ICC F49 Electrical Contractor Exam (2014 NEC) Practice Exam
ICC is retiring this exam. From December 1, 2026 it is no longer available for registration through Pearson VUE (ICC Exam Catalog, checked October 23, 2026). Check the ICC Exam Catalog or your licensing jurisdiction for the exam that replaces it.
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- 80 questions (same as real exam)
- 210 minute time limit
- 8 topic areas covered
- 440 questions in pool
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ICC F49 Electrical Contractor (2014 NEC) Practice Exam Guide
What's on the exam
Questions per topic, out of 80This practice exam is laid out like the official content outline for the ICC F49 Electrical Contractor (2014 NEC) exam: General Requirements, Services, Branch Circuit and Feeder Calculations, Wiring Methods and Distribution Systems, General Use Equipment, Special Occupancies, Special Equipment, Special Systems.
Two ways to practice: the free practice exam gives you 10 questions per attempt, as often as you want. The full practice exam gives you 80 questions on a 210 minutes clock, with a new draw from our question bank every time.
General Requirements 8 items
Our study plan for this topic: Purpose, scope, and arrangement of the NEC (Article 90); Key NEC definitions (Article 100 terms); Equipment approval, examination, and listing requirements (110.2–110.3); Conductor materials, sizing, and wiring integrity (110.5–110.8); Electrical connections: terminals, splices, and temperature limitations (110.14); Working space and clearance requirements for electrical equipment (110.26–110.27, 110.32–110.34); Equipment marking requirements including arc-flash, disconnecting means, and fault current labels (110.16, 110.21–110.24); Enclosure type selection and environmental ratings (110.28).
Services 14 items
Our study plan for this topic: Number of services permitted and exceptions (230.2); Overhead service conductor clearances from grade, roofs, and building openings (230.24, 230.9); Service-entrance conductor wiring methods and minimum size/ampacity requirements (230.42, 230.43); Service disconnecting means location, rating, and maximum number of disconnects (230.70, 230.71, 230.79); Overcurrent protection for service conductors and ground-fault protection of equipment (230.90, 230.95); Equipment permitted on the supply side of the service disconnect (230.82); Underground service conductor installation and wiring methods (230.30, 230.31); Services exceeding 1000 volts — disconnecting means, overcurrent protection, and isolating switch requirements (230.200–230.212).
Branch Circuit and Feeder Calculations 15 items
Our study plan for this topic: General lighting load calculations by occupancy type (Table 220.12 VA/sq ft); Demand factors for dwelling unit feeders and services (Tables 220.42, 220.54, 220.55); Minimum branch-circuit conductor ampacity for continuous and noncontinuous loads; Overcurrent protection sizing for branch circuits and feeders (continuous vs. noncontinuous loads); Feeder conductor minimum size and ampacity requirements (Article 215); Optional load calculation methods for dwelling units, multifamily dwellings, and schools (Part IV of Article 220); Small-appliance, laundry, and appliance load calculations for dwelling units (220.52, 220.53); Feeder and service neutral load calculation (220.61).
Wiring Methods and Distribution Systems 15 items
Our study plan for this topic: Conductor ampacity tables and temperature ratings (Art. 310); Ampacity correction and adjustment factors (ambient temperature, bundling, rooftop exposure); Conductors in parallel — requirements and limitations; Underground installation requirements and minimum burial depths (Table 300.5); Protection of conductors and raceways from physical damage; Metallic conduit systems — uses, installation, and support (RMC, IMC, EMT); Nonmetallic conduit systems — uses, installation, and support (PVC, RTRC, HDPE, ENT, LFNC); Flexible conduit and tubing — uses, securing, grounding (FMC, LFMC, FMT).
General Use Equipment 10 items
Our study plan for this topic: Motor branch-circuit conductor sizing and ampacity requirements (Article 430); Motor overload protection selection and settings; Motor branch-circuit short-circuit and ground-fault protective device ratings (Table 430.52); Motor controller ratings, marking, and disconnecting means requirements; Luminaire installation locations, supports, and grounding (Article 410); Receptacle ratings, installation, grounding, and GFCI/AFCI replacement requirements (Article 406); Switch types, ratings, connections, and installation requirements (Article 404); Fixed electric space-heating equipment branch circuits, disconnecting means, and overcurrent protection (Article 424).
Special Occupancies 7 items
Our study plan for this topic: Classification of hazardous locations (Classes I, II, III; Divisions 1 and 2; Zones 0/1/2 and 20/21/22); Wiring methods and sealing requirements in hazardous classified locations; Equipment protection techniques for hazardous locations (explosionproof, dust-ignitionproof, intrinsically safe, purged/pressurized, encapsulation, etc.); Health care facility essential electrical systems (life safety, critical, and equipment branches); Health care facility wiring and grounding requirements in patient care areas; Specific hazardous occupancies (commercial garages, aircraft hangars, motor fuel dispensing, bulk storage, spray/dip/coating operations); Mobile homes, manufactured homes, recreational vehicles, and park trailers electrical installation requirements; Assembly occupancies, theaters, motion picture studios, and temporary installations wiring requirements.
Special Equipment 6 items
Our study plan for this topic: Swimming pools, spas, and hot tubs — GFCI protection, bonding, and equipotential requirements; Solar photovoltaic (PV) systems — disconnecting means, overcurrent protection, and wiring methods; Electric signs and outline lighting — branch circuits, disconnecting means, and grounding; Elevators, escalators, and similar equipment — wiring methods, branch circuits, and disconnecting means; Electric vehicle charging systems — equipment ratings, installation, and overcurrent protection; Fire pumps — power sources, continuity of power, and wiring requirements; Cranes and hoists — conductor ampacity, contact conductors, and disconnecting means; Electric welders — supply conductor ampacity and overcurrent protection.
Special Systems 5 items
Our study plan for this topic: Emergency system wiring requirements and circuit separation (Article 700); Emergency power sources: storage batteries, generators, UPS, and fuel cells; Transfer equipment for emergency, legally required standby, and optional standby systems; Legally required standby vs. optional standby system requirements and distinctions; Interconnected electric power production sources and utility-interactive inverter connections (Article 705); Fire alarm system wiring: NPLFA and PLFA circuits, cable types, and separation requirements (Article 760); Class 1, Class 2, and Class 3 remote-control and signaling circuit classifications and wiring methods (Article 725); Communications circuit cable types, installation locations, and grounding/bonding requirements (Articles 800, 820, 830, 840).
Sample 1 — Branch Circuit and Feeder Calculations
Question: An existing commercial building has a 400-ampere service with overload protection meeting Code requirements. One year of recorded maximum demand data shows a peak demand of 240 amperes. Using the actual-demand method permitted for existing installations, what is the maximum additional new load, in amperes, that may be added to this service?
- A. 160 A
- B. 60 A
- C. 200 A
- D. 100 A
Correct Answer: D
NEC 2014, 220.87 permits using actual maximum demand for existing installations, provided the maximum demand at 125 percent plus the new load does not exceed the rating of the service: 240 A × 1.25 = 300 A; 400 A − 300 A = 100 A of new load.
Reference: NEC 2014 Section 220.87
Sample 2 — Wiring Methods and Distribution Systems
Question: You are sizing a pull box for a feeder containing 500 kcmil conductors that make a 90-degree turn inside the box. One wall of the box receives three raceways in a single row: one trade size 3, one trade size 2, and one trade size 2. What is the minimum required distance from those raceway entries to the opposite wall of the box?
- A. 20 in.
- B. 18 in.
- C. 22 in.
- D. 24 in.
Correct Answer: C
Per NEC 2014, 314.28(A)(2), for angle or U pulls the distance from each raceway entry to the opposite wall shall not be less than six times the trade size of the largest raceway in the row, increased by the sum of the diameters of the other raceway entries in that row: (6 × 3 in.) + 2 in. + 2 in. = 22 in.
Reference: NEC 2014 Section 314.28(A)(2)
Sample 3 — Services
Question: Service conductors enter a retail building at the front wall, but the owner wants the service disconnecting means installed inside the building in a storage room at the rear, approximately 12 m (40 ft) from where the conductors enter. As the contractor, what does the Code require for an interior service disconnect location?
- A. It must be within 3.0 m (10 ft) of the point of entrance
- B. It may be at any readily accessible point within the building
- C. It must be nearest the point of entrance of the service conductors
- D. It must be within 1.5 m (5 ft) of the point of entrance
Correct Answer: C
NEC 2014, 230.70(A)(1) requires the service disconnecting means to be installed at a readily accessible location either outside the building or structure or inside nearest the point of entrance of the service conductors. The Code states no specific dimension such as 5 ft or 10 ft; the conductors must not be run an appreciable distance inside the building ahead of the disconnect. Note also that 230.70(A)(2) prohibits installing the service disconnecting means in a bathroom.
Reference: NEC 2014 Section 230.70(A)(1)
Your first attempt is an inspection, not a final grade. The results page breaks your score down by outline topic, so you can see which areas need work. Compare it with the real exam's passing score, 70% correct, and keep practicing until you pass consistently.
- Answer what you know first and bookmark the rest. Our practice exams let you bookmark and come back.
- Work your bookmarks on the second pass.
- Keep your pace. The real exam works out to about 2 minutes 38 seconds per question.
- After each attempt, look up each missed question's reference in your book and read the section.
| Questions | 80 questions |
| Time limit | 210 minutes |
| Passing score | 70% correct |
| Books in the exam room | Open book |
| Exam fee | $120 |
- Results for examinations taken electronically are available immediately after the examination is completed.
- You must wait 10 days before retaking a failed exam.
Source: National Contractor/Trades Examination Information Bulletin, PUBLISHED June 30, 2026; ICC Exam Catalog, checked October 23, 2026. Check the bulletin before test day: fees and rules can change.