- Two Portions, Two Timers, Two Passing Scores
- Check Your Scope Before You Buy Anything
- The 2026 NEC Transition and Your Code Book
- Mastering the NEC Knowledge Portion
- Mastering the Calculations Portion
- Open-Book Rules: Tabs, Notes, and Calculators
- A Domain-Ordered Study Schedule
- Fees, Pass Statistics, and Eligibility
- Test-Day Logistics
- Frequently Asked Questions
- The Texas journeyman route has two separate computer-based portions: NEC Knowledge (56 scored items, 130 minutes) and Calculations (24 scored, 110 minutes).
- Each portion needs 70% on its own, runs on its own timer, and unused time never rolls over.
- Only permanent NEC-publisher tabs are allowed in your soft-bound code book; homemade tabs, loose-leaf and the NEC Handbook are prohibited.
- The fee is USD 78 for both portions, and a retake costs USD 78, not USD 39 per portion.
Two Portions, Two Timers, Two Passing Scores
Since March 11, 2025, the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) has administered the journeyman electrician exam through PSI Services LLC as two written portions. Many older prep materials still describe a single combined exam, and that is the first trap for candidates. This guide covers the full route, both portions, and it assumes you must pass both. For background on what the credential is, see What Is TX-JE?
| Feature | NEC Knowledge | Calculations |
|---|---|---|
| Total questions | 59 (3 unscored) | 26 (2 unscored) |
| Scored questions | 56 | 24 |
| Time allowed | 130 minutes | 110 minutes |
| Passing requirement | 70% | 70% |
| Format | Computer-based multiple choice | Computer-based multiple choice |
Three details matter for strategy. First, the calculations portion is a written, computer-based test, not a hands-on practical assessment. Second, each portion has its own timer, so finishing early on one does not give you extra minutes on the other. Third, no required portion order is published, so plan around your own strengths. The detailed passing mechanics are covered in TX-JE Passing Score 2026.
Check Your Scope Before You Buy Anything
The published outline for each portion is a ten-heading list. On this site, Domains 1-10 reproduce the NEC Knowledge outline and Domains 11-20 reproduce the Calculations outline. Several names repeat, such as "Electrical Feeders" and "Motors and Generators," because they are separate rows in separate portions, not duplicates. Twenty is how the two ten-heading outlines are serialized, not a claim that the issuer publishes twenty unique weighted domains. For the full breakdown, read TX-JE Exam Domains 2026.
Be careful with older sources. A TDLR-hosted bulletin updated March 30, 2023 is still searchable online, but it is superseded for this route, and its combined-exam description and reference list should not override the current PSI bulletin linked from TDLR's electrician exam page. Likewise, third-party "latest updated actual exam" listings are exam-dump style products. Skip them. The questions on this site are independently authored study material, not actual issuer questions.
The 2026 NEC Transition and Your Code Book
The currently linked bulletin gives an explicit dated notice that the tested reference is NFPA 70, the 2026 National Electrical Code, effective September 1, 2026. Questions reference the designated tested edition, so that is the edition to learn.
One subtle point: the current text admits any soft-bound edition into the room, but permission to bring an older book is not proof that older-edition answers are tested. If you carry an older copy, you risk finding answers that differ from the designated edition. Candidates preparing during the changeover should look for article renumbering and changed requirements in the areas below and verify each against the 2026 text you will actually use.
Mastering the NEC Knowledge Portion
The NEC Knowledge outline totals 56 scored items. Here is where they fall, using the published allocations.
Domains 4, 5 and 6: Ten Scored Items Each
These three headings are the largest listed allocations, together accounting for 30 of the 56 scored items.
- Domain 4, Branch Circuits and Conductors: GFCI/AFCI protection, branch circuits, branch-circuit overcurrent protection, conductors, and grounding/bonding conductors.
- Domain 5, Electrical Wiring Methods and Electrical Materials: raceways and cable trays, boxes and enclosures, cabinets and panels, cables and cords, and underground wiring.
- Domain 6, Electrical Equipment and Devices: receptacles and switches, luminaires, air-conditioning/refrigeration/heating equipment, appliances, and workspace clearance.
Domains 2, 7 and 9: The Middle Tier
- Domain 2 (6 items), Electrical Services, Service Equipment, and Separately Derived Systems: load knowledge, fault current, service equipment, temporary wiring, grounding/bonding and transformers.
- Domain 9 (6 items), Special Occupancies, Equipment, and Conditions: special occupancies, swimming pools and fountains, RVs/mobile homes/park trailers/marinas, data-processing and communications equipment, emergency systems, and miscellaneous equipment.
- Domain 7 (5 items), Motors and Generators.
Domains 1, 3, 8 and 10: Small but Not Skippable
- Domain 1 (3 items), Definitions, Theory, and Plans: code definitions, electrical theory and plan reading.
- Domain 3 (3 items), Electrical Feeders: feeder load knowledge, grounded conductors and feeder grounding/bonding, and overcurrent protection.
- Domain 8 (1 item), Electrical Control Devices and Disconnecting Means.
- Domain 10 (2 items), Renewable Energy Technologies: photovoltaics and electric vehicle chargers.
Because scored items sum to 56 and passing is 70%, you need to answer roughly 40 correctly to clear the portion. Verify the exact scoring conversion in the bulletin, since three unscored items are mixed in and you cannot tell which ones they are. That uncertainty is a reason to answer every question rather than skip anything that looks unfamiliar.
The practical skill is code navigation. This is an open-book portion, so the winning move is rarely memorizing a table; it is finding the right article fast, reading the exact wording, and noticing exceptions. Practice with the index and the table of contents until you can reach a topic in well under a minute. Our difficulty guide explains why navigation speed is often the real constraint.
Mastering the Calculations Portion
The Calculations portion has just 24 scored items over 110 minutes, so you can afford more time per problem than on the Knowledge portion, but each item usually requires several code lookups before any arithmetic begins. The allocations:
| Domain | Scored Items | Published Subject Matter |
|---|---|---|
| 11, Calculations and Theory | 2 | Electrical theory |
| 12, Services, Service Equipment, Separately Derived Systems | 4 | Load calculations, service equipment, grounding/bonding, transformers |
| 13, Electrical Feeders | 3 | Feeder load calculations and overcurrent protection |
| 14, Branch Circuit Calculations and Conductors | 4 | Branch-circuit calculations, overcurrent protection, conductors, grounding/bonding conductors |
| 15, Wiring Methods and Materials | 2 | Raceways and boxes/enclosures |
| 16, Equipment and Devices | 2 | Air-conditioning/refrigeration/heating equipment and appliances |
| 17, Motors and Generators | 2 | Motors and generators |
| 18, Control Devices and Disconnecting Means | 1 | Control devices/disconnecting means |
| 19, Special Occupancies, Equipment, and Conditions | 3 | RVs/mobile homes/park trailers/marinas, data-processing/communications equipment, miscellaneous equipment |
| 20, Renewable Energy Technologies | 1 | Electric vehicle chargers and photovoltaics |
Domains 12 and 14 carry the largest allocations at four items each, but item allocation is not a published weight. Domain 14's outline continues onto printed page 14 of the bulletin, so make sure your study notes capture the full list, including grounding/bonding conductors.
Working Rules for Calculation Problems
- Assume copper conductors unless the question directs otherwise.
- Use exceptions and optional calculation methods only when the question directs. Defaulting to the standard method is the safer assumption.
- Write each step on the supplied electronic notepad. You cannot write in your code book or bring paper, so the notepad is your scratch space.
- Work the lookup before the math. Many missed items come from selecting the wrong table, not from arithmetic slips.
Key Takeaway
Do not trust any single source for numerical explanations. When you work practice problems, verify each answer yourself against the 2026 NEC text, since published solutions written against older editions may use outdated table values or section numbers.
Open-Book Rules: Tabs, Notes, and Calculators
The reference rules are strict, and misunderstanding them is an avoidable way to start the day badly. Under the current text:
- Bring a soft-bound NEC. The NEC Handbook and loose-leaf, spiral-bound or ring-bound copies are prohibited.
- Existing notes, highlighting and underlining are allowed. Mark up your book thoroughly in advance.
- Only permanent index tabs manufactured or provided by the NEC publisher are authorized. No homemade, DIY or non-NEC tabs.
- No added paper and no writing or marking in the reference during the examination. Do your annotating at home.
- Calculator: silent, battery-powered, nonprogrammable, with no alphabetic keyboard and no paper printing.
A Domain-Ordered Study Schedule
The following sequence is built around where scored items concentrate and how the topics build on one another. Adjust the pacing to your own timeline and experience. A longer window is sensible if your daily work rarely touches things like pools, emergency systems or photovoltaics.
Foundation and the heavy Knowledge domains
- Domain 1 definitions and plan reading, then Domains 4, 5 and 6 (the ten-item headings).
- Tab and highlight your 2026 NEC as you go.
- Practice finding GFCI/AFCI, box fill, and workspace clearance requirements by index alone.
Services, feeders, motors, and special topics
- Domains 2 and 3: services, grounding/bonding, transformers, feeders.
- Domains 7, 8, 9 and 10: motors and generators, disconnects, special occupancies, PV and EV chargers.
Calculations
- Start with Domain 11 theory, then Domains 12 and 14 (four items each).
- Move to feeders, motors, appliances and special occupancy calculations (Domains 13, 16, 17, 19).
- Time yourself against the 110-minute limit.
Full-portion rehearsals
- Take timed runs of each portion separately, with only your allowed book and calculator.
- Review every miss by locating the governing section.
Why calculations after the code domains? Nearly every calculation problem depends on locating the right article, so navigation habits built in the Knowledge study make the arithmetic work faster. If you want a compact reference while you rehearse, the TX-JE cheat sheet collects the key facts on one page. Then try component-specific questions on the main practice test site, which are independently authored supplementary questions, not the real exam.
Fees, Pass Statistics, and Eligibility
What You Pay
- Exam fee: USD 78 covers both portions.
- Retakes: retaking one or both portions costs USD 78, not USD 39 per portion.
- Initial TDLR application fee: USD 30, a separate charge.
See TX-JE Certification Cost 2026 for the full breakdown. Attempts are unlimited within your eligibility period, but a failed attempt costs real money, which is part of the case for finishing your rehearsals before booking.
What the Pass Statistics Actually Say
TDLR's Fiscal Year 2025 statistics report these historical attempt-level figures:
| Row | Pass Rate | Passes / Attempts |
|---|---|---|
| Journeyman NEC | 24.46% | 1,402 / 5,731 |
| Journeyman Calculations | 20.56% | 1,301 / 6,328 |
| Separate unsplit Journeyman row | 27.52% | 1,390 / 5,050 |
Eligibility Versus Issuance
These are different gates. TDLR may approve early testing at 7,000 verified qualifying on-the-job hours under a Texas-licensed Master Electrician, but license issuance requires 8,000 approved hours, supervisory verification, the application, and background review. Each supervising Master Electrician must verify the applicable experience. All requirements must be completed within one year after TDLR receives your application. Studying does not grant eligibility or issue a license. Details are in TX-JE Requirements 2026.
After licensing, the term is one year. Annual renewal costs USD 30 and requires four hours of TDLR-approved continuing education covering the NEC, Texas electrician law and rules, and NFPA 70E safety. Those renewal subjects are not extra exam domains.
Test-Day Logistics
- Identification: bring government ID that matches your registration.
- Arrival: show up 30 minutes early.
- Changes: cancellation or rescheduling requires at least two days' notice.
- Language: English and Spanish are available at PSI test centers.
- Tutorial: a tutorial of up to 15 minutes runs outside examination time, so it does not eat into your 130 or 110 minutes.
- Timers: each portion's clock is separate, and unused time does not carry over.
For scheduling windows and deadlines, see TX-JE Exam Dates 2026. If you are deciding whether the credential is worth pursuing, the ROI analysis and salary guide cover the career side. For the bigger picture of how this fits together, return to the TX-JE study guide overview, and when you are ready to drill, head to the practice tests.
Key Takeaway
Treat the exam as two separate projects. Prepare a tabbed 2026 NEC, build lookup speed on Domains 4, 5 and 6, then convert that speed into calculation accuracy on Domains 12 and 14. Confirm the current PSI/TDLR bulletin before you finalize your book and question bank.
Frequently Asked Questions
The two portions are separate, each with its own timer and its own 70% requirement. No required order or combined sitting is published, so confirm scheduling options with PSI when you register.
No. Only permanent index tabs manufactured or provided by the NEC publisher are authorized. Homemade, DIY and non-NEC tabs are not allowed, and neither is adding paper or writing in the book during the exam. Existing notes, highlighting and underlining are permitted.
The currently linked bulletin states the 2026 NEC, effective September 1, 2026, as the tested reference. The bulletin has rendering discrepancies, including a reference line that still shows 2023 on page 8, so verify the current PSI/TDLR bulletin before buying a book. An older soft-bound copy may be admitted, but that does not mean older-edition answers are tested.