Start Practice Test

What This Practice Exam Covers

The Texas Maintenance Electrician licensing exam is 60 questions with a 180-minute time limit. You need a 70% — 42 correct — to pass. Questions pull from nine topic areas that span NEC code interpretation, load calculations, wiring methods, motor circuits, and hazardous locations.

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 want. It is a solid way to get a feel for question style and pacing before you commit to serious prep.

Full practice exam — 60 questions, 180-minute timer, structured exactly like the real exam. Questions are pulled from a pool of 543+ questions, so each attempt gives you a different set. No two runs are identical. This is where actual preparation happens.

Start with the free version. If you are scoring well and want broader coverage, move to the full exam.

What You'll Be Tested On

Definitions, Calculations, Theory, and Plans — 5 items
These questions test whether you can calculate branch-circuit, feeder, and service loads using demand factors and unit loads. You also need to know grounding and bonding requirements — electrode systems, conductor sizing, bonding jumpers — and overcurrent protection device ratings and placement rules. GFCI and AFCI protection requirements by location show up here, along with NEC code structure: how chapters and articles relate to each other, what "shall" versus "shall be permitted" means, and what authority the AHJ carries. Know NEC 90.3 and NEC 90.5(A) cold — exam questions test mandatory versus permissive language directly.

Electrical Services, Service Equipment, and Separately Derived Systems — 8 items
This is a heavy topic. Questions cover service conductor ampacity for both overhead and underground runs, disconnecting means location and grouping, and overcurrent protection for service conductors. Grounding and bonding at the service is tested in detail: the grounding electrode system, main bonding jumper sizing, and grounding electrode conductor sizing. Separately derived systems have their own bonding and grounding rules that differ from standard service rules — know the distinction. NEC, Section 250.24(B) and NEC, Section 250.28(B) are in the citable question bank.

Electrical Feeders — 3 items
Feeder questions focus on the 125% rule for continuous loads, demand factor calculations for dwelling and commercial occupancies, and ground-fault protection requirements for feeders rated 1000 amperes or more. Know NEC, Section 215.2(A)(1) and NEC, Section 215.3. Ampacity correction and adjustment factors for temperature and bundling apply here too.

Branch Circuit Calculations and Conductors — 10 items
The largest topic on the exam. Expect conductor sizing questions using the 125% rule for continuous loads, GFCI and AFCI requirements by location and occupancy, and branch-circuit load calculations. NEC 210.8, NEC 210.8(A), and NEC 210.8(B) are cited directly in this exam's question bank. Know which locations require GFCI in both dwelling and non-dwelling settings. Overcurrent protection ratings and sizing, plus ampacity table usage with correction and adjustment factors, are tested repeatedly.

Electrical Wiring Methods and Electrical Materials — 9 items
Questions here test conductor ampacity using NEC tables, physical protection requirements through and parallel to framing members per NEC 300.4(A)(1) and NEC 300.4(A)(2), and minimum burial depths under NEC Table 300.5(A). Permitted and prohibited uses of cable types — NM, NMC, AC, MC, MI, SE, USE, UF — are tested directly. Securing and supporting intervals, conductor insulation markings, and conduit fill using NEC Table 1, Chapter 9 all appear in this section.

Electrical Equipment and Devices — 10 items
Tied with branch circuits as the heaviest topic. Switch ratings and permitted uses, receptacle grounding and replacement rules, and panelboard installation requirements under NEC, Section 408.36(A) and NEC, Section 408.37 are all tested. Motor disconnecting means and overload protection appear here as well as in the Motors section. Luminaire installation — support, grounding, wiring — and A/C equipment branch circuits and disconnecting means round out this topic.

Motors and Generators — 4 items
Know motor branch-circuit conductor sizing under NEC Handbook, Section 430.22, short-circuit and ground-fault protective device ratings per NEC 430.52(C)(1), and overload protection trip percentages under NEC Handbook, Section 430.32(A)(1). NEC Table 430.250 gives full-load current values you calculate from. Generator conductor ampacity rules fall under NEC, Section 445.13(A). Disconnecting means location and rating requirements are tested.

Electrical Control Devices and Disconnecting Means — 3 items
Questions focus on switch connection rules, grounded conductor handling, and the specific ratings required for different load types. Motor controller ratings and motor disconnecting means location come up here too. NEC, Section 404.2(B) and NEC, Section 404.14(A) are in the question bank.

Special Occupancies, Equipment, and Conditions — 8 items
Hazardous locations are a significant chunk of the exam. Know Class I, II, and III locations and Division 1 versus Division 2 distinctions. Protection techniques — explosionproof, dust-ignitionproof, intrinsic safety, purged/pressurized — are tested by name. NEC 500.5(B)(1), NEC 500.7(A), NEC 500.7(C), and NEC 500.8(E)(1) are all cited in this exam's bank. Equipment marking requirements including material group and T-code temperature class appear here. Sealing and drainage requirements for conduit systems in hazardous locations are tested via NEC Handbook, Section 501.15(A)(1) and NEC Handbook, Section 501.15(A)(4).

Worked Sample Questions

Question 1 — Branch Circuit Calculations and Conductors

A 120/240V single-phase service has 200A unbalanced load. What is the minimum neutral size if the calculated load is 60%?

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

Correct answer: A — 1/0 AWG

The math is straightforward: 200A × 60% = 120A. A 1/0 AWG copper conductor is rated 150A, which covers the 120A calculated neutral load. Candidates lose this question by sizing to the full 200A instead of applying the demand percentage first.

Question 2 — Electrical Equipment and Devices

What is the minimum width of working space for panelboards?

• A. 24"
• B. 30"
• C. Width of equipment
• D. Equipment width or 30", whichever is greater

Correct answer: D — Equipment width or 30", whichever is greater

Per NEC 110.26(A)(2), the working space width must be at least 30 inches or the width of the equipment — whichever is larger. A narrow panelboard does not get you a narrower workspace. Many candidates pick B thinking 30 inches is always the answer, but if the equipment is wider than 30 inches, the equipment width controls.

Question 3 — Electrical Wiring Methods and Electrical Materials

A 2" EMT conduit contains (4) 3/0 THHN copper conductors. Is this within code?

• A. Yes
• B. No

Correct answer: A — Yes

Per NEC Table 1, Chapter 9, conduit fill for more than two conductors is limited to 40%. Four 3/0 THHN conductors in 2" EMT fall within that 40% fill limit. This type of question requires you to actually use the fill tables — answer B is a trap for anyone who guesses without checking.

How to Read Your Score

Passing requires 70% — 42 out of 60 questions correct.

Your first practice attempt is a diagnostic. It tells you where your gaps are, not whether you will pass. A score of 55–65% on a first run is common and does not mean you are far off — it means you have identified the topics to work.

Pay attention to which topics you miss, not just your total score. The full practice exam breaks results down by topic area. If you are dropping points in Branch Circuit Calculations (10 items) or Special Occupancies (8 items), that is where your study time goes next. Those two topics alone account to nearly one-third of the exam.

Scoring 70–75% on practice does not mean you are ready. Exam day conditions differ, and the real question pool may hit subtopics your practice runs did not emphasize. Target 80%+ consistently across multiple full-length attempts before you schedule the real exam.

Where Candidates Lose Points

Wrong table for the situation. Ampacity questions require you to pick the right NEC table, apply the right temperature column, and then apply correction and adjustment factors in the right order. Skipping a derating step is one of the most common errors in Branch Circuit Calculations and Electrical Wiring Methods.

Ignoring the 125% rule for continuous loads. The rule appears in feeders, branch circuits, and service calculations. Missing it by one step — calculating to 100% instead of 125% — drops you to the wrong conductor size every time.

Confusing Division 1 and Division 2 in hazardous locations. Special Occupancies questions rely on you knowing which division applies and which protection technique is required. Mixing up explosionproof with dust-ignitionproof, or misidentifying a Class II location, costs points quickly in a section that already carries 8 items.

Misreading the disconnecting means rules. Service disconnect requirements and motor disconnect requirements share similar language but have different conditions. Candidates who blur those distinctions lose points in both Electrical Services and Electrical Control Devices.

Running out of time. 180 minutes for 60 questions is 3 minutes per question. Calculation-heavy items in Branch Circuit and Feeder topics can eat 5–6 minutes each if you are not practiced. Use the full practice exam under timed conditions.

Exam Quick Facts