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How to pass the Texas journeyman electrician exam

By TradePass · Updated September 26, 2026 · Written to NEC 2026

1. Check you are eligible

To sit the Texas journeyman electrician exam you need at least 7,000 hours of on-the-job training under the supervision of a master electrician licensed in Texas. The license itself requires 8,000 hours, so Texas lets you take the exam before you have finished your hours.

Your hours are documented on TDLR's Experience Verification Form, signed by each master electrician who supervised you. If you worked under more than one master, you need a signature from each. TDLR may contact them to check.

Testing early is common. In the first quarter of 2026 alone, candidates testing at the 7,000-hour mark sat the exam 674 times.

2. Apply to TDLR

1. Collect signed Experience Verification Forms from every master electrician who supervised your hours.
2. Complete the Journeyman Electrician License Application.
3. Send it to TDLR with the $30 application fee, which is non-refundable.
4. Wait for TDLR to verify it and notify you that you are approved to test.

The clock starts when TDLR receives your application. You have one year from that date to meet every requirement, including passing the exam. Plan your study so you are ready well inside that window, not scrambling at the end of it.

3. Book your exam with PSI

Once approved, you schedule through PSI, online or by phone at (833) 333-4741. The name you book under must match TDLR's records exactly, and it has to match your ID on the day.

• Exam fee: $78 in PSI's bulletin at the time of writing, paid again for each retake.
• Changing your date: cancel or reschedule at least 2 days ahead, through the PSI website or by phone. A voicemail or email does not count. Miss that window or do not show up and you lose the fee.
• ID: a valid government-issued photo ID with your signature and date of birth (driver's license, state ID or passport).

4. What is on the exam

Since March 11, 2025, the Texas journeyman exam has been split into two parts, each timed and graded on its own. You need 70% on each portion. A great knowledge score does not rescue a weak calculations score.

Time does not carry over. If you finish the knowledge portion early, the spare minutes do not move to calculations. Use leftover time to re-check flagged questions in the portion you are in.

Not every question counts. TDLR's reporting scores 80 of the 85 questions. The rest are unscored trial questions, and there is no way to tell which is which, so treat every question as if it counts.

Two rules from the bulletin decide a lot of answers:

• Unless a question says otherwise, conductors are copper.
• Do not apply code exceptions or optional calculation methods unless the question tells you to. If you catch yourself reaching for an exception, re-read the question.

Calculator: basic (non-programmable) calculator allowed. The bulletin's hardware rules are strict: silent, battery-powered, no paper tape and no alphabet keys. A basic model you have practiced with is the safe choice.

5. Where candidates lose points: TDLR's numbers

TDLR reports exam results to its advisory board, and the figures show where candidates struggle. From the board's May 2026 staff report, for candidates testing at the 7,000-hour mark between January 1 and March 31, 2026:

That last figure is the one to take seriously. Fewer than one retake in five passed. And almost three quarters of the 674 attempts that quarter were retakes. Walking in ready the first time is the cheapest way through.

The same report breaks first-time scores down by portion. The average first-time candidate scored about 34 of 56 scored knowledge questions (61%) and about 13 of 24 scored calculation questions (55%). Both are under the 70% line. The gap is not huge, roughly six more knowledge questions and four more calculation questions, but calculations is the bigger shortfall.

By topic, feeders were the weakest multi-question area in both portions, and services sat below the average in both. Those two, plus the load calculations that feed them, are the best return on your study hours.

These results are from the exam referenced to NEC 2023. For the September 1, 2026 switch to NEC 2026, TDLR's review covered 1,361 existing questions across the Texas electrician exams: 94 were edited, 23 deleted and 15 new ones written. Most of the question pool carried over, so the pattern above is a sound guide to the current exam.

6. Your code book: what is allowed

The exam is open book, and you must bring your own copy of NEC 2026. Per TDLR and the PSI bulletin:

Allowed

• Any soft-bound edition of the NEC (questions are based on the edition TDLR has adopted, so bring that one).
• Highlighting, underlining and notes written in the book before the exam.
• Permanent index tabs made or supplied by the NEC book publisher.

Not allowed

• Spiral-bound, ring-bound or loose-leaf copies.
• Homemade, DIY or third-party tabs.
• Writing, highlighting or marking the book during the exam.
• Any loose or attached extra paper: sticky notes, taped-in sheets, stapled pages.
• The NEC Handbook.

If your book does not comply, you choose on the spot: test without it, remove the offending tabs, or forfeit your fee and come back another day. Check your book the week before, not the morning of.

7. Find answers in NEC 2026 fast

An open-book exam rewards people who know where things are, not people who have memorized them. At about 2.2 minutes per knowledge question, you cannot read your way to every answer. Two habits make the difference:

1. Go to the index first. Look up the key noun in the question (the equipment, the location, the condition), not the verb. The index usually gets you to the right section faster than flipping through chapters.
2. Know the handful of articles that carry most of the exam well enough to open the book near the right page without the index.

The articles to know cold

Studying from older material? The Article 220 to Article 120 move is the change most likely to cost you time. If a practice question or study guide cites "220.x" for a load calculation, it was written for NEC 2023. The rule may be the same, but you will be looking in the wrong place on exam day. Watch for renumbered sections in Articles 215 and 230 too, where an old section number can now point to a different rule.

8. A six-week study plan

Most candidates are studying around full-time work, so this assumes about an hour on weekdays and a longer block at the weekend.

1. Week 1: find your gaps. Take a diagnostic across the full outline before you study anything. Your weakest two topics set the plan for the next four weeks.
2. Week 2: learn the book. Practice finding sections from the index against a timer. Highlight and annotate now; you cannot do it on the day. Put in publisher tabs if you are using them.
3. Weeks 3 and 4: calculations every day. Dwelling and non-dwelling service loads in Article 120, feeder and branch-circuit sizing, motor circuits in Article 430, and voltage drop. Work each one step by step until the method is automatic, then do it against the clock.
4. Week 5: full timed simulations. Sit each portion at its real length: 59 questions in 130 minutes, then 26 in 110. No looking at answers until the end. Review every miss, including the lucky guesses.
5. Week 6: fix and rest. Go back to whatever is still under 70% (for most people that is feeders, services or motor calculations). Take one last simulation early in the week, then ease off before test day.

If your first diagnostic comes back well above 70% on both portions, compress the plan. If it comes back well below, stretch weeks 3 and 4 rather than booking early and adding to the retake statistics.

9. Test day checklist

• Arrive 30 minutes early. If you arrive after the start time you will not be admitted, and you lose the fee.
• Bring a government-issued photo ID with your signature and date of birth, in the exact name TDLR has on file.
• Bring your soft-bound NEC 2026: pre-marked if you like, publisher tabs only, nothing loose inside.
• Bring a silent, battery-powered, non-programmable calculator with no alphabet keys.
• Phones, watches, bags and notes go in the locker provided. Nothing else comes into the room.
• Pace yourself: about 2.2 minutes a question in knowledge and about 4.2 in calculations. Flag anything slow and come back to it.

Frequently asked questions

How many hours do I need to take the Texas journeyman electrician exam?

You can apply and test once you have at least 7,000 hours of on-the-job training under the supervision of a Texas-licensed master electrician. The journeyman license itself requires 8,000 hours.

How many questions are on the Texas journeyman electrician exam?

There are 85 questions in two separately timed portions: NEC Knowledge (59 questions, 130 minutes) and Calculations (26 questions, 110 minutes). A few are unscored trial questions, and you will not know which ones.

What score do I need to pass?

You need 70% on the NEC Knowledge portion and 70% on the Calculations portion. Each portion is graded on its own, so a strong score on one does not make up for a weak score on the other.

Is the Texas journeyman electrician exam open book?

Yes. You bring your own soft-bound copy of NEC 2026. Spiral-bound, ring-bound and loose-leaf copies are not allowed, and neither is the NEC Handbook.

Which NEC edition is the Texas exam based on?

Texas exams taken on or after September 1, 2026 are referenced to the 2026 NEC. One change catches people out: the load calculation rules that were in Article 220 are in Article 120 in the 2026 edition.

Can I use tabs and highlighting in my code book?

Under the PSI bulletin, you can highlight, underline and write notes in your book before the exam, and you can use permanent index tabs made or supplied by the NEC book publisher. Homemade tabs are not allowed, and you cannot mark the book during the exam.

How much does the Texas journeyman electrician exam cost?

At the time of writing, TDLR charges a $30 application fee and PSI's bulletin lists a $78 exam fee. You pay the exam fee again for each retake.

What happens if I fail?

You can retake the exam as many times as you need, paying the exam fee each time, but you have one year from the date TDLR received your application to meet every requirement, including passing.

Sources

• TDLR, Journeyman Electrician license application requirements (read September 2026)
• TDLR, Electrician examination information (read September 2026)
• PSI, Electrician Candidate Information Bulletin. Check for the newest version before you test.
• TDLR Electrical Safety and Licensing Advisory Board, staff reports, May 12, 2026 meeting (pass rates, topic scores, NEC 2026 question review)
• NFPA 70, National Electrical Code, 2026 edition (article locations)