Tools and Workshop Practice
The Tools and Workshop Practice domain tests whether you can identify a fastener, choose the right driver, and keep a bench that does not damage boards. Practical papers show a tool or describe a repair and ask for the correct choice or the next step.
Fasteners and drivers
- Phillips PH000 for most small cross screws; JIS drivers for Japanese cross screws, because a Phillips driver cams out and chews the head.
- Torx T2-T6 for many Android bodies, pentalobe P2 for iPhone bottom screws, tri-point Y000 for internal Apple brackets, flat 1.5 for prying clips.
- Match the bit to the head and turn by hand: snug, then stop. A driver that wobbles is one size too small.
Opening and measuring tools
- Plastic pry picks, guitar picks and suction cups separate displays; a metal spudger is only for metal-to-metal work away from the battery and board.
- A digital multimeter with fine probes, a current-limited DC power supply, a temperature-controlled iron and a hot-air station cover most measurements and rework.
Bench discipline
- Use a magnetic screw map or printed layout, keep one job on the bench, return tools after use, and replace damaged tips. Store flux, wick, IPA and spare connectors in labelled drawers.
Worked example
An iPhone bottom screw will not turn with a PH000. Reasoning: those two screws are pentalobe P2, and a Phillips bit only rounds the lobes. You stop, switch to P2, apply downward pressure and turn slowly; if the head is already cammed out, use a rubber band for grip or a screw extractor rather than drilling.
Traps that cost marks
- Using a Torx bit in a hex screw and stripping it.
- Overtightening a display screw and cracking the frame.
- Mixing long and short screws so a long one punches through the board.
- Using metal tweezers to lever a battery connector.