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California General Electrician · sample questions

Free California General Electrician Practice Questions

Five sample questions from the California General Electrician bank. Each one shows the controlling CEC article, the math or logic, and why the wrong answers look right. The full bank covers all four DIR domains with the controlling article tagged on every item.

Last reviewed May 2026

Question 1 of 5Service load · Article 220

A 1500 sq. ft. dwelling has a 12 kW electric range, two 20A small appliance circuits, and a 30A clothes dryer. Using the standard calculation, what is the minimum service load (in VA) before applying demand factors?

  • A.About 22,500 VA
  • B.About 27,500 VA
  • C.About 32,000 VAcorrect
  • D.About 38,500 VA

Why C

General lighting at 3 VA/sq ft = 4,500 VA. Two small-appliance circuits at 1500 VA each = 3,000 VA. Laundry circuit = 1,500 VA. Subtotal before demand = 9,000 VA. Then 12 kW range + 5,500 VA dryer (Table 220.55, 220.54). Total before demand factors lands near 32,000 VA. Apply Table 220.42 demand factors after.

NEC 220.41 / 220.52 / 220.54 / 220.55, Table 220.42

Why the other answers look right
  • A:Skips one of the major loads, likely missed the dryer or range allowance.
  • B:Slightly low; missed one general-lighting or small-appliance addition.
  • D:Too high. Possibly applied no demand allowance to range, but the question asks before demand factors, not before range allowance.
Question 2 of 5Grounding · 250.122

A 60A overcurrent device protects a feeder. What is the minimum copper equipment grounding conductor required per Table 250.122?

  • A.12 AWG
  • B.10 AWGcorrect
  • C.8 AWG
  • D.6 AWG

Why B

Table 250.122 sizes EGC by the rating of the OCPD ahead of it. 60A → 10 AWG copper. The EGC may be required to be upsized if the phase conductors are upsized for voltage drop, per 250.122(B).

NEC 250.122, Table 250.122

Why the other answers look right
  • A:12 AWG is for 20A OCPD.
  • C:8 AWG is for 100A OCPD.
  • D:6 AWG is for 200A OCPD.
Question 3 of 5Conduit fill · Chapter 9 Table 1

What is the maximum fill percentage for three current-carrying conductors in a single conduit?

  • A.31%
  • B.40%correct
  • C.53%
  • D.60%

Why B

Chapter 9, Table 1: one conductor = 53%, two conductors = 31%, more than two conductors = 40%. Common trap: candidates remember 53% (single conductor) or 31% (two) and apply the wrong number.

NEC Chapter 9, Table 1

Why the other answers look right
  • A:31% is for two conductors only.
  • C:53% is for a single conductor.
  • D:Doesn't appear in Table 1.
Question 4 of 5GFCI · 210.8(A)

Per CEC 210.8(A), which of the following dwelling unit locations requires GFCI protection for 125V, 15A and 20A receptacles?

  • A.Bedrooms only
  • B.Bathrooms, garages, outdoors, kitchens, laundry, and similar wet/damp areascorrect
  • C.Only outdoor receptacles
  • D.Living rooms and bedrooms

Why B

210.8(A) lists 11 locations including bathrooms, garages, outdoors, crawl spaces, unfinished basements, kitchens, sinks, bathtubs/showers, laundry areas, and others. The list grew across recent NEC cycles.

NEC 210.8(A)

Why the other answers look right
  • A:Bedrooms aren’t on the GFCI list. They’re on the AFCI list per 210.12.
  • C:Outdoors is one of many. The list is much broader.
  • D:Living rooms and bedrooms aren’t GFCI required at the receptacle level for general use.
Question 5 of 5Motor overload · 430.32

A continuous-duty motor with a service factor of 1.15 has a nameplate FLA of 28 A. What is the maximum overload device setting per 430.32(A)(1)?

  • A.32.2 Acorrect
  • B.35.0 A
  • C.36.4 A
  • D.42.0 A

Why A

430.32(A)(1) allows 115% of nameplate FLA for motors with service factor 1.15 or greater. 28 × 1.15 = 32.2 A. Note this uses the motor nameplate FLA, not Table 430.250. Different rule from branch-circuit conductor sizing.

NEC 430.32(A)(1)

Why the other answers look right
  • B:125% applies to the branch-circuit conductor (430.22), not overload.
  • C:130% is the next-step-up allowance per 430.32(C), used only after the standard setting fails to start the motor.
  • D:150% would apply to specific overload trip-up provisions, not the standard setting.

How to use these

Read the question first, decide what code section applies, then compute. Don’t flip pages until you have a hypothesis. The full California bank lives behind the diagnostic and adapts to your weakest topics. Start there if you want to see your real score estimate.

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