!  You have a study guide issued to you when the test is scheduled.  Don't ask for details about what is on the test.

[stig217]

I took the test about a year ago.  I think out of the fifty I probably wasn't so sure about 5 of the questions.  There were a couple of randomly thrown out chemistry questions which I had no idea about.  I definitely thought that this was the easier of the two tests, because there was actually time to think things though.  I am not sure of your background, but if you had any basic math you will be fine.  Personally, I would study the POSS more, because a lot of people underestimate it.  Remember you have to pass the POSS to take the BMST.  I was there testing with another engineer and others who did not pass the POSS.  I was recommended for both tests.

[Derrick]

Thansk.Thats what i noticed too.Everyone seems to jump the gun and only talk about the BMST..I am fully concentrating on the POSS.I took it a year ago and got a 0%.But i believe that its because i didnt do enough.I played it safe on the whole thing.I thought i could just do all the easy ones and sit back and pass.But on the MOSS i passed.I did more than enough.So hopefully this time i can do well.I had a hard time with the conversions.I spent tooooo much time on them.Thanks for the info

[cheme09]

Didn't want to make a new thread so I'm just going to bump this one.


I have an interview and testing scheduled for the end of this week with Exelon.  After looking through the sample BMST questions they provided, I am thinking there is a mistake in their answer.  I just wanted to check with the rest of you to see if you arrive at the same answer I did.  If so, I'll just assume it's a minor typo in their materials.  The question is as follows:

Determine the next number in the series:
25   27   30   15   5   7   10   ____


UPDATE:  Almost immediately after posting this, I realized why I was getting a different answer.  I was including using division as part of my answer whereas their answer only used addition.  Interestingly enough we came up with the same magnitude of an answer just opposite signs.  I'll keep this posted just to include another example of a BMST question.

[RDTroja]

Didn't want to make a new thread so I'm just going to bump this one.


I have an interview and testing scheduled for the end of this week with Exelon.  After looking through the sample BMST questions they provided, I am thinking there is a mistake in their answer.  I just wanted to check with the rest of you to see if you arrive at the same answer I did.  If so, I'll just assume it's a minor typo in their materials.  The question is as follows:

Determine the next number in the series:
25   27   30   15   5   7   10   ____


UPDATE:  Almost immediately after posting this, I realized why I was getting a different answer.  I was including using division as part of my answer whereas their answer only used addition.  Interestingly enough we came up with the same magnitude of an answer just opposite signs.  I'll keep this posted just to include another example of a BMST question.

If this is an actual question on the test, it is flawed (if it is a multiple choice, it may be OK.) There are at least two legitimate answers (5, -5) unless the rules specifically state that only addition and subtraction are allowed... or if they wanted the next two numbers and told you only integers were allowed.

[cheme09]

If this is an actual question on the test, it is flawed

That's exactly what I was thinking.  It was a multiple choice question, by the way.

When I first posted, I didn't provide the answer choices because I wanted to see if everyone else came up with what I got, 5.  The study guide said the answer was -5 but I soon realized how they came up with that answer.

[cheme09]

I know one member here is taking the BMST soon and found the following info useful.  For the benefit for others that may be taking the BMST at the same time or later in the future here's what I suggested he study. There has already been good info posted earlier in this thread by Justin so consider this just a supplement.

The material is really all high school level math, trig, physics, and chemistry.  The two exceptions I had on my test were:

• there was one biology type question (still high school level, though)
• I don't recall PNP and NPN transistors being covered in high school (had 2 questions about those)

There is a 3 hour time limit for 90 questions.  They should have sent you a BMST study guide.  A majority is math but there is also a break down of subject matter on the study guide as well as a sample question for each question type (not sure where that biology question would fit in).  The sample questions are very representative of the type AND difficulty of the questions on the test.

If you're unfamiliar with simple circuits, it would be good to review/learn how to compute the current, voltage, and resistance of a circuit.  You should definitely know how to handle resistors in series and in parallel.

Your basic physics should also be reviewed.  Similar to the mechanical concepts on the POSS.

In the math section, when determining the next number in the series, only use addition or subtraction, not multiplication or division; this isn't mentioned in the study guide, but will be included in the directions on the actual test. The trigonometry was kind of interesting.  Aside from converting back and forth between radians and degrees, you should also be comfortable taking the sin or cos of an angle without a calculator.  You will be given a trig table, so you could learn how to use that or you could get comfortable estimating.  They will give you problems like solve for x:  

x = 20cos(61.18°)

The answer choices will be given with 3 or 4 decimal places, but there is no reason for you to waste time calculating to that accuracy.  If you recall that cos 60 = 0.5 then you should know that x will be in the ballpark of 10, but less than 10.

Lastly, a quick review of nuclear science would be good.  A skim through the DOE Fundamental Handbook for Nuclear Physics and Reactor Theory (volume 1) would be good.  The handbook definitely provides more material than you need, but what you do need will be in there.  Some topics to look at are:

• difference between alpha, beta, and gamma radiation
• how to shield each of the above radiations
• neutron interactions (ie, scattering, absorption, etc)
• radioactive decay

Depending on your level of familiarity with the above topics, it may seem like a lot to study, but check out the subject matter break down in the study guide and just prepare accordingly.  Make sure to answer all questions because unanswered questions are considered incorrect answers.  If you grab a good ASVAB book, the math, mechanical, science, and spatial relation sections on the ASVAB will help you prepare for the BMST.  The DOE Handbook will cover your nuclear science.  If you google "doe fundamentals handbook nuclear" it should be the first link.

The test is not really hard.  I finished the exam in about 1.5 hours.  I took the next 45 min going back over all my answers.  The only ones I guessed on were about PNP and NPN transistors bc I've never seen that stuff before in school and I didn't bother to study it in the ASVAB book I used.

*edited for clarity bc I'm anal with small details like that

[SleepyNuke]

Hi everyone! First time poster here.I figured I would attempt to give an overview of the tests from my experience since I used this site like crazy when prepping for the tests.

The BMST (Basic Math and Science Test) was definitely the test I was most worried about because of the wide array of subjects to study. I am more of an algebra guy rather and not a geometry guy. There were quite a few geometry questions that I got hung up on. I would study the basic formulas diameter, area, and volume (rectangle, circle, cylinder). There were a couple physics questions regarding ratios such as a spring depresses 6 inches when 10lbs is placed on the spring how far will the spring depress if 8 lbs is on the spring (only an example not a real question). Also there was a question that threw me off regarding pulleys and RPMs (I haven't worked through one of those in a long time) It was basically pulley X has a diameter of (any number) spinning at 1200 RPMs if pulley Y has a circumference of 64in how fast will it spin. I would focus as much as you can on the algebra and physics questions. Everything from basic physics the whole way up to the problems that involve one car leaving 2 hours ahead of another car when will the cars be in the same location. The chemistry questions were a little oddball I had both reduction and oxidation questions as well as a question asking you to name the last element in sulfuric acid (sulfur was already named so it wasn't that easy). The spatial relation questions were easy but I kept coming out with the wrong answer until I counted each individual block, I was trying to multiply the sides and it just wasn't computing for some reason. The trig part of the test was pretty easy, I knew nothing about trig tables and have only ever used the calculator for trig. Apparently the tables only go to 90 and of course I got a question that was find the sine of something ridiculous like 165 degrees. I had no idea what it was so I just divided that number in half and used whatever the closest number I came up with on the table. Other than that the trig was fairly easy the table wasn't hard to use. Overall, I would say I probably skipped around 20-25 and finished the 90 questions within 1 1/2 hours. I then went back through and thought pretty hard on the ones I missed and worked through them. I guessed on maybe 5 or 6 and by that I mean I narrowed it down to two answers and picked the most logical one. The study guide that they give you (all 8 questions of it   ) was helpful it just doesn't give you much of a broad spectrum to focus on. The POSS had the formulas you would use in the test but the BMST did not so KNOW YOUR FORMULAS!

The POSS, this will be pretty short. I think everyone knows that the first few tests (mechanical conc, reading comp, tables and graphs) are all pretty easy. I had no problems with any of them and I only looked at the practice test available at EEI's website. The only part of the POSS that I was focused on was the Math Usage section. Obviously doing 44 questions in 17 or 14 minutes whatever is pretty taxing. I took everyone's advice from this forum and did the first 4 or 5 conversions then moved right to the algebra part. After studying I fully understood how to handle algebra equations that have the variable in the denominator and numerator, as well as how to divide out decimals into decimals or in to real numbers. I finished all the algebra problems without any issues. The last section was the word problems. Again a nice thing about the POSS is they give you the formula, at least half (if not more) would tell you what formula to use in the word problem. I didn't have any issues with that part either. I then returned to the conversions and was able to complete all but 10. Overall the POSS was less difficult than I had anticipated and it seemed to be all about speed and being careful with your +/- signs.


I hope this helped everyone out, I am not trying to risk the integrity of the exam I just want to help anyone out who was in my shoes a few weeks ago so that they know what to study. Also one thing I used like CRAZY while studying was Khan Academy on youtube, I am a visual learner so I would suggest looking in to that website to walk you through things. I will not get my test results back until next week. I'll be sure to post a follow up and let everyone know if I was recommended or not.

[Fermi2]

Whether you fail it or not this is a fantastic post. If you get time would you post how you prepared? I know there are tips all over this site, many of them by me. It might be beneficial to others especially if you pass. (Pulling for you!)

[SleepyNuke]

Thanks Broadzilla.

The results came in, I did not pass the BMST but did pass the POSS.

To prepare for the tests I had two weeks from when I was notified for my testing. I searched this forum like crazy (many of which broadzilla contributed too) I had purchased the POSS study guide off of amazon ($45) worth the money and the practice. I printed off all the POSS practice tests from EEI's site and signed up for a prep course through Bismarck State College ($120). The prep course was similar to the study guide in that it helped you work through problems. I made flash cards for the various physics problems which I though I would face on the tests.

My biggest downfall was not studying the basics (I know that's rule number one) when it came to the geometry stuff I was under the impression that the BMST would have the formulas for you like the POSS does. It doesn't. So some of the basic formulas such as area for a cylinder or parallelogram I was either unsure of or didn't know. I focused a lot of my time on practicing long division and I shouldn't have, for the most part I got myself to where I needed the long division then just plugged in one of the answers to see if I was close enough then adjusted from there. Khan academy on youtube was definitely one of my best study guides (and it was free!) as I said before. Focus on the questions in the study guide then expand on them. For physics I would go as far as the basics of Kinematics, for algebra do some crazy order of operation stuff, slope, quadratic equations, and Pythagorean theorm review.


If anyone needs any further clarification send me a PM or reply on here, hopefully I can help you out while it's still fresh in my mind.
 

[Nukette]

I am sorry to hear that, but now you know exactly what to expect.  Your above post will definitely help you when you are trying to remember for your next time.  Make sure you add "Passed POSS" to your resume when you apply to future positions.  Keep applying and good luck! 

[SleepyNuke]

Hey everyone, I posted on here before back in October about my unfortunate failure (or in Exelon's words not recommended) of the BMST. Fortunately I was able to retake the test recently at a different plant, I did not have any intention to transfer plants again (the drive is ridiculous) I just wanted to pass the test so that I can skip that process when the next opening at my plant comes up. This time I had some family issues looming over my head (very pregnant wife) so studying was very difficult. I will admit I probably only studied 2 days at best for a few hours each day. After my last attempt I made sure to write a review on here which I knew would pay off, it was very helpful looking at that and everyone else's reviews. I took the test on a Thursday and because I had already passed the POSS they only had to send in my BMST scores so they were able to notify me by the following Monday. Just so everyone knows that you are not notified of your actual score for the BMST. The test from my understanding is scored from each section then there is probably some formula they use to combine the scores and give you a pass or a fail. So with that being said you will not find a HR person that will tell you a pass percentage or give you a score when you get your results. I will give a quick review of anything I saw different from the first time.


As far as the test goes almost all the questions were either the same or very similar. I had one chemistry question that threw me off again it was asking what the last compound in silver nitrate and they gave you silver and nitrogen so I guessed on that. They had a question on heat forms (convection, conduction, radiant) which luckily I had a whole section of that in school so I knew that pretty well. They also had questions like what is the area of the flat washer, they gave you the inside and outside diameter of the washer. Then there was the typical trig questions such as the sun is hitting the flag pole at x degrees and the flagpole is x in height how long is the shadow. I still have no idea how to calculate Sin165 but I did my best to guess. Other than that my first review was spot on with things to look at and study. One thing I did this time in preparation of failing was as soon as I got to my car I turned my voice recorder app on and I just started recording specific questions that I got stuck on. Obviously I can't just give out specific test questions on here because that could put a lot of people in jeopardy (including myself) but I would highly recommend it if you're taking the test for the first time. If you were qualified for it once you should be qualified for it twice, the first time fail rate is above 50% so leave the test with confidence but just be prepared that you may have to take it again. Also as far as test prep goes, this is VERY important, make sure you use the bathroom 1 hour prior, 30 minutes prior, and 10 minutes prior. You might think you have a steel bladder however you CANNOT leave that once the 3 hour test has started. I squeezed every drop out before I started and by the time I hit the three hour mark I was able to go again. The only thing I drank was at 9 am and we took the test at 12. I don't know if that is part of the test but it wouldn't surprise me just to see how you do distracted. Lastly I just wanted to note that this time I took my time and completed each question as they came, I did not skip any this time. At the 1.5 hour mark I was at around question 55 (way ahead of schedule) at that point I did speed it up just little to make sure I would have ample time to double check every question. I finished the test with a little over 45 min left. I went back through and checked every question to make sure I wasn't rushing and I actually caught to questions that I had misread or had temporary dyslexia on. I turned the test in with around 15-20 minutes left to go because there was nothing else I felt I could do to for the questions that I was stuck on.

As always if you have any questions PM with them. The closer to the post date that you get a hold of me the better i'll be able to accurately respond.

Thanks,
SleepyNuke

[SpaceJustice]

Congrats!