ECS Test Electrotechnical Questions

The ECS test consists of 40 questions of which 34 must be correctly answered within the available time (30 minutes).

These questions are randomly selected from a bank of 300 questions. It is important to note that 36 out of these 300 questions are closely related to the electrical industry. The remaining 264 questions are all Health and Safety related and are not as difficult to answer.

In order to help you prepare for the ECS test we have made the 36 Electrotechnical questions available here. The correct answers are located on the second page.

1. In accordance with the Electricity at Work regulations, when considering whether to work live a responsible person should:
a. carry out a risk assessment
b. only work dead
c. only work live
d. do as the client demands

2. The normal procedure for working on electrical equipment should be which one of the following?
a. Dead working
b. Wearing insulated gloves
c. Using insulated tools
d. Live working

3. Test instruments used for working on electrical systems should:
a. be yellow in colour
b. be less than 10 years old
c. have non-insulated test probes
d. have insulated test probes

4. Under the Electricity at Work Regulations, live working is considered:
a. as entirely acceptable
b. to be normally permitted
c. only to be allowed in exceptional circumstances
d. never to be allowed

5. Which of the following would you use to replace the fuse in a plug if fuses were NOT available?
a. A nail
b. A piece of silver paper
c. A bit of wire
d. None of the options listed

6. To prove a circuit or equipment is dead after isolation what is the FIRST activity in the sequence of events?
a. Make sure equipment is not working
b. Check between line and earth
c. Check that the voltage detector is working on a proving device, known live source or in-built test feature
d. Check between line and neutral

7. The nominal single phase voltage in the UK is?
a. 230 volts
b. 240 volts
c. 415 volts
d. 400 volts

8. When is live working permissible?
a. When the person carrying out the work is a competent person
b. When it is unreasonable in all circumstances for the equipment to be made dead and suitable precautions are taken
c. When the means of isolation cannot be identified
d. When the person working on the equipment is wearing rubber gloves

9. Which of the following is not a requirement of low voltage safe isolation practice?
a. Ensuring that the correct point of isolation is identified
b. The person carrying out the work is issued with insulating gloves
c. A caution notice should be applied at the point of isolation
d. The conductors are proved to be dead at the point of work

10. The specific effects on the human body of a major electric shock are one of the following:
a. dermatitis
b. burns and cardiac arrest
c. broken bones
d. chest pains

11. The lowest level of electrical current which can harm the human body is normally measured in:
a. microamps
b. kiloamps
c. amps
d. milliamps

12. With regard to the effect of electrical current on the human body, one of the following is correct:
a. a 6 amp circuit breaker should prevent a person receiving a fatal electric shock
b. a 3 amp fuse should prevent a person receiving a fatal electric shock
c. a 30mA Residual Current Device (RCD) should prevent a person receiving a fatal electric shock
d. a 5 amp rewireable fuse should prevent a person receiving a fatal electric shock

13. Where mains voltage is used to supply portable equipment on a construction site, what additional protection is required?
a. Step-down transformer
b. Step-down generator
c. Cable avoidance tool
d. Residual current device (RCD)

14. What colour cable USUALLY signifies 110 volt power supply on site?
a. Black
b. Red
c. Blue
d. Yellow

15. A portable electric generator on site has two power outlets, 110 volts and 230 volts. What colour would the 110 volt outlet be?
a. Black
b. Yellow
c. Red
d. Blue

16. Where there is no local means of isolation for equipment or circuits to be worked on, which of the following is the preferred method of isolation?
a. Isolation of the main switch or DB switchdisconnector
b. Isolation of the individual circuit breaker or fuse
c. Pulling out the distributor's cut-out fuse
d. Disconnecting the individual circuit from the DB

17. What action should you take if a workmate gets an
electric shock?
a. Phone the electricity board immediately
b. Dial 999 and ask for the fire brigade
c. Cut off the power and call for help
d. Try to pull them to safety