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Everything you need to understand the TDLR Journeyman exam in one place: how the 2-part test works, the pass rates, who's eligible, what it costs, what's actually tested, and the NEC 2026 change coming September 1, 2026.
The Texas Journeyman Electrician exam is administered for TDLR (Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation) by PSI. As of March 2025, TDLR split it into two separately timed and separately scored parts — you have to pass both. It's an open-book exam: you bring your National Electrical Code book, which is why finding answers fast matters as much as knowing them.
Question counts and timing reflect TDLR's post-March-2025 2-part format as reported by exam-prep providers; always confirm the current specs in your PSI Candidate Information Bulletin when you schedule, since TDLR updates them.
First-try pass rates are low — roughly one in four on the NEC half and one in five on Calculations in FY2025. The exam isn't hard because the material is obscure. It's hard because it's open-book and timed, and most people run out of clock hunting through the code instead of answering.
To sit for the Journeyman exam you generally need 8,000 hours of on-the-job training under the supervision of a licensed Master Electrician — about four years of full-time work. TDLR lets you apply to test once you've logged at least 7,000 hours, so you can take the exam slightly before you hit the full licensure requirement.
The NEC Knowledge part covers code rules across the National Electrical Code — grounding and bonding, conductors, boxes and devices, branch circuits, services, motors, and definitions. The Calculations part is the math: conductor sizing, voltage drop, box fill, load calculations, conduit fill. See the full calculations breakdown →
Texas adopts the 2026 NEC on September 1, 2026. Test before that date and you're on the 2023 code; on or after, you're on 2026. The 2026 edition renumbers several articles (load calculations move from Article 220 to Article 120) and expands GFCI and arc-flash requirements, so your lookup habits need updating for a later test. Read the full NEC 2026 breakdown →
Written for TDLR's 2-part exam — both the NEC and calculations halves. No credit card. The full course is $99, 30-day money-back, NEC 2026 update included free.
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Since March 2025 it's two parts: an NEC knowledge test of roughly 59 questions (about 130 minutes) and a calculations test of roughly 26 questions (about 110 minutes). Each is scored separately and you need 70% on both. Confirm current counts with PSI when you schedule.
70% on each part. The parts are scored independently, so you must clear 70% on the NEC half and 70% on the calculations half.
About 8,000 hours of on-the-job training under a Master Electrician for licensure, and you can apply to test at 7,000 hours.
Yes. You bring your NEC codebook. That's exactly why lookup speed is the skill that decides passing — the time limit, not the difficulty of the rules, is what fails most candidates.
The 2023 NEC through August 31, 2026, then the 2026 NEC starting September 1, 2026. See our NEC 2026 transition guide for what changes.