NECPracticeTest

Free NEC practice questions,
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Exam-style questions for journeyman electrician prep, aligned to the 2023 National Electrical Code®. Every question below is cross-verified against the code text by working electricians, with the article reference to prove it.

Try ten. See where you stand.

Question 1 · Branch Circuits & Feeders · moderate

A branch circuit supplies a continuous load of 20 amperes and a noncontinuous load of 8 amperes. Using standard overcurrent device sizes, what is the minimum OCPD rating permitted?

NEC 2023 210.20(A) — 210.20(A): 8 + (20 x 1.25) = 33 A. The next standard size in 240.6(A) at or above 33 A is 35 A. Choice C ignores the 125 percent factor; choice A drops the noncontinuous load.

Question 2 · Equipment for General Use · moderate

An electrician runs a stairwell light controlled from top and bottom using three-way switches. To comply with the Code, the switching contacts must make and break which conductor of the circuit?

NEC 2023 404.2(A) — 404.2(A) requires that switching for three-way and four-way switches be arranged so that all switching is done only in the ungrounded circuit conductor.

Question 3 · General Theory & Definitions · moderate

A panelboard operating at 120 volts to ground is mounted on a concrete wall with no live or grounded parts on the opposite side of the working space (Condition 1). What minimum depth of clear working space is required in front of it?

NEC 2023 Table 110.26(A)(1) — Per Table 110.26(A)(1), for equipment at 0-150 volts to ground the working-space depth is 3 ft (900 mm) for all three conditions. The 3 1/2 ft and 4 ft values apply to higher voltage ranges; 30 in. is the required width, not depth.

Question 4 · Grounding & Bonding · moderate

A 400 A service has a single made ground rod as its only grounding electrode. That rod is the sole connection to earth. What is the largest copper GEC size the Code requires you to run to that rod?

NEC 2023 250.66(A) — Where the GEC connects only to a rod, pipe, or plate electrode, that portion is not required to be larger than 6 AWG copper, regardless of what Table 250.66 would otherwise require for a 400 A service. Missing this allowance leads to oversizing per the base table.

Question 5 · Overcurrent Protection · moderate

A feeder is made up of conductors with an allowable ampacity of 115 A. The circuit does not supply receptacles for cord-and-plug portable loads, and 115 A is not a standard device rating. Applying the next-higher-standard allowance, what is the largest overcurrent device permitted?

NEC 2023 240.4(B) — Because 115 A falls between the standard ratings 110 and 125 and the 240.4(B) conditions are met, the next higher standard rating, 125 A, may be used.

Question 6 · Services · moderate

What is the maximum number of service disconnecting means permitted for a single service?

NEC 2023 230.71(A) — 230.71(A) permits no more than six service disconnecting means for each service. In the 2023 NEC each of the two to six disconnects must be in a separate enclosure per 230.71(B).

Question 7 · Special Equipment & Conditions · moderate

A permanently installed pool at a dwelling unit requires at least one 125-volt, 15- or 20-ampere general-purpose receptacle. Measured from the inside wall of the pool, within what distance range must this required receptacle be located?

NEC 2023 680.22(A)(1) — 680.22(A)(1) requires at least one 125V, 15/20A general-purpose receptacle located not less than 6 ft and not more than 20 ft from the inside wall of the pool. The other ranges alter one or both bounds.

Question 8 · Special Occupancies · moderate

In a major repair garage floor area that is not provided with the required mechanical ventilation, the space is classified as Class I, Division 2. Up to what height above the floor does that classified zone extend?

NEC 2023 Table 511.3(C) — For unventilated major repair garage floor areas, Table 511.3(C) classifies the space from the floor up to 18 in. above the floor as Class I, Division 2, because flammable vapors are heavier than air and settle low.

Question 9 · Wiring Methods & Materials · moderate

Six current-carrying conductors are installed in a single raceway for more than 24 in. What adjustment factor must be applied to their allowable ampacity per Table 310.15(C)(1)?

NEC 2023 Table 310.15(C)(1) — Table 310.15(C)(1): 4-6 current-carrying conductors require an 80% adjustment. 70% applies to 7-9 conductors and 50% to 10-20.

Question 10 · Wiring Methods & Materials · difficult

Where a cabinet or cutout box is used as a raceway (conductors feeding through with splices and taps), the conductors plus all splices and taps together must not fill more than what percentage of the cross-sectional area at that point?

NEC 2023 312.8(A) — 312.8(A): conductors, splices, and taps within a cabinet or cutout box used as a raceway must not exceed 75% of the cross-sectional area of the space, while the conductors alone must not exceed 40%. The 40% distractor is the conductors-only limit.

Study guides

How to Study for the Journeyman Exam

The nine topic areas the exam draws from, and why code navigation beats memorization.

Grounding & Bonding: The Rules Everyone Mixes Up

Ground rods, the 25-ohm rule, and the GEC sizing allowance that trips up oversizers.

Overcurrent Protection: The Rules the Exam Loves

Small-conductor caps, the next-size-up allowance, and the 125% continuous-load factor.

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