Free Journeyman Electrician Practice Test by State 2026

Start Your Free Journeyman Electrician Practice Test

Choose your state in the directory below, then open its free practice test. If you want a quick warm-up first, use the general journeyman electrician practice test or the ten-question quiz on this page. Practice materials are free; optional AI help is separate.

Before you study a code answer, identify your exact license class, examination date, and authorized NEC edition. A state's construction code can change before its licensing exam changes. A book titled "2026 exam prep" does not establish which edition an examiner uses.

This directory covers 33 states plus the District of Columbia. It is a practice starting point, with official verification links for each jurisdiction. It does not certify every linked practice item against a current NEC edition. In particular, the Texas examination now references the 2026 NEC, while older-edition material remains in our independent practice resources. Use those questions selectively for general concepts and confirm edition-dependent answers against your authorized reference.

Find Your State and Verify the Exam Reference

The reference column reports an exam-specific year only where the official examination page or currently linked provider bulletin supports it. "Confirm" means the linked authority is the next step for resolving your examination's edition; it does not mean the state's construction code is unknown. Multiple editions or examination variants need the instructions for your actual appointment.

Nebraska reference distinction: The Board exam page identifies 2023 NEC testing, while the PSI bulletin lists 2020 or 2023 NEC/Handbook references. Confirm the permitted version with your approval; do not treat a permitted older book as proof that the Board's tested standard changed.

Other credentials: Tennessee's Limited Licensed Electrician program is a different credential from a journeyman exam. Start with the Tennessee LLE practice page if that is your application. California has a state electrician certification program for electricians working under C-10 contractors; it should not be described as having only local electrician credentials. If your jurisdiction is absent, begin with its licensing authority rather than assuming this directory is a complete national licensing map.

Three Exam Changes That Affect Your Study Materials

Texas: prepare the two portions separately

The current Texas PSI bulletin, updated September 15, 2026, references the 2026 NEC from September 1. Its journeyman examination has:

Passing one portion does not offset failing the other. Unused time does not transfer. The fee is $78 for both portions, with a $78 retake fee if a portion or both portions are failed. Practice code navigation and calculations as separate timed tasks, then check your current authorization when arranging a retake.

Colorado: distinguish the tested code from the book option

The Colorado PSI bulletin references the 2026 NEC from August 1, 2026. PSI provides an unmarked codebook and a formula sheet. A 2023 NEC book remains available upon request until December 1, 2026; that temporary book option is not a promise that questions remain based on 2023.

The journeyman wireman examination lists 90 scored questions in 240 minutes, with up to ten unscored questions and 30 additional minutes. A 70% score means 63 correct scored answers. Rehearse with an unmarked book so you are comfortable locating material without relying on personal annotations.

Minnesota: use the exam transition date

Minnesota DLI gives different dates for the 2026 construction code and examination transition. Electrical licensing examinations moved to the 2026 NEC on September 8, 2026. Check the current Licensing Examination Guide for your classification and date, even if your apprenticeship class used an earlier book.

Maine illustrates the reverse caution: its currently linked Prov examination bulletin specifies the 2023 NEC for journeyman testing. A newer construction-code adoption is not enough to replace that examination reference.

What to Record Before You Start Practicing

Make one study sheet from the official bulletin and your authorization. Keep these items together:

1. Exact credential: journeyman, journey worker, residential journeyman, unlimited journeyperson, master, administrator, or contractor. Similar titles can describe different exams.
2. Edition and amendments: record the NEC year and any state law, rule, amendment, or other reference named for your classification.
3. Parts and time: separate scored items from pretest items; note each portion's duration and passing rule.
4. Book rules: record whether the examiner supplies the book or expects you to bring one, and which binding, tabs, annotations, and other references are allowed.
5. Application route: identify required approval, experience documentation, education, or an applicable apprenticeship or reciprocity pathway.
6. Appointment rules: check identification, cancellation, payment, accommodations, and retake instructions before scheduling.

Do not assume every state uses an 8,000-hour pathway. For example, Delaware's journeyperson application page distinguishes approved-apprenticeship certification, examination, and reciprocity routes. Passing an examination also does not by itself establish that every licensing requirement has been satisfied.

When official sources disagree, use the current dated exam notice and classification-specific bulletin first, then ask the board or vendor to resolve the conflict. Save the written answer with your study sheet. A contractor bulletin, a continuing-education page, or an adoption map may be accurate for its purpose while answering the wrong question for your exam.

Open Book Does Not Mean One National Book Policy

Read the reference list before buying or modifying a book. In Texas, candidates bring a softbound NEC; the current PSI rules permit notes made before the session and publisher-provided permanent index tabs. The Handbook and loose-leaf, spiralbound, and ring-bound NEC copies are prohibited.

Colorado supplies the unmarked reference described above. Wisconsin DSPS lists the 2023 NEC or Handbook and permits specified printed notes in a binder. North Dakota includes closed-book and open-book portions. These differences matter more than a generic claim that all electrical exams let you bring your own tabbed book.

A sensible practice setup copies the conditions of your actual exam. If your examiner supplies a clean book, do at least some drills without your personal tabs. If notes are permitted, follow the exact note and binding rules. If a portion is closed-book, rehearse the theory or calculation skills it tests without reference assistance.

How to Use a Free Practice Bank Productively

Start with a short mixed set to find weaknesses. For each question, answer before opening the explanation, then classify the mistake:

Treat a practice score as feedback, not an official passing score. Repeated items can improve recognition without proving that you can solve a new problem. Mix fresh questions with deliberate review, and keep the official outline beside your practice log.

For code questions, build a short citation trail: edition -> article or topic -> subsection -> table or exception -> conclusion. Do not stop at a search result or an isolated table value. A conductor question, for instance, may require information about the conductor, installation, ambient conditions, terminal limitations, and applicable exceptions before a numeric choice can be defended. If the question omits a necessary condition, record the ambiguity instead of supplying a hidden assumption.

For calculations, separate the electrical model from the arithmetic. Ask whether the problem gives real power or apparent power, single-phase or three-phase quantities, and line-to-line or line-to-neutral voltage. Write the formula that matches those conditions before putting numbers into the calculator. A correct numerical operation applied to the wrong model is still a wrong answer.

Worked Warm-Up: Calculations With Explicit Conditions

These original examples teach arithmetic and electrical relationships. They are not conductor-sizing instructions or claims about a particular NEC edition. The assumptions below are part of each question.

1. Resistive current and power

An ideal 24-ohm resistive load is supplied at 120 volts. Find its current and power.

• Current: I = V / R = 120 / 24 = 5 A.
• Power: P = V * I = 120 * 5 = 600 W.
• Cross-check: P = V^2 / R = 14,400 / 24 = 600 W.

The resistance is the given circuit resistance. This exercise does not determine a breaker or conductor size.

2. Single-phase apparent power

A single-phase load is rated 7,200 VA at 240 V. Find its current.

I = S / V = 7,200 / 240 = 30 A.

VA is apparent power. If a question instead gives watts for an AC load, check whether a power factor is specified before treating watts and VA as interchangeable.

3. Balanced three-phase apparent power

A balanced three-phase load has an apparent power of 36,000 VA at 208 V line-to-line. Using sqrt(3) = 1.732, find the line current.

I = S / (sqrt(3) * V) = 36,000 / (1.732 * 208) = 99.93 A, approximately 100 A.

The voltage is explicitly line-to-line. No power-factor adjustment is needed because the given quantity is VA. This calculation still does not select wiring or protection.

4. A factor provided by the exercise

A practice exercise gives a current of 28 A and explicitly directs you to multiply by 1.25. What is the calculated result?

28 * 1.25 = 35 A.

The factor was supplied in the problem. This is not a claim that all equipment or every load requires a 1.25 multiplier. In a code problem, verify the rule and its conditions before choosing a factor.

5. Voltage-drop percentage

A stated voltage drop is 5.4 V on a 240 V supply. What percentage of the supply is lost?

5.4 / 240 * 100 = 2.25%.

Distinguish calculating a percentage from determining whether a particular installation satisfies a code requirement or a design recommendation. That second question needs its own source and conditions.

6. Energy and a stated rate

A 1.5 kW resistive heater operates for six hours. At a hypothetical energy rate of $0.18 per kWh, find the energy charge, ignoring taxes and other charges.

• Energy: 1.5 * 6 = 9 kWh.
• Charge: 9 * 0.18 = $1.62.

The rate is an exercise assumption, not a utility-price estimate. Keep kW, which measures power, separate from kWh, which measures energy.

Use the interactive quiz below to check these skills and related preparation decisions. Its result is a diagnostic for these exercises, not a simulated state licensing score.

Turn the Official Outline Into a Study Plan

Use your classification's outline to select topics. Colorado's current Journeyman Wireman outline lists general electrical knowledge; services, feeders, and branch circuits; grounding and bonding; overcurrent protection; conductors and cables; raceways and boxes; special occupancies; special equipment; devices; motors; transformers; photovoltaics; and calculations. Texas separates knowledge and calculation portions. These outlines do not support assigning one universal percentage to each topic across all states.

Here is a suggested sequence; change its length to suit your exam date and your diagnostic results:

A useful session might contain a brief formula warm-up, a focused code-lookup drill, and a mixed set followed by error review. That is a study suggestion, not an official required number of questions or hours. If you keep missing a topic, spend the next session learning its source material before taking another large random test.

Keep a simple log with the question topic, your answer, the correct answer, the authorized source, and the reason for the miss. Revisit the concept with a different set of values or a different condition. The goal is to recognize which rule or formula applies, not to remember the position of an option.

Free Practice, Study Guides, and Optional AI Help

Use the state practice links above for your next set. For deeper review, start with the Texas study guide, Michigan study guide, Massachusetts study guide, Virginia study guide, or Colorado study guide. Cross-check edition-specific material against your examination reference.

OpenExamPrep's study materials are free. Optional AI tools include ten free daily messages after sign-in; additional AI purchases are optional. You can ask for a calculation explained step by step or build a study plan from the official outline. Include your state, credential, exam date, and reference edition in the prompt. Check any AI-generated code citation in the authorized book before relying on it.

If you are comparing free and paid preparation, ask concrete questions: Does the provider identify the tested edition? Does it explain why an answer is correct? Does it distinguish state rules from national concepts? Can you practice the exam's separate portions? Are source dates visible? A larger advertised question count does not answer those questions.

Before test day, re-open the board and vendor links, confirm your appointment and approved materials, and review your unresolved error-log entries. Your current authorization and official examination instructions should guide the final rehearsal.