What's on the Electrician Exam?

Texas TDLR Journeyman exam structure

80 multiple-choice questions over 4 hours. 70% required to pass. Open book — NEC 2023 plus Texas-specific amendments allowed at the test center. PSI administers the exam at test centers across Texas.

2025 update: TDLR split the Journeyman exam into two separate parts (Knowledge + Calculations) effective March 11, 2025. Verify the current format with PSI before scheduling.

TDLR domain weighting (approximate)

• Calculations (~25-30%): voltage drop, conduit fill, box fill, motor sizing, service load, dwelling unit load. The single largest source of lost points. Voltage drop guide →
• Wiring methods and materials (~20%): Articles 300, 310, 312, 314, 320-396. Conductor types, ampacity tables, raceway rules, support spacing. NEC Table 310.16 →
• Grounding and bonding (~15%): Article 250 top to bottom. Most-confused topic. Grounding vs bonding →
• Branch circuits and feeders (~15%): Articles 210, 215, 220. Continuous loads, demand factors, dwelling unit calculations. Branch vs feeder →
• Motors and HVAC (~10%): Article 430 with a side of 440. Branch-circuit conductor sizing, overload protection, SCGF protection. Motor sizing →
• General code (~15%): Article 100 definitions, Article 230 services, GFCI/AFCI requirements (210.8/210.12), special occupancies, transformers, safety items. NEC 210.8 GFCI →

For the full TDLR study guide with day-by-day prep allocation, see the TDLR Journeyman study guide.

California General Electrician exam structure

100 multiple-choice questions over 4 hours 30 minutes. 70% required to pass. Open book — but exam materials are provided at the test center per the DIR FAQ, which means personal tabbed codebooks may not be allowed. Index recall is the real navigation skill.

California DIR domain weighting (official)

• Installation (66%): branch circuits, services, feeders, motors, grounding, raceways, conductors, lighting, equipment. Two-thirds of the exam.
• Determination of electrical system requirements (22%): calculations and load determination. Service load, feeder ampacity, motor branch circuits, dwelling unit calcs.
• Safety (6%): personal protection, lockout/tagout, OSHA basics, working space requirements.
• Maintenance and repair (6%): troubleshooting, replacement, retrofit considerations.

For the full California study guide with the 2025 CEC overlay, read the California General Electrician study guide.

The high-yield articles tested on every exam

Regardless of state, the same NEC articles drive most exam questions. If you can navigate these in under 30 seconds and you understand the underlying concepts, you’ve covered most of the exam:

• Article 100 — Definitions (Branch Circuit vs Feeder, Grounded vs Grounding, etc.)
• Article 110 — Requirements for Electrical Installations (working space, terminations)
• Article 210 — Branch Circuits (continuous load, GFCI, AFCI)
• Article 215 — Feeders
• Article 220 — Branch Circuit/Feeder/Service Calculations
• Article 230 — Services
• Article 240 — Overcurrent Protection
• Article 250 — Grounding and Bonding
• Article 300 series — Wiring Methods
• Article 310 — Conductors for General Wiring (Table 310.16 ampacity)
• Article 314 — Outlet, Device, Pull, and Junction Boxes (box fill)
• Article 408 — Switchboards, Switchgear, and Panelboards
• Article 430 — Motors (FLC tables, branch circuit sizing, overload)
• Article 440 — Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Equipment
• Chapter 9 Tables — Conduit fill (Table 1), conductor properties (Tables 5, 8)

What's NOT typically tested heavily

Don’t waste prep time on these. They show up rarely or not at all on standard journeyman-level exams:

• Hazardous locations (Articles 500-516). One question on the TDLR exam, sometimes zero.
• Health care facilities (Article 517). Niche, rarely tested at journeyman level.
• Audio signal processing (Article 640). Not on typical TDLR or California draws.
• Manufactured wiring systems (Article 604). Rare.
• Memorizing Chapter 9 tables word for word. You have the book — train fast lookup, not recitation.

How JourneymanIQ matches the actual exam structure

Every TDLR practice question we’ve written is tagged to a specific TDLR domain weight. Every California practice question is tagged to a specific DIR domain. The adaptive engine surfaces questions weighted to match the real exam, so prep time goes to the topics that decide outcomes. We don’t over-weight grounding because it’s interesting; we weight it 15% because that’s what the exam does.

Take the diagnostic to see your domain breakdown →