What is the AM2/AM2S test?

At the end of your electrical apprenticeship, you’ll need to take the AM2 or AM2S test before you can become a fully qualified electrician.

What is this test? It’s an in-depth assessment where you carry out specific tasks to prove how competent you are in areas such as electrical installation and fault-finding. The test is broken down into different sections and takes three days to complete.

Think of it as similar to a driving test – you spend weeks or months learning how to drive before taking a test where you put everything into practice and an examiner assesses your driving ability against a set of criteria. This test determines whether you are capable of safely driving a car on your own, or not.

Like any other exam, strict conditions are in place during the AM2 and AMS assessments, such as not being allowed to bring in electronic devices or speak to other candidates. You’ll be monitored by an assessor who will mark your work throughout the day.

At the end of the test, you will find out whether you have passed or failed within three working days. If you fail on a specific section, you will be able to resit this part of the test, rather than retake the entire assessment.

The first question to ask is: Which assessment am I taking – the AM2 or AM2S?

Your training provider will be able to tell you. It depends on the type of apprenticeship you are doing. If you are on the Apprenticeship Framework, you will take the AM2 test. If it’s the Apprenticeship Standard, which is becoming more common, you will take the AM2S.

Once you know which test applies to you, take a look at our more detailed guidance to help you understand and prepare for your assessment.

AM2 Guidance

AM2S Guidance

How do I know if I’m ready?

The first thing to do is read and complete the Readiness for Assessment Checklist. Completing this checklist is a compulsory part of the assessment preparation. Download either the AM2 or AM2S version depending on which apprenticeship you are following.

The checklist shows you everything you should have learned before taking the assessment – read through it and make sure you definitely have done it all. It’s your employer’s and trainer’s responsibility to make sure you’ve covered everything on the list, so they should go through this with you and help identify any areas of concern.

The best way to complete the Checklist is to sit down with your employer and trainer to work through the sections. Together, you can determine your current level of knowledge and experience, and identify any areas where you need to improve, before you take the test. If needed, you can then agree on an action plan to help you come up to the standard required to pass the test.

Before you book your assessment, your employer and training provider must sign the Checklist to confirm that you have completed everything on the list and that you are ready to complete your assessment.

How can I prepare? 

We’ve also developed a Pre-Assessment Manual which looks in detail at all areas of the assessment and common errors to show you where the majority of mistakes happen – so make sure you don’t make them too!

Candidates with health conditions or impairments may also wish to consult NET’s Special Considerations and Reasonable Adjustments Policy, accessible from our Policies page.

Check the regs

There’s also a theory element to the assessment. You’ll need to be up to speed on four different guides: the Building Regulations (not just Part P, but any of the regulations that might impact on electrical installation work!), the current edition of the Wiring Regulations (BS7671), the On-Site Guide and the IET Guidance Note 3. Make sure you revise these carefully – you don’t want to spend three days in the test rig getting everything right, only to end up losing points on the theory aspects.

Then there’s just three final pieces of paperwork left. Make sure you’re confident in completing an IET Electrical Installation Certificate, and that your measured results conform to the requirements of BS7671. Also make sure you’re confident about completing a Schedule of Inspections and Schedule of Test Results, and be certain you know how to carry out all the necessary tests for these.

On the day

Common sense can desert the best of us in exam season, so in the run up to the assessment it might be helpful to consider the following:

• Get a good night’s sleep the night before your first assessment day and during the three day assessment period – you need to be firing on all cylinders, so don’t make big plans for the evenings!
• Don’t forget to bring in your filled-in Checklist
• Make sure you know exactly where the test centre is and how to get there.
• Leave enough time to travel as well, you don’t want to be late.
• Don’t panic!

After the Assessment…

Once you have been successful in your assessment, NET will issue your Assessment of Occupational Competence certificate.

Certificates are sent by recorded delivery and should arrive within a week of completing and passing the assessment.

Please read the guidance on our Certificates page for more advice on how NET issues certificates and what to do if you need to order a replacement.