If anyone is interested, here is a description of the events. I'd say the toughest obstacle was the time limit for each event.
1) Written exam. Included theory, code, safety, and some calculations. Thirty questions, 45 minute time limit. My strategy was to blast through the stuff I knew off the top of my head, then go back and knock out the questions that just needed a quick look-up, then tackle the more involved questions. The calculations were fairly involved considering the time limit (including a voltage drop calculation, a residential calculation, and a couple of circuit-sizing calculations). I, and most of the other contestants, were not able to complete every single question and had to make some educated guesses as the time ran out. No one got 100%, and I believe the winner of this event missed two questions.
2) Material identification. There were 30 electrical items (everything from a timing relay to a lightning rod to an EMT coupling) and we had 1 minute at each item to identify every bit of information we could about it. Most of the stuff was fairly easy, but there were some really weird oddball gizmos they threw in there.
3) Motor control diagram. We were given a process scenario and had to design a ladder diagram (properly numbered, labelled, cross-referenced, etc.). The process was fairly simple: Two starters operated by a single start-stop station; nothing could be energized until a limit switch was actuated; both starters were held by a holding contact on one of the starters; both of the starters had to drop out if EITHER overload relay was tripped; and a pilot light had to illuminate if the overload relay on one of the starters tripped.
4) Motor control wiring. We were given a limited amount of materials (wire and a couple of wire nuts) and had to wire the ladder diagram we drew in the previous event. Everyone had an identical motor control "station" to work at. Points were awarded on functionality, neatness, code compliance, etc. I took 1st place in this event! Yay!
5) Residential wiring. We were given a description of a circuit and had to wire it given a very limited amount of materials (adequate if we designed our circuit correctly but not enough if you screwed up). Time limit was 50 minutes, and only about half of the contestants finished within the time limit. The scenario included a half-hot half-switched receptacle and a couple of lights controlled by 3 and 4-way switches. The toughest part was manually (no power tools allowed) cranking down the TWO-INCH LONG 8/32 screws for each keyless fixture. Talk about carpal tunnel.
6) 1/2" EMT Bending. This one was pretty brutal. We were given a sheet with drawings from various angles of the finished pipe, including all necessary dimensions. Included an offset, a compound 90 around a 6" round corner obstruction, a 3-bend saddle, a back-to-back 90, and a stub-up 90. I screwed up my compound 90 and wound up bending my stub-up the wrong way. When I carefully unbent it, I managed to kink the pipe, which is an automatic 5 point deduction. Tried my best, but it was a tough bend!
7) 3/4" EMT Bending. This one went much better for me and I wound up winning this event. Kick 90, back-to-back 90, 4-bend saddle, and an offset at the end of a stub-up.
It was a great competition, very well-run and quite challenging! If you're involved in apprenticeship instruction at all, I would totally recommend considering an event like this. It's a lot of fun and is very rewarding!
I can't imagine sitting there doing that all day though!
