Can I Bring My Codebook to the Electrician Exam?
Short answer: yes for Texas TDLR (with restrictions), maybe not for California (PSI may provide the book). Both exams are open book, but the rules around YOUR codebook differ significantly between the two states. Here's what's actually allowed and what to verify before you walk in.
Last reviewed May 2026
Texas TDLR Journeyman exam
Texas TDLR exams generally allow you to bring your own physical printed copy of the NEC 2023 with Texas amendments. PSI administers the exam at test centers across Texas. The book is your reference for the entire 4-hour exam.
What's typically allowed
- Your own bound copy of NEC 2023 (printed, not loose pages)
- Texas amendments printed and bound into or attached to the codebook
- Tabs you put in yourself, attached permanently
- Highlighting and margin notes (brief annotations, formula reminders)
- A non-programmable scientific calculator with fresh batteries
What's NOT allowed
- Sticky notes inside the codebook
- Loose paper inserts (printed formula sheets, study notes)
- Three-ring binders or any unbound reference
- Programmable, graphing, or internet-capable calculators
- Phones, smartwatches, fitness trackers, tablets — all in the locker
- A second codebook (one reference allowed)
- Margin notes that look like answer keys (problem-and-solution pairs may be flagged at proctor discretion)
California General Electrician exam (DIR)
California is different. Per the DIR FAQ, exam materials are provided at the test center. Candidates report that personal tabbed codebooks may not be allowed. This is the “test-center book shock” that catches California candidates who studied with a personal tabbed reference and then had to use a clean PSI-provided book on exam day.
What this means for prep
- Train index navigation, not just tab navigation. The NEC and CEC indexes can find any rule by keyword — that's the skill the exam tests.
- Drill index keyword recall: see a field clue, pick the keyword, find the article, target 30 seconds.
- Practice without tabs. If you've trained with a tabbed personal book and then face an untabbed PSI book on exam day, your navigation reflex breaks.
- JourneymanIQ's California content includes index keyword drills specifically for this reality. No other prep platform builds for the no-tabs scenario.
For more on index navigation training, see our codebook tabbing guide and the California-specific codebook speed playbook.
What to bring on exam day (both states)
- Government photo ID matching your application name exactly. Hyphen mismatches turn people away.
- PSI confirmation printed or screenshotted (phones go in lockers, so don’t rely on showing your screen).
- Codebook (TDLR only) — your printed bound NEC 2023. California: don’t bring one if PSI provides it.
- Calculator — non-programmable, no internet, no formula storage. Standard scientific. Fresh batteries.
- Water and snack for the locker. Glucose at hour 3 matters.
For the full TDLR exam-day walkthrough, see the TDLR exam day checklist.
Train both navigation modes (with and without tabs)
JourneymanIQ's California content includes 170 drills built around the no-tabs PSI reality. Texas content trains tabbed navigation. Pick your state.