Texas journeyman exam · 2026 NEC
Texas journeyman electrician exam: questions and answers
The Texas journeyman electrician exam is 85 multiple-choice questions in 240 minutes across two open-book portions on the 2026 NEC, and you need 70% on each. Each answer below is in its first sentence; the numbers come from TDLR’s pages and PSI’s candidate bulletin, with the date we read them.
The exam
How many questions are on the Texas journeyman electrician exam?
The Texas journeyman exam has 85 questions in two portions: 59 NEC Knowledge questions (3 not scored) and 26 Calculations questions (2 not scored).
How long is the Texas journeyman exam?
The exam is 240 minutes in all: 130 minutes for the Knowledge portion and 110 minutes for the Calculations portion. Time left over from the first portion does not carry into the second.
Is the Texas journeyman exam open book?
Yes, the Texas journeyman exam is open book. You bring your own soft-bound copy of the National Electrical Code: PSI names the 2026 edition, allows any soft-bound edition, and bases the questions on the edition TDLR has adopted. Loose-leaf, spiral-bound and ring-bound copies are not allowed, and neither is the NEC Handbook or any extra paper.
What score do you need to pass the Texas journeyman exam?
You need 70% on each portion; each portion must be passed on its own.
Which code book is the Texas journeyman exam on?
The exam is referenced to the 2026 edition of the National Electrical Code from 1 September 2026.
Can I use the 2023 code book on the Texas journeyman exam?
PSI allows any soft-bound edition, but the questions have been based on the 2026 edition since 1 September 2026, so a 2023 book will send you to sections that have moved.
Can I tab and highlight my code book?
You can highlight, underline and write notes before the exam, and you can use permanent tabs made or supplied by the book’s publisher; homemade tabs are not allowed and nothing may be marked during the exam.
What calculator can I bring to the Texas journeyman exam?
A calculator is allowed if it is silent, battery-powered, non-programmable, with no paper tape and no alphabet keyboard.
What calculations are on the Texas journeyman exam?
The Calculations portion covers box fill, conduit fill, voltage drop, motor circuits, services and three-phase, each solved with figures from your own code book.
Is the Texas journeyman exam multiple choice?
Yes; both portions are multiple choice and taken on a computer at a PSI test center.
Getting in
How many hours do you need for the Texas journeyman exam?
You may sit the exam after at least 7,000 hours of on-the-job training under the supervision of a master electrician licensed in Texas.
How do I apply for the Texas journeyman exam?
A first journeyman application goes to TDLR by mail: the application form, the fee and the signed Experience Verification Forms. TDLR reviews it and then tells you that you may test.
How much does the Texas journeyman exam cost?
It costs $108 to apply and test: TDLR’s $30 application fee and PSI’s $78 exam fee.
Where is the Texas journeyman exam taken?
It is taken at a PSI test center. PSI lists test centers in Abilene, Amarillo, Arlington, Austin, Corpus Christi, Dallas, El Paso, Fort Worth, Harlingen, Houston, Lubbock, McAllen, Midland, Richardson, San Antonio, Tyler and Waco.
Can I take the Texas journeyman exam online?
Neither TDLR nor PSI describes a remote or at-home sitting; PSI’s bulletin describes test-center sittings only.
Do school hours count toward the Texas journeyman license?
Hours in a career and technology education program do not count as on-the-job training toward a journeyman license.
After the exam
When do you get Texas journeyman exam results?
Your score shows on screen when you finish and a score report is printed at the site; if you fail, it comes with a report of your strong and weak areas.
What happens if you fail the Texas journeyman exam?
If you fail you can retake it: you may retake the exam as many times as you need, and may pay a fee each time, within one year of the date TDLR received your application. A retake costs $78 whether you failed one portion or both.
Do I retake only the portion I failed?
PSI charges the same $78 for one portion or both, but neither TDLR nor PSI says outright whether you retake only the portion you failed; ask PSI when you book.
Studying
How long should I study for the Texas journeyman exam?
Allow about ten weeks of an hour on most days: two on the book’s layout and marking, three to four on calculations, then timed lookups and full timed portions.
What is the best way to practise for an open-book exam?
Practise finding sections in your own 2026 book against a clock, because the exam gives a little over two minutes per Knowledge question.
Is there a free practice test?
Yes; AI Electrician Tutor has a 30-question sample paper you can take with no account.