- What This Exam Actually Is
- Format, Fees, and Test-Day Rules
- Reading the 16 Competency Areas
- Foundation Domains: Safety Through Wiring
- Power Sources and Motors
- Controls, Networks, and Communications
- Fluid Power, Instrumentation, and Robotics
- A Domain-Ordered Study Sequence
- Calculator Strategy and Math Habits
- After You Pass: Retakes and Maintenance
- Frequently Asked Questions
- The ETA International IND exam is 100 questions in two hours, with a 75% passing score and no hands-on portion.
- ETA's competency document covers 16 domains but publishes no percentage weights, so study every area rather than guessing at emphasis.
- The Journeyman pathway requires CETa or the full EM1-5 foundation, plus two or more years of experience recommended.
- One eligible retake is free within one year of your original exam session.
What This Exam Actually Is
The IND credential discussed here is the Industrial Electronics (IND) Journeyman certification from ETA International, the Electronics Technicians Association, International. It is a knowledge-based exam aimed at technicians who install, maintain, and troubleshoot the electrical and electronic systems found in plants and production facilities: motors, drives, controls, sensors, networks, fluid power, and robotic equipment.
If you are still orienting yourself, our explainers on what IND is and what IND certification is cover the basics. This guide assumes you have decided to sit for the exam and want a plan for passing it on the first attempt.
One point shapes everything that follows: the exam is written, not practical. There is no hands-on assessment. You will not be asked to wire a motor starter in front of a proctor. You will be asked to recognize the right answer to questions about wiring, components, codes, and troubleshooting logic, which means your study has to convert hands-on familiarity into recall you can use under time pressure.
Format, Fees, and Test-Day Rules
Here is what ETA's published IND exam information specifies:
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Credential level | Journeyman |
| Exam fee | USD 80 |
| Questions | 100 |
| Time allowed | Two hours |
| Passing score | 75% |
| Hands-on component | None |
| Certification term | Four years |
| Retake | One eligible retake free within one year of the original session |
A note on a discrepancy you may encounter: some ETA materials, such as a printed certification catalog, list a different question count than the live IND exam tables. The figures above follow ETA's live IND tables. Before you register, confirm the current numbers with ETA directly so nothing surprises you on test day. For a fuller cost picture, see our IND certification cost breakdown, and for score mechanics see what you need to pass.
Delivery and proctoring
The exam is proctored through ETA Certification Administrators, using either Trapeza online testing or paper and pencil. If you prefer to test remotely, optional ExamRoom.AI remote proctoring must be arranged through ETA and adds USD 16 for the two-hour examination. That surcharge also applies if you use an otherwise eligible free retake. Scheduling details are covered in our IND exam dates guide.
What you can and cannot bring
- Required: photo ID.
- Permitted: scratch paper and a non-programmable scientific calculator under ETA rules. Used scratch paper goes back to the proctor.
- Prohibited: phones.
- Restriction: you may not leave the room once testing begins, so handle logistics beforehand.
Because the calculator must be non-programmable, practice with the exact model you will carry in. Do not discover on exam day that your favorite graphing or programmable unit is not allowed.
Reading the 16 Competency Areas
ETA's IND competency document lists 16 numbered exam-competency categories. These are the exam objectives, and they are your real syllabus. Two things about how ETA presents them are worth understanding.
First, no percentage weights are published. You will see study guides elsewhere claiming that one domain is worth a specific share of the exam. For IND, the competency document gives no such breakdown, so treat any precise weighting claim with suspicion. The sound approach is to cover all 16 areas competently rather than gambling on a few.
Second, the document's introduction says the IND Core examination covers all 16 categories, while the body labels categories 1 through 10 as Core and groups 11 through 16 into specialty areas. That internal wording is not perfectly consistent. The safest reading for a candidate is simple: prepare for all 16. Do not skip the specialty-flavored topics such as fluid power, instrumentation, PLCs, and robotics on the assumption they are optional.
For a domain-by-domain companion, see our complete guide to all 16 content areas. Below, I group the domains by how they relate so you can study them in coherent clusters.
Foundation Domains: Safety Through Wiring
Domains 1 through 6 form the bedrock. Since the Journeyman pathway builds on the ETA foundation modules, many of these topics will feel like extensions of material you may already know, but the IND exam applies them in industrial context.
Domain 1: Safety
Industrial environments add hazards that bench electronics never presents. Expect questions on safe work practice around energized equipment and rotating machinery.
- Lockout/tagout concepts and the logic behind verifying a de-energized state
- Personal protective equipment selection and electrical shock hazards
- Stored energy: capacitors, springs, and pressurized fluid systems
Domain 2: Industrial Mathematics
The math here is applied, not abstract. You will need fluency with the relationships technicians use daily.
- Ohm's law and power calculations across series, parallel, and combination circuits
- Unit conversions and metric prefixes, which trip up many candidates under time pressure
- Ratios, percentages, and basic algebra for scaling and sizing problems
Domain 3: Diagrams and Schematics
Reading drawings is the technician's second language. Expect symbol recognition and interpretation of how a diagram maps to a physical circuit.
- Ladder logic diagrams versus wiring diagrams versus block diagrams
- Standard component symbols for relays, contactors, switches, and motors
- Tracing a signal or power path through a multi-sheet drawing
Domain 4: Electrical Components
Know what each component does, how it fails, and how it behaves in a circuit.
- Resistors, capacitors, inductors, transformers, and semiconductors
- Rectifiers, thyristors, and switching devices common in drives and power supplies
Domain 5: Electro-Mechanical Devices
Where electricity becomes motion and control.
- Relays, contactors, solenoids, and motor starters
- Limit switches, pushbuttons, and pilot devices
- Timers, overload protection, and how contact configurations behave
Domain 6: Wiring and Codes
Installation practice and the rules that govern it.
- Conductor sizing concepts, insulation, and grounding versus bonding
- Overcurrent protection and conduit and enclosure considerations
- Why code requirements exist, which helps when a question is worded unfamiliarly
Because the IND pathway expects a foundation, candidates who earned CETa or the complete EM1-5 modules will find these domains familiar. If you are building toward that eligibility, our IND requirements guide explains the prerequisites.
Power Sources and Motors
Domains 7 and 8 split along AC and DC lines, and each rewards a different kind of understanding.
Domain 7: AC Power Sources and Motors
This is a heavyweight topic for industrial work, since most plant machinery runs on AC.
- Single-phase versus three-phase power and how the phase relationships behave
- Induction and synchronous motor operation, slip, and speed relationships
- Motor nameplate data, starting methods, and variable-frequency drive fundamentals
- Power factor and why it matters economically and electrically
Domain 8: DC Power Sources and Motors
DC remains common in control power, legacy drives, and specialized equipment.
- Batteries, regulated supplies, and rectified sources
- DC motor types, speed and torque control, and armature versus field concepts
- Common failure symptoms such as brush wear and commutation problems
Controls, Networks, and Communications
Domains 9, 11, 12, and 15 cover the digital side of modern industry. This is where many traditional electricians and electronics technicians feel least comfortable, so allocate extra time if your background is primarily power or mechanical.
Domain 9: Networking, Interfacing, and Programming
How devices connect to controllers and to each other, and the basics of programming logic.
- Interfacing sensors and actuators with digital and analog signals
- Number systems and logic fundamentals
- Basic programming and control logic concepts
Domain 11: Industrial Communications
The protocols and signaling methods that carry data on the plant floor.
- Serial communication concepts and common signaling standards
- Fieldbus and industrial protocol terminology
- Noise, shielding, and grounding as they affect communication reliability
Domain 12: Networks
Network structure and behavior, extended into the industrial setting.
- Topologies, addressing, and the layered model of communication
- Switches, routers, and the physical media used in industrial networks
Domain 15: PLCs (Programmable Logic Controllers)
The PLC is the workhorse of industrial control, and you should expect meaningful coverage.
- Scan cycle, inputs, outputs, and memory organization
- Ladder logic fundamentals: contacts, coils, timers, counters, and latching
- Discrete versus analog I/O and basic troubleshooting of controller-related faults
Do not confuse Domain 9 with Domains 11 and 12. Domain 9 is about interfacing and programming logic at the device level, while Domains 11 and 12 cover how data moves between systems. Keeping that distinction in mind helps you organize notes and avoid mixing terminology.
Fluid Power, Instrumentation, and Robotics
The remaining technical domains cover the physical processes that industrial electronics ultimately controls.
Domain 13: Fluid Power
Hydraulics and pneumatics appear throughout manufacturing, and technicians are expected to understand how electrical controls interact with them.
- Pressure, flow, and force relationships in hydraulic and pneumatic systems
- Valves, cylinders, pumps, and compressors, and the symbols used to represent them
- Solenoid-operated valves and the electrical side of fluid power control
Domain 14: Instrumentation
Measuring and transmitting process variables.
- Sensors for temperature, pressure, level, flow, and position
- Signal conditioning and standard transmission signals
- Calibration concepts and loop behavior
Domain 16: Robotics
Robotic systems are the newest layer of industrial automation.
- Common robot configurations and their working envelopes
- Actuators, end effectors, and sensing in robotic cells
- Safety considerations unique to robotic work areas
Do not neglect Domain 10 either: Test Equipment and Troubleshooting runs through everything above. Expect questions on proper meter use and selecting the right instrument for a measurement. Troubleshooting questions typically reward systematic reasoning: isolate the fault, check the simplest causes first, and verify before replacing parts.
A Domain-Ordered Study Sequence
Generic study advice is easy to find; what matters here is sequencing the 16 domains so each block builds on the last. The plan below is one reasonable arrangement over eight weeks. Adjust it to your experience, giving extra time to whichever cluster is weakest for you.
Foundation Cluster
- Domains 1-3: safety, industrial math, and reading diagrams
- Drill unit conversions and Ohm's law until automatic
- Practice tracing circuits through ladder and wiring diagrams
Components, Devices, and Power
- Domains 4-8: components, electro-mechanical devices, wiring and codes, then AC and DC power and motors
- Build the AC versus DC motor comparison chart
Digital and Control Cluster
- Domains 9, 11, 12, and 15: interfacing and programming, communications, networks, and PLCs
- Work ladder logic examples by hand until scan-cycle behavior is intuitive
Process and Motion
- Domains 13, 14, and 16: fluid power, instrumentation, and robotics
- Domain 10: test equipment and troubleshooting, applied across everything
Integration and Timed Practice
- Full-length timed sets of 100 questions in two hours
- Review every miss and categorize it by domain
The reasoning behind this order: safety and math are prerequisites for everything else, components and power come before the control systems that manage them, and troubleshooting is easiest to study last because it draws on all the earlier material. Spaced review fits naturally into this structure. Revisit Week 1 and 2 math and diagram drills briefly during each later week so they stay sharp.
Try our IND practice tests as you finish each cluster, then return to the full exam simulation in the final week. For a condensed reference during review, the IND cheat sheet is useful.
Calculator Strategy and Math Habits
Since you can bring only a non-programmable scientific calculator, treat it as part of your preparation. A few habits pay off:
- Own one calculator and use it for all practice. Know where the exponent, reciprocal, and scientific-notation keys are without looking.
- Write the formula before substituting. Scratch paper is allowed, and writing the relationship first catches the common error of using the wrong form.
- Check units and prefixes. Milliamps versus amps and kilohms versus ohms cause many avoidable misses.
- Sanity-check the answer. If a computed current is absurdly large for the circuit, recheck your arithmetic.
Key Takeaway
With 100 questions in two hours, you have roughly one minute per question. Answer the ones you know quickly, flag the calculation-heavy ones, and return to them. Because the passing score is 75%, you can miss a meaningful number of questions, so do not let one hard problem consume your time.
For a realistic sense of how demanding this is, read how hard the IND exam is, and for what published information exists about outcomes, see our IND pass rate discussion.
After You Pass: Retakes and Maintenance
If you miss the passing score
One eligible retake is free within one year of the original exam session. That is a useful safety net, but plan as though you will need only one attempt. If you do need the retake, the remote-proctoring surcharge still applies should you choose that delivery method.
Keeping the credential current
The certification term is four years. Under ETA's general maintenance route for credentials without hands-on testing, you submit a Certification Maintenance Form and show either 10 continuing-education hours per year (40 over the four years) or supervisor-completed Employer Verification. The maintenance fee is USD 25 per year, or USD 100 over the four-year cycle. Confirm current details with ETA when your renewal approaches.
If you are weighing whether the investment makes sense, our analyses of the certification's return on investment and the earnings picture can help, and our IND jobs overview looks at the kinds of roles where employers value this credential: plant maintenance, controls and automation support, and industrial electronics repair.
Frequently Asked Questions
According to ETA's live IND exam tables, the exam has 100 questions with a two-hour time limit. Some other ETA documents list a different question count, so confirm the current figure with ETA when you register.
The passing score is 75%. There is no hands-on component, so the result rests entirely on the written exam.
ETA's competency document does not publish percentage weights for the domains, so no official weighting exists to rely on. Prepare for all 16 areas rather than concentrating on a few.
The Journeyman pathway requires CETa or the complete EM1-5 foundation, and ETA says candidates should have two or more years of experience. See our requirements guide for details.
Yes. One eligible retake is free within one year of the original exam session. If you use optional remote proctoring for the retake, the USD 16 surcharge still applies.