What is the AM2?
AM2 is short for the Electrotechnical Assessment of Occupational Competence. It is a practical test that checks you can work at the level the electrical industry expects from a qualified electrician. NET (National Electrotechnical Training) runs it as an independent assessment, so it is kept separate from the college or training provider that taught you.
You sit it at a NET centre, using test booths and rigs that are only used for the AM2. You carry out the everyday tasks and procedures a full-scope electrician would handle on the job. If you pass, you get a NET certificate of competence.
How long it lasts and how it is structured
The assessment is timed at 16.5 hours and typically runs over two and a half days, though some centres spread it across three days. It is made up of five timed assessments, and one of them is an online exam. The rest are practical work on installation and testing tasks.
Every part is timed, so speed matters as much as skill. You need to work steadily, follow a safe sequence and get your paperwork done inside the time. Someone who can wire well on site but never times themselves often struggles here.
Which version do you sit?
The version you sit depends on how you trained. Apprentices on the newer apprenticeship qualifications sit the AM2S as their end-point assessment. Experienced electricians who qualify through the Experienced Worker Assessment sit the AM2E on the installation route or the AM2ED on the domestic route. All of these are taken at an independent NET centre.
If you are on the installation route of the Experienced Worker Assessment and have already passed the AM2, you do not have to sit the full AM2E again.
How to give yourself the best chance
Practise a full installation, testing and certification job from start to finish against the clock, because every part of the AM2 is timed. Revise BS 7671 and initial verification for the online exam. Go through your test sequence until you can do it without thinking.
Small procedural slips cost you, and rushing is where they creep in. Read every instruction in the brief before you pick up a tool. Keep your safe isolation routine the same every time, and ask the assessor if anything in the task is unclear.
Pay
GBP a year, before tax. JIB rows are the official JIB Industrial Determination 2026-2028 national standard hourly rates from 5 January 2026, annualised at 37.5 hours a week for 52 weeks. Percentile rows come from ONS ASHE April 2026 (provisional), moved to the current year with a wage index; overtime, travel and region move actual earnings. Refer to the Electricians salary guide for figures from live adverts.
What you need
- A route into the assessmentApprentices reach the AM2S at the end of their apprenticeship. Experienced workers sit the AM2E or AM2ED after finishing the Experienced Worker qualification.
- Experienced Worker qualification firstYou can only take the AM2ED once you have completed the 2347 Electrotechnical in Dwellings Experienced Worker Qualification. The AM2E follows the 2346 Electrotechnical Experienced Worker Qualification.
- A NET licensed centreYou must sit the assessment at an independent NET licensed centre, not at your own training provider.
- BS 7671 and initial verification knowledgeThe Experienced Worker qualification includes units on BS 7671:2018 and initial verification as well as six practical performance units, and the AM2 includes an online exam.
How to get there
- Before bookingTrain through an apprenticeship or the Experienced Worker AssessmentApprentices work towards the AM2S. Experienced electricians complete the 2346 or 2347 qualification.
- When eligibleBook at a NET licensed centreThe assessment must be taken at an independent NET licensed centre.
- About 2.5 daysSit the assessmentFive timed assessments totalling 16.5 hours, including an online exam, carried out on dedicated test booths and rigs. Most centres run it over two and a half days; some use three.
- After passingReceive your NET certificate of competenceThis completes the end assessment for your apprenticeship or experienced worker route.
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Questions people ask
Who runs the AM2?
NET (National Electrotechnical Training) runs the AM2 as an independent assessment. You sit it at a NET licensed centre.
How long is the AM2?
It is timed at 16.5 hours and typically runs over two and a half days, though some centres spread it across three days. It is made up of five timed assessments, one of which is an online exam.
What is the difference between the AM2S and the AM2E?
Apprentices on the newer apprenticeship qualifications sit the AM2S as their end-point assessment. Experienced workers sit the AM2E for the installation route or the AM2ED for the domestic route, after finishing the Experienced Worker qualification.
I passed the AM2 years ago. Do I need the AM2E?
If you are on the installation route of the Experienced Worker Assessment and have already passed the AM2, you do not have to sit the full AM2E again.
What do you get when you pass?
NET issues a certificate of competence once you pass. It shows you have reached the practical standard the electrical industry expects of a qualified electrician.
Sources
- City & Guilds: Electrotechnical apprenticeship factsheet (AM2 end assessment)
- National Careers Service: AM2 Assessment course listing
- NICEIC: Experienced Worker Assessment (AM2E and AM2ED)
- City & Guilds: Important reminder for electrotechnical qualifications (AM2S)
- ECS: New Experienced Worker Assessment
- Skills England: Installation and maintenance electrician standard
- JIB: Industrial Determination 2026-2028
