- The Short Answer: Industrial Electronics
- Who Issues the Credential
- What "Journeyman" Signals
- The 16 Domains Behind the Name
- Exam Format and Registration Mechanics
- Prerequisites and the Ladder of Progression
- Keeping the Credential Current
- Where the Credential Gets Used
- Sequencing Your Study by Domain
- Frequently Asked Questions
- IND stands for Industrial Electronics, a Journeyman-level certification issued by ETA International.
- The exam covers 16 competency areas, from Safety and Industrial Mathematics to PLCs and Robotics.
- Live ETA tables list USD 80, 100 questions, two hours, and a 75% passing score.
- Eligibility runs through CETa or the complete EM1-5 foundation, plus roughly two or more years of experience.
The Short Answer: Industrial Electronics
On this site, IND stands for Industrial Electronics. It is a certification for technicians who install, maintain, troubleshoot, and repair the electrical and electronic systems found in manufacturing plants, process facilities, and other industrial environments. Think motors and drives, control panels, sensors and transmitters, programmable logic controllers, fluid power circuits, and the industrial networks that tie them together.
The acronym is deliberately short, but the scope behind it is broad. A candidate who earns IND is demonstrating working knowledge across a wide span of industrial systems rather than deep expertise in a single narrow device family. If you want a fuller walkthrough of the credential itself, see our overview of what IND certification is, or the companion explainers on what IND is and IND meaning.
Who Issues the Credential
The Industrial Electronics certification is issued by ETA International, which stands for the Electronics Technicians Association, International. ETA is a long-standing credentialing body for electronics technicians, offering certifications across several specialty areas. IND sits among the specialty certifications in its catalog.
ETA publishes a competency requirements document for IND that lists the numbered exam-competency headings candidates are expected to know. That document is the authoritative statement of what the exam covers, and it is the source for the domain list later in this article. The version currently linked on ETA's site carries a 2020 copyright date, which dates the document itself rather than naming a separate exam version.
What "Journeyman" Signals
ETA labels the Industrial Electronics credential as a Journeyman certification. In ETA's Ladder of Progression, that places it above the associate-level foundation and signals a technician who has moved beyond entry-level tasks. In practical terms, the label tells employers that the holder has a grounding in electronics fundamentals and has applied that grounding to industrial systems.
That positioning explains the eligibility rules covered below. IND is not meant to be a first credential for someone with no electronics background; it builds on ETA's foundation-level certification, which is why the pathway asks for CETa or the complete EM1-5 module set. If you are weighing whether the investment makes sense, our ROI analysis of the IND certification walks through the trade-offs.
The 16 Domains Behind the Name
ETA's competency document organizes the exam into 16 numbered categories. These are exam objectives, not a suggested curriculum, and ETA does not publish percentage weights for them, so you should not assume any domain is worth more than another. The categories are:
- Safety
- Industrial Mathematics
- Diagrams and Schematics
- Electrical Components
- Electro-Mechanical Devices
- Wiring and Codes
- AC Power Sources and Motors
- DC Power Sources and Motors
- Networking, Interfacing, and Programming
- Test Equipment and Troubleshooting
- Industrial Communications
- Networks
- Fluid Power
- Instrumentation
- PLCs (Programmable Logic Controllers)
- Robotics
Domains 1-4: The Foundation Block
Safety, Industrial Mathematics, Diagrams and Schematics, and Electrical Components form the base that every later domain assumes.
- Safety comes first in the numbering for a reason: lockout practices and hazard awareness are treated as baseline knowledge.
- Industrial Mathematics supports every calculation you will make later, from circuit values to motor and power relationships.
- Diagrams and Schematics is about reading a drawing quickly and tracing a circuit the way a technician does on the floor.
- Electrical Components covers the building blocks you will meet inside nearly every industrial assembly.
Domains 5-8: Devices, Wiring, and Motors
This block moves from components into the equipment that does physical work.
- Electro-Mechanical Devices connects electrical control to mechanical action.
- Wiring and Codes ties installation practice to the rules that govern it.
- AC Power Sources and Motors and DC Power Sources and Motors are separate domains, so expect questions on both families rather than assuming one stands in for the other.
Domains 9-12: Digital, Diagnostic, and Network Topics
These categories reflect how modern plants depend on data as well as power.
- Networking, Interfacing, and Programming bridges devices and software.
- Test Equipment and Troubleshooting is where meter use and fault-finding logic meet.
- Industrial Communications and Networks are listed as distinct categories, so study how field-level signaling differs from broader network concepts.
Domains 13-16: Specialty Systems
The final block covers systems that make an industrial technician broadly employable.
- Fluid Power addresses hydraulic and pneumatic systems alongside their electrical controls.
- Instrumentation covers measurement and the devices that sense process conditions.
- PLCs (Programmable Logic Controllers) is central to modern industrial control.
- Robotics rounds out the list with automated motion systems.
Exam Format and Registration Mechanics
ETA's live IND exam tables specify the following, and these are the figures this site follows:
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Exam fee | USD 80 |
| Questions | 100 |
| Time allowed | Two hours |
| Passing score | 75% |
| Certification term | Four years |
| Hands-on assessment | None |
| Free retake | One eligible retake within one year of the original session |
You may notice other ETA materials listing different numbers. ETA's printed certification catalog lists 75 questions, and a third-party ETA Press page lists 75 questions and a USD 75 fee. Because the two live IND tables agree with each other on 100 questions and USD 80, those are the figures to plan around, but it is wise to confirm current details with ETA when you register. Our guides to IND certification cost and the IND passing score cover these figures in more depth.
How testing is delivered
The exam is proctored through ETA Certification Administrators. Delivery is either online testing through the Trapeza platform or traditional paper and pencil. Candidates who want remote proctoring can use the optional ExamRoom.AI service, which must be arranged through ETA and adds USD 16 for the two-hour examination, including an otherwise eligible free retake.
What you can and cannot bring
- Photo ID is required.
- Scratch paper and a non-programmable scientific calculator are permitted under ETA rules.
- Used scratch paper is returned to the proctor.
- Phones are prohibited.
- Candidates may not leave the room once testing begins.
That calculator rule matters for a math-heavy exam. Practice with a non-programmable scientific model well before test day so that unit conversions and power calculations feel automatic. For timing and scheduling, see IND exam dates and scheduling.
Key Takeaway
Because there is no hands-on component, the exam tests what you know, not what you can demonstrate with tools. Questions will reward clear mental models of how circuits, motors, and control systems behave, so practice reasoning through problems rather than memorizing isolated facts.
Prerequisites and the Ladder of Progression
The Journeyman pathway requires either CETa or the complete EM1-5 foundation. ETA issues CETa when a candidate holds all five module certifications and they are current. ETA's pathway also states that a Journeyman candidate should have two or more years of experience.
This means many candidates arrive at IND having already passed several earlier ETA exams. If you are mapping your route, our guide to IND requirements and how to qualify lays out the eligibility steps in sequence. Candidates who are unsure whether they meet the experience expectation should confirm directly with ETA rather than assuming.
Keeping the Credential Current
An IND certification runs on a four-year term. For credentials without a hands-on testing requirement, ETA's general maintenance route requires:
- The Certification Maintenance Form.
- Either 10 continuing-education hours per year (40 over the four years) or supervisor-completed Employer Verification.
- A maintenance fee of USD 25 per year, or USD 100 across the four-year cycle.
The Employer Verification option is useful for technicians whose supervisors can attest to ongoing work in the field, since it substitutes for logging classroom or course hours. Factor the annual fee into your long-term cost picture alongside the exam fee.
Where the Credential Gets Used
The skills in the 16 domains map onto the daily work of industrial maintenance and controls roles. The employers that value this kind of knowledge are the ones running automated or process-driven operations: manufacturing plants, facilities with extensive motor and drive systems, operations built around PLC-controlled equipment, and sites that depend on instrumentation and fluid power.
Common job functions include electrical and electronics maintenance, controls troubleshooting, equipment installation, and preventive maintenance on motor-driven and robotic systems. Because the exam spans so many areas, the credential suits technicians who are expected to move between different kinds of equipment rather than specialize in one. For hiring-focused detail, see IND jobs and our IND salary guide.
Sequencing Your Study by Domain
Because ETA publishes no weights, a sensible plan gives every domain attention and orders the work so earlier topics support later ones. Here is one way to sequence it:
Safety, Math, and Reading Drawings
- Review Safety, Industrial Mathematics, and Diagrams and Schematics first, since every later domain leans on them.
- Drill calculations using the same kind of non-programmable scientific calculator you will use on exam day.
Components, Devices, Wiring
- Cover Electrical Components, Electro-Mechanical Devices, and Wiring and Codes together.
- Trace sample circuits and note which code concepts apply to each.
Power and Motors
- Study AC Power Sources and Motors, then DC Power Sources and Motors, as two separate passes.
- Finish with Test Equipment and Troubleshooting so you can apply fault-finding logic to what you just learned.
Networks, Fluid Power, and Controls
- Work through Networking, Interfacing, and Programming, Industrial Communications, and Networks.
- Move on to Fluid Power, Instrumentation, PLCs, and Robotics, then take timed practice sets across all 16 domains.
Adjust the pace to your own experience. A technician who works with PLCs daily may compress Week 4 and spend extra time on domains they rarely touch, such as Fluid Power or Robotics. For a fuller method, see our IND study guide, and keep the IND cheat sheet handy for last-minute review. When you are ready to test yourself under realistic conditions, try the IND practice tests and use our difficulty breakdown to calibrate expectations. Note that ETA does not publish a pass rate figure that we can cite, so be wary of any number you see quoted; our pass rate article explains what is and is not known.
Frequently Asked Questions
On this site, IND stands for Industrial Electronics. It is a Journeyman-level certification issued by ETA International (Electronics Technicians Association, International) for technicians working with industrial electrical and electronic systems.
ETA's two live IND exam tables list 100 questions in two hours, with a 75% passing score and a USD 80 fee. Some other ETA documents list 75 questions, so confirm current details with ETA when you register.
No. ETA's IND tables specify no hands-on assessment. The exam is proctored, delivered either through Trapeza online testing or on paper, and tests knowledge across 16 competency areas.
ETA's Journeyman pathway requires CETa or the complete EM1-5 foundation, and says candidates should have two or more years of experience. ETA issues CETa once all five module certifications are current.
The certification term is four years. Maintenance generally involves the Certification Maintenance Form, 10 continuing-education hours per year or supervisor-completed Employer Verification, and USD 25 per year.
Understanding what the letters mean is only the first step. The real work lies in the 16 domains behind them, and the resources linked throughout this article will help you move from definition to preparation. For a quick refresher on terminology, you can also revisit what IND stands for, what IND means, and what a IND is, or explore IND training options.