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Texas Master Sign Electrician — Practice Exam

What This Practice Exam Covers

The Texas Master Sign Electrician licensing exam is 100 questions, administered over 300 minutes. Passing requires a 70% — 70 correct answers minimum.

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 gives you a feel for question style and phrasing before you commit to serious prep.

Full practice exam (paid): 100 questions, 300-minute time limit — same format as the real thing. Questions are pulled from a pool of 3,261+ items, so each attempt gives you a different set. No duplicate exams. Every question is built from the exact topic breakdown the official test provider uses, so you're practicing against material that actually shows up on test day.

Start with the free exam to baseline yourself. Use the full exam when you're ready to put in real prep hours.

What You'll Be Tested On

Electric Signs and Outline Lighting — 36 questions

This is the exam. More than a third of your score lives here. Know it cold.

You'll answer questions on branch circuit requirements for signs: ratings, amperage limits, and the dedicated circuit rules under NEC 600.5(A) and NEC 600.5(C)(1). Disconnecting means questions test whether you know location, accessibility, lockable provisions, and control switch ratings — see NEC 600.6(A) and NEC 600.6(A)(2) through NEC 600.6(A)(4).

Grounding and bonding shows up repeatedly. NEC 600.7(B)(4) covers bonding of metal parts; know it alongside NEC 600.7(A)(5).

Listing and labeling questions are often True/False or direct recall. NEC 600.3(A) is explicit: electric signs must be listed and labeled regardless of voltage.

Neon secondary-circuit wiring gets detailed. Questions cover GTO cable, conduit methods, conductor spacing, and voltage thresholds above and below 1,000 volts. NEC 600.32(A)(3), NEC 600.32(I), and NEC 600.32(J)(1) all appear in the question bank.

Transformers and electronic power supplies — NEC 600.23(C), NEC 600.23(D), and NEC 600.23(E) — cover ratings, ground-fault protection, and voltage limits. Secondary circuit conductor requirements appear under NEC 600.32(A)(2) through NEC 600.32(A)(5) and NEC 600.32(B).

Know NEC 600.9(C) and NEC 600.10(C)(1) for portable and mobile sign installation requirements.

Electrical Services, Service Equipment, and Separately Derived Systems — 16 questions

Expect calculations. Service conductor sizing pulls from NEC Table 310.16 and NEC 230.42(A). Service disconnect rules — number, grouping, location — come from NEC 230.71(B) and NEC 230.79(C). Ground-fault protection of equipment is tested under NEC 230.95. Transformer overcurrent protection falls under NEC Article 450.

Branch Circuit Calculations and Conductors — 15 questions

This section demands calculation skill. You need the 125% rule for continuous loads from NEC 210.19(A)(1), GFCI location requirements under NEC 210.8 and NEC 210.8(A), and AFCI requirements from NEC 210.12(B). Ampacity correction and adjustment factors require fluency with NEC Table 310.16 and NEC Table 310.15(C)(1). Box fill calculations reference NEC 314.16(B)(1) and NEC Table 314.16(B)(1).

Electrical Equipment and Devices — 10 questions

Switch ratings, receptacle replacement rules, panelboard installation, luminaire support and grounding, and motor branch-circuit conductors. Motor overload protection sizing comes from NEC 430.32(A)(1). Transformer installation details fall under NEC Article 450.

Electrical Wiring Methods and Electrical Materials — 8 questions

Cable protection in framing members (NEC 300.4(A)(1), NEC 300.4(A)(2)), underground cover depths from NEC Table 300.5(A), conductor fill calculations using NEC Chapter 9, Table 4 and NEC Chapter 9, Table 5. Securing and support intervals are tested by wiring method type.

Definitions, Calculations, and Theory — 6 questions

These questions test NEC structure basics. Know mandatory vs. permissive language from NEC 90.5(A) and NEC 90.5(C). Units of measurement are governed by NEC 90.9(A) and NEC 90.9(B). AHJ authority appears under NEC 90.4(B). Grounding electrode conductor sizing pulls from NEC Table 250.66.

Electrical Control Devices and Disconnecting Means — 4 questions

Motor disconnect location requirements — in-sight, lockable, accessible. Switch connections and grounded conductor switching rules. Panelboard circuit directories and grounding.

Electrical Feeders — 3 questions

The 125% rule for continuous feeder loads under NEC 215.2(A)(1)(a), feeder OCP ratings from NEC 215.3, and ground-fault protection for feeders rated 1,000 amperes or more under NEC 215.10.

Motors — 2 questions

Branch-circuit conductor sizing from NEC Table 430.250 and NEC 430.22. Overload protection selection from NEC 430.32(A)(1). Two questions — but miss both and you've already chipped into your margin.

Worked Sample Questions

Question 1 — Electric Signs and Outline Lighting

Electric signs and outline lighting systems shall be listed and labeled regardless of voltage. True or False?

Correct answer: TRUE

Per NEC 600.3(A), fixed, mobile, and portable electric signs, section signs, outline lighting systems, and retrofit kits — regardless of voltage — must be listed and labeled, provided with installation instructions, and installed in conformance with that listing. The phrase "regardless of voltage" is the part candidates miss. Low-voltage signs are not exempt. If it's a sign, it gets listed.

Question 2 — Electrical Services, Service Equipment, and Separately Derived Systems

A feeder serves: Lighting 20A; Receptacles 15A; Largest motor 30A. What is the calculated feeder load?

• A. 65A
• B. 70A
• C. 75A
• D. 80A

Correct answer: C — 75A

The largest motor gets bumped by 125% before you add the other loads. That's the rule for motor feeder calculations: 30A × 125% = 37.5A. Add the remaining loads: 37.5 + 20 + 15 = 72.5A. You don't round to the nearest standard size arbitrarily — you go up to the next standard overcurrent device rating, which gives you 75A. Answer C.

Question 3 — Branch Circuit Calculations and Conductors

A 400 ft run supplies 100A, 240V single-phase, using 3/0 CU THHN. What is the approximate voltage drop?

• A. 5V
• B. 6.4V
• C. 8.0V
• D. 9.2V

Correct answer: B — 6.4V

Use the voltage drop formula from NEC Chapter 9, Table 8:
VD = (2 × K × I × D) ÷ CM

Where K = 12.9 (copper), I = 100A, D = 400 ft, CM = 167,800 (3/0 AWG copper).

VD = (2 × 12.9 × 100 × 400) ÷ 167,800 = 1,032,000 ÷ 167,800 ≈ 6.15V

The closest answer is 6.4V — approximately 2.7% of 240V, which falls under the NEC informational note recommending 3% maximum for branch circuits.

How to Read Your Score

Passing is 70 out of 100. That's the only number that matters on test day.

On your first practice attempt, treat your score as a diagnostic, not a verdict. Most people underestimate how heavily Electric Signs and Outline Lighting is weighted — 36 questions means your score on that topic alone can swing the exam either way.

Use the topic-by-topic breakdown after each attempt. If you're at 65% on signs and outline lighting, that's where your study time goes — not into areas where you're already clearing 80%. If you're scoring 75% overall but weak on Branch Circuit Calculations (15 questions), one bad session there costs you points fast.

Scoring in the low-to-mid 70s on practice means more work is needed. Real exam conditions — time pressure, unfamiliar phrasing — tend to pull scores down slightly from practice. A solid buffer of 78–82% or better on practice gives you a reasonable cushion heading into the real thing.

Take multiple full practice attempts. At 3,261+ questions in the pool, you'll see fresh material each time.

Where Candidates Lose Points

Skipping the 125% multiplier on motors. Whether it's a feeder or a branch circuit, the largest motor load gets multiplied before you add other loads. Candidates forget this step and select an answer that's too low.

Using the wrong ampacity table or column. NEC Table 310.16 has multiple temperature rating columns. Pulling the 75°C ampacity when the question specifies a 60°C termination — or vice versa — sends you to a wrong answer that looks plausible.

Missing the "regardless of voltage" language in Article 600. Sign listing questions look like easy points until a candidate assumes low-voltage signs are exempt. NEC 600.3(A) has no voltage threshold. Every sign, every time.

Miscounting conductor fill. Box fill calculations under NEC 314.16(B)(1) require you to count device yokes, internal clamps, and grounding conductors separately. Candidates who count only insulated conductors leave out fill items and select a box that's undersized.

Running out of time on calculations. With 300 minutes for 100 questions, you have 3 minutes per question on average. Multi-step voltage drop and load calculation questions eat that up fast. Know the formulas cold — don't reconstruct them under pressure.

Confusing disconnecting means rules for signs vs. services. NEC 600.6 requirements for sign disconnects have specific location and accessibility rules that differ from service disconnect rules. Mixing them up costs points in both the signs section and the control devices section.

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