IND Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows

Why There Is No Published Pass Rate

If you searched for the Industrial Electronics pass rate hoping for a tidy percentage, here is the honest answer: ETA International does not publish one. The issuer's exam information pages describe the format, fee, passing score, and certification term, but they do not report how many candidates pass on a first attempt, how many retake, or how results break down by domain.

That matters because the internet is full of confident-sounding pass-rate claims for credentials of every kind. When a number appears without a named source and a stated methodology, treat it as noise. On this page we use only figures that appear in ETA's own published materials, and where the data simply does not exist, we say so and reason from the exam's structure instead.

What the Published Data Does Show

Even without a pass rate, ETA's published information tells you a great deal about how demanding the Industrial Electronics exam is and what kind of candidate tends to sit for it. The facts below come from the two live IND tables on ETA's specialty and accredited certification pages.

One wrinkle deserves a mention. ETA's printed certification catalog lists 75 questions, and a third-party ETA Press listing shows 75 questions and a different fee. The live IND tables, which are the current authoritative source, specify 100 questions and USD 80, and that is what we follow throughout this site. If you want to confirm before you register, check ETA's pages directly. Our IND passing score guide covers the scoring line in more detail.

The 75% Line and What It Means

On a 100-question exam, a 75% passing score translates to getting roughly three out of every four questions right. That is a meaningful bar, but it is not an extreme one. It leaves room for a weak domain or two as long as your strength elsewhere carries you over the line.

The catch is that the Industrial Electronics scope is broad. Because the competency document spans sixteen domains and assigns no weights, you cannot reliably predict which areas will be heavily tested. A candidate who is brilliant at motors and PLCs but ignores fluid power, instrumentation, and robotics is gambling that the exam will not lean on those areas.

Sixteen Domains, No Published Weights

The ETA competency document lists sixteen numbered exam-competency categories. It publishes no percentage weights, so no domain can be labeled "worth more" with any authority. The document's introduction also says the IND Core examination covers all sixteen categories, while elsewhere describing twelve core categories and labeling categories 1 through 10 as Core and 11 through 16 as specialty groupings. That internal inconsistency exists in the source, and the safest assumption is to prepare for all sixteen.

The domains are:

1. Safety
2. Industrial Mathematics
3. Diagrams and Schematics
4. Electrical Components
5. Electro-Mechanical Devices
6. Wiring and Codes
7. AC Power Sources and Motors
8. DC Power Sources and Motors
9. Networking, Interfacing, and Programming
10. Test Equipment and Troubleshooting
11. Industrial Communications
12. Networks
13. Fluid Power
14. Instrumentation
15. PLCs (Programmable Logic Controllers)
16. Robotics

For a domain-by-domain breakdown, read our complete guide to all 16 IND content areas.

Where Candidates Are Most Likely to Slip

Since no domain-level pass data exists, the following reflects reasoning from the structure of the scope rather than reported statistics. Industrial electronics technicians typically build depth in whatever equipment they touch daily, which leaves gaps elsewhere. The exam's wide scope exposes those gaps.

Exam-Day Mechanics That Affect Outcomes

The testing rules shape how you should prepare, particularly the calculator policy and the lack of any hands-on component. The exam is a knowledge test; nothing on it asks you to perform a physical task.

• Proctoring: The exam is proctored through ETA Certification Administrators, using Trapeza online testing or paper and pencil.
• Remote option: Optional ExamRoom.AI remote proctoring must be arranged through ETA and adds USD 16 for the two-hour examination, including an otherwise eligible free retake.
• Identification: Photo ID is required.
• Calculator and paper: Scratch paper and a non-programmable scientific calculator are permitted; used scratch paper is returned to the proctor.
• Restrictions: Phones are prohibited, and candidates may not leave the room once testing begins.

The two-hour window for 100 questions works out to a little over a minute per question. That is workable for knowledge-recall items but tight for multi-step calculations, so build speed on Industrial Mathematics and circuit analysis before you sit. Our exam dates and scheduling guide explains how to arrange a session.

Retakes, Fees, and the Cost of a Miss

One reason the absence of a pass rate is less alarming than it sounds: the downside of a first-attempt miss is limited. ETA allows one eligible exam retake free of charge within one year of your original session. If you used remote proctoring, the USD 16 proctoring fee applies to that free retake as well.

Maintenance deserves planning too. The general route for credentials without hands-on testing requires the Certification Maintenance Form, 10 continuing-education hours per year (40 over the four-year term) or supervisor-completed Employer Verification, plus the annual fee. For the full financial picture, see our IND certification cost breakdown.

A Domain-Ordered Readiness Plan

Rather than a generic schedule, order your preparation around how the domains build on each other. Foundational topics come first because later domains assume them. This plan assumes you already hold the foundation credentials ETA requires, as described in our IND requirements guide.

Spending the final week on the specialty domains is deliberate: they are the areas candidates are least likely to meet in daily work, so they benefit from fresh, concentrated review close to exam day. For a fuller methodology, read our IND study guide, and keep our one-page cheat sheet handy in the last days. You can also test yourself on the main practice test site to find weak domains early.

Who Values the Credential

The Industrial Electronics credential targets technicians who install, maintain, and troubleshoot equipment in industrial settings. Employers in manufacturing, automation, maintenance, and plant operations are the natural audience, because the sixteen domains mirror the skills those roles demand: motors and drives, PLC-based control, instrumentation, industrial networks, and fluid power systems.

Because the certification is a Journeyman-level credential built on ETA's foundation pathway, it signals both baseline electronics knowledge and applied industrial competence. Whether it makes financial sense for you depends on your current role and employer; our ROI analysis, salary guide, and IND jobs overview explore that question in depth without relying on unsupported figures.

Frequently Asked Questions