Oklahoma Residential Electrical Journeyman

Oklahoma Residential Electrical Journeyman Exam: Complete 2026 Prep Guide

Passing the Oklahoma Residential Electrical Journeyman exam is the formal gateway to working as a licensed journeyman electrician in the state. The exam is open book, code-based, and tests your ability to locate and apply NEC provisions under timed conditions — not just your ability to memorize rules. This guide covers exactly what's on the exam, the books you need to bring, how scoring works, and how to structure your preparation. If you want to gauge where you stand right now, start with our free practice exam.

Exam Overview: Format, Time, and Passing Score

The Oklahoma Residential Electrical Journeyman exam consists of 80 scored questions with a time limit of 210 minutes (3.5 hours). To pass, you must answer at least 56 of those 80 questions correctly — that's a 70% threshold.

The exam is administered by PSI at authorized test centers. It is open book, so you will bring your own approved reference materials on test day. You cannot write in them during the exam, but you may use highlighted or tabbed copies.

A small number of unscored experimental questions may also appear on your exam. These do not count toward your score and do not affect the 80-question total you are graded on.

All exam details, scheduling options, and candidate requirements are documented in the official exam bulletin.

Topics Covered on the Oklahoma Residential Electrical Journeyman Exam

The exam draws from 12 topic areas. Here they are ranked by the number of items each contributes to the scored exam — use this to guide where you spend your preparation time.

• General Electrical Knowledge (12 items) — Ohm's Law, power formulas, circuit calculations, voltage drop, conductor ampacity, correction and adjustment factors
• Electrical Installation Requirements (10 items) — Cable types, installation methods, underground burial depths, box sizing and fill
• Services, Feeders, and Branch Circuits (10 items) — Load calculations, service entrance requirements, GFCI/AFCI requirements, demand factors
• Overcurrent Protection (8 items) — Conductor protection, tap rules, fuse types, circuit breaker requirements, motor branch-circuit protection
• Grounding and Bonding (8 items) — Grounding electrode systems, conductor sizing, equipment grounding conductors, bonding of piping and structural metal
• Special Occupancies and Equipment (8 items) — Hazardous location classification, pool and spa bonding, health care facilities, motor protection
• Raceways and Boxes (6 items) — Box fill calculations, conduit fill limits, pull and junction box sizing, raceway types
• General Knowledge (4 items) — NEC purpose and structure, mandatory vs. permissive rules, AHJ authority
• Conductors and Cables (4 items) — Insulation designations, ampacity tables, parallel conductor rules
• Low Voltage, Alarms, Signaling Systems, and Communications (4 items) — Fire alarm circuit types, cable ratings, separation requirements, communications cable hierarchy
• Lighting and Signs (4 items) — Luminaire location requirements, recessed installation, lighting track, clothes closet clearances
• Safety (2 items) — Lockout/tagout, arc-flash PPE, shock protection boundaries, GFCI programs

Sample Questions

The questions below are representative of what you will see on the Oklahoma Residential Electrical Journeyman exam. Work through them — but the correct answers are not provided here. Use our free practice exam to check your reasoning.

Question 1 — Raceways and Boxes
When performing a box fill calculation and the box contains five equipment grounding conductors, how many volume allowances must be made for those grounding conductors?

• A) Five individual volume allowances, one per conductor
• B) One volume allowance plus one-quarter volume allowance for the fifth conductor
• C) Two volume allowances for the entire group
• D) One volume allowance for all five conductors

This question tests your knowledge of NEC box fill rules — specifically how grounding conductors are counted as a group rather than individually.

Question 2 — Lighting and Signs
What is the minimum clearance between a surface-mounted incandescent luminaire with a completely enclosed light source and the nearest point of a clothes closet storage space?

• A) 24 in.
• B) 6 in.
• C) 12 in.
• D) 18 in.

Clothes closet luminaire clearances are a specific and frequently tested NEC provision. You need to know the exact distances by fixture type.

Question 3 — Lighting and Signs
What is the maximum branch-circuit ampere rating permitted for a circuit supplying neon tubing installations?

• A) 20 amperes
• B) 30 amperes
• C) 40 amperes
• D) 15 amperes

Neon and sign circuit limitations appear in Article 600 of the NEC. This is a straightforward code-lookup question.

Question 4 — Overcurrent Protection
Under what condition are fuses or circuit breakers permitted to be connected in parallel?

• A) When both devices have identical interrupting ratings and are installed by a licensed electrician
• B) When the devices are factory assembled in parallel and listed as a unit
• C) When each device is individually listed and installed in the same enclosure
• D) When the combined rating does not exceed the busbar ampacity of the panelboard

This tests a specific NEC restriction on parallel overcurrent devices — the answer hinges on a precise condition, not a general principle.

Question 5 — General Electrical Knowledge
A residential attached garage with electric power requires at least one dedicated branch circuit. What are the specifications for this required circuit?

• A) One 120-volt, 15-ampere circuit with no other outlets on it
• B) One 240-volt, 20-ampere circuit shared with outdoor receptacles
• C) One 120-volt, 20-ampere circuit with no other outlets on it
• D) One 120-volt, 20-ampere circuit shared with bathroom receptacles

Garage circuit requirements come from Article 210. Know both the voltage/ampere specification and whether the circuit is permitted to serve other locations.

What Types of Questions to Expect

Here is what our practice question pool covers, organized by topic, with exact counts:

• General Knowledge — 20 practice questions covering NEC scope, chapter organization, and AHJ authority
• General Electrical Knowledge — 62 practice questions including Ohm's Law calculations, voltage drop for single- and three-phase circuits, and ampacity correction factors
• Electrical Installation Requirements — 50 practice questions on cable installation methods, burial depths, and box fill calculations
• Services, Feeders, and Branch Circuits — 50 practice questions on load calculations, service entrance clearances, demand factors, and GFCI/AFCI requirements
• Overcurrent Protection — 45 practice questions covering tap rules, fuse types, circuit breaker ratings, and motor OCPD sizing
• Grounding and Bonding — 40 practice questions on electrode systems, grounding conductor sizing, equipment grounding conductors, and bonding of piping and structural metal
• Conductors and Cables — 20 practice questions on insulation designations (THHN, THWN, XHHW, etc.), ampacity tables, and parallel conductor rules
• Raceways and Boxes — 33 practice questions on conduit fill percentages, box fill calculations, pull box sizing, and raceway uses
• Special Occupancies and Equipment — 40 practice questions covering hazardous location classifications, pool bonding and equipotential planes, health care facility wiring, and motor protection
• Low Voltage, Alarms, Signaling Systems, and Communications — 22 practice questions on fire alarm circuit classifications, cable substitution hierarchies, and bonding of communications systems
• Lighting and Signs — 23 practice questions on luminaire location restrictions, recessed fixture clearances, lighting track rules, and closet clearances
• Safety — 10 practice questions on lockout/tagout procedures, arc-flash PPE categories, and shock protection boundaries

Total: 415 practice questions across all topic areas.

Start with the free practice exam to assess your baseline, then upgrade to the full practice exam to simulate the real exam format — 80 questions, 210 minutes, and a topic breakdown that mirrors the actual exam.

Required Study Materials

This is an open-book exam, and the approved references are specified. You must bring your own copies to the test center.

Required references:

• NEC 2023 — National Electrical Code: The primary reference for the exam. You must bring the standard bound copy — NEC Handbooks and spiral-bound editions are not permitted at the test center.
• OSHA 29 CFR 1926 — Standards for the Construction Industry: Required for the safety topics on the exam, including lockout/tagout and electrical protective equipment requirements.
• Ugly's Electrical References: Any edition is accepted. It's a compact, field-tested quick-reference for formulas, tables, and common electrical values — useful for fast lookups during the exam.

Recommended supplies:

• Sharpie Tank Highlighters: A 12-pack with assorted fluorescent colors. Color-coding your NEC by topic area (ampacity tables, grounding articles, box fill provisions) significantly reduces lookup time under exam conditions.
• Redi-Tag Permanent Colored Index Tabs: 100 permanent adhesive tabs in five colors. Tab your key NEC articles, Table 310.16, Article 220 load calculation sections, and the grounding and bonding articles. Permanent tabs are required — sticky notes and removable tabs are not permitted.

Get your books early and start tabbing before you begin serious study. Finding provisions quickly is the core skill this exam tests.

Study Tips for the Oklahoma Residential Electrical Journeyman Exam

Give yourself three to six weeks of structured preparation. Use the Candidate Information Bulletin as your roadmap, and focus your effort on code navigation — not rote memorization. Aim for three clean practice passes at 80% or higher before your test date. Setting your practice threshold above the 70% passing score gives you a working margin on the real exam.

Prioritize by exam weight. General Electrical Knowledge (12 items), Electrical Installation Requirements (10 items), and Services, Feeders, and Branch Circuits (10 items) together account for 40% of the scored exam. Solid performance in those three areas covers significant ground.

Work on finding-it-fast habits. Tab Table 310.16, the correction and adjustment factor tables, Article 220, Article 250, and Article 240 at minimum. During practice, time yourself locating provisions — speed matters when you have 210 minutes and 80 questions.

On test day: Work through all questions once, answering the ones you know and flagging the ones you don't. Then return to flagged items. The same bookmarking workflow is built into our practice exams, so you can rehearse this method before the real exam. Do not spend excessive time on any single question — the clock keeps running.

If you feel pressure building during the exam, a few slow breaths and a deliberate pause will reset your focus more effectively than pushing through the anxiety.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many questions are on the Oklahoma Residential Electrical Journeyman exam and how long do I have?
The exam has 80 scored questions. You have 210 minutes to complete it. A small number of unscored experimental questions may also appear; these do not count toward your score.

What is the passing score?
You must answer 70% of the scored questions correctly — that's 56 out of 80.

How much does the exam cost?
The fee is $92 per examination portion, whether you are testing for the first time or retesting. Registration fees are non-refundable and non-transferable.

How do I register?
After receiving approval from the Oklahoma Construction Industries Board, schedule your exam through PSI. You can register online at the exam registration page or call PSI at (855) 834-8750. Phone registration is available Monday–Friday 6:30 am–9:00 pm and Saturday–Sunday 8:00 am–4:30 pm Central Time.

How long does my eligibility last?
Once the State approves your application, your eligibility does not expire.

What is the retake policy if I fail?
For electrical exams, you must wait 30 days before retesting after any failure. This 30-day waiting period applies to every subsequent retake attempt.

Is the exam open book?
Yes. You bring your own approved references. Materials may be highlighted or tabbed with permanent tabs, but you may not write in them during the exam.

What references are allowed?
The three permitted references are: NFPA 70 – NEC 2023 (standard bound copy only; Handbooks and spiral-bound copies are not allowed), OSHA 29 CFR Part 1926 with latest amendments, and Ugly's Electrical References by George V. Hart (any edition).

What ID do I need?
One valid, non-expired government-issued photo ID that also bears your signature. Acceptable forms include a state driver's license, state ID, U.S. passport, U.S. military ID, U.S. alien registration card, or Canadian government-issued ID. The name on your ID must match your registration name exactly.

Can I use a calculator?
Yes — a silent, battery-operated, non-programmable calculator with no paper tape printing capability and no alphabetic keyboard. No other electronic devices are permitted in the examination room.

Start Preparing Now

The Oklahoma Residential Electrical Journeyman license is a concrete, verifiable credential — and the exam, while demanding, is structured and code-based. Candidates who prepare systematically, tab their references thoroughly, and practice under timed conditions consistently reach the 70% threshold.

Begin with our free practice exam to identify your starting point. When you're ready to simulate the full exam, upgrade to the paid version for 80-question attempts with a detailed topic-level score breakdown. For full exam details and scheduling, visit the official exam bulletin.