Current ramp tests are performed in a number of experiments to check their validity as an in-line monitoring tool for electromigration evaluation. We discuss our various findings from a series of experiments conducted to validate the usefulness of the current ramp test, using the standard NIST test structure. First, we check whether the current ramp test, using breakdown energy of metal (BEM test), shows the effect of a Ti/TiN underlayer on the reliability of A1–0.5wt%Cu unpassivated interconnects. The second experiment compares current ramp testing with fuse testing. Next we check if current ramp testing gives any indication of interconnect quality following different stages of our sputtering process, and in particular different degas temperatures. The last experiment tries to correlate the breakdown energy obtained from current ramp testing with the lifetime obtained from conventional long term electromigration testing of different combinations of line stack and line stack dimensions. From the results of the experiments, we conclude that current ramp testing using the breakdown energy of metals cannot be used quantitatively for electromigration evaluation using conventional NIST test structures.