IST Study Guide 2026
Everything you need to pass the IST exam in one place: the exam format, every topic to study, real practice questions with explanations, flashcards, and full-length practice tests. Free, no sign-up needed.
📋 IST Exam Format at a Glance
📚 IST Topics to Study (25)
✍️ Sample IST Questions & Answers
1. Which principle explains why a hydraulic press can lift a heavy object with a small force?
Pascal's Principle states that a pressure change at any point in a confined incompressible fluid is transmitted throughout the fluid such that the same change occurs everywhere. In a hydraulic press, a small force applied to a small piston creates pressure that is transmitted to a larger piston, resulting in a much larger force capable of lifting heavy objects.
2. What does 'GFCI' stand for and what does it protect against?
GFCI stands for Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter and protects people from electric shock caused by ground faults.
3. A Pareto chart is most useful for which of the following purposes?
A Pareto chart ranks causes by frequency or impact, helping teams focus on the 'vital few' causes that account for most problems.
4. How do you reverse the rotation of a three-phase induction motor?
Interchanging any two supply phases reverses the rotating magnetic field.
5. A turned part tapers from 2.000 in. to 1.500 in. in diameter over a length of 4 inches. What is the taper per inch?
The diameter changes by 0.500 in. over 4 in., so 0.500 / 4 = 0.125 in. per inch.
6. Which of the following describes the mechanical advantage of an inclined plane?
The mechanical advantage (MA) of an inclined plane is calculated by dividing the length of the inclined surface by its vertical height. This ratio indicates how much the input force is multiplied, making it easier to move an object vertically by pushing it along a longer, gentler slope. A higher MA means less effort is required.
🎯 Free IST Practice Tests
📖 IST Guides & Articles
What Practice Test Geeks adds beyond an AI chat for IST
An AI chatbot can quiz you, but it can't reproduce the exam conditions or keep your record. Here you get:
- A timed, full-length IST mock exam — 86 questions in 80 minutes with a 70% pass mark, modeled on the official exam's question count and time limit, followed by a score report broken down by exam domain.
- A fixed IST question bank: the same test every attempt, so your score is comparable from one try to the next instead of changing with every regenerated quiz.
- Progress saved on your device: completed tests, scores and missed questions stay in My Progress, so you can retake only what you got wrong.
- A printable IST cheat sheet you can print or save as a PDF.
- IST flashcards built from the same question bank.
- Free IST practice tests with the correct answer shown after each question.
How this page was made: written with AI tools and published by Nathan Beja, founder of Practice Test Geeks, who is responsible for its content. Exam facts are checked against the official sources listed below. Not reviewed by a subject-matter expert. Editorial policy
Sources & references
Exam facts on this page (fees, format, dates, passing scores) are checked against these official sources; the date is our last check. Editorial policy
- pge.com — Eligibility, exam format, time limit, test delivery, retake policy, test dates, exam information · verified Oct 2026