Virginia journeyman electrician exam: what to expect
Virginia issues Journeyman and Master electrician licenses through the DPOR Board for Contractors' Tradesmen Program. The exam is a 70-question open-book PSI test on the 2020 NEC, and about 10 of the questions cover Virginia licensing regulations, not the code. We verified the current format, fees, and rules against DPOR, the live Virginia Administrative Code, and the PSI bulletin in July 2026. Full VA-specific practice content is on our roadmap; the verified exam intel is below.
Last reviewed July 2026
The short answer
The Virginia journeyman electrician exam is a 70-question PSI test with 210 minutes allowed and 49 correct (70 percent) to pass. It is open book with your own references, currently based on the 2020 NEC under the 2021 USBC, and about 10 questions cover Virginia licensing regulations rather than the code.
The exam at a glance
- Who runs it: PSI Services
- Questions: 70 questions (journeyman). 90 for master.
- Time: 210 minutes (journeyman). 270 for master.
- Passing score: 70 percent (49 of 70 for journeyman, 63 of 90 for master)
- References: Open book, bring your own references. Permanent tabs only, highlighting and indexing done before the exam, and references containing handwriting are rejected at the door.
- Code edition tested: 2020 NEC, under Virginia's 2021 USBC (the exam moved fully onto it in May 2025). Virginia has NOT adopted the 2023 NEC, so a 2023 code book has renumbered sections that can cost you points here.
- Exam fee: $100 journeyman exam fee to PSI per attempt, plus a $150 application and license fee to DPOR. Both nonrefundable.
- Retakes: No same-day rebooking, but you can often retest within two business days if seats exist. Full exam fee each attempt. No attempt limit published.
Virginia licensing authority
Virginia issues Journeyman and Master electrician licenses through the Board for Contractors. To run a business, the trade license must be combined with a Class A, B, or C Contractor license.
Authority: Virginia Board for Contractors (Tradesmen Program), DPOR
Official site: https://www.dpor.virginia.gov/Boards/Tradesmen
License types issued
Virginia issues the following electrician license classifications:
- Electrical Tradesman (Journeyman)
- Master Electrician
- Class A, B, or C Contractor (combined with trade license for active contracting)
Hour requirement
Journeyman requires 4 years of practical experience and 240 hours of formal classroom instruction. Master requires 1 year as a Journeyman plus exam.
Hour requirements typically combine on-the-job experience under a licensed electrician with classroom or related supplemental instruction. Confirm exact totals and qualifying-experience rules with the Virginia Board for Contractors (Tradesmen Program) before submitting an application — requirements occasionally change.
Code edition
Virginia adopts the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code (USBC), which adopts NEC with VA amendments. Verify the current adopted edition with the Board.
What trips candidates up
- About 10 of the 70 journeyman questions are Virginia licensing regulation questions (18VAC50-30), not NEC. Study the regs, not just the code book.
- Seven qualification paths exist, from 240 vocational hours plus 4 years of experience down to 8 years of experience with no formal training.
- Two-step process: DPOR approval first ($150), then PSI scheduling ($100). You cannot just book a test.
- A tradesman license is not a contractor license. Any job over $1,000 also needs a Virginia contractor license from the same board.
- DPOR's own instructions PDF still shows the old 10-year experience path. The live regulation cut it to 8 years in 2025. Trust the Virginia Administrative Code, not the PDF.
Official sources
Facts on this page were last reviewed July 2026 against these primary sources. Rules change; when in doubt, the state’s page wins.
Frequently asked questions
How many questions is the Virginia journeyman electrician exam?
70 questions with 210 minutes allowed. You need 49 correct, which is 70 percent. The master exam is 90 questions in 270 minutes with 63 correct to pass.
Is the Virginia electrician exam open book?
Yes, and you bring your own references. Tabs must be permanent, highlighting and indexing must be done in advance, and books with handwritten notes get rejected. Test centers issue an LCD tablet for scratch work.
What NEC edition does Virginia test?
The 2020 NEC, under the 2021 Virginia USBC. Virginia has not adopted the 2023 NEC. Articles 220 and 310 were renumbered after 2017, so bring the right edition or the table numbers will not match.
How much experience do you need for a Virginia journeyman license?
It slides with your education: 240 hours of vocational training plus 4 years of experience, 160 hours plus 5 years, 80 hours plus 6 years, 40 hours plus 7 years, or 8 years with no formal training. A completed registered apprenticeship also qualifies.
What is the Virginia electrician exam pass rate?
Virginia does not publish pass rates. Neither DPOR nor PSI releases official statistics for the tradesman exams, so any number you see elsewhere is a guess.
What you can do now while we build VA content
Even though we don’t yet have Virginia-specific practice questions, the underlying NEC concepts our diagnostic measures are universal. Voltage drop, conduit fill, motor sizing, grounding electrode systems, GFCI/AFCI requirements — these are tested on every state’s electrician exam regardless of jurisdiction.
Three things you can do today (free)
- Take the free diagnostic. 15 questions across the core NEC domains. 90 seconds. No signup. Tells you which topics will lose you points if you walked into any state electrician exam this week. Take it →
- Read our pass-rate analysis. Verified TDLR FY2025 pass rate (27.52%) and California 2022 figures. Useful context whether you’re sitting for Virginia or another state. See the stats →
- Drill the topics that decide most exams. Grounding vs bonding (Article 250), voltage drop calculation, conduit fill, motor sizing, GFCI/AFCI requirements, the wave-pass open-book strategy. All resource pages are free. Browse resources →
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Drop your email and we’ll let you know when VA-specific practice questions and drills are live. We use waitlist demand to prioritize which state we ship next, so signing up genuinely moves Virginia up our queue.
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