Pass Your California Electrician License Exam!

One-year online access unless you pass sooner: Accessible from any device with internet access!

Our guided self-study schedule contains the following: 

Electrical Theory – eCourses

Includes

• Basic Electrical Theory
• Basic DC Theory
• Basic AC Theory
• Ohms Law
• Test Equipment
• Electrical Theory Chapter Questions

Blueprint Reading – eCourses

Includes

• Label Systems & Schematic Reading
• Construction Drawing Tutorial
• Blueprint Reading Chapter Questions

Navigating the 2023 NEC 

Our course helps students learn to navigate the National Electrical Code (NEC).

When you master the code, you master your Exam!

This entire course is the heart of the training program. It will familiarize you with the use, layout, and content of the 2023 NEC.

Course includes:

• How to navigate the 2023 NEC
  • Understanding of the terms, concepts, and layout of the NEC.
• Speed drills
  • Code navigation exercises.
• Breaking down questions by subject:
  • Keyword Identification: how to identify the subject of a question for easy reference.
  • How to search for a code article by referencing the INDEX.
  • Code reference example questions with in-depth solutions.
• Code skimming exercises
  • Chapter study questions

Study Questions & Simulated Final Exams

• GUIDED CHAPTER QUESTIONS This covers all California General Electrician, Residential Electrician, or Fire-Life Safety Technician License exam questions and answers within our course. (Organized as Question – Answer – Code Location.) These questions exist to provide a framework for you to practice locating the answers to questions through the use of your NEC Codebook. The process of constantly utilizing the code to answer practice questions will build up your speed and code knowledge to pass your electrical exam successfully.

Questions also include the following topics:

• • Electrical Theory Questions
  • Blueprint Reading Questions
    
  • Calculation Questions (Load Calculations, Conduit Fill, etc.)
  • CALOSHA pocket guide- for the construction industry 2022
  • NFPA 70E-2024

• ONLINE FLASHCARDS: Virtual Flashcards provide individual randomized questions. This provides access to our entire question set and is an ideal setting to practice answering randomized exam questions. (Organized as Question – Answer – Code Location).

• SIMULATED FINAL EXAM: Final exams simulate the experience of taking your actual General Electrician, Residential Electrician License or Fire-Life Safety Technician exam.

Simulated Finals Are:

• • Full length (Same number of questions as the exam)
  • Timed (Same amount of time allowed as the exam)
  • Randomized (Questions are assigned randomly; all exams are unique.)
  • Properly Balanced (All questions are balanced according to the Candidate Information Bulletin to guarantee a realistic exam simulation)
    

Take as Many Timed Final Exams as You Want! (Practice final exams help you rapidly gain confidence and knowledge to pass your General Electrician, or Residential Electrician License exam effortlessly.)

THIS PROGRAM REQUIRES YOU TO HAVE  DIGITAL ACCESS TO NFPA CODES AND STANDARDS WITH ENHANCED CONTENT, SUBSCRIBE TO NFPA LINK 

Please get in touch with the Department of Industrial Relations for current information. Licensing requirements change, and our site may not have been updated to reflect those changes.

QUESTION: Who is required to have a California Electrician license?

ANSWER: The DIR requires that persons performing work as electricians under a C-10 licensed contractor be certified pursuant to certification standards established by the Division of Labor Standards Enforcement. “Electricians” are defined as all persons who engage in the connection of electrical devices for electrical contractors licensed pursuant to Section 7058 of the Business and Profession Code, specifically, contractors classified as electrical contractors in the Contractors State License Board Rules and Regulations [Labor Code § 108 (c)].

QUESTION: I am a C-10 Contractor. Do I have to be certified?​

ANSWER: Yes and no:

Yes, you must be certified if you work for another C-10 contractor and are working and paid as an employee.

For example, if you are paid to your social security number vs. being paid to your contractor’s license number, you must also be certified.

No, you do not need to be certified if you are a sole owner and hold the C10 license under your name, and you are performing the work directly under that license.

QUESTION: What are the qualifications required for taking the California Electrician exam? 

ANSWER: To be certified, an applicant must have the required experience as set forth herein, and pass a certification examination under Section 291.3. An applicant must provide proof of experience which may be done by showing:

1. Successful completion of an apprenticeship program approved by the California Apprenticeship Council, the federal Bureau of Apprenticeship Training, or a state apprenticeship council authorized by the federal Bureau of Apprenticeship Training to approve apprenticeship programs, in the classification for which certification is sought;
2. OR; on-the-job experience, as follows:

General Electrician: 8000 hours of work for a C-10 electrical contractor installing, constructing, or maintaining electrical systems covered by the National Electrical Code. The 8000 hours must consist of work in two or more of the following areas, and the maximum number of hours in a particular area that may be counted toward the 8000-hour total are as follows:

• Stock room and Material handling – 300 hours
• Residential Wiring – 3000 hours
• Commercial Wiring – 6000 hours
• Industrial Wiring – 6000 hours
• Video Data and Video installation – 1500 hours
• Underground Conduit installation – 750 hours
• Troubleshoot and Maintenance – 1500 hours
• Finish Work and fixtures – 600 hours
• Fire/Life Safety Nurse Call – 600 hours

Residential Electrician:4800 hours of work for a C-10 electrical contractor installing, constructing, or maintaining electrical systems covered by the National Electric Code. The 4800 hours must consist of work in one or more of the following areas, and the maximum number of hours in a particular area that may be counted toward the 4800-hour total are as follows:

• Stock room and Material handling – 300 hours
• Residential Wiring – 4800 hours
• Video Data and Video installation – 150 hours
• Underground Conduit installation – 300 hours
• Troubleshoot and Maintenance – 600 hours
• Finish Work and fixtures – 600 hours
• Fire/Life Safety Nurse Call – 300 hours

Fire-Life Safety Electrician: 4000 hours of work for a C-10 electrical contractor, involving the installation, construction, or maintenance of systems as covered in Article 760 of the National Electrical Code. The 4000 hours must consist of work in one or more of the following areas, and the maximum number of hours in a particular area that may be counted toward the 4000-hour total are as follows:

• Stock room and Material handling – 300 hours
• Installations, including wire pulling, terminations, control panels devices, and finish work – 4000 hours
• Troubleshooting and Maintenance – 750 hours
• Nurse call systems- 300 hours
• Proprietary systems training related to Fire/Life Safety – 300 hours

QUESTION: Is there reciprocity in California for the electrician exams?

ANSWER: Unfortunately California does not have reciprocity with any other states at this time.

QUESTION: Can I apply for the exam online?

ANSWER: Yes! The following applications and requests can now be processed entirely online:

• Initial Application for Electrician Examination and Certification
• Certification Renewal Application
• Application for Electrician Exam Retest
• Request for a Replacement Certification Card or Address Change

QUESTION: How do I sign up with PearsonVue to take the California Electrician exam?​

ANSWER: Once you have been approved by DLSE, you are responsible for contacting PearsonVue to schedule an appointment to take the examination. You may either schedule via the Internet at PearsonVue. They do have a Chat feature you can use on their page or or schedule over the telephone at (866) 302-9666.

• Your examination(s) must be taken within one year from the date of your eligibility notice. If you do not take your examination(s) during this timeframe, you will need to resubmit a new application and pay the required application and testing fees again.
  • If you do not pass the exam, you must wait 60 days from the day you took the exam before sending in your application for re-test. You must also send in another exam fee of $100. A re-test application form is available online at www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/ecu/ElectricalTrade.html

QUESTION: Do I need to show ID at the testing facility?

ANSWER: Yes, PeasonVue has a very stringent ID policy please review before going to the testing center.

QUESTION: Are there any accommodations for the California Electrician exams?

​ANSWER: All PersonVue examination centers are equipped to provide access in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, and exam accommodations will be made to meet a candidate’s needs. A candidate with a disability or a candidate who would otherwise have difficulty taking the examination should request alternative arrangements by contact CPS HR Consulting (855-298-4917;
ECUExams@cpshr.us) immediately.

QUESTION: How many questions and how long are the California Electrician licensing exams?

General Electrician: consists of 100 multiple-choice questions. Test takers have 4 hours and 30 minutes to complete the exam. The exam is open-book with authorized materials and computer-based.

Residential Electrician: consists of 80 multiple-choice questions. Test takers have 3 hours and 30 minutes to complete the exam. The exam is open-book with authorized materials and computer-based.

QUESTION: What can I bring to the Pearson Professional Centers testing center?

ANSWER:  ONLY Prescription glasses, car keys and 2 forms of identification.

QUESTION: Where do I go to take my California Electrician license exams?

ANSWER: PearsonVue (CPS HR Consulting) by going to Find a test center and enter your zip code

QUESTION: Why should someone study this course if the California electrician license exam is an open-book test?

ANSWER: The electrical licensing exam is a very challenging test and usually requires a month or more of preparation to pass.

The 2023 NEC is a large and complex publication containing over 1000 pages of code. It is challenging to locate each correct article and answer in the time allowed during the exam without thorough preparation.

Our course is designed to familiarize you with the 2023 NEC. You will know precisely how to find the correct answers in the code when you take your exam.

We prepare you to successfully pass your exam by providing extensive knowledge of the structure of the code and by thoroughly covering each subject appearing on your California Electrical License Exam.

QUESTION: Why is NFPALink required for this course?

ANSWER: The California General Electrician and Residential Electrician License Exam is based on the 2023 NEC. This course is an excellent study companion to the Code. This course makes frequent references to code sections and guides you through the exam topics.

The Electrical Licensing Exam is an open-book code exam using a PDF version of the code. To pass, you must continuously reference the 2023 National Electrical Code.

General Information Links:

• State of California- Department of Industrial Relations
• Electrical Certification Candidate Information Bulletin:
  Exam Scheduling – Exam Content – Testing Center Locations
• ​Electrician Certification Status Search Tool:
  Check Electrician’s Certification Status​
• Current List of California Certified Electricians:
  All Certified Electricians In California

Electrician Applications:

• Application for Electrician Examination and Certification.
• Request for Social Security Earnings Information​.
  “Request the non-certified earnings report.”
  Form SSA-7050-F4 (11/2022)
• Directions for Completing application for electrician examination and certification
• NEW Online Application Services:
  • Application for Electrician Examination and Certification
  • Renewal Application for Electrician Certification
  • Application for Electrician Exam Retest
  • Request for Replacement Certification Card or Report of
  • Address Change
  • Check the status of a previous submitted application

The California Electrical exams are selected randomly from a database of thousands of potential questions. Memorizing answers is not the path to passing your exam!

If you understand how to locate exam answers in your 2023 NEC codebook, you should be able to answer 100% of these practice questions correctly within 60 minutes.

We teach you how to navigate your codebook & pass your exam. “Master The Code, Master The Exam!“

Use the 2023 (NEC) National Electrical Code) to solve one of these California Electrician Exam quizzes you plan to take.

California General Electrician Practice Exam

OR

California Residential Electrician Practice Exam