- What the Industrial Electronics Exam Actually Covers
- How the 16 Areas Are Organized (and One Wrinkle)
- Domains 1-4: The Foundation Layer
- Domains 5-8: Devices, Wiring, and Motors
- Domains 9-12: Networking, Test Equipment, and Communications
- Domains 13-16: Fluid Power, Instrumentation, PLCs, and Robotics
- Exam Format, Fees, and Delivery
- Sequencing Your Prep by Domain
- Eligibility and Keeping the Credential Current
- Frequently Asked Questions
- ETA International's Industrial Electronics (IND) competency document lists 16 numbered exam-competency categories, from Safety through Robotics.
- The competency document publishes no percentage weights, so no domain should be treated as officially heavier than another.
- Live ETA tables list the IND exam at 100 questions, two hours, 75% to pass, and USD 80.
- Journeyman-level IND expects CETa or the full EM1-5 foundation, plus roughly two or more years of experience.
What the Industrial Electronics Exam Actually Covers
The Industrial Electronics (IND) certification is a Journeyman-level credential from ETA International, the Electronics Technicians Association, International. It is aimed at technicians who keep production-floor equipment running: motors and drives, control wiring, sensors, PLCs, fluid power systems, and the networks that tie them together. If you are looking for a broader orientation first, our explainers on what IND is and what IND certification means cover the basics before you dive into the objectives below.
This guide walks through all 16 competency areas in ETA's published scope document, Industrial Electronics (IND) Competency Requirements: CET Core and Specialties (copyright 2020, 13 pages). Those 16 headings are exam objectives, not an editorial curriculum, so the names below mirror ETA's own numbering. Think of them as the checklist the question writers draw from, and treat anything beyond them as optional enrichment.
How the 16 Areas Are Organized (and One Wrinkle)
The document's body labels categories 1 through 10 as Core and groups categories 11 through 16 into five specialty areas. Here is how that maps out:
| # | Domain | Grouping in ETA's document |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Safety | Core |
| 2 | Industrial Mathematics | Core |
| 3 | Diagrams and Schematics | Core |
| 4 | Electrical Components | Core |
| 5 | Electro-Mechanical Devices | Core |
| 6 | Wiring and Codes | Core |
| 7 | AC Power Sources and Motors | Core |
| 8 | DC Power Sources and Motors | Core |
| 9 | Networking, Interfacing, and Programming | Core |
| 10 | Test Equipment and Troubleshooting | Core |
| 11 | Industrial Communications | Specialty grouping |
| 12 | Networks | Specialty grouping |
| 13 | Fluid Power | Specialty grouping |
| 14 | Instrumentation | Specialty grouping |
| 15 | PLCs (Programmable Logic Controllers) | Specialty grouping |
| 16 | Robotics | Specialty grouping |
Here is the wrinkle worth knowing about: the document's introduction states that the IND Core examination covers all 16 categories, yet it also describes twelve core categories, while the body labels only the first ten as Core. ETA has not reconciled that inconsistency in the published document. The safe interpretation for a candidate is simple: do not assume the specialty areas (11 through 16) are skippable or separately tested. Prepare for all 16 as part of the single IND exam. For the question-style and difficulty side of that decision, see how hard the IND exam really is.
Domains 1-4: The Foundation Layer
Domain 1: Safety
Industrial settings add hazards that bench electronics never presents. Expect scenario-style thinking about protecting yourself and others around energized equipment, stored energy, rotating machinery, and pressurized systems.
- Lockout/tagout logic: why equipment must be isolated, verified de-energized, and secured before work begins
- Electrical shock and arc-related hazards around motor control and power distribution
- Hazards unique to fluid power (pressurized lines) and robotic cells (unexpected motion)
- Protective equipment and safe work practices on a plant floor
Domain 2: Industrial Mathematics
The exam permits a non-programmable scientific calculator, so arithmetic fluency matters more than memorizing derivations. The math here serves the rest of the blueprint: Ohm's law and power calculations, series and parallel circuit analysis, unit conversions, and the ratio-based reasoning behind motor speed, gear trains, and signal scaling.
- Resistance, voltage, current, and power relationships in DC and AC circuits
- Scaling and conversion problems that show up again in instrumentation
- Comfort with metric prefixes and engineering notation
Domain 3: Diagrams and Schematics
Industrial technicians live in drawings. This domain tests whether you can read what a drawing is telling you and trace a circuit's intended behavior.
- Ladder diagrams and the logic they express (contacts, coils, seal-in circuits, interlocks)
- One-line, wiring, and block diagrams and how they differ in purpose
- Recognizing standard symbols for switches, relays, motors, sensors, and fluid power components
Domain 4: Electrical Components
This is the component-level vocabulary the rest of the exam assumes: resistors, capacitors, inductors, transformers, diodes, transistors, and power-control semiconductors. Know what each does, how it fails, and how it behaves in an industrial context rather than a hobby circuit.
Domains 5-8: Devices, Wiring, and Motors
Domain 5: Electro-Mechanical Devices
Relays, contactors, solenoids, switches, and motor starters bridge the electrical and mechanical worlds. Understand coil-versus-contact ratings, normally open and normally closed behavior, and how these devices are typically used to switch loads that a controller cannot drive directly.
Domain 6: Wiring and Codes
Wiring practice and code awareness separate a competent industrial technician from a parts-swapper. Expect questions on conductor selection, overcurrent protection, grounding and bonding concepts, and sensible control-versus-power wiring practices.
- Why grounding and bonding matter for both safety and noise immunity
- Matching conductor size and protection to the load
- Keeping low-level signal wiring separated from power conductors
Domain 7: AC Power Sources and Motors
Most factory loads are AC. Be ready to reason about single-phase and three-phase power, transformers, and the operating characteristics of AC motors.
- Induction motor principles: synchronous speed, slip, and torque behavior
- Three-phase concepts and phase relationships
- Motor starting, reversing, and protection concepts
- Variable-speed control at a conceptual level
Domain 8: DC Power Sources and Motors
DC still powers control circuits, drives, and many legacy machines. Study rectification and supply concepts, DC motor construction and types, and how speed and torque are controlled.
Key Takeaway
Domains 5 through 8 reward cause-and-effect reasoning. When you study a motor or relay, ask "what happens to current, speed, or contact state if this one thing changes?" because exam questions tend to present a symptom and ask for the underlying behavior.
Domains 9-12: Networking, Test Equipment, and Communications
Domain 9: Networking, Interfacing, and Programming
This core domain connects controllers to the physical process. It covers how analog and digital signals are interfaced, how devices exchange data, and foundational programming logic used in industrial controllers.
Domain 10: Test Equipment and Troubleshooting
Arguably the domain that most directly reflects daily work. Know what each instrument measures, how to connect it safely, and how to interpret what it shows.
- Multimeter, clamp meter, oscilloscope, and insulation-resistance testing concepts
- Choosing the right instrument and range for the measurement
- Systematic fault isolation: verify the symptom, divide the system, test, and confirm the repair
Domain 11: Industrial Communications
Plants move information over serial links, fieldbuses, and industrial protocols. Focus on what distinguishes these communication methods, their typical roles, and what goes wrong with cabling, termination, and configuration.
Domain 12: Networks
Where Domain 11 is about industrial communication methods, this area covers network fundamentals: topologies, addressing concepts, and the hardware that connects devices. Understand how industrial networks differ from office networks in their demands for reliability and determinism.
Candidates who already hold ETA's foundation certifications will find the troubleshooting and communications material familiar in spirit; the IND exam simply applies it to industrial equipment. If you want a one-page memory aid for these areas close to test day, our IND cheat sheet condenses the must-know facts.
Domains 13-16: Fluid Power, Instrumentation, PLCs, and Robotics
Domain 13: Fluid Power
Hydraulics and pneumatics are routinely integrated with electrical control, so an industrial electronics technician needs to read and troubleshoot across the boundary.
- Pumps, compressors, cylinders, valves, and actuators and their schematic symbols
- Solenoid valves and the electrical signals that command them
- Pressure, flow, and force relationships
- Safety around stored hydraulic and pneumatic energy
Domain 14: Instrumentation
Sensors and transmitters tell the control system what the process is doing. Study measurement of temperature, pressure, level, flow, and position, along with signal conditioning and standard analog signal ranges.
- How common sensor types work and where each is appropriate
- Scaling a sensor's output to an engineering value (this is where Domain 2 math returns)
- Calibration concepts and typical sources of measurement error
Domain 15: PLCs (Programmable Logic Controllers)
PLCs sit at the center of modern industrial control. Know the scan cycle, input and output module types, memory organization, and how to read and reason about ladder logic.
- Discrete versus analog I/O and how each is wired
- Timers, counters, and latching logic
- Using a program's logic state to diagnose why an output is or is not energized
Domain 16: Robotics
Robotics closes the blueprint. Expect conceptual coverage of robot types, axes of motion, end effectors, sensors, controllers, and, above all, the safeguarding practices that keep people out of the work envelope.
Exam Format, Fees, and Delivery
ETA's two live IND tables agree on the core exam parameters, and those are the figures used here:
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Questions | 100 |
| Time allowed | Two hours |
| Passing score | 75% |
| Exam fee | USD 80 |
| Certification term | Four years |
| Hands-on assessment | None |
| Free retake | One eligible retake within one year of the original session |
Delivery and test-day rules
- Exams are proctored through ETA Certification Administrators, using Trapeza online testing or paper and pencil.
- Optional ExamRoom.AI remote proctoring must be arranged through ETA and adds USD 16 for the two-hour exam, including an otherwise eligible free retake.
- Photo ID is required.
- Scratch paper and a non-programmable scientific calculator are permitted; used scratch paper goes back to the proctor.
- Phones are prohibited, and candidates may not leave the room once testing begins.
Because there is no hands-on component, every skill in the 16 domains is evaluated through written questions. That makes diagram reading, calculation, and scenario reasoning the real test of competence. For a fuller view of costs including optional proctoring, see the IND certification cost breakdown, and for scheduling logistics see IND exam dates and scheduling.
Sequencing Your Prep by Domain
Since ETA publishes no weights, a sensible plan is built around dependencies: later domains reuse earlier ones. Here is one way to order the material over six weeks, adjusted to your own experience.
Safety, Math, Diagrams (Domains 1-3)
- Drill Ohm's law and power calculations until they are automatic
- Practice tracing ladder diagrams, since PLC logic builds on this
Components, Devices, Wiring (Domains 4-6)
- Review relay, contactor, and starter behavior
- Study grounding, bonding, and protection concepts
AC and DC Machines (Domains 7-8)
- Focus on slip, torque, and speed-control relationships
Interfacing, Test Equipment, Communications, Networks (Domains 9-12)
- Work through troubleshooting scenarios step by step
Fluid Power, Instrumentation, PLCs, Robotics (Domains 13-16)
- Revisit Domain 2 scaling math while studying sensors
Timed Practice and Weak Spots
- Take full-length timed sets of 100 questions in two hours
Candidates with a strong controls background may compress Weeks 4 and 5, while those coming from a pure electronics background often need more time on fluid power and robotics. Our broader IND study guide expands on resources and pacing, and you can pressure-test your readiness with the IND practice tests as you finish each block.
Key Takeaway
Do not skip the specialty areas (Domains 11 through 16) because they sound niche. The document says the examination covers all 16 categories, and a gap in PLCs or fluid power can cost more questions than polishing a strong area.
Eligibility and Keeping the Credential Current
ETA positions IND as a Journeyman-level certification. The pathway requires either CETa or the complete EM1-5 foundation, and ETA issues CETa once all five module certifications are current. ETA's pathway guidance also says candidates should have two or more years of experience. The details are covered in our IND requirements guide.
Once certified, the credential runs four years. For credentials without hands-on testing, ETA's general maintenance route requires:
- A Certification Maintenance Form
- Either 10 continuing-education hours per year (40 over four years) or a supervisor-completed Employer Verification
- USD 25 per year (USD 100 over the four-year cycle)
If you are weighing whether the investment makes sense for your career, the IND ROI analysis and the IND jobs overview look at the employer side, including the maintenance, controls, and automation roles where industrial electronics skills are in demand.
Frequently Asked Questions
ETA International's Industrial Electronics competency document lists 16 numbered categories, from Safety through Robotics. The document states the IND exam covers all 16, so prepare for every one.
No weights are published in ETA's competency document. Any percentage breakdown you see elsewhere is not from ETA, so distribute your study time by your own weak areas instead.
The introduction describes twelve core categories, while the body labels categories 1 through 10 as Core and groups 11 through 16 into five specialty areas. The document does not resolve this, so treat all 16 as exam material.
No. ETA's IND tables specify no hands-on assessment, so the exam is entirely written: 100 questions in two hours with a 75% passing score, per the live tables.
Photo ID is required. You may use scratch paper, returned to the proctor afterward, and a non-programmable scientific calculator. Phones are prohibited, and you may not leave the room once testing begins.
Mastering all 16 areas is less about memorizing facts and more about understanding how a plant's electrical, mechanical, and control systems fit together. Review the data on what is known about IND pass rates, build your plan domain by domain, and use the practice test site to confirm you are ready before you sit for the exam.