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State and local electrical licensing boards (exams delivered by PSI, Prov, Prometric, Pearson VUE and others)

US State Journeyman Electrician License Examination (NFPA 70 National Electrical Code based)

The open-book NEC exam that turns an apprentice into a licensed journeyman — code navigation, calculations and the rules that keep installations safe.

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Site safety? OSHA 30 Construction → · Rectifiers and DC circuits? AMPP Cathodic Protection CP1/CP2 → · Running the crane? NCCCO Mobile Crane Operator →

Who gives itYour state or local electrical board, through a testing vendor — PSI (e.g. Texas, Washington, Idaho, Massachusetts), Prov (e.g. Utah), Prometric, Pearson VUE and others
QuestionsVaries by state: Texas 59 NEC + 26 calculation items (plus a few unscored) · Utah 100 · Idaho 100 · Washington 60 NEC/theory + 17 state law
TimeVaries: about 4 hours is typical (Utah 240 min; Texas two timed portions; Washington 3 h + 1 h)
Open book?Usually yes — a bound, unmarked-in-the-exam copy of the NEC edition your board names; tabs and highlighting rules vary
Code editionSet by your board: 2020, 2023 or 2026 NEC depending on state and date — confirm in your candidate bulletin
Who sits itTypically about 8,000 hours (4 years) of supervised electrical work, sometimes partly replaced by approved schooling; rules vary by state
Passing70% is most common (Texas, Washington, Idaho, Massachusetts); some boards use 75% (Utah)

About the exam

Every US state that licenses electricians at the journeyman level — and many cities and counties in states that don't — gives a written exam built on NFPA 70, the National Electrical Code (NEC). The boards differ, but the outlines look alike: general requirements and definitions, services, feeders and branch circuits, overcurrent protection, grounding and bonding, wiring methods and materials, motors and other equipment, special occupancies and equipment, load calculations and electrical theory. Some states add a short section on their own licensing law.

The NEC is revised every three years, and adoption is uneven. As of 2025–2026 most states enforce the 2023 or 2020 edition, a few are still on 2017 or leave adoption to local jurisdictions, and early adopters such as Massachusetts and Texas's exam program have moved to the 2026 edition, which renumbered several articles (load calculations moved from Article 220 to new Article 120, for example). Your exam tests the edition your board names in its candidate bulletin — check it before you buy a code book.

The real exam is almost always open book: you bring a bound copy of the NEC and look things up against the clock, so speed at finding the right article matters as much as knowing it. Our practice items are original scenarios that test procedures, article locations and widely known rules. They quote no code text: when a question needs an ampacity, motor full-load current, conductor area or box-volume allowance, the value is given in the question, so you practice the method rather than memorizing a table from one edition. Items are not recalled exam questions.

How we track your progress

Every blueprint domain moves through five levels as you study:

  1. Not startedNo questions answered in this domain yet.
  2. Getting startedFirst questions answered — not enough yet to judge.
  3. DevelopingAt least 5 answered and 50% or better on your recent questions.
  4. ProficientAt least 15 answered and 70% or better on your recent questions.
  5. Exam readyAt least 25 answered, 80% or better recently, and holding up on hard questions.

The exam blueprint

QuizMe unified blueprint built from published state outlines: Texas TDLR/PSI Journeyman (NEC Knowledge 59 + Calculations 26 items, 2025–2026 bulletins), Utah DOPL/Prov Journeyman (100 items, 240 minutes, Nov 2025), Washington L&I/PSI 01 General Journeyman (60 NEC & theory + 17 state items) and Idaho/PSI Journeyman (100 items by NEC chapter) — 100 items in 4 hours modeled on typical state journeyman exams (Utah, Idaho, Texas, Washington outlines) across 9 areas; weights are QuizMe estimates. Tap a domain to see its topics.

1 General requirements, definitions and code navigation about 8% (est.) of the exam
How the NEC is organized: chapters, articles, parts, exceptions and informational notesArticle 90 scope, mandatory versus permissive languageArticle 100 definitions (accessible, readily accessible, continuous load, dwelling unit, qualified person)Approval, listing and labeling (Article 110)Working space and dedicated equipment space conceptsConductor terminations and temperature ratings at terminalsArc-flash warning labels and NFPA 70E safety basicsReading plans, symbols and one-line diagrams

19 practice questions in this domain so far

2 Services, feeders and branch circuits about 14% (est.) of the exam
Branch-circuit ratings and permissible loadsContinuous loads and the 125% sizing ruleRequired dwelling branch circuits (small-appliance, laundry, bathroom)Receptacle spacing and placement concepts in dwellingsGFCI and AFCI protection locations (edition-sensitive)Feeder sizing and the neutralService conductors, clearances and drop/lateral conceptsService disconnecting means: number, location and emergency disconnectsOutside branch circuits and feeders

33 practice questions in this domain so far

3 Conductors and overcurrent protection about 10% (est.) of the exam
Ampacity method: insulation temperature, ambient correction and adjustment for more than three current-carrying conductorsTerminal temperature limits (60 °C / 75 °C) and conductor selectionStandard overcurrent device ratings and the next-size-up ruleSmall-conductor overcurrent limits (14, 12, 10 AWG)Tap rules: 10 ft and 25 ft feeder tapsLocation of overcurrent devices and accessibilityFuses versus circuit breakers; interrupting ratingConductors in parallel

24 practice questions in this domain so far

4 Grounding and bonding about 10% (est.) of the exam
Grounded versus grounding versus bonding: the vocabularyGrounding electrode system and electrode typesSizing the grounding electrode conductor (table value given)Sizing equipment grounding conductors (table value given) and upsizing with ungrounded conductorsMain and system bonding jumpers; where the neutral-to-ground bond belongsSeparately derived systems (transformers, some generators)Bonding of metal piping, structural steel and service racewaysGrounding at separate buildings

24 practice questions in this domain so far

5 Wiring methods and materials about 14% (est.) of the exam
General wiring-method rules (Article 300): burial depth, protection from damage, securingCable types: NM, AC, MC, UF and SE — permitted and not permitted usesRaceways: EMT, RMC, IMC, PVC, flexible metal and liquidtightBox fill counting conventions and volume calculations (allowances given)Pull and junction box sizing for straight and angle pullsConduit fill: percentage limits and conductor area method (areas given)Number of bends between pull points and support spacing conceptsCabinets, panelboards and switch/receptacle installation

34 practice questions in this domain so far

6 Equipment for general use about 14% (est.) of the exam
Motor full-load current from the tables, not the nameplate, for conductor and OCPD sizing (FLC given)Motor branch-circuit conductors at 125% of FLC; several motors on a feederMotor short-circuit and ground-fault protection versus overload protectionMotor disconnecting means and controllersAir-conditioning and refrigeration equipment (Article 440) nameplate valuesTransformers: overcurrent protection and secondary conductorsGenerators and their conductorsLuminaires, appliances, fixed electric space heating

34 practice questions in this domain so far

7 Special occupancies, equipment and conditions about 12% (est.) of the exam
Hazardous (classified) locations: classes, divisions and zones conceptsSealing fittings and explosionproof equipment conceptsHealth care facilities and patient care spaces (overview)Swimming pools, spas and hot tubs: bonding and GFCI conceptsSolar photovoltaic systems basics (Article 690)Emergency, legally required and optional standby systems (700–702)Electric vehicle charging equipment (Article 625) basicsSigns, temporary wiring and limited-energy/communications circuits

29 practice questions in this domain so far

8 Load calculations about 8% (est.) of the exam
Dwelling standard method: general lighting by area (unit load given)Small-appliance and laundry circuit loads and the lighting demand factorsFixed appliances, dryers, ranges and cooking equipment demand (table values given)Heating versus air-conditioning: the noncoincident load ruleService and feeder size from the calculated loadNeutral load calculationsOptional dwelling method conceptsWhere load calculations live: Article 220 (2020/2023) versus Article 120 (2026)

19 practice questions in this domain so far

9 Electrical theory and calculations about 10% (est.) of the exam
Ohm's law and the power formulaSeries, parallel and combination circuitsVoltage drop: single-phase and three-phase formulas (K given)Three-phase power and the square root of 3Power factor, true power and apparent powerTransformer turns ratio, kVA and primary/secondary currentEfficiency and motor horsepower conversionConductor resistance from length and circular mils

24 practice questions in this domain so far

What you get when you access this exam

Free with your QuizMe account.

Code-based scenarios aligned to state outlines

Every question is tagged to one of the 9 areas and its topics — services and branch circuits, conductors and overcurrent protection, grounding, wiring methods, motors and equipment, special occupancies, load calcs and theory.

Exam-critical hints

Reveal the article to look in or the rule that unlocks the question. Every answer comes with the full rationale, the worked calculation and where to find it in the NEC — without quoting code text.

Adaptive testing

Questions steer toward your weakest areas, weighted by our estimate of how much each counts on the real exam, and get harder as you get stronger.

Timed practice exams

Full-length exams at a typical pace — 100 questions in 4 hours — with a live pacing indicator so you learn how long you can spend in the code book.

Flashcards, case simulations and guides

100 flashcards for definitions, formulas and rules of thumb, 6 case simulations where a house, a shop and a commercial job unfold from load calc to service, raceway and motor circuit, and 4 illustrated guides — grounding and bonding, box fill, conduit fill and the service — you explore hotspot by hotspot.

Progress for every blueprint area

Each area moves from Not started to Getting started, Developing, Proficient and Exam ready — so you know exactly what to study next.

Test at home or at a center

Apply to your state (or city/county) electrical board, document your supervised work hours, and once approved schedule with the testing vendor your board uses. Read your board's candidate information bulletin first — it names the NEC edition, the references you may bring, the number of items and the passing score.

At a vendor test center

  • Most journeyman exams are computer-based at a PSI, Prov, Prometric or Pearson VUE center; some vendors also offer remote proctoring.
  • Bring government-issued photo ID that matches your application.
  • Bring the NEC edition your board names, bound as the bulletin requires (often soft-bound or hard-bound only — no loose-leaf or spiral). Permanent tabs and highlighting are usually allowed; notes are not.
  • A silent, non-programmable calculator is normally allowed. Results are usually shown at the end.

Before you book

  • Confirm the code edition: states are spread across the 2020, 2023 and 2026 NEC, and some exam programs switch editions on a set date.
  • Tab your code book by article and practice finding things fast — on an open-book exam, navigation speed is the skill.
  • Check whether your exam includes a state law and rules section, and get the statute and rule booklets the bulletin lists.
  • Some states split the exam into separately timed portions (Texas: NEC knowledge and calculations), each needing its own passing score.

Exam-day game plan

How to walk in ready — and how to pace 100 questions in 4 hours.

Pacing checkpoints

Hit these and you finish with time to revisit your flagged questions. Our timed practice exams run at this same pace.

25questions1:00
50questions2:00
75questions3:00
100questions4:00

The week before

  • Take one full-length timed practice exam 3–5 days out, with your actual code book, then rest.
  • Spend your last sessions on the heaviest areas — services and branch circuits, wiring methods and motors/equipment — plus anything still below Proficient.
  • Rework every calculation type from a blank page: voltage drop, box fill, conduit fill, motor circuit sizing, ampacity correction and a dwelling service calculation.
  • Check your tabs against the index; make sure you can reach Article 100, the ampacity tables, Chapter 9 and the motor tables in seconds.

Exam morning

  • Eat a real breakfast; seat time can run four hours or more.
  • Arrive 30 minutes early with matching photo ID, your code book and an approved calculator.
  • Use the restroom right before you start.

During the exam

  • Answer the questions you know without the book first, then go back for the look-ups.
  • Don't let one hard look-up eat ten minutes — mark it and move on.
  • Read every stem for the trap words: dwelling or not, continuous or not, copper or aluminum, 60 °C or 75 °C terminals, single-phase or three-phase.
  • Use the table value the question gives you when it gives one.
  • Answer every question; there's usually no penalty for guessing, and some items are unscored.

Keep your head

  • A few nerves sharpen focus. If you freeze, take three slow breaths and reread the stem.
  • You're measured against a fixed passing score, not other candidates.
  • Change an answer only when you find a real reason in the stem or the code.

Keeping your journeyman license

  • License renewal and continuing education vary by state and sometimes by city.
  • Many states renew every 1–3 years and require continuing education hours, often including a National Electrical Code update course each code cycle.
  • Texas, for example, requires 4 hours of CE before each renewal, covering the NEC, state electrician law and rules, and NFPA 70E safety; check your own board's rules.
  • Some states recognize licenses from others through reciprocity agreements; your board's site lists them.
  • When your state adopts a new NEC edition, your CE and future exams move to it — keep an eye on your board's adoption announcements.

Official sources and further reading

Ready to start?

240 questions and scenarios across the blueprint — and growing.

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NFPA 70®, National Electrical Code® and NEC® are registered trademarks of the National Fire Protection Association. QuizMe and thinQtank Learning are not affiliated with or endorsed by NFPA, any state licensing board, PSI, Prov, Prometric or Pearson VUE. NEC text and tables are copyrighted; our practice items are original, quote no code text and give any table value a question needs. They are not recalled exam questions. Exam details are summarized from published state candidate bulletins and board pages. Formats, editions, fees and requirements differ by state and change often — always confirm with your licensing board before you apply. Our domain weights are QuizMe estimates blended from several state outlines.