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What This Practice Exam Covers

The North Carolina Unlimited Electrical Contractor (U) exam is 100 questions, 360 minutes, and requires a 70% to pass. This practice test is built to match that format exactly.

You have two options. The free practice exam gives you 10 questions per attempt, pulled from a limited question pool. You can retake it as many times as you want — it costs nothing and is a solid way to get a feel for how questions are worded before you commit to studying.

The full practice exam mirrors the real thing: 100 questions, a 360-minute timer, and questions drawn from a pool of 531+ items. Every attempt pulls a different set, so you won't see the same exam twice. Questions map to the same 11 topic areas and subtopics that the official test provider uses. If you're serious about passing, start with the free exam to calibrate, then use the full exam for real prep.

What You'll Be Tested On

Laws, Rules, Basic Business Practices, and Practical Applications — 15 questions
This is the heaviest topic on the exam. It covers North Carolina's Electrical Contractors Licensing Law (GS 87-43.3, 87-44), the Board's administrative rules (21 NCAC 18B), the NASCLA Contractors' Guide, lighting and power plan reading, estimating, and the National Fire Alarm Code. You need to know license classification, fees, exam eligibility, and waiting periods between exam attempts. On the business side, know how to calculate labor burden, markup, and how to handle bid peddling. Contract types, dispute resolution, and bond qualifications also appear here. NFPA 72 definitions — ceiling types, detector types, alarm box classifications — show up in this topic too.

Bonding and Grounding — 11 questions
Tied with Load Calculations for the second-heaviest weight. Know which systems and equipment require grounding, where connections must be made, and how to size grounding electrode conductors. NEC 250.66(A) is a core reference — it caps the grounding electrode conductor to a ground rod at 6 AWG copper regardless of service size. Know bonding jumper requirements, equipment grounding conductor identification and color coding, and the rules around grounding at separate buildings per NEC 250.32(B)(1).

Load Calculations — 11 questions
Also 11 questions. This topic demands actual arithmetic. You must work through branch circuit load calculations, total service load using both the standard method and the optional method (NEC 220.82 and 220.83), and conductor ampacity requirements. High-voltage load calculations appear here too. Know NEC Table 220.84 for optional method dwelling calculations, and NEC 220.52(A) for small appliance and laundry circuits. A missed demand factor or a skipped step will cost you.

Wiring Methods and Terminations — 10 questions
Know permitted applications for each wiring method: when EMT is allowed, when you need RMC, what SE cable can do. Conduit and wireway fill calculations require NEC Chapter 9 — Table 1 for percent fill, Table 4 for conduit dimensions, Table 5 for conductor cross-sectional areas, and the nipple exception in Note 4 (60%). Also know the 0.8 rounding rule in Note 7. Protection from physical damage rules and termination temperature ratings per NEC 110.14 also appear here.

Service Entrance and Equipment — 9 questions
Service conductor sizing, clearances, and service equipment rules. Know minimum conductor ampacity requirements, service drop clearance requirements, the number of service disconnects allowed (NEC 230.71), and what equipment is permitted ahead of the service disconnect per NEC 230.82. Surge protection requirements (NEC 230.67) and available fault current marking (NEC 110.24) show up here.

Motors and Control Wiring — 9 questions
Branch circuit conductor sizing for motors starts at NEC 430.22: 125% of full-load current for continuous-duty motors. Know NEC Table 430.52 for short-circuit and ground-fault protection sizing, and NEC 430.32 for overload protection. Disconnect sizing (NEC 430.110) and controller ratings (NEC 430.83) are tested. Multi-motor feeder calculations under NEC 430.24 and 430.62 require you to add up FLC values correctly.

Overcurrent Protection — 9 questions
Know standard ampere ratings from NEC 240.6(A). Know where overcurrent devices must be located in a circuit, what "next size up" means under NEC 240.4(B), and when you cannot go up. High-voltage fuse and breaker requirements, enclosure placement rules (NEC 240.24), and circuit breaker interrupting ratings (NEC 110.9) are tested here.

Special Occupancies and Hazardous Locations — 9 questions
This topic spans Class I hazardous locations (Articles 500–501), health care facilities, places of assembly, swimming pools, and emergency systems. Know the NEC Handbook's Article 500 classification rules — Class, Division, and Group. Swimming pool bonding and underwater lighting fixture rules (NEC 680.22) appear here. Know what qualifies as a Class I Division 1 vs. Division 2 location.

Boxes and Fittings — 7 questions
Box fill calculations are a guaranteed math problem. Use NEC 314.16(B) and Table 314.16(B) — count conductors, devices, and fittings correctly. Pull and junction box sizing uses NEC 314.28(A)(1) for straight pulls (eight times the largest raceway) and 314.28(A)(2) for angle pulls (six times the largest, plus the sum of remaining). Get the formula right; the numbers are always close.

Appliances, Equipment, and Lighting — 7 questions
Covers air conditioners (NEC 440.32, 440.22), space heating (NEC 424.4), transformers (NEC Table 450.3(B)), and lighting fixtures. Know overcurrent protection sizing for appliances under NEC 422.11 and the requirements for fixed electric space heating.

General — 3 questions
Definitions from NEC Article 100 and basic installation requirements. Know terms like continuous load, interrupting rating, fault current, and externally operable. These are quick points — don't skip them.

Worked Sample Questions

Question 1 — Laws, Rules, Basic Business Practices, and Practical Applications

Your electrical contracting corporation files its annual report electronically with the North Carolina Secretary of State. The report is due by which of the following?

• A. 15th day of the third month after fiscal year close
• B. 15th day of the fourth month after fiscal year close
• C. 60 days after the close of the fiscal year
• D. April 15 of each calendar year in all cases

Correct answer: B

Electronically filed annual reports for C corporations are due by the fifteenth day of the fourth month following the close of the fiscal year. April 15 is the date tied to LLCs, not C corporations — a classic trap answer on this exam. Know the distinction.

Source: NASCLA Contractors' Guide to Business, Law and Project Management – North Carolina Electrical Edition, Chapter 2 — C Corporations, Annual Filing

Question 2 — Bonding and Grounding

What is the minimum grounding electrode conductor size to a ground rod for a 200A service?

• A. 4 AWG
• B. 6 AWG
• C. 2 AWG
• D. 1/0 AWG

Correct answer: B

NEC 250.66(A) caps the grounding electrode conductor to a ground rod, pipe, or plate electrode at 6 AWG copper. It does not matter how large the service is — once you're connecting to a rod electrode, 6 AWG is the maximum required size. Candidates who size this like a main grounding electrode conductor pick 2 AWG or larger and lose the point.

Source: NEC, Section 250.66(A)

Question 3 — Load Calculations

A dwelling is 2,200 sq ft with 10,000 VA in appliances and 18,000 VA of heating. Using the NEC optional method, what is the total calculated load?

• A. 23,800 VA
• B. 26,000 VA
• C. 28,500 VA
• D. 30,000 VA

Correct answer: B

Using NEC 220.82: general lighting = 2,200 × 3 = 6,600 VA; add 1,500 VA each for small appliance and laundry circuits = 4,500 VA; add 10,000 VA for appliances = 21,100 VA total. Apply demand: first 10,000 VA at 100% + 40% of remaining 11,100 VA = 10,000 + 4,440 = 14,440 VA. Heating: 18,000 × 65% = 11,700 VA. Total: 14,440 + 11,700 = 26,140 VA → rounds to 26,000 VA. The heating demand factor of 65% under NEC 220.82(C)(3) is where most candidates go wrong.

Source: NEC, Section 220.82(B); NEC, Section 220.82(C)(3)

How to Read Your Score

Passing is 70% — that's 70 correct out of 100 on the real exam.

Your first practice attempt is a diagnostic. It tells you where your knowledge is strong and where it isn't. A 55% on the first try doesn't mean you're failing — it means you know what to study. A 68% on practice usually means you need more work, not less. Being close to the line on practice is not close to passing on test day; the real exam has real pressure and some questions you won't recognize.

Use the topic-by-topic breakdown after each attempt. If you're dropping points on Load Calculations (11 questions) or Laws and Rules (15 questions), those two topics alone are 26% of the exam. Shore them up first. If Boxes and Fittings box fill calculations are costing you, practice the NEC 314.16(B) formula until it's automatic.

Take multiple full practice attempts. Each one draws from 531+ questions, so you're getting real exposure to the range of what can appear. Track your score by topic across attempts — look for the trend, not just the number.

Where Candidates Lose Points

Box fill math: Candidates miscount conductors — forgetting to count the device at double or ignoring ground conductors. NEC 314.16(B) and Table 314.16(B) have specific rules for each type of fill. One wrong count shifts the answer.

Motor calculations: Using nameplate amps instead of NEC table FLC values. NEC 430.6(A)(1) requires you to use Table 430.52 values for protection sizing, not the nameplate. This trips up experienced field electricians who know how the motor actually runs.

Load calculations — wrong demand factor: Applying the standard method demand factors when the question asks for the optional method (NEC 220.82), or using the wrong heating demand factor. Read the question twice.

Conduit fill: Forgetting to check Note 4 (60% fill for nipples) vs. the standard 40% fill in NEC Chapter 9, Table 1. One wrong table reference, wrong answer.

Laws and Rules — entity filing dates: The C corporation vs. LLC annual report due date distinction catches candidates who group all entities together. Know each structure separately.

Overcurrent protection sizing: Going to the "next size up" when NEC 240.4(D) prohibits it for specific conductor sizes. The exception exists; so does the prohibition.

Time management: Laws and Rules questions can be wordy. Load Calculations require multi-step math. Candidates who linger too long on either section run short on time for the back half of the exam.

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