Free VA Journeyman Electrician Exam Flashcards

PSI administers the exam on behalf of the Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR) Board for Contractors. The governing rules are the Individual License and Certification Regulations, 18VAC50-30, issued under Title 54.1, Chapter 11 of the Code of Virginia.

A tradesman who performs the construction, repair, maintenance, alteration, or removal of electrical systems regulated under the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code (13VAC5-63). This is a specific regulatory definition, not just a general job title.

8 years of practical experience in the trade. The sliding scale runs from a bachelor's degree in a related engineering field (1 year of experience) down to no formal training (8 years), with vocational-hour tiers in between: 240 hrs/4 yrs, 160 hrs/5 yrs, 80 hrs/6 yrs, 40 hrs/7 yrs.

Every 3 years from the last day of the month it was issued (18VAC50-30-120.A). Renewal requires satisfactorily completing 3 hours of board-approved continuing education for the electrical trade designation (18VAC50-30-120.C).

Up to 24 months after the expiration date (18VAC50-30-130.D). After 24 months, the individual must apply as a new applicant and meet the entry requirements in effect at that time, though they remain eligible to sit for the same category and specialty exam as the expired license.

No license or certification issued by the board may be assigned or transferred (18VAC50-30-170). A regulant must report any change of address in writing within 30 days of the change, and a P.O. box alone is not an acceptable address of record (18VAC50-30-160).

An unjustified cessation of contracted work for 30 days or more is considered evidence of abandonment. Abandonment, along with negligence, incompetence, and misrepresentation, is a prohibited act that can trigger board discipline -- including remedial education, a monetary penalty, or revocation, suspension, or non-renewal of the license (18VAC50-30-185).

Ohm's Law: E = I x R (Voltage = Current x Resistance). Power: P = E x I (Watts = Voltage x Current). Combined, these two formulas let you derive every other single-phase power/resistance/current relationship tested on the exam.

Series circuit: total resistance is the SUM of all resistances (Rt = R1 + R2 + R3...), and the same current flows through every component. Parallel circuit: total resistance is always LESS than the smallest branch resistance, while voltage is the same across every branch.

The state-specific code, law, or regulation overrides the national one. PSI's official candidate bulletin states this directly: if two legal requirements appear to conflict, the state-specific requirement wins, and information from the references on the official test-reference list overrides information from other sources or persons.

AC reverses direction periodically (60 Hz in the U.S.) and is what utilities distribute because transformers can efficiently step its voltage up or down. DC flows in one direction only and is typical of batteries, PV panels, and many control circuits, which is why inverters and rectifiers exist to convert between the two.

P = E x I = 120V x 12A = 1,440 watts. On a 240V circuit, the same 1,440W load draws I = P / E = 1,440 / 240 = 6A -- half the current at double the voltage, which is exactly why higher voltages move the same power through smaller, cheaper conductors.

AFCI protection covers habitable and living areas -- bedrooms, living areas, kitchens, and similar rooms -- plus closets, hallways, and laundry areas. The exclusions worth memorizing are bathrooms, garages, unfinished basements, and outdoor locations, which are not on the AFCI list.

Per NEC 210.52(B)(1), the 2 required 20A small-appliance branch circuits must serve all kitchen/pantry/dining-area countertop and wall/floor receptacle outlets, INCLUDING receptacles for refrigeration equipment. Per 210.52(B)(2), they may not serve any other outlets such as general lighting outlets or built-in appliances -- the only narrow exceptions are a receptacle for an electric clock and supplemental equipment for a gas range.

A continuous load (one running 3 or more hours) may not exceed 80% of the branch-circuit ampere rating, unless the circuit and its overcurrent device are listed for 100% continuous operation. This 125% sizing rule (load divided by 0.8) shows up constantly in load and OCPD calculations.

The 2020 NEC default is ONE disconnecting means per service (230.71(A)). Two to six disconnects are permitted only when installed as separate enclosures, separate panelboards each with its own main, switchboard vertical sections with barriers, or switchgear/metering-center compartments (230.71(B)) -- six breakers grouped in a single ordinary enclosure no longer qualifies, which is a significant change from earlier NEC editions.

A service is the conductors and equipment that deliver power FROM the utility supply TO the premises wiring system, ending at the service disconnect. A feeder is any set of conductors between the service equipment (or another source, like a separately derived system) and the final branch-circuit overcurrent device.

Not less than 100 amperes, 3-wire. This rule in 230.79(C) is unconditional -- it applies to every one-family dwelling regardless of the number of branch circuits or the calculated load. Most modern homes are sized well above this code minimum in practice.

3 volt-amperes per square foot of dwelling floor area, using the outside dimensions of the building and excluding open porches, garages, and unused or unfinished spaces not adaptable for future use. This VA/sq ft figure is the starting point for both the standard and optional load-calculation methods.

Recognized electrodes include: metal underground water pipe, metal in-ground support structure, concrete-encased electrode ('Ufer ground'), ground ring, driven ground rod or pipe, other listed electrodes, and plate electrodes. Metal underground GAS piping systems are explicitly excluded from use as a grounding electrode (250.52(B)(1)).

At least 20 feet of one or more bare or zinc-galvanized steel reinforcing bars (1/2 inch minimum diameter), or 20 feet of bare copper conductor not smaller than 4 AWG, encased in at least 2 inches of concrete near the bottom of a foundation or footing, in direct contact with the earth.

A rod-type electrode must be at least 8 feet long. Stainless steel and copper- or zinc-coated steel rods must be at least 5/8 inch in diameter, UNLESS the rod is listed, in which case a smaller listed diameter (commonly 1/2 inch) is allowed. The 5/8-inch figure is the base material rule; it's the listing, not the metal type, that unlocks the smaller diameter.

Grounding connects a system or equipment to the earth through a grounding electrode. Bonding joins metal parts together so they stay electrically continuous and carry fault current safely at the same potential. Together, grounding and bonding create the low-impedance path that lets an overcurrent device clear a ground fault quickly.

It's Table 310.16. The 2020 NEC reorganized Article 310 -- moving medium-voltage content to a new Article 311 -- and restored the table's shorter, original designation. If you're studying with an older reference, remember: 310.15(B)(16) and Table 310.16 are the same table under different editions' numbering.

When more than 3 current-carrying conductors are installed in a raceway, cable, or bundled together without maintaining spacing, for a distance over 24 inches, each conductor's allowable ampacity must be reduced by the table's adjustment factor -- for example, 80% for 4-6 conductors, 70% for 7-9 conductors, and lower percentages as the count increases.

You use the ampacity column matching the conductor's insulation rating (60C, 75C, or 90C), but the FINAL allowable ampacity is also capped by the lowest temperature rating of any connected termination or equipment per 110.14(C) -- commonly 60C for equipment rated 100A or less, and 75C above that, even if the wire itself is rated 90C.

THHN alone is rated 90C for dry/damp locations only. THWN alone is rated 75C for wet locations. THWN-2 is dual-rated at 90C for BOTH wet and dry locations -- that's the entire point of the '-2' suffix, and it's why THHN/THWN-2 dual-marked wire is the common stock item: it gives you the 90C ampacity column while still being listed for wet locations.

12 AWG copper, based on Table 310.16's 20A rating in the 60C column and the small-conductor rule in 240.4(D). A 14 AWG copper conductor is limited to a 15-amp circuit -- running 14 AWG on a 20A breaker is a classic, serious code violation to catch on exam questions.

14 AWG = 2.00 cubic inches per conductor, 12 AWG = 2.25 cubic inches, 10 AWG = 2.5 cubic inches. Multiply the per-conductor allowance by the number of conductor-equivalents present, plus extra allowances for devices, clamps, and grounding conductors, to find the minimum box size.

All the equipment grounding conductors together count as just ONE volume allowance, based on the largest grounding conductor present -- not one allowance per grounding wire. The same 'count as one' rule applies to all the internal cable clamps combined.

40% fill for three or more conductors, compared to 31% for two conductors and 53% for a single conductor. This limit leaves room for heat dissipation and keeps conductors physically pullable through the raceway.

No more than the equivalent of four quarter-bends -- 360 degrees total -- is permitted between pull points such as boxes or conduit bodies. Exceeding this makes it extremely difficult to pull conductors through without damaging their insulation.

EMT (electrical metallic tubing) is thin-wall steel or aluminum, unthreaded, coupled with fittings -- common indoors. RMC (rigid metal conduit) is thick-wall threaded steel used where greater physical protection is needed. PVC (rigid nonmetallic conduit) resists corrosion for underground or wet/corrosive locations, but since it isn't conductive, it requires a separate wire-type equipment grounding conductor (250.118).

3 feet horizontally beyond the inside walls of the pool, covering unpaved surfaces and paving alike. The bonding grid must attach to the pool's structural reinforcing steel (or an equivalent copper conductor grid) at a minimum of 4 points spaced uniformly around the pool's perimeter.

An insulated copper equipment grounding conductor is required, installed with the branch-circuit conductors in the same raceway, cable, or cord (517.13(B)). This redundant, low-impedance grounding path is on top of the normal metal-raceway wiring-method grounding path required by 517.13(A), because patient safety in these spaces has a much lower fault-current tolerance.

Class I locations have flammable gases or vapors present in the air, such as a paint spray booth or fuel dispensing area. Class II locations have combustible DUST present, such as a grain elevator or flour mill. Each class also splits into Division 1 (hazard present under normal conditions) and Division 2 (hazard present only under abnormal conditions).

The disconnecting means must be within sight of the sign or lighting system it controls, or lockable if it isn't within sight, and it must be marked to identify the specific sign or lighting system it disconnects -- so the load being de-energized is unambiguous to anyone servicing it.

125% of the motor's full-load current for a motor with a marked service factor of 1.15 or greater, OR a marked temperature rise of 40C or less. For all other motors -- lower service factor or higher temperature rise -- overload protection is sized at 115% of FLA. The larger 125% figure applies to the more thermally tolerant motors, which can safely absorb a bit more sustained overload margin before protection needs to act.

Not less than 125% of the motor's full-load current rating, taken from the NEC ampacity tables (Tables 430.247-430.250), not the motor's nameplate current. The 125% sizing accommodates normal running current without treating brief startup inrush as a continuous load.

A controller starts, stops, and regulates the motor's speed or torque during normal operation. The disconnecting means (Article 430, Part IX) is a separate device -- often a switch or breaker -- that isolates the motor and controller from all ungrounded supply conductors for maintenance, and it must be located within sight of both the controller and the motor, or be lockable if that's impracticable.

Yes, under specific conditions -- for example, several motors rated 1 hp or less each drawing no more than 6A (430.53(A)), or a listed group motor installation with its own overall short-circuit/ground-fault protection sized for the group (430.53(B) and (C)). Outside those group-installation allowances, each motor typically gets its own dedicated branch circuit sized per Article 430.

12 inches. A RECESSED incandescent or LED fixture with a completely enclosed light source only needs 6 inches of clearance, and surface-mounted or recessed fluorescent fixtures also use the 6-inch clearance. Pendant fixtures and open or exposed-lamp fixtures are not permitted in closet storage space at all.

Utilization equipment is equipment that uses electric energy for electronic, electromechanical, chemical, heating, lighting, or similar purposes -- as opposed to equipment that just distributes or controls power, like a panelboard. Ranges, water heaters, motors, and fixed appliances are typical utilization-equipment examples covered under Articles 422 and 430.

The branch-circuit switch or circuit breaker can serve as the disconnecting means if it's within sight of the appliance. If it's not within sight, the switch or breaker must be capable of being locked in the open position, so the appliance can be worked on safely without relying on someone else to keep the circuit open.

The fixture housing itself needs at least 1/2 inch of clearance from combustible material such as wood framing (410.116(A)(1)), while thermal insulation must be kept at least 3 inches away from the recessed housing, wiring compartment, and ballast (410.116(B)) -- unless the fixture is listed and marked 'Type IC' for direct contact with insulation.

Class 2 and Class 3 circuits are supplied by a power source, often a listed transformer or power supply, that limits voltage and current low enough that the wiring doesn't need the same overcurrent protection, insulation, and installation rules as normal power circuits. Common examples are thermostat wiring, doorbell circuits, and low-voltage lighting controls.

Communications circuits fall under Article 805 (Communications Circuits), which requires a listed primary protector at or ahead of the building's point of entrance (805.90), while grounding/bonding of that protector and the cable's metallic sheath is covered in Article 800 (800.100) -- the 2020 NEC split what older editions handled entirely under Article 800. Fire alarm circuits (Article 760) split into non-power-limited (NPLFA) and power-limited (PLFA) types with their own wiring and survivability rules, working alongside NFPA 72's performance requirements.

3 feet under Condition 1 (exposed live parts on one side only, with no live or grounded parts on the other side, or all parts guarded), 3.5 feet under Condition 2 (exposed live parts on one side, grounded parts on the other), and 4 feet under Condition 3 (exposed live parts on both sides). The table's other tiers are 0-150V to ground (3 ft at every condition) and 601-1000V to ground (3/4/5 ft) -- always check voltage TO GROUND, not line-to-line voltage, before picking a row.

6.5 feet (78 inches), measured from the grade, floor, platform, or working surface, extending the full width and depth of the required working space. The exception is service equipment or panelboards rated 200 amperes or less in EXISTING dwelling units, which are not required to meet the full 6.5-foot headroom.

It's a hazard analysis that determines the likelihood and severity of an arc-flash incident for a specific task on energized equipment, so workers can select the correct PPE and establish an arc-flash boundary before starting work. NFPA 70E requires this assessment whenever a worker will interact with equipment that has not been placed in an electrically safe work condition.