North Carolina Intermediate Electrical Contractor (I)

North Carolina Intermediate Electrical Contractor Exam: What You Need to Know in 2026

You've put in thousands of hours on the job. Now it's time to make it official. The North Carolina Intermediate Electrical Contractor exam stands between you and a license that lets you run your own electrical contracting projects — legally and independently. Pass it, and you can take on single projects up to $150,000. That's real work, real revenue, and real professional standing. This guide covers everything about the NC electrical contractor license exam: the format, the topics, what to study, and how to prepare smart.

Exam Overview: The Basics

The North Carolina Intermediate Electrical Contractor exam is administered by PSI at authorized testing centers. Here's what you're looking at:

• Questions: 100 scored multiple-choice questions
• Time: 360 minutes (6 hours)
• Passing score: 70 correct answers out of 100
• Cost: $125, paid to the Board with your application
• Results: Displayed on screen immediately after you finish

You schedule the exam through PSI after the Board approves your application. You have a 90-day authorization window to schedule and sit for it — don't let that slip. The PSI North Carolina electrical exam is administered at testing centers across the state; check the exam registration page to find a location near you.

Two reference books are allowed in the testing room: the 2020 National Electrical Code and the 2013 NFPA 72 (National Fire Alarm Code). That's it. Questions covering the Electrical Contractors Licensing Law, the Board's Rules, and the NASCLA Contractors Guide are closed-book — you answer those from memory.

Topics Covered on the NC Intermediate Electrical Contractor Exam

The exam covers 11 topic areas. Here's how the 100 scored questions break down — study time should follow these weights:

Laws, Rules, Basic Business Practices, and Practical Applications carries the most weight at 16 items — and it's entirely closed-book. That section covers North Carolina General Statutes Chapter 87, Article 4, the Board's administrative rules, the NASCLA Contractors Guide, lighting and power plans, estimating, and the National Fire Alarm Code. Memorize this material cold.

Bonding and Grounding and Load Calculations each carry 11 items. These are the technical heavy hitters. Expect service calculations, conductor ampacity, grounding electrode conductors, and bonding jumper requirements.

Sample Questions

Here are five sample questions from the North Carolina Intermediate Electrical Contractor practice test pool. Work through them — but don't expect easy answers.

Question 1 — Appliances, Equipment, and Lighting
For an electric-discharge lighting system operating with an open-circuit voltage exceeding 1000 volts, the secondary circuit voltage of the supply transformer shall not exceed what nominal value under any load condition?
- A) 7500 volts
- B) 15,000 volts
- C) 10,000 volts
- D) 1000 volts

Question 2 — Overcurrent Protection
You are applying a series-rated combination in a commercial panelboard: a 400-ampere fused switch on the line side and 100-ampere circuit breakers on the load side whose interrupting rating is 10,000 amperes. Motor circuits are connected between the higher-rated line-side device and the lower-rated breakers. The series rating may not be used if the sum of these motor full-load currents exceeds what percentage of the interrupting rating of the lower-rated circuit breaker?
- A) 1 percent
- B) 10 percent
- C) 5 percent
- D) 3 percent

Question 3 — Laws, Rules, Basic Business Practices, and Practical Applications
You sat for the intermediate qualifying examination in March and did not pass. What is the earliest you may take another examination in the same classification, and what must you submit?
- A) Six months later, with a new application and required fees
- B) Three months later, with a new application and required fees
- C) One year later, after documenting additional creditable experience
- D) Immediately, upon paying the examination review fee

Question 4 — Load Calculations
You are calculating the service load for a four-unit multifamily building. Each dwelling unit has one household electric clothes dryer with a nameplate rating of 4.5 kW. What total clothes dryer load must be included in the service calculation?
- A) 22,500 volt-amperes
- B) 25,000 volt-amperes
- C) 20,000 volt-amperes
- D) 18,000 volt-amperes

Question 5 — Boxes and Fittings
You are selecting a box that will enclose utilization equipment supplied by 6 AWG conductors. What is the minimum internal depth the box must have?
- A) 2 1/2 in.
- B) 15/16 in.
- C) 1 3/16 in.
- D) 2 1/16 in.

Know your answers? Take the free practice exam and see how you score across all the topics.

What Types of Questions to Expect

Here's what each topic actually tests — and how many practice questions we've built for each:

• Bonding and Grounding (55 practice questions): Identifying which systems require grounding, locating grounding connections, selecting the right conductor size for grounding electrode conductors, and applying bonding jumper rules.
• Overcurrent Protection (45 practice questions): Sizing fuses and breakers for specific circuits, applying rules on location, selecting enclosures, and working through series-rating scenarios like the sample question above.
• Wiring Methods and Terminations (50 practice questions): Permitted uses for different wiring methods, conduit fill calculations, wireway sizing, and termination requirements.
• Boxes and Fittings (35 practice questions): Box fill calculations, minimum depth and volume requirements, and fitting selection for specific conductors.
• Service Entrance and Equipment (44 practice questions): Service conductor sizing, service equipment installation, clearance requirements, and general sizing rules.
• Motors and Control Wiring (41 practice questions): Branch circuit and feeder ampacity for motors, overload protection sizing, short-circuit protection, and disconnect and controller requirements.
• Special Occupancies and Hazardous Locations (45 practice questions): Emergency systems, health care facility wiring, mobile home parks, assembly occupancies, theaters, and swimming pool installations.
• Load Calculations (55 practice questions): Branch circuit loads, total service calculations, demand factors for dryers and other appliances, and conductor ampacity requirements at low and high voltage.
• Appliances, Equipment, and Lighting (35 practice questions): Air conditioner branch circuit requirements, transformer installation, electric discharge lighting limits, space heating, and residential versus commercial equipment rules.
• General (15 practice questions): NEC definitions and general installation requirements that don't fit a specific system category.
• Laws, Rules, Basic Business Practices, and Practical Applications (95 practice questions): NC licensing law, Board rules, NASCLA guide content, lighting and power plan reading, estimating basics, and National Fire Alarm Code fundamentals.

Total practice questions available: 515, drawn from every topic on the real exam.

Study Materials

Two books are required in the testing room. Get them early and learn them well.

NEC 2020 — The 2020 National Electrical Code is your primary technical reference and one of the two books allowed in the testing center. Tab it, highlight it, and know how to find answers fast. You won't have time to read it cover-to-cover during the exam.

NASCLA North Carolina Electrical Guide, 14th Edition — This covers business law, project management, and NC-specific requirements. Remember: this one is closed-book on exam day. Study it to memorize, not just to reference.

For the legal text directly:
- Electrical Contractors Licensing Law (GS Chapter 87, Article 4) — The statutory foundation for your license. Know the scope of the Intermediate classification, penalty provisions, and qualifying agent requirements.
- Board's Rules (21 NCAC 18B) — Administrative rules on applications, experience requirements, exam retakes, and license renewal.

Study tools that make a real difference:

Sharpie Tank Highlighters — Twelve fluorescent highlighters in assorted colors. Color-code your NEC by topic: one color for grounding, another for OCPD rules, another for wiring methods. It's a fast system when you need to find something in 30 seconds under exam pressure.

Redi-Tag Permanent Colored Tabs — 100 tabs in five colors. Tab your NEC by article number and major section. Combined with your highlighting system, you'll find answers in seconds instead of minutes.

Study Tips

Master your index and table of contents. The NEC is open-book, but that's only useful if you can find the right article fast. Practice locating specific requirements by topic. Time yourself. If it takes you more than a minute to find a grounding electrode conductor sizing table, you need more index practice.

Study by exam weight, not by page count. Laws, Rules, and Practical Applications has 16 items — all from memory. That's where the exam is won or lost for most candidates. Bonding/Grounding and Load Calculations follow at 11 items each. Put your hours where the exam puts its questions.

Every real exam is unique. The questions change order, the wording shifts, and new items rotate in. What stays constant is the topic breakdown from the official exam bulletin. Study the topics, not a fixed question list.

Practice in exam conditions. Our full North Carolina electrical contractor practice test matches the real PSI exam — 100 questions, 360 minutes, same topic distribution. Run it under timed conditions. That removes the format surprise on test day.

Pre-annotate your books. You can highlight, underline, and add notes to your NEC and NFPA 72 before the exam. Do it systematically. You cannot write in them during the exam, and any loose papers or attachments beyond the approved references will be confiscated.

FAQs

How much does the North Carolina Intermediate Electrical Contractor exam cost?
The exam fee is $125, paid to the Board with your application. All classifications — including Intermediate — pay the same fee. If you fail and want to review your exam, that costs an additional $25.

How many questions are on the NC Intermediate Electrical Contractor exam, and how much time do I have?
The exam has 100 scored multiple-choice questions. You have a maximum of 6 hours (360 minutes) to complete it.

What is the passing score for the NC Intermediate Electrical Contractor exam?
You need to answer at least 70 out of 100 questions correctly — a 70% score. Your result is shown on screen immediately after you submit.

What reference books can I bring to the NC Intermediate Electrical Contractor exam?
Only two: the 2020 National Electrical Code and the 2013 NFPA 72 (National Fire Alarm Code). The Electrical Contractors Licensing Law, Board Rules, and NASCLA Contractors Guide sections are closed-book — you cannot reference those during the exam.

Can I write in my reference books before the exam?
Yes. Highlight, underline, tab, and annotate your NEC and NFPA 72 as much as you want beforehand. You cannot write in them during the exam. Any loose or attached papers beyond the two approved references will be taken away.

What experience do I need to qualify for the NC Intermediate exam?
A minimum of 5,750 total hours of experience, with at least 5,000 of those hours as primary experience — meaning hands-on installation of electrical wiring and equipment governed by the NEC.

What projects can an NC Intermediate Electrical Contractor license cover?
A single electrical contracting project with a total cost not exceeding $150,000. If a project exceeds that threshold, you need an Unlimited license.

How do I register for the NC Intermediate Electrical Contractor exam?
Submit your application and $125 fee to the Board first. Once approved, you'll get a Notice of Approval with your ID number. Then schedule with PSI at the exam registration page or by calling (855) 746-8173. You must schedule and sit within your 90-day authorization window.

What happens if I fail?
Wait 3 months from the date of the failed exam before retesting in the same classification. You must re-apply to the Board with a new application and fee. You have one opportunity to review the failed exam for $25.

What ID do I need on exam day?
Two forms of valid, non-expired ID, both bearing your signature. One must also include your photograph. Acceptable primary IDs include a state-issued driver's license, state ID card, US passport, military ID, or alien registration card.

Ready to Start Preparing?

The NCBEEC intermediate exam is thorough, but it's passable with the right preparation. Get your NEC 2020 and NASCLA North Carolina Electrical Guide, tab them with Redi-Tags, color-code them with Sharpie highlighters, and drill the material by topic weight.

Start with the free practice exam — 10 questions, no account needed, immediate feedback. When you're ready to go deeper, the full practice exam gives you 100 questions in exam format with a detailed score breakdown by topic so you know exactly where to focus. Check the state licensing website for application details, and get registered at the official exam bulletin.

You've already done the hard work in the field. Now go pass the exam.