Maryland Journeyperson Electrician Practice Questions
Four worked sample questions in the depth the Maryland exam demands: 70 questions in 3 hours 30 minutes, open book on the 2020 NEC, 70% to pass. Each one shows the controlling article, the setup, and why the wrong answers look right.
Last reviewed June 2026
70
Questions
3 hours 30 minutes
Time
70%
To pass
2020 NEC
Code
A quick naming note. Maryland licenses journeypersons, so that is the word we use. If you searched for Maryland journeyman electrician test questions, this is the same exam and the same question style.
Work each sample the way the exam rewards. Read the question, decide which article controls, then open the book to confirm. Do not flip pages until you have a hypothesis. Want your topic-level score first? Take the free Maryland diagnostic and get fifteen questions scored by article family.
Question 1 of 4Branch circuits · 210.20
A 20 A branch circuit feeds a continuous lighting load. What is the maximum continuous load the circuit is permitted to carry?
A.12 A
B.16 Acorrect
C.20 A
D.24 A
Why B
A continuous load is capped at 80 percent of the overcurrent device rating. 20 times 0.80 is 16 A. The same rule gives 12 A on a 15 A circuit and 24 A on a 30 A circuit.
2020 NEC 210.20(A)
Why the other answers look right
A:12 A is the continuous cap on a 15 A circuit, not a 20 A circuit.
C:20 A is the device rating. The 80 percent rule still applies to a continuous load.
D:24 A is the continuous cap on a 30 A circuit, and it is above the 20 A rating anyway.
Question 2 of 4Grounding · Table 250.66
Service entrance conductors are 4/0 AWG copper. What is the minimum copper grounding electrode conductor for a connection to a metal water pipe electrode?
A.4 AWG
B.2 AWGcorrect
C.1/0 AWG
D.2/0 AWG
Why B
Table 250.66 sizes the grounding electrode conductor from the largest ungrounded service conductor. For copper service conductors from 1/0 through 350 kcmil, the table calls for 2 AWG copper.
2020 NEC 250.66, Table 250.66
Why the other answers look right
A:4 AWG applies when the service conductors are 2 AWG copper or smaller.
C:Oversized. The table steps by service conductor range, not one for one.
D:Also oversized for a 4/0 copper service. Read the row, not your instinct.
Question 3 of 4Box fill · 314.16
A device box contains four 12 AWG circuit conductors, two 12 AWG equipment grounding conductors, and one duplex receptacle connected to 12 AWG. What is the minimum box volume required?
A.13.5 cu in
B.15.75 cu incorrect
C.18.0 cu in
D.20.25 cu in
Why B
Count the four circuit conductors at 2.25 cubic inches each for 9.0. Up to four equipment grounding conductors count together as one conductor, 2.25. The receptacle counts as two conductors at the largest size connected to it, 4.5. Total is 15.75 cubic inches.
2020 NEC 314.16(B), Table 314.16(B)
Why the other answers look right
A:13.5 skips the equipment grounding conductor allowance entirely.
C:18.0 counts each grounding conductor separately. Up to four grounds count as a single conductor.
D:20.25 double counts the grounds and adds a clamp allowance for a clamp that is not in the box.
Question 4 of 4Motors · 430.22
A continuous-duty, three-phase, 460 V, 25 HP squirrel-cage motor needs branch-circuit conductors. What minimum ampacity is required?
A.27.0 A
B.34.0 A
C.42.5 Acorrect
D.51.0 A
Why C
Pull the full-load current from Table 430.250, not the nameplate. 25 HP at 460 V three phase is 34 A. Branch-circuit conductors are sized at 125 percent of that under 430.22, which is 42.5 A.
2020 NEC 430.22, Table 430.250
Why the other answers look right
A:27 A is the table full-load current for a 20 HP motor at 460 V. Wrong horsepower row.
B:34 A is the table value at 100 percent. 430.22 requires 125 percent for conductor sizing.
D:51 A applies 150 percent. That is not the conductor rule. Do not mix it up with protection percentages elsewhere in Article 430.
What separates useful questions from filler
On the real exam the trap answer usually matches a related rule from a neighboring article, or the right table read at the wrong percentage. That is why every wrong answer above has a reason. Practice questions that only tell you right or wrong teach you nothing about the miss. And because Maryland is open book on the 2020 NEC, a useful question also rehearses the flip path to the controlling article, not just the fact.
How the full Maryland bank works
The samples above span branch circuits, grounding, box fill, and motors. The full JourneymanIQ bank covers the article families the Maryland Journeyperson Electrician exam tests, every question original and every one citing its 2020 NEC article. The engine tracks the topics where you score below the 70% pass line and surfaces those first, so you drill the articles that are costing you points instead of grinding everything evenly. Going for the master license instead? The 90-question master exam leans harder on calculations, and journeyperson vs master sorts out which exam fits your hours.
If you searched for Maryland journeyperson electrician practice test, Maryland electrician exam prep online, Maryland electrician exam simulator, or Maryland electrician exam questions, do not judge the page by question count alone. Those searches are asking whether the prep matches Maryland's PSI journeyperson and master exams, not a generic national open-book quiz.
Journeyperson
70 questions in 3 hours 30 minutes, open book on the 2020 NEC.
Master
90 questions in 4 hours, with heavier calculation work.
Pass rule
70% to pass, with a 30-day retake wait after a failed attempt.
First step
Diagnostic first, then drill the article families the score report exposes.
It calls the Maryland exam closed book or uses the wrong question count.
It treats journeyperson and master as the same exam.
It claims copied PSI questions instead of original questions with article references.
The free Maryland diagnostic runs fifteen questions across the article families the exam tests and shows you which ones to drill first, in priority order.
