How the Journeyman Exam Is Scored and Timed

Every state sets its own journeyman electrician exam, so there is no single answer to how many questions, how long, or what score you need. What you can do is know exactly where to find those facts for your state and plan your time around them. This guide shows what to look for, with two state examples taken from official pages, and a time plan for the calculations section.

What to look up for your state

Before you study a single formula, find your state licensing board's exam page and the candidate information bulletin it links to. Write down:

1. Number of questions, and how many are unscored (pretest) items.
2. Time allowed, and whether the exam is split into separately timed parts.
3. Passing score, and whether each part must be passed on its own.
4. Code edition the exam is based on. This is not always the newest NEC.
5. Allowed references: which books, which bindings, and whether tabs or highlighting are allowed.
6. Calculator rules: what kind of calculator you may bring, or whether one is provided.
7. Content outline: the topics and how many items each one has.
8. Retake rules: waiting periods and fees if you need another attempt.

Example: Texas

The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) exam page and the candidate information bulletin it links to state the following for the Journeyman Electrician exam, as of October 2026:

• Since March 11, 2025, the exam has two separate parts, and each one must be passed separately.
• The exam is open book. The allowed reference is the NEC, 2026 Edition, which applies starting September 1, 2026.
• Candidates bring their own soft-bound copy. Loose-leaf, spiral-bound and ring-bound copies are not allowed, and the book may not be marked during the exam.

The bulletin also breaks down the calculations portion by subject. Its item counts include branch-circuit calculations and conductors (4), services and separately derived systems (4), feeders (3), special occupancies and conditions (3), and smaller counts for theory, wiring methods, equipment, motors and generators, control devices, and renewable energy. In other words, the calculations portion is spread across many areas, not just one or two formulas.

Source: TDLR electrician examination page and the candidate information bulletin linked there.

What the Texas numbers mean in practice

If the score is the share of the 24 scored calculation items you answer correctly, 70% means at least 17 correct: 17 / 24 = 70.8%, while 16 / 24 = 66.7%. You do not know which two items are unscored, so treat every question as if it counts.

Example: Wisconsin residential journeyman

The Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services exam page for the Residential Journeyman Electrician credential states, as of October 2026, that the exam is open book and the passing score is 70%. The same page lists the reference items allowed into the exam, and the code book listed there is the 2017 NEC or Handbook. That is a good example of why you check the edition: a state can test on an older edition than the newest one published.

Source: Wisconsin DSPS residential journeyman electrician exam page.

A time plan for a calculations section

Using the Texas calculations portion as the model (26 items, 110 minutes), here is one way to split the time. Adjust the numbers to your own exam.

The point of two passes is simple: a hard load calculation is worth the same as a quick Ohm's law question. Do not let one long problem eat the time for three short ones.

Open book does not mean easy

An open book exam tests how fast you can find things, not whether you have memorized them. With about four minutes per calculation item, you do not have time to search the index for every table. Before the exam, practice until you can open these without searching:

• Table 310.16 (ampacity) and the correction and adjustment tables next to it
• Chapter 9, Tables 1, 4, 5 and 8 (conduit fill and conductor properties)
• Table 314.16(A) and (B) (box fill)
• Tables 430.248, 430.250 and 430.52 (motors)
• Table 450.3(B) (transformer protection)
• The load calculation article: Article 220 in NEC 2020 and 2023, Article 120 in NEC 2026

If your state allows permanent tabs, tab these. If it does not allow tabs or marking, learn the page ranges by heart. The Texas bulletin, for example, does not allow the book to be marked during the exam, so read the rules for your state before you prepare your book.

Guessing

Check your bulletin for any penalty for wrong answers. If it describes the score only as the percentage of items answered correctly, a blank answer cannot score better than a guess, so answer every item before time runs out. Eliminate the answers you know are wrong first: on calculation questions, a wrong choice can match the result of a common setup mistake, like using round-trip length in a voltage drop problem. If your answer matches a choice, it is not proof you set the problem up right.

How to use this in your study plan

1. Get your state's bulletin and write down the eight facts listed at the top of this page.
2. Buy the code edition your exam uses, in an allowed binding.
3. Practice calculations under a timer set to your exam's minutes per item.
4. Review the common calculation mistakes so you recognize the trap answers.

For timed practice on one of the most common calculation types, use the voltage drop calculator to check your work, and get 5 worked problems in your inbox.