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Texas Journeyman Sign Electrician — Practice Exam

What This Practice Exam Covers

The Texas Journeyman Sign Electrician licensing exam consists of 80 questions answered in 240 minutes, with a passing score of 70% (56 correct). Questions span nine topic areas, weighted by item count, with Electric Signs and Outline Lighting carrying the heaviest load at 31 items.

Two practice options are available here:

• Free practice exam: 10 questions per attempt, drawn from a limited pool. You can retake it as many times as you like to get a feel for the question style, phrasing, and code-referencing format before committing to full prep.
• Full practice exam (paid): 80 questions, 240-minute time limit — identical to the real exam structure. Questions are drawn from a pool of 578+ items, so every attempt produces a unique set. No two attempts repeat the same exam. Questions are built from the exact topic blueprint used by the official test provider.

Start with the free exam to orient yourself, then use the full exam for timed, realistic practice.

What You'll Be Tested On

Definitions, Calculations, and Theory — 10 items
This is the foundation every other topic rests on. Expect Ohm's Law calculations (V = IR, P = IE), branch-circuit and feeder load math, and conductor ampacity lookups including correction and adjustment factors for temperature and conduit fill. You must know grounding and bonding principles — electrode types, sizing logic — and be able to distinguish mandatory NEC language ("shall") from permissive language ("shall be permitted"). Conductor insulation ratings and temperature limitations appear here too. Per NEC 200.6(A), grounded conductors 6 AWG and smaller must carry a continuous white or gray outer finish — that level of detail is tested.

Electrical Services, Service Equipment, and Separately Derived Systems — 8 items
Questions cover service conductor sizing and minimum ampacity, the rules for locating and rating disconnecting means, and clearance requirements for overhead and underground service conductors. Grounding and bonding of service equipment — including main bonding jumper sizing and grounding electrode conductor sizing — is a consistent source of questions. Separately derived system requirements, including system bonding jumper placement and grounding electrode connections, round out this section.

Electrical Feeders — 3 items
Smaller weight, but precise knowledge is still required. Candidates must apply the 125% multiplier for continuous loads per NEC, Section 215.2(A)(1), size overcurrent protection correctly, and identify proper grounded and equipment grounding conductor sizes. Ground-fault protection for feeders rated 1,000 amperes or more, and surge-protective device requirements for feeders serving dwelling units, may also appear.

Branch Circuit Calculations and Conductors — 10 items
One of the heavier sections. You'll calculate minimum conductor ampacity for continuous and noncontinuous loads per NEC 210.19(A)(1), apply GFCI protection rules under NEC 210.8 and NEC 210.8(A), and know AFCI requirements by location. Ampacity correction for ambient temperature and conduit fill is tested with real numbers. Dwelling-unit load calculations — lighting, small appliance, and laundry circuits — appear regularly. NEC 210.8(A)(1) and NEC 210.8(A)(8) are specific subsections that appear in the question bank.

Electrical Wiring Methods and Electrical Materials — 6 items
Conductor ampacity tables, ambient temperature correction, insulation type designations (THHN, XHHW, etc.), and permitted applications by location. Minimum conductor sizes and stranding rules apply. Conductors in parallel require matching size, insulation, length, and other characteristics — errors here are common. Cable types (AC, MC, NM, NMC, SE, USE, MI) and their permitted versus prohibited uses round out this section.

Electrical Equipment and Devices — 8 items
Switch types and ratings, receptacle installation and grounding requirements, panelboard and switchgear installation, luminaire support and location restrictions, motor controllers and disconnecting means, and transformer overcurrent protection and vault requirements. This section rewards candidates who have worked with actual equipment installations.

Motors — 1 item
Only one exam item, but it can be a free point or a lost one. Know how to size a motor branch-circuit conductor using the 125% rule per NEC 430.22, select overload protection per NEC 430.32(A)(1), and understand disconnecting means location and current rating requirements.

Electrical Control Devices and Disconnecting Means — 3 items
Switch types and their permitted uses, disconnecting means requirements for motors and controllers, panelboard and switchgear installation, motor controller ratings, and grounding and bonding of control equipment. Switch and circuit breaker installation requirements — accessibility, enclosure type, and position — are also tested.

Electric Signs and Outline Lighting — 31 items
This is the core of the exam. Nearly 40% of all questions come from Article 600. Expect questions on branch circuit requirements for signs (NEC 600.5(A)), disconnecting means location and lockable requirements (NEC 600.6 and related subsections), grounding and bonding including NEC 600.7(B)(4), and neon secondary circuit wiring over 1,000 volts including GTO cable, spacing, length limits, and splice restrictions under NEC 600.32 subsections. Listing, marking, and labeling under NEC 600.3(A) are tested. Transformer and electronic power supply rules — voltage limits, current ratings, secondary-circuit ground-fault protection — appear frequently, as do open-circuit voltage limits under NEC 600.32(I).

Worked Sample Questions

Question 1
Equipment having an open circuit voltage exceeding 1,000 volts shall not be installed in dwelling occupancies. — True or False?

Correct Answer: TRUE

NEC 600.32(I) states directly that equipment with an open circuit voltage exceeding 1,000 volts shall not be installed in or on dwelling occupancies. This applies to neon transformers and similar high-voltage sign components. The rationale is straightforward: residential occupants are not expected to recognize or manage the hazards of high-voltage equipment. This is a clean true/false fact — memorize the 1,000-volt threshold and the dwelling occupancy trigger.

Question 2
Grounded conductors of 6 AWG or smaller must be identified by a continuous white or gray outer finish. — True or False?

Correct Answer: TRUE

Per NEC 200.6(A), the insulation on grounded conductors 6 AWG or smaller must be identified by a continuous white outer finish, a continuous gray outer finish, or three continuous white or gray stripes along the conductor's entire length. This identification requirement allows anyone working on the system to immediately recognize the grounded conductor. Knowing which conductors require white/gray versus which permit other identification methods (larger conductors, bare conductors) is tested in multiple forms.

Question 3
What is the minimum copper conductor size for a 200A residential service using THHN at 75°C terminals?

• A. 2/0 AWG
• B. 3/0 AWG
• C. 250 kcmil
• D. 300 kcmil

Correct Answer: B — 3/0 AWG

THHN is rated at 90°C, but when terminals are rated at 75°C, you must use the 75°C ampacity column. From NEC Table 310.16, 3/0 AWG copper carries 200 amperes at 75°C — an exact match for a 200A service. 2/0 AWG copper only reaches 175A at 75°C, making it undersized. 250 kcmil and 300 kcmil are both larger than required. The trap here is using the 90°C column for THHN without accounting for terminal temperature limitations — a mistake that appears repeatedly in calculation questions.

How to Read Your Score

The passing score is 70% — 56 correct out of 80 questions. On a practice exam, treat your first attempt as a diagnostic, not a verdict. A first-attempt score shows you where your knowledge is solid and where it has gaps, not whether you are ready to sit.

A score below 60% on practice means significant gaps remain across multiple topic areas. A score between 60–69% means you are close but not consistent enough — particularly dangerous on a 70% threshold where there is no margin for error. A score above 75% on a full 80-question practice exam, with genuine time pressure applied, is a better indicator of readiness.

Use the topic-by-topic breakdown after each attempt. If you are losing points in Electric Signs and Outline Lighting — 31 of 80 questions — that single topic can decide your result. Prioritize it accordingly. Then look at Branch Circuit Calculations and Definitions and Theory, each worth 10 items. Scoring well in those three areas alone accounts for 51 questions.

Retake the full practice exam with a different random draw each time to test retention across the full 578+ question pool.

Where Candidates Lose Points

Misidentifying the mandatory/permissive language. The NEC uses "shall" for mandatory requirements and "shall be permitted" for options. Missing that distinction on a true/false question costs a point.

Wrong ampacity column. Using the 90°C column for THHN when terminal temperature limits the application to 75°C is the single most common calculation error. This affects questions in both Branch Circuit Calculations and Wiring Methods.

Article 600 detail gaps. Candidates who study general electrical code but underprep Article 600 are exposed on nearly 40% of the exam. Specific rules — the 1,000-volt dwelling occupancy limit (NEC 600.32(I)), sign disconnecting means requirements (NEC 600.6), GTO cable secondary circuit rules (NEC 600.32), and listing requirements (NEC 600.3(A)) — each appear in multiple questions in slightly different forms.

Skipping correction factors. Ampacity correction for ambient temperature above 30°C or adjustment for more than three current-carrying conductors in a raceway are multi-step calculations. Candidates who skip the correction factor or apply only one when both are required will get the wrong answer even if their base ampacity lookup is right.

Running out of time. At 240 minutes for 80 questions, you have 3 minutes per question — enough if you work steadily. Calculation questions in Definitions and Theory or Branch Circuits can eat 5–6 minutes if you are uncertain, leaving the Article 600 questions rushed.

Exam Quick Facts