Mike Holt Practice Test: What It Covers, and What It Cannot Tell You
Mike Holt's journeyman practice exams are sold as a book and inside his video libraries ($400 to $1,599). Candidates on trade forums say they feel close to the real test. Here is what they do well, what they leave out, and the free way to find out which sections you should be practicing at all.
Last reviewed July 2026
Best fit
- Candidates who already learn well from textbooks and structured NEC chapters.
- Electricians with enough time to work through a large body of material.
- People who want broad review before moving into timed, targeted practice.
Watch for this
- Getting a high score because the question style became familiar, not because the weak topic is fixed.
- Spending equal time on topics you already know and topics that are still bleeding points.
- Using national practice without checking the current state exam reference rules.
Where JourneymanIQ fits
- Use the diagnostic first to see which Mike Holt chapters matter most this week.
- Use JourneymanIQ drills after reading a chapter, so the miss pattern gets tested under time.
- Use the free calculators to practice the setup behind voltage drop, fill, load, ampacity, and transformer questions.
- Use state pages to check Texas, California, Michigan, Washington, or Maryland exam facts before you schedule.
Side by side
| Question | Static prep | JourneymanIQ |
|---|---|---|
| Question source | Book or course practice from a major NEC education publisher. | Original app questions tied to NEC article families and state context. |
| After a miss | You review the answer and decide what to study next. | The miss updates your weak-area picture and points to the next drill. |
| State context | Usually NEC-first and broad. | State-aware pages and diagnostics for the five paid states. |
| Best use | Foundation and broad NEC review. | Last-mile weak-area repair and timed practice. |
The bottom line
Mike Holt material is useful foundation. The mistake is treating any static practice test as a readiness report. Use it to learn. Then use a diagnostic to see what the learning missed.
Common questions
Is there a free Mike Holt practice test?
Mike Holt publishes free sample material and YouTube lessons, but the full journeyman practice exams are sold, as a book and inside the exam prep libraries. For a free practice test that also tells you which NEC sections you are weak in, JourneymanIQ's 15-question diagnostic is free and needs no account.
How much does the Mike Holt practice exam cost?
The practice exams come as a standalone book and as part of the journeyman libraries, which are published at $400 (Basic), $645 (Intermediate), $999 (Comprehensive) and $1,599 (Supreme) on mikeholt.com. Check the current book price there; it changes by code edition.
Are Mike Holt practice questions like the real journeyman exam?
Reviewers on electrician forums generally say yes on style and code-book use. The common complaint is that the answer explanations are brief, so a miss tells you it was wrong without naming the trap. That is the gap a diagnostic-first tool fills: it names the section and the trap, then drills it.
Is a Mike Holt practice test enough for the journeyman exam?
It can help, but it should not be the only signal. You still need to know which sections you miss under time and whether your state exam rules match the way you practiced.
Can I use JourneymanIQ with Mike Holt material?
Yes. Use Mike Holt to learn the topic, then use JourneymanIQ to test whether that topic is still a weak area.
Does JourneymanIQ use Mike Holt questions?
No. JourneymanIQ uses original questions and cites NEC article numbers without copying protected exam or publisher content.
Find the chapters that actually need work
Take the diagnostic, read the weak-area report, then point your book or app study at the right sections.