These are five sample questions from Bryq’s Carpenter assessment, a job-specific test for hiring carpenters, framers and joiners. The full assessment covers five skills: measurement and calculation, woodworking, building frames, measurement tools usage and safety compliance. Questions combine on-site calculations and technical knowledge with practical job-site scenarios, each with four options to choose from.
Measurement Calculation
Question
A staircase has a total rise of 105 inches, and each riser can be no higher than 7.5 inches. How many risers are needed?
Select your answer
14
15
12
13
WHY IS THIS THE CORECT ANSWER
Divide the total rise by the maximum riser height: 105 ÷ 7.5 = 14. Because the result is a whole number, 14 risers of exactly 7.5 inches meet the limit. Any fewer would make each riser too high.
Woodworking
Question
Why should a solid wood tabletop be attached to its base with slotted fasteners or tabletop clips rather than glue?
Select your answer
To allow the top to expand and contract across its width.
To make the top easier to remove for transport.
To prevent glue from staining the underside of the top.
To reduce the overall weight of the finished table.
WHY IS THIS THE CORECT ANSWER
Solid wood moves with seasonal changes in humidity, mainly across the grain. Fixing the top rigidly traps that movement and can cause splitting or warping, so fasteners that allow sideways movement are used instead.
Building Frames
Question
In a load-bearing wall, what is the main purpose of the header above a door opening?
Select your answer
To carry the loads above the opening to the jack studs on each side.
To provide a nailing surface for the door trim.
To keep the opening square while the door is installed.
To act as a fire block between wall cavities.
WHY IS THIS THE CORECT ANSWER
Cutting studs for an opening interrupts the path that carries loads down to the foundation. The header spans the gap and transfers the load from above to the jack (trimmer) studs, which carry it down. It must be sized for both the span and the load.
Measurement Tools Usage
Question
You’re laying out a large deck frame and need to confirm that the corners are square, but your framing square is too small to be accurate. What method should you use?
Select your answer
Measure 3 ft and 4 ft along the sides and check the diagonal reads 5 ft.
Place a spirit level across each corner.
Snap chalk lines along the sides and check them by eye.
Check each corner with a speed square.
WHY IS THIS THE CORECT ANSWER
The 3-4-5 method applies the Pythagorean theorem: if two sides measure 3 and 4 units, a diagonal of exactly 5 units proves a right angle.
Safety Compliance
Question
You’re about to rip a long board on the site table saw and notice that the previous user has removed the riving knife. What should you do?
Select your answer
If trained to, refit and align the riving knife, then report that it had been removed.
Make the cut carefully, since a single rip cut is a low-risk task.
Tag the saw out of service and ask your supervisor to have the knife refitted.
Make the cut using a push stick while standing to the side of the blade.
