Checked 27 October 2026. Each state sets its own exam and adopts its own NEC edition, and bulletins are revised: the Oklahoma bulletin used here is effective 11 September 2026, and Texas moved its exams to the 2026 NEC on 1 September 2026. The bulletins and board pages cited were read on 27 October 2026. Check your own board’s current bulletin before you book.
In the United States a journeyman electrician licence is issued by a state, and in some states by a city or county. Licensing authorities commonly require a written exam on the National Electrical Code (NFPA 70) before they grant the licence, and many such exams are open book: you bring your own copy of the Code and look answers up against the clock. The exam requirements, the references allowed and the code edition vary by jurisdiction. To show how such an exam is built, this guide walks through one fully published example, the PSI bulletin for Oklahoma’s Unlimited Electrical Journeyman exam, which is based on the 2023 NEC. It then covers what you may bring, how to use the code book in the exam, and a study plan by content area.
ProSyllabus is an independent study site. It is not PSI, a state licensing board or the National Fire Protection Association, and nothing here is an exam paper. Exam facts on this page come from the official bulletin and board pages listed at the foot of the page.
Oklahoma Construction Industries Board, PSI Candidate Information Bulletin, effective 11 Sep 2026. Read 27 Oct 2026.
FreeTests: Area 6: Grounding and bonding · Area 8: Raceways and boxes · Area 2: General electrical knowledge
Journeyman Electrician Practice Test: free sample
Answer 3 questions against the clock, like the real exam. You then see the right answer, the reason and your time on each. About 8 minutes · free · no sign-in.
3 questions to answer
Start nowabout 8 minThis one is free · no sign-in needed
Your result shows how long each question took you.
Check which code edition your state tests
Confirm the tested edition before you choose study materials, because article and section numbers move between editions. The Oklahoma bulletin bases its Unlimited Electrical Journeyman exam on NFPA 70, 2023 edition, as revised and adopted by the Oklahoma Uniform Building Code Commission, and says code questions are based only on the edition it lists. Texas is different: the PSI Texas electrician bulletin (updated 15 September 2026, linked from the TDLR exam page) says its examinations are referenced to the 2026 NEC from 1 September 2026. So before you buy a code book or a practice set, find your board’s candidate bulletin and read which edition, which references and which outline it gives.
The exam format, from the bulletin
| Fact | What the Oklahoma bulletin says |
|---|---|
| Questions | 100 scored items. Up to ten unscored experimental questions may be added; the time for them does not count against your exam time. |
| Time | 240 minutes. Our arithmetic: 2.4 minutes a question. |
| Pass mark | 70% correct. Our arithmetic: 70 of the 100 scored questions. |
| Open book | Yes. NFPA 70 (NEC) 2023, 29 CFR Part 1926 (OSHA construction) and Ugly’s Electrical References are allowed. |
| Calculator | A silent, battery-operated, non-printing, non-programmable calculator without an alphabet keyboard. A magnifying glass is given on request. |
| Fee | $92 for each examination portion; registration fees are not refundable or transferable. |
| Results | Your score appears on screen at the end. If you do not pass you get a diagnostic report of strengths and weaknesses. |
| Retakes | After a failed electrical exam you wait 30 days before retesting. |
The Construction Industries Board decides who is eligible; PSI schedules and delivers the exam at its test centers. The bulletin says the exam tests knowledge of the design, plan, layout, installation, repair and alteration of electrical conductors, fixtures, appliances, apparatus, raceways, conduit and related equipment and fixtures that use electrical energy for light, heat, power, data and communications, in a supervised environment.
FreeTests: Area 6: Grounding and bonding · Area 8: Raceways and boxes · Area 2: General electrical knowledge
Journeyman Electrician Practice Test: free sample
Answer 3 questions against the clock, like the real exam. You then see the right answer, the reason and your time on each. About 8 minutes · free · no sign-in.
3 questions to answer
Start nowabout 8 minThis one is free · no sign-in needed
Your result shows how long each question took you.
The 13 content areas and how many questions each has
The bulletin lists every area with its number of scored items. Six areas have 10 questions each, so services, feeders and branch circuits, grounding and bonding, special occupancies, lighting and signs, general electrical knowledge and installation requirements together make up 60 of the 100.
| Area | Items | Topics the bulletin lists |
|---|---|---|
| 1. General knowledge | 4 | Permits and inspections, preservation of structural integrity, needs analysis and estimate |
| 2. General electrical knowledge | 10 | Series, parallel and combination circuits, power and heat loss, AC and three-phase theory, cost of power, troubleshooting, the code book and its definitions, temporary wiring, cranes and hoists, elevators |
| 3. Electrical installation requirements | 10 | Approved methods of installing equipment, including equipment over 600 V |
| 4. Services, feeders and branch circuits | 10 | Services, voltage drop, feeders, outside branch circuits and feeders, branch circuits, space-heating, snow-melting and pipe-heating circuits, air-conditioning and refrigeration equipment |
| 5. Overcurrent protection | 9 | NEC overcurrent protection requirements |
| 6. Grounding and bonding | 10 | General requirements, sizes of grounding electrode conductors and of equipment grounding conductors |
| 7. Conductors and cables | 8 | Underground conductors, vertical installations, selecting conductors, Types AC, MC, NM, SE and USE, UF, MI, FC and FCC, MV |
| 8. Raceways and boxes | 7 | Raceway and box requirements, pull boxes, fittings, the raceway types the outline lists, conduit fill, box volume and fill, gutters, busways, wireways, surface and underfloor raceways, cable trays |
| 9. Special occupancies and equipment (including swimming pools) | 10 | Hazardous locations, garages and fuel dispensing, bulk storage and spray areas, health care and assembly, mobile homes and RV parks, floating buildings, pools, fountains and hot tubs |
| 10. Low voltage, alarms, signaling systems and communications | 2 | Remote-control and signaling circuits, communication circuits, 50 V and less, fiber optics, photovoltaics, fire alarms, emergency system wiring |
| 11. Lighting and signs | 10 | Fixture installation, grounding, wiring and construction, fluorescent and recessed fixtures, lighting under 30 V, neon and electric signs |
| 12. Safety | 4 | Job site sanitation, PPE, excavations, emergency action plans, training, ventilation, first aid, signs and barricades, tools, ladders, illumination, scaffolds, toxic materials, material safety data sheets (MSDS), materials handling, fall protection |
| 13. Motors and transformers | 6 | Motors in dwellings, motor branch circuits in industrial and commercial locations, feeder transformers, use of transformers |
Oklahoma Construction Industries Board, PSI Candidate Information Bulletin, effective 11 Sep 2026 (read 27 Oct 2026). 100 scored items in all.
Your code book: what the bulletin allows
| Rule | What the bulletin says |
|---|---|
| Edition | NFPA 70, 2023 edition. Code questions are based only on the edition listed. |
| Not allowed | NEC Handbooks and spiral-bound copies of the Code. |
| Marking before the exam | References may be highlighted, underlined and indexed before the exam session. |
| Tabs | Permanent tabs only. Temporary tabs such as sticky notes must be removed before the exam begins. |
| Writing | You may not write in a reference before or during the exam, and no extra papers may be brought in with it. A candidate caught writing in a reference during the exam has it confiscated and is reported to the department. |
| Downloaded references | Must be spiral bound, hole-punched in a binder, or stapled in the left-hand corner. This general rule sits beside the separate ban on spiral-bound copies of the Code, so ask PSI before bringing a downloaded Code. |
Other states’ rules differ in the details, such as which tabs are allowed, so read your own bulletin’s reference section closely before test day: a book that breaks the rules can cost you the attempt.
How to use the code book in the exam
Know where things live
| Part of the NEC | What you find there |
|---|---|
| Article 90 | How the Code is arranged and enforced, and how to read mandatory rules and informational notes |
| Article 100 | Definitions. In the 2023 edition definitions are gathered here, including many that apply to a single article |
| Chapter 1 (Article 110) | General requirements: working space, terminal temperatures, interrupting ratings, marking |
| Chapter 2 | Wiring and protection: branch circuits (210), feeders (215), load calculations (220), services (230), overcurrent (240), grounding and bonding (250) |
| Chapter 3 | Wiring methods and materials: general rules (300), conductors and ampacity (310), boxes (314), and the cable and raceway wiring methods (Articles 320 to 399, among others) |
| Chapter 4 | Equipment for general use: cords, receptacles, switches, luminaires (410), appliances, heating, motors (430), air-conditioning (440), generators (445), transformers (450) |
| Chapters 5 to 7 | Special occupancies (hazardous locations, health care, mobile homes), special equipment (signs, pools, PV, EV charging) and special conditions (emergency systems, Class 2 circuits, fire alarms) |
| Chapter 8 | Communications systems |
| Chapter 9 and Annex C | Conduit and conductor dimensions, conductor properties for voltage drop, and conduit fill tables by conductor size |
Budget your time
At 240 minutes for 100 questions you have 2.4 minutes a question on average (our arithmetic). Questions you can answer from memory, such as a definition or a basic theory question, bank time for the lookups and calculations that need a table. Our advice: answer what you know first, mark the long lookups and come back to them, and answer every question, since a blank cannot earn a mark.
Read the question’s own conditions
Read every question for its own conditions: the conductor material, the insulation temperature rating, and whether it asks for an exception or an optional calculation method. Our practice questions treat conductors as copper unless the question says otherwise, and use exceptions and optional methods only where the question directs you to them. Check whether a question calls for the standard method, an optional method or an exception before you open the book.
FreeTests: Area 6: Grounding and bonding · Area 8: Raceways and boxes · Area 2: General electrical knowledge
Journeyman Electrician Practice Test: free sample
Answer 3 questions against the clock, like the real exam. You then see the right answer, the reason and your time on each. About 8 minutes · free · no sign-in.
3 questions to answer
Start nowabout 8 minThis one is free · no sign-in needed
Your result shows how long each question took you.
A study plan by content area
| Stage | What to do |
|---|---|
| First pass (weeks 1 to 3) | Learn the layout above until you can open your book to Article 250, Table 310.16, Chapter 9 Table 1 or Table 430.250 without the index. Tab the book with permanent tabs, as your bulletin allows. |
| Biggest areas (weeks 3 to 6) | Services, feeders and branch circuits, grounding and bonding, special occupancies, lighting and signs, theory and installation rules: about 60 of the 100 questions. Work them with the book open. |
| Calculations (throughout) | Ohm’s law and power, voltage drop, dwelling loads, ampacity correction and adjustment, conduit and box fill, motor and transformer sizing. Practise each until you can do it the same way every time. |
| Smaller areas (week 7) | Overcurrent rules, conductors and cables, raceways and boxes, motors and transformers, low voltage and OSHA safety (29 CFR 1926 is a separate reference). |
| Timed mocks (weeks 7 and 8) | Sit at least one full-length timed mock with your book, then reread the code sections behind every question you missed. |
Practise on the 2023 NEC against the clock
ProSyllabus sells an independent journeyman electrician practice test built on this outline: a full mock of 100 questions with a 240-minute clock, the same number of questions in each area as the bulletin lists, a set of electrical calculations worked line by line and a set for each area. Every answer names the NEC 2023 article and section it rests on, and the results page lists the sections to reread. It is written for candidates whose state exam uses the 2023 NEC. Our own questions, not made or endorsed by PSI, any state board or NFPA. You can try 3 questions free; two are worked through on the practice test questions page. A practice score does not predict an exam result.
FreeTests: Area 6: Grounding and bonding · Area 8: Raceways and boxes · Area 2: General electrical knowledge
Journeyman Electrician Practice Test: free sample
Answer 3 questions against the clock, like the real exam. You then see the right answer, the reason and your time on each. About 8 minutes · free · no sign-in.
3 questions to answer
Start nowabout 8 minThis one is free · no sign-in needed
Your result shows how long each question took you.
Frequently asked questions
Is the journeyman electrician exam open book?
In the published example used here, yes: the Oklahoma bulletin allows NFPA 70 (2023), 29 CFR Part 1926 and Ugly’s Electrical References, with rules on tabs and marking. Many other journeyman exams are open book too, but check your own board’s bulletin.
How many questions are on the journeyman electrician exam?
It depends on the state. Oklahoma’s Unlimited Electrical Journeyman exam is 100 scored questions in 240 minutes, with up to ten unscored experimental questions on top.
What score do I need to pass?
The Oklahoma bulletin sets 70% correct. Your own board’s bulletin is the authority for yours.
Which NEC edition is on the exam?
Whatever edition your state has adopted for its exam. Oklahoma’s bulletin lists the 2023 edition; Texas has used the 2026 edition since 1 September 2026.
Can I bring the NEC Handbook?
Not under the Oklahoma bulletin: NEC Handbooks and spiral-bound copies of the Code are not allowed in the test center.
What if I fail?
Under the Oklahoma bulletin you get a diagnostic report of your strengths and weaknesses and wait 30 days before retesting, paying the fee again.
Does the exam include OSHA safety?
The Oklahoma outline has a Safety area of 4 questions and lists 29 CFR Part 1926 as an allowed reference.
More in this series
Sources
- official — Oklahoma Construction Industries Board: PSI Candidate Information Bulletin (effective 11 Sep 2026)
- official — Oklahoma Construction Industries Board: Testing and exam information
- official — PSI: Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation Electrician Candidate Information Bulletin (updated 15 Sep 2026)
- official — Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation: Electrician exam information
- official — NFPA 70, National Electrical Code, 2023 edition: free read-only access (NFPA)
- official — 29 CFR Part 1926, Safety and Health Regulations for Construction (eCFR)
official = a document published by the conducting body. reported = a news or coaching site we could not check against an original. Where sources disagree this page says so rather than picking one.
