AM2 Simulator: Practice Assessment Tool for Apprentice Electricians

The AM2 (Assessment of Competence) is the final practical assessment that electrical apprentices in England and Wales must pass to demonstrate occupational competence. It is administered by NET (National Electrotechnical Training) and takes place at dedicated assessment centres across the UK.

The AM2 tests your ability to carry out real electrical work — installing circuits, terminating cables, inspecting and testing a completed installation, and diagnosing faults — all under timed, assessed conditions. It is not a written exam. It is a hands-on, practical demonstration that you can do the job safely and competently.

Passing the AM2 is a requirement for completing the Level 3 Electrotechnical Apprenticeship and is a prerequisite for applying to a competent person scheme such as NICEIC, NAPIT, or ELECSA. Without it, you cannot self-certify notifiable work under Part P of the Building Regulations.

The assessment is rigorous. Pass rates vary, but a significant number of candidates fail on their first attempt — most commonly due to poor time management, incorrect testing sequences, or incomplete fault diagnosis. This is why structured preparation using realistic practice scenarios is so important.

The AM2 is split into three assessed components. The standard AM2 involves approximately 8.5 hours of practical work. AM2S (for apprentices on the Installation and Maintenance standard) takes approximately 16.5 hours over 2.5 days, as it includes additional containment tasks such as steel and PVC conduit installation. The components are:

Each component is separately assessed, and you must demonstrate competence in all three to pass. A serious safety error — such as working on a live circuit, failing to prove dead before working, or leaving a dangerous installation — is an automatic fail regardless of your performance in the other areas.

Cable termination quality is one of the most heavily assessed aspects of the AM2 installation task. Assessors look for:

Poor termination is one of the top reasons candidates fail the installation component. The fix is simple: practise repeatedly until it is second nature. Set up a practice board at home or in college and terminate 50 cables before the assessment. Speed and quality will come with repetition.

The inspection and testing component requires you to carry out tests in the correct sequence as specified by BS 7671 and Guidance Note 3 (GN3). The sequence matters — carrying out tests in the wrong order can give misleading results and will lose you marks.

Practise the testing sequence until it is automatic

The Elec-Mate AM2 simulator walks you through every test in the correct BS 7671 sequence. Enter your readings…

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The fault diagnosis exercise is where many candidates come unstuck. Unlike the installation and testing components, fault diagnosis cannot be memorised — you must apply a systematic method to an unfamiliar scenario under time pressure.

The recommended approach follows the half-split method:

The assessors are watching your process as much as your results. A candidate who follows a logical, safe method but does not identify every fault will score better than a candidate who guesses correctly but cannot explain their reasoning.

Common AM2 fault types include: open circuit on line, neutral, or CPC; short circuit between line and neutral or line and earth; reversed polarity at accessories; cross-polarity in a two-way switching circuit; missing earth sleeving causing an earth fault; and incorrect connections at junction boxes.

Time management is a leading cause of AM2 failure. Candidates who practise only in untimed conditions consistently underperform in the assessment because they have never experienced the pressure of the clock.

The AM2 is deliberately time-pressured. The installation task gives you enough time to complete the work if you are efficient, but no spare time to recover from significant mistakes. The testing and fault diagnosis tasks are similarly tight. If you spend too long on one area, you will run out of time on another.

The Elec-Mate AM2 simulator includes built-in timers that match the actual assessment allocations. You can practise individual components (installation, testing, fault diagnosis) or run a full mock assessment with realistic time pressure.

Understanding why candidates fail helps you avoid the same mistakes. The most common reasons for AM2 failure are:

Every one of these failure points is avoidable with sufficient practice. The candidates who pass first time are not necessarily the most talented — they are the ones who practised the most and developed reliable, repeatable methods for each component.

Elec-Mate includes a dedicated AM2 preparation module designed to simulate the assessment experience as closely as possible on your phone. Here is what it covers:

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Join hundreds of apprentices using Elec-Mate to prepare for the AM2 assessment. Timed scenarios, fault diagnosis trainer, testing sequence walkthroughs…

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