How to become an elevator mechanic

Elevator constructor is one of the best-paid trades in the United States that you can enter straight from high school. It is also one of the hardest to get into, because far more people apply than there are places. This guide sets out the route.

Apprentice Tests is an independent practice resource. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to NEIEP, the IUEC, any local union or any elevator company. Recruitment rules and test formats are set by NEIEP and the locals, and they change — always follow the guidance issued with your own recruitment.

What the job pays

US Bureau of Labor Statistics figures reported for May 2024 put the median pay for elevator and escalator installers and repairers at $106,580 a year, or about $51.24 an hour. Apprentices start on a percentage of a mechanic's rate — commonly reported as around half in the first year — and step up at intervals through the apprenticeship.

No four-year degree is required and no student debt is involved. That combination is why the competition is what it is.

The entry requirements

NEIEP, which runs the education programme for the IUEC, sets a short list:

• A high school diploma, GED certificate or equivalent, with a copy submitted at application. Applications without the documentation are rejected.
• At least 17 years old to apply, and 18 to be registered by the local Joint Apprenticeship Committee.
• Passing the Elevator Industry Aptitude Test, for which there is a $25 testing fee.

There is no requirement for prior experience or training. NEIEP is explicit that apprentices learn on the job and in the NEIEP classroom.

The steps

1. Wait for a recruitment to open

You cannot apply whenever you like. Locals recruit when the people on their existing list have all been hired, or when the list expires, which happens every two years. See how IUEC recruitment windows work — this is the part that catches people out.

2. Apply, quickly

Applications are capped and they go fast. When Local 23 in Portland opened in 2025 it hit its cap of 750 in under two days, according to a report in the labour press. Have your documents ready before the window opens.

3. Sit the EIAT

100 questions on paper: 35 reading comprehension, 35 mechanical comprehension and 30 mathematics, with no calculator. You need 70% to move on. Read the EIAT explained for the detail.

4. Sit the tool assessment

A short assessment straight afterwards covering hand tools and measuring. It does not count towards your EIAT score but it does feed your interview score.

5. Interview

Conducted by two members of the local Joint Apprenticeship Committee. NEIEP states the questions are standardised nationally. Your interview score sets your position on the hiring list.

6. Wait for a call

Being on the list is not the same as being at work. Locals take on apprentices only when contractors have work to support them. From one local's 2023 intake, around 224 applicants made it onto the list and roughly 65 were actually put to work.

How competitive is it, really?

The IUEC is a small union — NEIEP's own site describes it as having over 27,000 members nationally. Places are limited by how much work the industry has, not by how many good applicants turn up. Expect a queue.

What that means practically: treat the test as something you must clear comfortably rather than scrape, and treat the interview as the part that decides your outcome.

Where to start

Find out which local covers your area and when it last recruited. While you wait, work on the test — the maths and measuring involved are used in the job and in the classroom, so none of it is wasted. Free samples of every section are on our EIAT practice page.