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Journeyman Electrician Practice Test Questions, Worked Through
Most journeyman exams are open book, which changes what you are actually being tested on. It is not whether you memorized a table, it is whether you can find the right article fast and apply it without second-guessing.
Six questions below, each with the answer and the reasoning. Look them up in your own code book as you go, because the looking up is the skill.
Pick an option to lock it in and see the reasoning straight away. Nothing is timed and nothing is recorded, so answer the way you would on the day rather than the way that looks good.
Question 1
What is the maximum standard overcurrent device permitted to protect a 12 AWG copper branch circuit conductor?
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B. 20 amperes
The ampacity tables may show a higher figure for 12 AWG at the 75 degree C column, but the small-conductor rule caps overcurrent protection at 20 amperes for 12 AWG copper (15 for 14 AWG, 30 for 10 AWG). This is one of the most common exam traps: the table answer and the code answer are different, and the small-conductor rule wins.
Question 2
A raceway contains six current-carrying conductors. What adjustment factor applies to their ampacity?
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B. 80 percent
Adjustment starts once there are more than three current-carrying conductors bundled or in a raceway: four through six get 80 percent, seven through nine get 70 percent, ten through twenty get 50 percent. The reason is heat, since conductors in a bundle cannot shed it independently. Note that grounded conductors carrying only unbalanced current and equipment grounding conductors generally are not counted.
Question 3
A branch circuit supplies a continuous load. The overcurrent device and conductors must be sized at not less than what percentage of that load?
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C. 125 percent
Continuous means the maximum current is expected for three hours or more, and those circuits are sized at 125 percent. The extra margin exists because breakers and terminations heat up over a long run and standard ratings assume they get a chance to cool. Lighting in a commercial space is the everyday example, and exam questions frequently bury the word 'continuous' in the middle of a longer scenario.
Question 4
For box fill calculations, how much volume does each 12 AWG conductor require?
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B. 2.25 cubic inches
12 AWG counts as 2.25 cubic inches per conductor (14 AWG is 2.00, 10 AWG is 2.50). Remember the counting rules along with the number: all equipment grounding conductors together count as a single conductor volume, a device yoke counts as two, and cable clamps count as one based on the largest conductor present.
Question 5
Which conductor identification is permitted for a grounded conductor in a branch circuit?
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C. White or gray
Grounded conductors are identified white or gray, or by three continuous white or gray stripes on other than green insulation. Green, green with a yellow stripe, or bare is reserved for equipment grounding conductors. Mixing these two up is a safety issue before it is an exam issue, and the language 'grounded' versus 'grounding' is deliberately close on the test.
Question 6
In a dwelling unit kitchen, which receptacles require GFCI protection?
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B. All 125-volt, 15- and 20-ampere receptacles serving countertop surfaces
All 125-volt, 15- and 20-ampere receptacles serving kitchen countertop surfaces require GFCI protection, and recent code editions have widened dwelling kitchen requirements further. AFCI and GFCI protect against different hazards (arcing versus ground fault), so one never substitutes for the other. Where both are required, you provide both.
Six questions is a sample, not a study plan
Any fixed list of questions has the same problem: work it twice and you are remembering the list rather than learning the material. Techunique generates every scenario fresh against the Journeyman electrician licensing exam (NEC-based) blueprint, ladders the difficulty to how you are answering, and explains each miss the moment you make it. One full session is free every day.
Licensing requirements vary by jurisdiction. Practice here supplements, never replaces, your local exam prep materials and code book.
How to get value out of practice questions
- Tab your code book before exam day and practice with the tabs you will actually carry. Speed of lookup is the thing being tested.
- Work every calculation question all the way to a number, even when you think you can eyeball it. Partial credit does not exist on multiple choice.
- Watch for the words 'continuous', 'grounded' versus 'grounding', and 'not less than'. Those single words flip answers.
- Confirm which code edition and which local amendments your jurisdiction tests on before you build a study plan around any practice material.
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