Journeyman Electrician (NEC) — All Questions
The figures these questions turn on, laid out by section on dense colour pages you can print: Journeyman Electrician cheat sheet PDF — $9.99 →
56 questions
Capacitor circuit conductors must have an ampacity of at least what percentage of the rated current of the capacitor?
- a.135 percent✓
- b.150 percent
- c.125 percent
- d.115 percent
Conductors supplying a capacitor must be sized at not less than 135 percent of the rated current of the capacitor. See NEC 460.8(A).
As defined in Article 100, what does 'in sight from' mean in terms of distance?
- a.Anywhere on the same floor level
- b.Visible and not more than 50 feet away✓
- c.Within 75 feet whether visible or not
- d.Visible and not more than 25 feet away
'In sight from' means the equipment is visible and not more than 50 feet distant from the other equipment. See NEC Article 100.
A 40-horsepower, 460-volt, three-phase motor has a table full-load current of 52 amperes. What minimum ampere rating must the disconnecting means have?
- a.46 amperes
- b.65 amperes
- c.52 amperes
- d.59.8 amperes✓
The disconnecting means must be at least 115 percent of the full-load current: 52 x 1.15 = 59.8 A, so a 60-ampere or larger switch would be selected. See NEC 430.110(A).
A 5-horsepower, 460-volt, three-phase motor has a table full-load current of 7.6 amperes. Using 75 degrees C copper, what is the minimum branch-circuit conductor size?
- a.16 AWG
- b.14 AWG✓
- c.12 AWG
- d.10 AWG
The conductor must carry 7.6 x 1.25 = 9.5 A. 14 AWG copper (20 A at 75 degrees C) is adequate; motor branch-circuit conductors are sized under Article 430 and are not restricted by the small-conductor rule of 240.4(D). See NEC 430.22.
A continuous-duty motor over 1 horsepower is marked with a temperature rise of 40 degrees C. What percentage of nameplate full-load current sets the maximum overload device?
- a.140 percent
- b.115 percent
- c.125 percent✓
- d.130 percent
A motor with a marked temperature rise not over 40 degrees C, like one with a service factor of 1.15 or greater, is permitted overload protection at 125 percent of nameplate current. See NEC 430.32(A)(1).
A feeder supplies a 30-horsepower motor (40 amperes), a 20-horsepower motor (27 amperes) and a 10-horsepower motor (14 amperes), all 460 volts three-phase. What minimum conductor ampacity is required?
- a.91 amperes✓
- b.101.25 amperes
- c.81 amperes
- d.95 amperes
Feeder ampacity = 125 percent of the largest motor plus the sum of the others: (40 x 1.25) + 27 + 14 = 50 + 41 = 91 A. See NEC 430.24.
How hard is the exam?
Journeyman/general electrician certification is state-administered and NEC-based, so format varies by state. California's General Electrician exam, for example, is 100 questions in 4.5 hours with 70% to pass, and total fees are about $175. Electricians earn a median of about $62,350/year (BLS, May 2024).
- Recommended study hours
- 60-120 hours for most — heavy on NEC code lookup, load calculations and conductor/conduit sizing.
- First-attempt pass rate
- 51.22% on the first attempt (n = 4,150); 39.75% on a retake (n = 4,150) — California DIR Electrician Certification Unit, 2023. California’s General Electrician exam, and one of the few trade exams anywhere with a real published first-attempt/repeat split — the n is the annual number of attempts across both groups. Licensing is state by state, so this is one state’s number: Texas TDLR reports 27.52% (n = 5,050) on its Journeyman exam for FY 2025, without saying which attempts it counts.Source: California DIR/DLSE Electrician Certification Unit — California Electrical Examinations Statistical Overview 2023 (PDF) · Texas TDLR — Electrician Exam Statistics, Fiscal Year 2025
- Where to focus first
- Installation dominates California's exam at 66% — wiring methods, boxes, conductors, services and equipment to the NEC.
Fees and salaries are approximate and change over time. The pass rate above is quoted from the source linked beside it, for the period that source covers — where we have not checked a source, we say so and give no number.