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Texas Journeyman Lineman Electrician — Practice Exam

What This Practice Exam Covers

The Texas Journeyman Lineman Electrician licensing exam consists of 40 questions answered in 120 minutes, with a passing score of 70% (28 correct). This practice exam mirrors that structure across eight topic areas drawn directly from the official exam blueprint.

Free practice exam: Gives you 10 questions per attempt pulled from a limited question pool. You can retake it as many times as you like to get a feel for question style, pacing, and the code sections the exam emphasizes most. It costs nothing and requires no commitment.

Full practice exam (paid): Mirrors the real exam — 40 questions, 120-minute timer — drawn from a pool of 336+ questions. Because the pool is large, every attempt produces a different set, so repeated attempts continue to expose new material rather than recycling the same questions. It's the closest simulation available to the real test experience.

Start with the free exam to get your bearings, then move to the full exam for serious preparation.

What You'll Be Tested On

Definitions and Theory — 6 exam items

These questions establish the legal and structural foundation of the NEC. You need to know that the Code's purpose is the practical safeguarding of persons and property from electrical hazards — not design optimization or efficiency. Expect questions distinguishing what the NEC covers (public and private buildings, industrial substations, recreational vehicles) from what it explicitly excludes under NEC 90.2(B) — ships, aircraft, railway rolling stock, and watercraft other than floating buildings.

You must also distinguish mandatory rules ("shall"), permissive rules ("shall be permitted"), and explanatory material under NEC 90.5(A), NEC 90.5(B), and NEC 90.5(C). Questions on the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) under NEC 90.4(B) and NEC 90.4(C) ask about enforcement power, special permissions, and who may approve unlisted equipment. Know the NEC's arrangement: Chapters 1–4 apply generally, Chapters 5–7 modify or supplement them, Chapter 8 covers communications systems, and Chapter 9 contains tables. Also understand what "listed" means and why equipment listing matters.

Electrical Services and Service Equipment — 8 exam items

The heaviest non-equipment topic. You need to calculate grounding electrode conductor sizes using NEC Table 250.122 rules and related sections, identify the maximum number of service disconnects, understand clearance requirements for overhead and underground service conductors, and apply bonding and main bonding jumper requirements. Know the conditions under which ground-fault protection is required for services per NEC 230.95. Questions frequently involve selecting the correct GEC size for a given service conductor — a calculation you must be able to perform cold.

Electrical Feeders — 4 exam items

Focus on the 125% rule for continuous loads under NEC 215.2(A)(1) and when exceptions apply. Ground-fault protection of equipment requirements for feeder installations rated 1000A or more on solidly grounded wye systems (NEC 215.10) is a tested subtopic. Feeder load calculations using demand factors for dwelling, multifamily, and commercial occupancies require practice with the actual math — not just the concept. Also know conductor identification rules for grounded, equipment grounding, and ungrounded conductors.

Branch Circuit Calculations and Conductors — 2 exam items

Two questions cover a lot of ground: minimum conductor ampacity for continuous loads (the 125% sizing rule under NEC 210.19(A)(1)), GFCI location requirements by occupancy type under NEC 210.8, NEC 210.8(A), and NEC 210.8(B), AFCI protection requirements under NEC 210.12(B), small appliance and laundry circuit requirements for dwelling units under NEC 210.11(C)(1) and NEC 210.11(C)(2), and multiwire branch circuit rules per NEC 210.4(B) and NEC 210.4(C). Know which locations trigger GFCI even in commercial settings — NEC 210.8(D) covers specific non-dwelling situations.

Electrical Wiring Methods and Electrical Materials — 2 exam items

Questions here test underground installation cover depths from NEC Table 300.5(A) and NEC 300.5(A), physical protection requirements through wood framing and metal members under NEC 300.4(A)(1), NEC 300.4(B)(1), and NEC 300.4(D), and box fill calculations. Know conductor insulation designation categories — which types are rated for dry, damp, or wet locations. Ampacity correction for ambient temperature and adjustment factors for more than three current-carrying conductors are calculation-heavy and frequently tested.

Electrical Equipment and Devices — 10 exam items

The largest topic. Expect questions on working space requirements (Table 110.26), switchboard and panelboard installation under NEC 408.3(E)(1), motor branch-circuit conductor sizing, transformer overcurrent protection and vault requirements, luminaire installation and support rules, switch ratings, and receptacle grounding and replacement rules. Motor-related questions in this section overlap with the Motors topic — know the distinctions between overload protection and short-circuit protection.

Motors and Generators — 2 exam items

Motor branch-circuit conductors must be sized at 125% of full-load current under NEC Article 430 rules. Know overload protection device ratings and placement, branch-circuit short-circuit and ground-fault protection device selection, controller ratings and marking, and disconnecting means requirements per NEC Article 430.109(A)(1). Generator installation questions cover conductor ampacity, overcurrent protection, and disconnecting means — typically straightforward if you know the general rules.

Electrical Control Devices and Disconnecting Means — 6 exam items

Service disconnect location, rating, and the maximum-number rules reappear here alongside switch types and their permitted uses — AC snap switches, knife switches, dimmers, and circuit breakers used as switches. Motor disconnecting means questions test location, type, current rating, and interrupting capacity. Panelboard and switchgear overcurrent protection and disconnecting rules round out this section. Pay close attention to what constitutes an acceptable disconnecting means in each specific context.

Worked Sample Questions

Question 1 — Electrical Equipment and Devices

What is the minimum working space required in front of 480V switchgear?

• A. 3 ft
• B. 3.5 ft
• C. 4 ft
• D. 5 ft

Correct Answer: A — 3 ft

At 480V (within the 151–600V range), Condition 1 working space depth is 3 feet minimum. Condition 1 applies when there are exposed live parts on one side and no live or grounded parts on the other — the least demanding of the three conditions in Table 110.26(A)(1). Candidates who jump to 3.5 ft or higher are typically confusing Condition 2 or a higher voltage range. Always identify the voltage class and condition before selecting a depth.

Question 2 — Electrical Services and Service Equipment

A commercial building has a concrete-encased electrode, ground rod, and building steel. What size grounding electrode conductor is required for 500 kcmil copper service entrance conductors?

• A. 2 AWG
• B. 1/0 AWG
• C. 3/0 AWG
• D. 4/0 AWG

Correct Answer: B — 1/0 AWG copper

For 500 kcmil copper service entrance conductors, NEC 250.66 (referenced via the exam's GEC sizing rules) requires a 1/0 AWG copper grounding electrode conductor. A common error is selecting 2 AWG (undersized) or jumping to 3/0 AWG by confusing GEC sizing with equipment grounding conductor sizing from NEC Table 250.122. The presence of multiple electrodes (concrete-encased, ground rod, building steel) forms a grounding electrode system but does not change the GEC size requirement — that is determined by the service conductor size alone.

Question 3 — Definitions and Theory

The NEC does NOT cover installations in which of the following?

• A. Public and private buildings
• B. Industrial substations
• C. Ships and aircraft
• D. Recreational vehicles

Correct Answer: C — Ships and aircraft

NEC 90.2(B) explicitly excludes ships, watercraft other than floating buildings, railway rolling stock, aircraft, and automotive vehicles other than mobile homes and recreational vehicles. Public and private buildings are covered under NEC 90.2(A). Industrial substations fall within NEC's scope. Recreational vehicles are specifically included — Article 551 governs them. This question type rewards candidates who have actually read the scope section, not just assumed the NEC covers everything electrical.

How to Read Your Score

A passing score on this exam is 70% — 28 out of 40 questions correct. On a practice attempt, your score tells you two things: your current knowledge level and where your study time should go next.

A first practice attempt is a diagnostic, not a verdict. Scoring 55–65% on your first try is common and useful — it maps exactly which of the eight topic areas need work. Scoring 70% or above on the first attempt does not mean you are ready; it may mean the questions happened to fall in your stronger areas. Use the topic-by-topic breakdown to find where you dropped points, not just the total.

Scoring near 70% — say, 68–72% — on practice should be treated as a caution sign, not a green light. The real exam will pull from areas you have not seen yet, and a thin margin leaves no room for a difficult question cluster. Aim for consistent scores of 80% or higher across multiple full-practice attempts before scheduling your licensing exam. The 336+ question pool means each attempt is a genuinely different test, so your score trend across attempts is more meaningful than any single result.

Where Candidates Lose Points

Wrong code section for a similar-sounding rule. GEC sizing (NEC 250.66) and equipment grounding conductor sizing (NEC Table 250.122) produce different answers for the same service size. Using the wrong table costs the point every time.

Skipping the 125% step. Both feeder and branch circuit conductor sizing questions require applying the 125% multiplier to continuous loads per NEC 215.2(A)(1) and NEC 210.19(A)(1). Candidates who size directly from the load current without the multiplier land on a wrong answer that looks plausible.

Misidentifying NEC scope exclusions. Ships and aircraft questions catch candidates who assume the NEC covers all electrical installations. NEC 90.2(B) is short — memorize the exclusion list.

Confusing GFCI and AFCI trigger locations. NEC 210.8(A) covers dwelling GFCI locations; NEC 210.8(B) covers commercial. NEC 210.12(B) governs AFCI in dwelling bedrooms and other areas. Mixing up which rule applies to which occupancy type is a recurring error on Electrical Equipment and Devices questions.

Running out of time on calculation questions. Motor sizing, feeder demand factor calculations, and working-space depth problems all require table lookups and arithmetic. Candidates who spend five or more minutes on a single calculation often rush the remaining questions. Practice timed sessions with the full 40-question exam to build pace.

Ignoring Condition number in working space questions. Table 110.26(A)(1) has three conditions. Defaulting to Condition 2 or 3 when the problem specifies Condition 1 adds unnecessary footage and selects a wrong answer.

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