How many questions are on the journeyman electrician exam?

Most journeyman electrician exams contain 80 to 100 multiple-choice questions. The exact count varies by state and testing vendor. Texas and Florida exams are typically 100 questions. Some states use 80-question formats. Check your state's candidate handbook for the specific number.

How long is the journeyman electrician exam?

Most journeyman electrician exams allow 4 hours for completion. Some states offer 3.5 hours. With 80 to 100 questions, you have roughly 2.5 to 3 minutes per question, which is tight for calculation and multi-table lookup questions.

What score do you need to pass the journeyman electrician exam?

Most states require a score of 70% or 75% to pass the journeyman electrician exam. States using PSI as their testing vendor typically require 75%. Some states use 70%. Check your state's candidate handbook for the exact passing threshold.

Is the journeyman exam open book?

Yes, most journeyman electrician exams are open book. You can bring the NEC codebook and in some states certain additional references. However, because the exam is timed, being able to find answers quickly matters more than just having the book. Some local or specialty exams are closed book, verify your state's rules.

What NEC edition is the journeyman exam based on?

Most states are currently testing on NEC 2023. Some states are still using NEC 2020. A small number may have adopted NEC 2026 for exam purposes. Always check your state's candidate handbook or the testing vendor's exam outline to confirm which edition applies to your exam.

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What Is on the Journeyman Electrician Exam? (Full Breakdown)

June 2, 20264 min readBy GetLicenseReady Team

The journeyman electrician licensing exam tests one specific skill: your ability to find the correct answer in the National Electrical Code within the time allowed. It is not a test of whether you know how to do electrical work. Understanding exactly what is on the exam, and how it is structured, is the first step in studying effectively.

Exam Format at a Glance

Most journeyman exams follow a consistent format across states:

Questions: 80 to 100 multiple-choice, each with four answer choices. Time: 4 hours (some states allow 3.5 hours). Format: Open book. You can bring the NEC and in some states a limited number of additional references. Passing score: 70% or 75%, depending on the state. Delivery: In person at a testing center administered by PSI, Pearson VUE, Prometric, or the ICC Assessment Center.

Your state's candidate handbook specifies the exact question count, time limit, passing score, and allowed materials for your specific exam. Download and read it before anything else.

The NEC Articles Covered

The exam pulls questions from across the NEC, but certain articles carry significantly more weight than others. Based on published exam outlines and question frequency across major vendors, the most heavily tested topics are:

Article 210, Branch Circuits Questions here cover required circuits in dwelling units, circuit sizing, overcurrent protection requirements, and the rules for specific appliances. This article appears on virtually every journeyman exam.

Article 220, Branch Circuit, Feeder, and Service Calculations Load calculation questions are among the most frequently failed. These require multi-step math using the general lighting load from Table 220.12, demand factors from Table 220.42, and appliance loads. A wrong number early in the calculation chain produces a wrong final answer.

Article 230, Services Service entrance requirements, disconnecting means location, minimum service ampacity for dwelling units, and service conductor sizing rules.

Article 240, Overcurrent Protection Standard overcurrent device ratings from 240.6(A), the 125% rule for continuous loads, and where overcurrent protection is required. This article intersects with almost every other topic on the exam.

Article 250, Grounding and Bonding Equipment grounding conductor sizing from Table 250.122, grounding electrode conductor sizing from Table 250.66, and the rules for bonding equipment. One of the most complex and heavily tested topics.

Article 300, Wiring Methods, General Conductor fill, physical protection requirements, wiring in concrete, and installation rules that apply across all wiring methods.

Article 310 and Table 310.16, Conductors for General Wiring Conductor ampacity is tested constantly. You must be able to read Table 310.16 correctly for the 60°C, 75°C, and 90°C temperature columns, and apply adjustment factors from 310.15(C)(1) when multiple conductors are bundled.

Article 314, Outlet, Device, Pull, and Junction Boxes Box fill calculations using Table 314.16(B) appear on most exams. Each conductor size has an assigned volume allowance, and you add up the components to verify a box is large enough.

Article 334, Nonmetallic-Sheathed Cable (NM/Romex) Installation requirements, securing intervals, and where NM cable is and is not permitted.

Article 430, Motors Motor branch circuit sizing, overcurrent protection using Table 430.52, and conductor sizing at 125% of motor full-load current. Table 430.52 requires knowing which column applies to your fuse or breaker type.

Chapter 9 Tables, Conduit Fill and Voltage Drop These tables appear in nearly every exam. You need to know how to calculate conduit fill percentage using Table 1 (maximum 40% for 3+ conductors) and look up conductor cross-sectional areas in Table 5. Voltage drop calculations using the formula and conductor resistance values are also common.

What Does Not Appear (Usually)

Most journeyman exams focus on residential and light commercial applications. Questions on high-voltage systems, industrial machinery beyond basic motor circuits, and highly specialized installations are uncommon unless your state's exam outline specifically lists them.

How the Questions Are Written

NEC exam questions follow a consistent pattern. You are given a scenario with specific values (amperage, wire size, square footage, number of conductors) and asked which code requirement applies. Correct answers always trace back to a specific NEC article, section, or table.

The wrong answers are carefully written to look plausible. They often reflect common field misconceptions, adjacent code sections that do not apply, or the result of using the wrong table column. Reading the question carefully and completing the code lookup rather than guessing from memory is the only reliable strategy.

How to Use This Information

Now that you know what is on the exam, you can build a study plan around the articles that carry the most weight. Start with Table 310.16 and Article 240 since they intersect almost every other topic. Work through Article 220 load calculations until you can execute a multi-step dwelling calculation without mistakes. Then move to grounding (Article 250), boxes (Article 314), and motors (Article 430).

Timed practice with real exam-style questions is the only way to build the lookup speed the exam requires.

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