Now you are eligible FREE SHIPPING
Important Tennessee licensing fact: passing the NASCLA Journeyman Electrician exam does not automatically issue a Tennessee electrical license and does not automatically create a CE Electrical Contractor license. Tennessee electrical licensing can involve state contractor rules, the Limited Licensed Electrician program, and separate local journeyman or master requirements. Always match the exam to the exact authority regulating the work.
The NASCLA Accredited Examination for Journeyman Electricians is a national electrical trade examination designed to measure the knowledge and skills needed to perform electrical installation, maintenance, troubleshooting, and repair work in accordance with applicable standards and codes.
NASCLA lists the Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors as an agency that accepts the Journeyman Electrician examination. However, Tennessee electrical authority still depends on the license or local credential the candidate is actually seeking.
This makes the exam useful for Tennessee candidates who are pursuing an electrical pathway that recognizes the NASCLA Journeyman result, but it should not be confused with the separate Tennessee CE Electrical Contractor examination or the Limited Licensed Electrician exam.
Exam: NASCLA Accredited Examination for Journeyman Electricians.
Exam administrator: PSI after NASCLA approval.
Scored questions: 100.
Experimental questions: 10 additional non-scored questions may be administered.
Time: 300 minutes / 5 hours.
Passing score: 70.
Format: open book and computer based.
Primary electrical code: 2020 or 2023 National Electrical Code under the current bulletin.
Tennessee status: NASCLA lists Tennessee as an accepting agency for the Journeyman examination.
The Tennessee NASCLA Journeyman Electrician Exam Book Package provides a reference library built around the current NASCLA journeyman electrical examination.
Start by identifying who actually issues the electrical credential you need. That one decision prevents a surprising amount of expensive studying for the wrong exam.
| Step | Authority / Requirement | What to Verify |
|---|---|---|
| Identify Your Credential | State or Local Authority | Determine whether you need NASCLA journeyman acceptance, a local journeyman credential, Tennessee LLE, or Tennessee CE contractor licensing |
| Check NASCLA Acceptance | NASCLA / Licensing Authority | Confirm your intended jurisdiction accepts the NASCLA Journeyman exam for the credential you want |
| NASCLA Application | National Examination Database | Submit the NASCLA examination application and obtain approval before scheduling |
| Eligibility Period | NASCLA | Current approval is valid for one year |
| Exam Scheduling | PSI | Schedule after NASCLA forwards your approval to PSI |
| Journeyman Exam | NASCLA / PSI | 100 scored questions, 300 minutes, open book, minimum passing score of 70 |
| Transcript | NASCLA NED | Transmit passing results to the accepting authority as required |
| Final Licensing | Applicable State / Local Authority | Complete all experience, application, registration, permit, contractor, or local licensing requirements |
The NASCLA examination and Tennessee licensing system use different authorities, so keep the exam provider, exam acceptance, and actual license issuer separate.
| Verified Point | Authority | Current Result |
|---|---|---|
| Tennessee participation | NASCLA | Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors is listed as accepting the Journeyman Electrician examination |
| NASCLA exam administrator | Current NASCLA / PSI bulletin | PSI |
| Scored questions | Current NASCLA / PSI bulletin | 100 |
| Experimental items | Current NASCLA / PSI bulletin | 10 non-scored questions may also be administered |
| Time | Current NASCLA / PSI bulletin | 300 minutes |
| Passing score | Current NASCLA / PSI bulletin | 70 |
| Open book | Current NASCLA / PSI bulletin | Yes |
| NEC editions | Current NASCLA / PSI bulletin | 2020 or 2023 NEC / NEC Handbook |
| NASCLA approval | Current candidate bulletin | Required before scheduling with PSI |
| Eligibility | Current candidate bulletin | One year from application approval, with up to three attempts during that period |
Tennessee contractor distinction: state contractor-level electrical work is regulated through Tennessee's contractor licensing system, including the CE Electrical Contractor classification. Electrical subcontractors generally need the appropriate contractor license when their portion of the project is $25,000 or more.
The current NASCLA Journeyman examination contains 100 scored questions across 10 subject areas.
Wiring and Protection is the largest category with 18 questions. Wiring Methods and Materials follows with 16. General Code Requirements contains 15.
Those three categories alone account for 49 of the 100 scored questions. If the NEC feels like a phone book written by engineers, these categories are your reason to make friends with it.
Electrical Theory and Principles and Equipment for General Use contain 10 questions each. Basic Electrical Safety and Special Occupancies and Special Equipment contain 8 each.
Testing and Troubleshooting contains 7, Plans and Specifications contains 6, and Special Conditions and Communication Systems contains 2.
Study by exam weight and by reference. The NASCLA exam gives you about three minutes per scored question, but theory, calculations, troubleshooting, plans, and multi-step code lookups can use more than three minutes.
Wiring and Protection: review branch circuits, feeders, services, overcurrent protection, grounding and bonding, conductor protection, and NEC Chapters 2 concepts.
Wiring Methods and Materials: study raceways, cables, conductors, boxes, fittings, installation conditions, support, protection, and Chapter 3 requirements.
General Code Requirements: practice Article 100 definitions, working spaces, equipment installation, listing and labeling, general NEC organization, tables, exceptions, and cross-references.
Electrical Theory: practice Ohm's Law, power, voltage, current, resistance, series circuits, parallel circuits, AC theory, transformers, motors, and electrical calculations.
Troubleshooting: review meter use, continuity, resistance, voltage, current, circuit behavior, fault diagnosis, and logical testing procedures.
Safety: review OSHA construction rules, general-industry safety, electrical hazards, PPE, shock protection, arc-flash concepts, and NFPA 70E practices.
The Tennessee NASCLA Journeyman Electrician Highlighted & Tabbed Book Package organizes the current electrical, safety, theory, field-reference, and fire-alarm materials for open-book preparation.
A strong journeyman strategy begins by identifying the electrical problem before opening a book. A grounding question, motor calculation, OSHA question, fire-alarm question, or troubleshooting scenario may belong in a completely different reference.
Tennessee Journeyman Electrician exam-prep illustration for NEC navigation, wiring, calculations, theory, troubleshooting, and electrical safety.
Match the exam to your credential, apply through NASCLA, prepare the references, pass the examination, send your transcript, and complete the Tennessee or local licensing process that actually applies.
Determine whether your target is a local journeyman license, a Tennessee electrical contractor pathway, the LLE credential, or another jurisdiction that accepts NASCLA.
Tennessee appears on NASCLA's accepting-agency list, but you should confirm the exact credential for which you intend to use the examination result.
Submit the NASCLA exam application and obtain approval before attempting to schedule.
After approval, NASCLA forwards your information to PSI. Follow the PSI instructions to pay and schedule the exam.
Practice with the NEC, OSHA references, NFPA 70E, Ugly's, NFPA 72, and electrical-theory materials before test day.
Prepare for 100 scored questions, 300 minutes, a 70 passing score, and additional non-scored experimental items.
Your result enters the NASCLA National Examination Database. Transmit the transcript to the accepting authority as required.
Passing NASCLA is not the license. Finish the state, local, contractor, experience, registration, permit, or employer requirements attached to your intended credential.
The current scored examination distributes 100 questions across 10 technical subject areas.
Study priority: Wiring and Protection, Wiring Methods and Materials, and General Code Requirements combine for 49 of the 100 scored questions. Add Electrical Theory and Equipment for General Use and those five categories account for 69 scored questions.
Use the current NASCLA / PSI bulletin as the final authority for reference editions and exam-room rules.
| Reference | Primary Study Use | Current Status |
|---|---|---|
| NFPA 70 National Electrical Code or NEC Handbook, 2020 or 2023 | Services, feeders, branch circuits, grounding, bonding, conductors, wiring methods, equipment, special occupancies and communications | Authorized code reference |
| 29 CFR Part 1926, 2024 | Construction-industry safety, electrical hazards, PPE, ladders, excavations, tools and jobsite safety | Authorized exam reference |
| 29 CFR Part 1910, 2024 | General-industry workplace safety and electrical-hazard requirements | Authorized exam reference |
| NFPA 70E, 2024 | Electrical workplace safety, shock hazards, arc-flash awareness, safe work practices and PPE | Authorized exam reference |
| Ugly's Electrical References, 2023 | Formulas, calculations, tables, conversions and practical electrical reference information | Authorized exam reference |
| NFPA 72, 2022 | Fire alarm and signaling systems | Authorized exam reference |
| Understanding Electrical Theory for NEC Applications | Electrical theory, circuits, voltage, current, resistance, power and calculation concepts | Authorized exam reference |
| Ferm's Fast Finder Index / Tom Henry Key Word Index | Optional NEC indexing support | Optional references subject to stricter no-marking, no-highlighting and no-tab rules |
Code-edition warning: many newer 1 Exam Prep Tennessee journeyman study products are based on the 2026 NEC for current code education. The NASCLA exam bulletin currently identifies the 2020 or 2023 NEC for exam code questions. For final exam practice, use the code edition authorized for your actual appointment.
Current reference rules: standard authorized references may be highlighted, underlined, and indexed, but must otherwise remain unmarked and may not contain added loose or attached papers. Permanent tabs are allowed. Temporary tabs are not. Optional index references have stricter rules and must not contain marks, highlighting, or tabs.
Tennessee does not treat "journeyman electrician" as one universal statewide license that automatically works in every city and county.
Some Tennessee jurisdictions operate their own electrical permitting, inspection, and licensing systems and may require local journeyman, master, or contractor credentials.
Tennessee also offers the Limited Licensed Electrician, or LLE, for qualifying electrical work under $25,000 per project in jurisdictions using the state electrical program. Many exempt jurisdictions do not accept the LLE and instead use their own licensing rules.
For contractor-level electrical work, Tennessee uses the CE Electrical Contractor classification. Contractor licensing requirements generally apply to qualifying electrical work at or above Tennessee's contractor threshold.
The practical rule: before studying for any Tennessee electrician exam, identify the city or county, the project value, the work scope, and the exact license or registration required. Then confirm whether that authority accepts the NASCLA Journeyman result.
These pathways are related to electrical work, but they are not interchangeable.
| Path | Main Purpose | Authority | Important Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| NASCLA Journeyman Electrician | Standardized journeyman-level trade examination | NASCLA / PSI plus accepting licensing authority | Exam result only; does not automatically issue a Tennessee license |
| Local Journeyman / Master | Local electrical licensing or registration | City or county | Requirements, experience, code edition and exam can vary by jurisdiction |
| Tennessee LLE | Limited electrical work where accepted | Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors | Generally applies to qualifying projects under $25,000 in participating jurisdictions |
| CE Electrical Contractor | State contractor-level electrical contracting | Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors | Separate contractor licensing process, trade qualification, Business and Law and financial requirements |
Do not mix the pathways: a local journeyman credential, the Tennessee LLE, the NASCLA Journeyman examination, and Tennessee CE contractor licensing solve different licensing problems. The correct path depends on who regulates your work and what work you intend to perform.
Build code-navigation speed, electrical theory, calculation skill, safety knowledge, and troubleshooting confidence together.
The NASCLA Journeyman exam is challenging because it tests much more than memorized NEC article numbers.
Candidates need electrical theory, practical installation knowledge, code-navigation speed, troubleshooting ability, safety knowledge, plan interpretation, and calculation skill.
The three biggest subjects, Wiring and Protection, Wiring Methods and Materials, and General Code Requirements, make up almost half of the scored exam.
The current five-hour limit works out to about three minutes for each scored question, before considering the additional experimental items.
That makes pacing important. If one motor calculation turns into a personal argument with your calculator, flag it and protect the rest of the exam first.
Pacing tip: 100 scored questions in 300 minutes equals about 3 minutes per scored question. Because experimental questions may also appear, answer fast knowledge-based questions efficiently and protect time for calculations, plans, troubleshooting, and deeper code searches.
Prefer to own the reference library? The Tennessee NASCLA Journeyman Electrician Exam Book Package includes the electrical, safety, theory, field-reference, and fire-alarm books used for NASCLA preparation.
2026 NEC study: 1 Exam Prep also offers 2026 Tennessee Journeyman Electrician study packages for current-code education. Remember that the current NASCLA bulletin bases code questions on the authorized 2020 or 2023 NEC editions.

This Tennessee-specific 1 Exam Prep credential image is directly related to the NASCLA Journeyman Electrician preparation pathway.
• Tennessee NASCLA Journeyman Electrician exam preparation
• 100 scored questions
• 300-minute / 5-hour examination
• Minimum passing score of 70
• Open-book computer examination
• National Electrical Code navigation
• Wiring, grounding, bonding, services, feeders, branch circuits, motors, and equipment
• Electrical theory, troubleshooting, calculations, safety, fire alarms, and communications
• NASCLA result accepted by participating authorities, subject to their licensing requirements
Know the electrical work and know the references. The exam rewards electricians who can recognize the subject, choose the right book, find the rule or formula, apply it correctly, and move on before the clock gets any clever ideas.
Tennessee Journeyman Licensing
NASCLA Exam Basics
Exam Topics
References and Open-Book Rules
Tennessee Contractor and Local Rules
1 Exam Prep
Watch this related 1 Exam Prep Tennessee electrician video for an overview of the state's electrical licensing landscape. It is especially useful for understanding why journeyman preparation, local electrician licensing, the LLE pathway, and contractor-level electrical licensing should not be treated as the same credential.
Study tip: after watching the licensing guide, write down the exact credential and authority you are pursuing. Then build your study plan around that exam's code edition, references, experience rules, and application requirements.
Combine current NASCLA, PSI, Tennessee, and local licensing information with structured 1 Exam Prep electrical courses and reference packages.
Build faster NEC navigation, stronger electrical theory, better wiring and protection knowledge, confidence with grounding, bonding, services, feeders, branch circuits, motors, calculations, troubleshooting, OSHA safety, NFPA 70E, fire alarms, communications, and the Tennessee electrical licensing path.
Questions? Call 877-775-9400
or email sales@1examprep.com
Tennessee Journeyman Electrician Exam Prep