The journeyman electrician exam is usually required by the state or local municipality to be able to work as an electrician in a particular area. This exam certifies that you have the skills and knowledge needed to perform your job with public and consumer safety in mind to the best of your abilities.
Click “Start Test” above to take a free journeyman electrician practice test based on the 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC)!
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Get practice questions, video tutorials, and detailed study lessons.
Journeyman Electrician Exam Eligibility
Most states and local governments require those who wish to be a journeyman electrician to have working experience as an electrician for a certain amount of time. Some will also want you to have participated in certain educational programs.
Many electricians complete a four- or five-year apprenticeship that combines paid on-the-job training with technical instruction. The experience and education required to qualify for your journeyman exam depend on your state or local licensing authority.
Journeyman Electrician Outline
The specific details of the exam will change slightly depending on where you choose to take it, though the majority of the content of the exam generally remains the same.
Most versions of the exam contain 80-100 multiple-choice and true-or-false questions, and you will generally be given about 4 hours to complete it.
These are the subject areas that are typically tested for:
- Definitions, Calculations, Theory, and Plans
- Electrical Services, Service Equipment, and Separately Derived Systems
- Electrical Feeders
- Branch Circuit Calculations and Conductors
- Electrical Wiring Methods and Electrical Materials
- Electrical Equipment and Devices
- Motors and Generators
- Electrical Control Devices and Disconnecting Means
- Special Occupancies, Equipment, and Conditions
- Renewable Energy Technologies
Registration
To register for the exam, start by contacting the state or local agency that licenses electricians where you plan to work. They will explain the application requirements and identify your testing provider. Once your eligibility is approved, follow the scheduling instructions provided by the agency or testing company.
How to Pass
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Test Day
Before test day, check your exam’s candidate bulletin for the required identification, permitted materials, and testing-center rules. Make sure your registration information matches your identification.
Calculator and reference-book rules depend on your licensing authority. Some exams allow a personal calculator and an approved NEC book, while others provide electronic references and an onscreen calculator. If you may bring a code book, confirm the permitted edition, binding, tabs, and notes before your appointment.
Follow your testing provider’s instructions for arrival, personal belongings, and how the exam will be administered.
How the Test is Scored
Once you have completed the exam, you will receive an appropriate notification on the computer screen. An official score report will also be printed out for you before you leave the testing center.
Generally, you are required to receive a score of 70% or higher to pass.
Study Tips
Start with a Practice Test
Before creating your study schedule, take a practice test to establish a starting point. You don't need to wait until you have reviewed every NEC requirement, wiring method, motor calculation, or grounding rule. At this stage, the goal is to identify where your preparation time will have the greatest effect.
Review your results across the major areas commonly tested on journeyman electrician exams:
- Electrical Theory and Calculations: Can you apply Ohm's law, power formulas, conductor calculations, voltage drop, load calculations, and other electrical relationships?
- Services, Feeders, and Branch Circuits: Can you determine loads, conductor sizes, overcurrent protection, and installation requirements for different electrical systems?
- Wiring Methods and Materials: Do you understand conductor requirements, raceways, cables, boxes, enclosures, conductor fill, and installation methods?
- Grounding, Bonding, and Overcurrent Protection: Can you determine grounding and bonding requirements, size conductors, and select appropriate overcurrent protection?
- Motors and Equipment: Can you apply requirements for motors, controllers, appliances, transformers, lighting, and other equipment?
- Special Installations: Can you locate and apply requirements for special occupancies, equipment, conditions, and communication or limited-energy systems?
Identifying those specific weaknesses will show you where to devote more attention during your study time.
Review Difficult Questions
After each practice session, review every question you answered incorrectly AND every question you guessed on or answered with low confidence.
For each difficult question, determine which of the following caused the problem:
- You knew the electrical principle but used the wrong formula.
- You performed the calculation correctly but applied the wrong NEC requirement.
- You found the correct article but overlooked an exception.
- You confused conductor ampacity with overcurrent-protection requirements.
- You made an error with grounding, raceway fill, or conductor sizing.
- You knew the equipment requirement but couldn't locate it efficiently in the code book.
- You applied a general rule when a special occupancy controlled the installation.
- You spent too much time searching the NEC for a requirement you should have been able to locate more quickly.
Then, outline a specific plan for improvement based on what you discovered. In other words, don't just say, “I need to study grounding.” Note that you need to practice sizing equipment grounding conductors and distinguishing grounding from bonding requirements.
Similarly, replace “study load calculations” with something specific, such as determining which loads are continuous and applying the appropriate demand factors.
Utilize Answer Explanations
Answer explanations are an underutilized studying resource. To take full advantage of them, read the explanation for every question you found difficult, including questions you answered correctly.
For each one, make sure you can confidently explain:
- Why the correct answer is correct
- Why each incorrect answer is less appropriate
- What electrical principle or code requirement is being tested
- Which information in the question controls the answer
- Where the applicable requirement can be found in the NEC
- How the same rule could appear in a different installation
For calculation questions, don't stop after reaching the correct numerical answer. Determine why the calculation applies, which values belong in it, what units are required, and whether another NEC requirement affects the final result.
For code questions, open the applicable section yourself and follow any references, exceptions, tables, or notes that affect the answer.
Practice Code Navigation
Many journeyman electrician exams are open book, but that doesn't mean you have enough time to search the NEC from scratch for every question.
Learn how the code is organized and practice moving from a problem to the correct requirement:
Installation → Code Topic → Article or Table → Requirement → Exception or Adjustment → Answer
For example, if a question involves a motor, don't randomly search the index until something looks familiar. Determine whether the question is asking about conductor sizing, overload protection, short-circuit and ground-fault protection, disconnecting means, or another requirement.
FAQs
How many questions are on the journeyman electrician exam?
The number of questions depends on which state you take the exam in. Most versions of the exam contain between 80 and 100 questions.
How long is the journeyman electrician exam?
The time limit will differ depending on where you take the exam. Generally, you will be given around 4 hours to complete it.
What is the passing score for the journeyman electrician exam?
There is no set passing score, but you should aim for a score of at least 70%.
How much does the journeyman electrician exam cost?
The cost of the exam will be different depending on where you take it. Generally, the examination fee will be somewhere between $70 and $100.
What is a journeyman electrician?
A journeyman electrician is an electrician who is at the second major stage of an electrician’s career, just after the apprentice stage.
NEC is a registered trademark of National Fire Protection Association, Inc., which is not affiliated with Mometrix Test Preparation and does not endorse this page.
