California journeyman (general electrician) exam: format, NEC edition and fee
California's Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) certifies the electricians who work for C-10 electrical contractors, through the Labor Commissioner's Office and its Electrician Certification Unit. California does not use the word journeyman: the certification most people mean is called General Electrician. CPS HR Consulting runs the exam, and you book it through Pearson VUE. These facts come from the July 2026 candidate bulletin and DIR's pages, read on 9 November 2026. California sets its own rules and can change them, so confirm with DIR and the bulletin before you book.
The exam in brief
- Exam: General Electrician
- Administered by: CPS HR Consulting, with scheduling through Pearson VUE
- NEC edition: 2023
- Questions: 100
- Time: 4 hours 30 minutes
- Passing score: 70%. You get your score report right after the exam.
- Book: provided on screen, and you may not bring your own (see the next section).
- Calculator: calculators are on the bulletin's list of items you cannot bring. You get an online calculator instead.
- Fee: $100 to take or retake the exam, plus a $75 application fee (DIR fees page).
- Retest: wait 60 days from your exam date, then apply again with another exam fee.
- Window: take the exam within one year of your eligibility notice.
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What it covers
The bulletin weights four areas: Safety (6%), Determination of Electrical System Requirements (22%), Installation (66%), and Maintenance and Repair (6%). It adds that questions on trade knowledge and general industry practice may appear. Installation is where most of the NEC lookups sit. In our journeyman exam outline, it spans the wiring areas from branch circuits and grounding to motors and special occupancies, while system requirements lean on theory, load calculations and service and feeder sizing. Use our twelve areas to find the weak spots inside California's large Installation block. California also certifies Residential Electricians, with 80 questions in 3 hours 30 minutes, from the same bulletin.
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The code book is on screen
California is the one state in our set where you bring no book. The bulletin lists three references that open as PDFs inside the exam: NFPA 70 (the 2023 NEC), NFPA 70E (2024 edition) and the Cal/OSHA Pocket Guide for the Construction Industry. You find a rule with the PDF search tool or Ctrl+F. Each reference has to be reopened when you move to a new question, though it comes back on the page you left.
That changes how you practice. Tabs and highlighting do not carry into the test, so build your speed on a searchable PDF of the code: pick the words the rule would use, step through the hits, and read the conditions around the one you land on. Our guide on how to find answers fast in the NEC covers the lookup method, and it works the same on screen. The tab and highlighting advice in the open-book rules guide is for the states where you bring your own book.
How our practice exam fits
Our practice exam is written to the 2023 NEC, the edition California provides, and it has 100 questions, as California's General Electrician exam does. California allows 4 hours 30 minutes and our clock is 240 minutes, so our pace is a little stricter. Our job-safety coverage of NFPA 70E and OSHA basics is lighter than an exam that puts 70E and the Cal/OSHA guide on screen, so read those two as well. It is not California's exam. For how other states run their exams, see the journeyman exam guide.
Take the free 10-question journeyman check. It is written to the 2023 NEC, needs no signup, explains every answer and names your weakest area.
Not affiliated with or endorsed by NFPA, CPS HR Consulting, Pearson VUE or the California Department of Industrial Relations. NEC and National Electrical Code are registered trademarks of NFPA.
Sources
Show the list
- Electrician certification program, California DIR, page revised 22 Oct 2026. Retrieved 9 Nov 2026.
- Candidate Information Bulletin page, California DIR. Retrieved 9 Nov 2026.
- Electrical certification candidate information bulletin, CPS HR Consulting for DIR, published July 2026. Retrieved 9 Nov 2026.
- Electrician certification program fees, California DIR, page revised 24 Jan 2019. Retrieved 9 Nov 2026.
Facts come from the sources listed above. If something has changed, tell us and we will correct it within 2 business days.
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