What the Exam Is
In California, anyone who does electrical work for a C-10 electrical contractor must be certified by the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE). The General Electrician certification — what most people mean by the California journeyman exam — is the broadest category and the one this guide covers. You apply to DLSE with proof of your on-the-job hours, and once approved you have one year to sit the exam, which is delivered at Pearson VUE testing centers under a contract with CPS HR Consulting.
It is an open-book exam, but that phrase misleads more candidates than it helps. You get 100 questions in four and a half hours — 2.7 minutes each — with the code available only as an on-screen electronic reference. Nobody passes by looking everything up. You pass by knowing where the answer lives and what it roughly is, then confirming it. This guide gives you the format, the weights, and the tables to know cold. The free electrician practice questions are written to the same content outline.
Exam Format
| Item | California General Electrician exam |
|---|---|
| Questions | 100 multiple choice, four options |
| Time | 4 hours 30 minutes |
| Passing score | 70% |
| Score report | Immediately at the testing center; it serves as proof of certification until the card arrives (about two weeks) |
| Open book references | NFPA 70 National Electrical Code, 2023 edition · NFPA 70E, 2024 edition · Cal/OSHA Pocket Guide for the Construction Industry (2022) — all provided electronically on screen |
| Your own materials | Not allowed. No books, notes, tabs, pens or calculators; an online calculator is provided |
| If you fail | Wait 60 days, submit a re-test application and pay the exam fee again |
| First-time pass rate | About 51% (DLSE, 2023) |
What Is on It: The Four Content Areas
The Candidate Information Bulletin publishes the weight of each subject area. The bulletin also notes the exam may include questions on general trade knowledge and industry practice that are not tied to a code section.
| Subject area | Share | What it means in practice |
|---|---|---|
| Installation | 66% | Wiring methods and materials, conductor sizing and ampacity, overcurrent protection, grounding and bonding, boxes and raceways, motors and controls, special equipment and occupancies |
| Determination of Electrical System Requirements | 22% | Load calculations (dwelling and commercial), service and feeder sizing, voltage drop, demand factors, reading plans and specifications |
| Safety | 6% | NFPA 70E — approach boundaries, lockout/tagout, PPE — and Cal/OSHA construction rules |
| Maintenance and Repair | 6% | Testing, troubleshooting, replacing and maintaining equipment; insulation resistance, meter use |
Two-thirds of the exam is Installation, and within Installation the questions cluster on a handful of NEC articles: 210 (branch circuits), 220 (calculations), 240 (overcurrent), 250 (grounding and bonding), 300–314 (wiring methods, boxes), 310 (conductors), 430 (motors) and Chapter 9 tables. That is where the next section goes.
The NEC 2023 Tables the Exam Leans On
These are the values our question bank is built around and the ones that decide most sizing questions. Memorise the pattern, then confirm in the on-screen code on exam day — the exam uses the 2023 edition, and you should always verify against it.
Conductor ampacity — Table 310.16, copper, 75°C column
Most terminations are rated 75°C, so the 75°C column is the working column for sizing.
| Copper AWG / kcmil | Ampacity at 75°C |
|---|---|
| 14 | 20 A (limited to 15 A by 240.4(D)) |
| 12 | 25 A (limited to 20 A by 240.4(D)) |
| 10 | 35 A (limited to 30 A by 240.4(D)) |
| 8 | 50 A |
| 6 | 65 A |
| 4 | 85 A |
| 3 | 100 A |
| 2 | 115 A |
| 1 | 130 A |
| 1/0 | 150 A |
| 2/0 | 175 A |
| 3/0 | 200 A |
| 4/0 | 230 A |
Continuous loads — 210.19(A)(1) and 210.20(A)
Conductors and overcurrent devices for a continuous load (three hours or more) are sized at 125% of the continuous load plus 100% of the non-continuous load. A 32 A continuous load needs 40 A conductors and a 40 A breaker.
Grounding electrode conductor — Table 250.66 (copper service conductors → copper GEC)
| Largest ungrounded service conductor | Copper GEC |
|---|---|
| 2 AWG or smaller | 8 AWG |
| 1 or 1/0 AWG | 6 AWG |
| 2/0 or 3/0 AWG | 4 AWG |
| Over 3/0 through 350 kcmil | 2 AWG |
| Over 350 through 600 kcmil | 1/0 AWG |
Remember the exception that lets a GEC to a rod, pipe or plate electrode stop at 6 AWG copper (250.66(A)), which is why "6 AWG" is a frequent right answer for rod connections regardless of service size.
Equipment grounding conductor — Table 250.122 (copper)
| Overcurrent device rating | Copper EGC |
|---|---|
| 15 A | 14 AWG |
| 20 A | 12 AWG |
| 30–60 A | 10 AWG |
| 70–100 A | 8 AWG |
| 110–200 A | 6 AWG |
| 225–300 A | 4 AWG |
| 350–400 A | 3 AWG |
Dwelling load calculations — Article 220
- General lighting: 3 VA per square foot of dwelling floor area (Table 220.12).
- Small-appliance and laundry circuits: 1,500 VA each; at least two small-appliance circuits and one laundry circuit (220.52).
- General demand (standard method): first 3,000 VA at 100%, 3,001–120,000 VA at 35%, remainder at 25% (the lighting-load demand table in Article 220 — Table 220.45 in the 2023 edition, 220.42 in earlier editions).
- Electric range: one range rated 12 kW or less is calculated at 8 kW (Table 220.55, Column C); add 5% for each kW over 12.
- Dryers: 5,000 W or the nameplate rating, whichever is larger (220.54).
Boxes and raceways
- Box fill volume per conductor (Table 314.16(B)): 14 AWG 2.00 in³ · 12 AWG 2.25 in³ · 10 AWG 2.50 in³ · 8 AWG 3.00 in³ · 6 AWG 5.00 in³. Count all equipment grounding conductors together as one, each internal clamp set as one, and each device yoke as two, based on the largest conductor connected to it.
- Conduit fill (Chapter 9, Table 1): one conductor 53% · two conductors 31% · three or more 40%. Use the Chapter 9 Annex C tables for the exact conductor count per raceway size and type.
- Ampacity adjustment (Table 310.15(C)(1)): more than three current-carrying conductors in a raceway or cable: 4–6 conductors 80%, 7–9 conductors 70%, 10–20 conductors 50%.
Motors — Article 430
- Branch-circuit conductors: 125% of the motor's full-load current from the Article 430 tables, not the nameplate (430.22).
- Inverse-time breaker for short-circuit and ground-fault protection: up to 250% of full-load current (Table 430.52); non-time-delay fuse 300%, dual-element fuse 175%.
Grounding electrodes and working space
- A single rod, pipe or plate electrode must be supplemented by a second electrode unless it measures 25 ohms or less to earth (250.53(A)(2)).
- Working space in front of equipment operating at 0–150 V to ground: 3 ft deep, 30 in wide (or the equipment width, if greater), 6½ ft high (110.26(A)).
Dwelling branch circuits — Article 210
- Receptacle spacing: no point along a wall more than 6 ft from a receptacle, i.e. at least one every 12 ft, and any wall space 2 ft or wider gets one (210.52(A)).
- Kitchen countertop receptacles: within 24 in of every point, so no more than 4 ft apart (210.52(C)).
- Required 20 A circuits: two small-appliance, one laundry, one bathroom (210.11(C)).
- Voltage drop: the informational notes recommend no more than 3% on a branch circuit and 5% total from service to outlet.
How to Prepare in Six Weeks
- Weeks 1–2 — Installation core. Articles 210, 240, 250, 300–314 and 310. Work every sizing table above until you can state the value before you look it up. Drill our conductor sizing, grounding and boxes/conduit topics until each clears 80%.
- Week 3 — Calculations. Article 220 dwelling and commercial calculations, service sizing, voltage drop. Do the arithmetic by hand with the on-screen-style calculator; the exam will not let you bring your own.
- Week 4 — Motors, special equipment, Chapter 9. Article 430 tables, transformers (450), swimming pools (680), conduit fill from Annex C.
- Week 5 — Safety and maintenance. NFPA 70E boundaries and PPE categories, Cal/OSHA construction rules, insulation testing and troubleshooting. Only 12% of the exam, but easy points.
- Week 6 — Timed 100-question simulators. Practise the open-book rhythm: answer from memory, flag anything you would look up, then do the lookups in a batch. Two simulators at 80%+ means you are ready.
If You Do Not Pass
You must wait 60 days from your exam date, file the re-test application and pay the fee again; your DLSE eligibility does not have to be re-established unless it has expired. Use the score report: it tells you which of the four areas you were weak in. Because Installation is two-thirds of the exam, a fail almost always means a table-lookup problem — too slow, or the wrong column — rather than a knowledge gap in the small areas.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many questions are on the California journeyman electrician exam?
100 multiple-choice questions in 4 hours 30 minutes. The General Electrician exam is scored at 70% to pass, and your score report is given to you at the testing center.
Is the California electrician exam open book?
Yes, but only with references provided on screen at the testing center: the 2023 NEC, NFPA 70E (2024) and the Cal/OSHA construction pocket guide. You may not bring your own code book, notes, tabs or calculator; an online calculator is supplied.
Which NEC edition does the exam use?
The 2023 edition of NFPA 70, per the 2026 Candidate Information Bulletin. Study from the 2023 book even if your job site still works to an older adopted edition.
What is on the General Electrician exam?
Installation 66%, Determination of Electrical System Requirements 22%, Safety 6%, Maintenance and Repair 6%, plus general trade-knowledge questions. In practice that means NEC Articles 210, 220, 240, 250, 300–314, 310, 430 and the Chapter 9 tables.
What is the pass rate?
DLSE reported a first-time pass rate of about 51% for 2023, from roughly 4,150 attempts. Most failures come from running out of time on Installation questions rather than from the small Safety and Maintenance sections.
How long do I wait to retake it?
60 days from the date you tested. You submit a re-test application and pay the examination fee again.
What size copper conductor does a 40-amp circuit need?
8 AWG copper at 75°C, which Table 310.16 rates at 50 A. The common wrong answer is 6 AWG, from remembering 8 AWG's 60°C rating of 40 A instead of the 75°C column used for most terminations.
Sources
- DLSE Electrician Certification — Examination information, California Department of Industrial Relations.
- Electrician Certification Candidate Information Bulletin, 2026 (Pearson VUE / CPS HR Consulting) — exam length, scoring, references, content outline and retake rules.
- NFPA 70, National Electrical Code, 2023 edition — Tables 310.16, 310.15(C)(1), 250.66, 250.122, 314.16(B), 220.12, 220.45, 220.54, 220.55, 430.52 and Chapter 9 Table 1, and Sections 110.26, 210.11, 210.19, 210.52, 240.4(D), 250.53, 430.22. Values above are summarised for study; confirm every answer in the code provided at the exam.
