The book is huge
NEC 2023 has more than 800 pages. Without speed-navigation skills, you’ll time out before answering everything.
Texas TDLR Journeyman electrician exam prep
Pass the TDLR Journeyman exam.
Real Texas-focused practice. Since March 11, 2025 the TDLR exam is two separately-scored parts: NEC Knowledge (59 questions, 130 minutes) and Calculations (26 questions, 110 minutes), timed separately and open book against your own NEC 2023. Time and code navigation kill most candidates. We train both.
Pick the Texas TDLR page you actually need
The short answer
What is the TDLR Journeyman Electrician exam?
The Texas TDLR Journeyman Electrician exam is a PSI test in two separately scored parts: NEC Knowledge (59 questions, 130 minutes) and Calculations (26 questions, 110 minutes). Both are open book on the 2023 NEC, and you need 70 percent on each part. About 27.5 percent pass.
Key facts
- Exam
- TDLR Journeyman Electrician exam
- License
- Journeyman
- Authority
- Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR)
- Delivered by
- PSI
- Questions
- 85 (NEC Knowledge 59 + Calculations 26), two parts scored separately
- Time
- 130 minutes (NEC Knowledge) + 110 minutes (Calculations), timed separately
- Pass score
- 70% on each of two separately-scored parts
- NEC edition
- NEC 2023
- Reference rule
- Open book. Bring your own soft-bound NEC 2023; highlighting, notes, and publisher tabs allowed only if added before the session.
- Retake
- Retake either failed part for $78. No mandatory wait stated.
- Pass rate
- 27.52% pass (TDLR FY2025)
Official sources · last reviewed June 2026
Two partsExam formatNEC Knowledge + Calculations
85Questions59 + 26, since 2025
70%Passing scoreeach part, scored separately
NEC 2023Code bookOpen book, bring your own
See exactly where you stand on the TDLR exam.
15 questions, about 15 minutes, no signup. You get a domain-by-domain weakness map for the two-part Journeyman exam, so you study the gaps instead of everything.
Take the free diagnosticWhy most candidates struggle
Why most TDLR candidates struggle
TDLR's FY2025 published statistics show 1,390 passed of 5,050 (27.52%). That works out to a 27.52% overall pass rate, which means roughly seven in ten attempts did not pass. The exam is open-book, but the book is huge and the clock runs fast. Three things sink most candidates.
Source: TDLR Electrician Exam Statistics, FY2025
Two parts, scored separately
Since March 11, 2025 the exam is two parts. You need 70% on each, and the Calculations part is scored on its own, so a strong code score can't carry weak math. Only 20.56% pass the Calculations part.
Calculations under pressure
Voltage drop, conduit fill, motor sizing. The math isn’t hard. Doing it in a stressed exam state, with the timer in your peripheral vision, is.
The platform
How JourneymanIQ trains the right skills
Adaptive practice
60+ TDLR-focused practice questions
Every question tagged to a TDLR domain and an NEC article. The engine surfaces what you’re weakest on so your study time goes to the topics that’ll lose you points.
Topic 04 · Branch Circuits
Continuous loads on a 20A branch circuit
What is the maximum continuous load on a 20A branch circuit?
14 / 20 right · NEC 210.20(A)
Calculators
Voltage drop, conduit fill, motor sizing, box fill
Four calculators that match the math TDLR tests. Each one shows the work step-by-step so you can study the method, not just the answer.
Voltage Drop · single phase
Vd = (2 × K × I × L) / Cmils
120V, 20A, 100 ft, 12 AWG copper → ~3.83V drop (3.19%)
30-day plan
Daily structure for working electricians
60 to 90 minutes a day for 30 days. Codebook speed first, calculations second, mocks at the end. The plan tells you what to do tonight so you don’t spend half your study window deciding what to study.
Day 12 / 30
Article 250 grounding electrode system
45 min · 12 questions + 1 quick-look drill on 250.66.
Who this is for
This is for you if
- You failed once and your retake is weeks out. You need the two areas that cost you, not a fresh 200-hour course.
- You are taking it the first time and want to know exactly where you stand before you spend nights studying the wrong things.
- You are a working journeyman going for your certification, studying on your phone between jobs.
Look elsewhere if
- You want a passive video course to watch front to back. We point you at the next focused step, not a semester.
- You want a guarantee you will pass. A 15-question diagnostic is not the exam, and nobody can honestly promise that.
If you failed it onceThe retake window is the work window. Find your two weakest domains and attack those, not a re-read of what you already knew.Build a retake planIf you’re still checking the rulesThe two-part format, the $78 fee, the 7,000 hours to sit, the soft-bound NEC 2023 rules. Get the current facts before you study the wrong thing.Check the requirementsIf the Calculations part is the worryIt is now scored on its own and fails the most people. Every calc type has a Guided-Solve lesson where you work each step yourself, no skipped lines.Open the lessons
Where do you stand right now?
15-question diagnostic. 90 seconds. Tells you which TDLR domains will lose you points if you walked into the exam this week.
Free. No signup yet. 90 seconds to your weak-area report.
See the actual work, free
This is what every Texas question looks like inside.
Take a real one. Pick your answer, then watch a master walk the exact codebook flip path and the math, step by step. No signup to try it.
Box fillNEC 314.16(B)2023 NEC
Rough-in on a single-gang device box: two 12 AWG hot conductors, two 12 AWG neutrals, two 12 AWG equipment grounds, and one duplex receptacle. What minimum box volume does the NEC require?
Know your exam
What test day actually looks like in Texas.
You check in at a PSI test center with your own soft-bound 2023 NEC. Highlighting, notes, and publisher tabs are fine only if you added them before you sat down. Then you face two separate exams back to back, each on its own clock.
What you sit
NEC Knowledge, 130 minutes
59 scored questions on finding and applying the code.
Calculations, 110 minutes
26 scored calculation problems, timed on their own. Time from one part does not carry into the other.
On the clock
Both parts are open book, so the work is finding the rule fast and setting the math up right, not recalling it cold. You need 70 percent on each part, scored separately.
Where the points are
The Calculations part fails the most people. A strong code score used to cover a weak math score. Since March 2025 it does not, because the two are scored on their own.
Verified June 2026 against Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) and the current exam bulletin
Where to start, free
You do not need 200 hours. You need these, in this order.
Overwhelmed by where to begin for the Texas exam? Tell us your situation and we will lay out the exact next steps. Free, no signup. Check them off as you go.
This is my
My exam is
Test date
Four to eight weeks is the sweet spot. Here is the order that puts your hours where they count.
0/7 done
Want this built around YOUR weak spots?
This list is the path. The diagnostic makes it personal: 15 questions, 90 seconds to start, and we rebuild this around the exact Texas sections you are losing points on.
Take the free diagnosticWhat you get for Texas
One place to get ready, built for the Texas exam.
TDLR weak spots named. Next drills ready. The work stays focused.
- 60+ NEC questions
Every question is original, written in the exam's format. Texas-specific. Adaptive engine surfaces what you need.
- 6 study guides
Plain-English coverage of grounding and bonding, wiring methods, equipment and devices, motor controls, wiring and protection, and the Texas exam strategy guide.
- 4 working calculators
Voltage drop, box fill, conduit fill, and dwelling load demand. The same math TDLR uses to grade your exam.
- 30-day daily roadmap
One task a day. Builds streaks. Tracks completion. Pin rewards at 7, 14, 21, and exam day.
- Exam Readiness Score
TDLR-weighted math tells you exactly how ready you are. Updates after every session.
- Spaced repetition
Questions you missed come back at the right interval. SM-2 lite, calibrated for retention before test day.
- Mobile + desktop access
Practice on the truck, the bus, the couch. Works everywhere a browser does.
- Clear billing
Pro Monthly can be canceled from your account. Pro+ is one payment for 3 months and does not auto-renew.
Two plans. Pick the one that fits your test date.
Same full access on both. Check out right here, the diagnostic is always free.
Pro Monthly renews until canceled · Pro+ is one-time 3-month access
TDLR exam questions, answered
What's on the TDLR Journeyman electrician exam?
85 multiple-choice questions in two separately-scored parts since March 2025: NEC Knowledge (59 questions) and Calculations (26 questions). The Calculations part is where most candidates lose points, and it is now graded on its own. PSI grades it to TDLR's domain weighting.
How long is the TDLR exam and what's the passing score?
The exam is 240 minutes across two separately-timed parts (130 minutes for NEC Knowledge, 110 for Calculations) and you need 70% on each. It is open-book against the NEC 2023. You bring your own soft-bound NEC 2023. You can highlight and underline it ahead of time, but only permanent publisher index tabs are allowed. Homemade or stick-on tabs aren't allowed and the proctor can make you pull them. Verify the current rule with PSI before exam day.
How do I register for the TDLR Journeyman exam?
TDLR licenses Journeyman Electricians in Texas. After meeting the work-experience requirement (at least 8,000 hours under a Master Electrician), you submit an application to TDLR, pay the application fee, then schedule the exam through PSI Services. PSI publishes test centers across Texas.
How is JourneymanIQ different from Mike Holt or Tom Henry?
Mike Holt and Tom Henry sell static prep: videos, books, and timed tests that don't adapt to what you already know. JourneymanIQ tracks every question you answer and surfaces the topics you're weakest on. We also focus on the codebook-speed skill (finding rules fast) that decides exam day. Honest comparison: their materials are deeper if you're starting from zero. Our platform is sharper for the last 30 days before your test.
Can I bring an electronic codebook into the TDLR exam?
No. Texas exams require your own soft-bound printed copy of the NEC 2023. You can highlight and underline ahead of time, and permanent publisher index tabs are fine. Homemade tabs, sticky notes, loose pages, and loose-leaf, spiral, or ring-bound books are not. Confirm the current rule on the PSI candidate bulletin before your test date. Rules occasionally change.
How long should I study for the TDLR exam?
Most candidates need 30 to 60 days of focused prep. If you failed by a few points last time, 30 days is usually enough. If you're starting from your apprentice license with no recent code review, plan on 60. Our 30-day plan is built around 60 to 90 minutes per day.