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State guides · California
The California Journeyman Electrician Exam, Explained
California doesn't actually use the word "journeyman" — the certification is called General Electrician — but everyone in the trade knows what you mean. Here's everything about the exam: who runs it, what it costs, what edition of the Code it's based on, and how to prep for it. If you're a working apprentice about to sit for this, read the whole page. It's short.
The Exam Format
The California General Electrician certification exam is a computer-based, multiple-choice test:
| Detail | |
|---|---|
| Questions | 100 |
| Time | 4 hours (240 minutes) |
| Passing score | 70% |
| Format | Multiple choice, on a PC at a testing center |
| Results | Score report on screen immediately; certification card mailed on passing |
Four hours for 100 questions means 2 minutes 24 seconds per question — plenty of time if you know the Code book. The exam punishes the candidate who tries to read their way to an answer, not the one who can find it. That's a skill you drill, not a trait you're born with.
⚠️ Fail the exam, and you wait. There's a 60-day waiting period from the date you fail before you can retest, and the retest costs another $100. Pass the first time. Drill the lookup reps until finding answers is boring.
Who Runs the Exam
The exam is issued by the California Department of Industrial Relations (DIR), through the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE) — Electrician Certification Unit. But here's the change most study guides haven't caught up with:
- Through mid-2026: exams were administered by PSI Services, scheduled through psiexams.com.
- As of June 1, 2026: exams are administered by CPS HR Consulting, scheduled through Pearson VUE. After DLSE approves your application, you get an Authorization to Test email from Pearson VUE to set up your exam appointment.
If a prep course, Reddit thread, or YouTube video tells you to "register on PSI," that advice is stale. Always work from the current Candidate Information Bulletin (CIB) on the DIR's Electrician Certification page — it's the only source that matters.
Who Qualifies & What It Costs
You don't just sign up and sit. The process:
- Experience: 8,000 hours of work for a C-10 electrical contractor installing, constructing, or maintaining electrical systems — roughly four years — or completion of an approved apprenticeship program in the General Electrician classification.
- Apply to DLSE with the application, supporting documentation, and the $75 application fee.
- Get your eligibility notice. Once approved, you have one year to take the exam — don't sit on it.
- Schedule and sit the exam: $100 examination fee.
So the all-in cost of your first attempt is $175 in state fees ($75 to apply + $100 to test), with a $100 retest fee each time you need another shot. After you're certified, renewal is every three years ($100) with continuing education required. Don't let a lapsed card wipe out four years of work.
What's Tested
Unlike some states that split the exam into knowledge and calculation portions, California gives you one exam covering everything — and it's heavily code-based. Expect questions across:
- General electrical knowledge — theory, Ohm's law, the basics.
- Wiring and protection — the single biggest chunk: conductor sizing, overcurrent protection, branch circuits.
- Wiring methods and materials — raceways, boxes, cable types, where each is allowed.
- Equipment for general use — motors, luminaires, appliances.
- Special occupancies, special equipment, and special conditions — hazardous locations, health care, emergency systems, grounding and bonding.
- Safety — a smaller slice, but it's free points if you've worked the trade.
The through-line: nearly every question is a Code lookup. The candidate who wins is the one who can find the right article in under a minute, not the one who memorized the most numbers. Open your Code book to Article 210 for branch circuits, Article 250 for grounding and bonding, and Article 430 for motors — you'll live in those three.
🔎 The lookup-tip that matters most for California: the exam is a navigation test wearing a knowledge disguise. Tab your Code book by article number (210, 220, 230, 240, 250, 300, 310, 314, 334, 430, 500, 517, 680, 690, 700) and drill timed reps where every question starts with "find it in the book." Tab your Code book →
Which NEC Edition the Exam Uses
The exam is referenced to the current California Electrical Code — the state edition of the NEC — which is currently based on the NEC 2020. That means:
- Study and tab the 2020 NEC.
- Don't drill on 2023 or 2026 changes — a question that's correct under a newer edition can be wrong on your test.
Edition switches are where good students die: they walk in drilled on the newest Code and answer questions the way the current edition would. Study the edition you'll be tested on. See the 50-state edition table →
Open Book, Calculator & Exam-Day Rules
The California exam has long been open book — the testing center supplies the Code book, and you're allowed a non-programmable calculator. Leave your phone, smartwatch, notes, and study guides outside; the usual exam-day security applies (valid government photo ID, arrive early, no late admissions).
Confirm the current rules in the Candidate Information Bulletin before your test date. The book and calculator policies come from the bulletin, and bulletins change — especially right after a provider switch like the 2026 move from PSI to CPS HR Consulting/Pearson VUE. What was true on a forum thread from 2010 is not the plan. Read the CIB.
How to Study for It
Four years of field work gets you in the door; it doesn't pass the exam. Most California test-takers fail on Code lookup speed, not on field knowledge. The study plan is simple:
- Tab your Code book by article and drill finding any article in under 60 seconds — the tabbing guide →
- Do lookup reps with the book open — Sparky's 1,087 questions across 33 NEC topics are built exactly this way: every question a rep, 15 minutes a day. The method →
- Learn the calculation articles cold — box fill (314.16), voltage drop, motor calculations. They're the highest-value questions on the exam.
- Take the free 10-question Smart Review to see where you stand before you spend a dime on the real thing.
Exam facts verified against the DIR Electrician Certification program page and Candidate Information Bulletin (CIB), October 2026. Fees and provider details change — confirm against the current bulletin before your test date.
Keep Drilling
One exam, 100 questions, 70% to pass — and the 60-day retest wait makes a fail expensive. Sparky's 1,087 codebook-first questions drill the lookup speed California rewards: every question a rep with your book open, 15 minutes a day.