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California General Electrician Practice Test (2026)

This free California General Electrician certification practice exam covers the state DLSE test: 100 questions, 70% to pass, with questions referenced directly to the National Electrical Code (NEC).

  • 100 multiple-choice questions
  • 70% to pass
  • 4.5-hour limit
  • supplied electronic references
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  • No signup to start
  • Every answer includes a source note
  • Updated November 6, 2026
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A real California General Electrician question

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  • 20 free questions like this one
  • An explanation and a source note on every answer
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Load calculationsTry a real question

A dwelling unit has a 240-volt, 12-kW electric range. Using the standard calculation method, what is the demand load for the range?

The real test at a glance

How many questions are on the California General Electrician test, and what score passes?

The California General Electrician test has 100 questions. You need 70 correct (70%) to pass, so you can miss 30 questions. The time limit is 270 minutes.

Official format

Need 70 of 100You can miss 30

Questions written from the CA DLSE General Electrician content outline and verified against NEC 2023. Published California General Electrician threshold; confirm the current candidate bulletin before test day.

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What the real exam covers

The 10 areas of the CA General Electrician and their weights

Share of scored questions per area, from the California DLSE blueprint (General Electrician (California DLSE, 100 questions)). All 300 questions in this bank are filed under these areas.

  • Safety6% of the exam
  • Maintenance and repair6% of the exam
  • Grounding and bonding9% of the exam
  • Motors7% of the exam
  • Overcurrent protection6% of the exam
  • Conductor sizing, feeders and branch circuits9% of the exam
  • Service sizing3% of the exam
  • Box and conduit sizing7% of the exam
  • Electrical theory and calculations5% of the exam
  • Wiring methods, equipment and devices42% of the exam

Source: California DLSE Electrician Certification Unit, General Electrician content outline, checked October 14, 2026.

Full topic blueprint and drills

California DLSE & NEC 2023 Blueprint

Ohm’s Law, Power Wheel & NEC Conductor Reference

Fundamental electrical formulas, power calculations, and National Electrical Code conductor sizing tested on the California General Electrician certification exam.

Ohm’s Law Matrix
V = I × R

I = V / R (Current in Amps) · R = V / I (Resistance in Ohms). Core relation for DC and pure resistive AC circuits.

Electric Power (Watts)
P = V × I

Joule’s Law: P = I² × R · P = V² / R. Power dissipated as heat increases with current squared.

3-Phase Real Power
P = √3 × V × I × PF

Multiply Line-to-Line voltage by √3 (≈ 1.732) and Power Factor (cos θ) for balanced 208V and 480V three-phase systems.

Continuous Load Multiplier
Breaker ≥ 125% Load

(NEC 210.20(A)) Any load running continuously for 3+ hours requires overcurrent protection rated for 100% noncontinuous + 125% continuous load.

Standard Copper Branch Conductors & Box Fill (NEC 240.4(D) & Table 314.16(A))

AWG SizeMax Overcurrent (OCPD)Box Fill per WireStandard Application
14 AWG Copper15 Amperes2.00 cu inResidential lighting & 15A general receptacle circuits
12 AWG Copper20 Amperes2.25 cu inSmall appliance, kitchen, bathroom & laundry branch circuits
10 AWG Copper30 Amperes2.50 cu inElectric water heaters, clothes dryers & dedicated AC condensers
8 AWG Copper40 – 50 Amperes2.75 cu inElectric cooktops, subpanel feeders & heavy machinery

From the question bank

Try 3 more real questions

Tap an answer to check it. Every explanation cites the official source.

  1. Q1Wiring methods

    An electrician is running wiring through a commercial hallway ceiling with exposed pendant lighting. Which raceway is the most practical choice for this exposed application?

    Tap an answer to check it

  2. Q2Grounding and bonding

    A new residential service is being installed. What is the minimum size copper grounding electrode conductor required for a 200-amp service?

    Tap an answer to check it

  3. Q3Boxes and conduit

    During rough-in inspection, an inspector checks a box holding six 12 AWG insulated conductors, two 12 AWG pigtails that stay inside the box, internal cable clamps and one receptacle. What is the minimum box volume required?

    Tap an answer to check it

0 / 3 right · 3 to goKeep going: 20 free questions Read them all with answers

Study plan

How to pass the California General Electrician

Learn each domain, drill until it’s automatic, then prove it in a timed mock exam.

  1. Step 1

    Installation is 66% — wiring methods, grounding, boxes/conduit, conductor sizing

  2. Step 2

    System Requirements (22%): load calculations, service sizing, voltage drop formulas

  3. Step 3

    NEC Articles 210-250, 300-314, 430, 440 are the most tested — know them cold

  4. Step 4

    Safety (6%) and Maintenance (6%) are small but easy points — lockout/tagout, testing procedures

  5. Test day

    Book the real test once you clear the pass mark comfortably, twice in a row.

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Questions are mixed by the weights California DLSE publishes, so the topics match how the exam is built.

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Time limit
270 min
Pass mark
70%

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Published California General Electrician threshold; confirm the current candidate bulletin before test day.

Free study kit

Everything free for the California General Electrician test

Electrician's bench with a multimeter, wire, screwdrivers, a hard hat and a breaker panel

11 min read

California General Electrician Exam 2026: Format, Open-Book Rules, and the NEC Tables You Must Know

Open electrical code book with a tape measure, conduit and copper wire on a bench

11 min read

Electrician Exam Calculations: 12 Worked NEC 2023 Problems — Ampacity, Derating, Box and Conduit Fill, Voltage Drop, Motors and Dwelling Loads

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10 min read

How to Navigate the NEC in Under a Minute: The Chapter Map, the Numbering Logic, and the 40 Most-Tested Sections on the Electrician Exam

About these questions

How we check these questions

  1. Written from the source. Every question is our own wording of a fact in the California Electrician Certification Examination & NEC NFPA 70, never copied from a real exam.
  2. Checked against its section. Each answer names the section it comes from, and the answer is checked against that text. Anything we cannot confirm there is not published.
  3. Machine checks on the whole bank. Validators look for duplicates, missing explanations and missing sources.
  4. Re-checked on changes. When California DLSE revises the source, the bank is audited again. Last update: November 6, 2026.

Questions written from the CA DLSE General Electrician content outline and verified against NEC 2023. Spot an error? Email [email protected] with the question; we check it against the source and fix confirmed errors. Editorial policy.

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Good to know

California General Electrician FAQ

The exam consists of 100 multiple-choice questions with a 4.5-hour time limit administered by PSI on behalf of the California DLSE/DIR. You need 70% (70/100 correct) to pass.

Yes. The California General Electrician exam is an open-book test based on the 2023 National Electrical Code (NEC). PSI provides an electronic reference copy of the code on the computer workstation.

Wiring methods (NEC Chapter 3), equipment for general use (NEC Chapter 4), branch circuits and feeders (NEC Articles 210 and 215), and grounding and bonding (NEC Article 250) account for the majority of the exam questions.

If you do not pass, you must wait 60 days before you can retake the examination and submit a retest fee to PSI/DIR.

Yes. Open the exam simulator and sit a timed mock exam of 20 questions built from the free questions, once, with no signup. Unlocking the exam adds full-length runs of 100 questions in 270 minutes (the published time limit), as many as you like, each a new draw from the whole bank.

It splits the questions across the exam's areas using the weights California DLSE publishes, then picks questions inside each area, favouring ones you missed before and never repeating one within a run. A retake is a new draw, so you will meet different questions. It is a practice mock exam, not an official replica of the real exam.

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