Only 32% of journeyworker candidates pass on the first try. Practice every calculation type with new numbers each time, learn to find any article in a book with no tabs, and drill the Laws and Rules Booklet.
Source: Board of Electricity minutes, Jan. 15, 2026. All pass rates and how DLI counts them.
Exam-style calculations. Answer, then open the worked steps.
Each problem uses new numbers, so you practice the method rather than memorizing an answer.
Pick the answer: sizes and ratings come from your code book.
Both Class A exams have the same format. The master exam asks harder questions with more steps.
80 questions in 5½ hours, 70% to pass, with an untabbed 2026 NEC, the Laws and Rules Booklet and a calculator.
| To apply | 48 months of acceptable experience; an approved two-year electrical program can count for up to 12 months |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | DLI rates journeyworker questions 1.5 to 2.5 on its 1 to 5 scale |
The same 80 questions and 5½ hours, harder questions with more steps: services, feeders, motors and multi-rule problems.
| To apply | A four-year electrical degree, or one year as a licensed journeyworker, or five years of planning, laying out, supervising and installing; the rule sets a 60-month minimum with limits by category |
|---|---|
| Difficulty | DLI rates master questions 2.5 to 3.5 on its 1 to 5 scale |
29 topics, each with a calculator, a worked example and unlimited practice.
Services and feeders for houses and apartments under Article 120.
5 topicsLighting, receptacles and kitchen equipment in other occupancies.
3 topicsAmpacity, derating, voltage drop, continuous loads and breaker sizes.
5 topicsFull-load current, conductors, overloads, branch-circuit and feeder protection.
5 topicsBox fill, conduit fill and pull box sizing.
3 topicsEquipment grounding and grounding electrode conductor sizes.
2 topicsPrimary and secondary current and overcurrent protection.
2 topicsOhm’s law, power, circuits, three-phase and power factor.
4 topicsYou get DLI's untabbed NEC on the day. Our lookup drills time you finding the article first, then the section, using only the contents and index. 102 lookup questions.
The exam hands you Minnesota's Electrical Act and rules too. Our Laws and Rules drills have 207 questions, each quoting the statute or rule it comes from.
A fixed question bank teaches you answers. Each calculation here is drawn fresh, so you learn the method that works on whatever numbers the exam gives you.
The 2026 NEC moved load calculations from Article 220 to Article 120. Minnesota adopted it with no amendments. See the 2026 NEC changes.
The 2026 NEC. Minnesota Rules 1315.0200 adopts it as the Minnesota Electrical Code with no state amendments, and DLI's examination guide says the exams have used it since Sep 8, 2026.
No. DLI provides a soft-cover NEC with no tabs, the Laws and Rules Booklet and a basic desk calculator. You bring nothing else into the room, so you need to find things fast in an untabbed book.
Not many on the first try. The Board of Electricity minutes from January 15, 2026 give a first-attempt pass rate of 32% for journeyworker and 46% for master. See all the figures on our pass rates page.
80 multiple-choice questions in 5½ hours, from 8:15 a.m. to 1:45 p.m., at DLI in St. Paul. You need 70% (56 correct) to pass.
No. Every problem is original and calculation problems use new numbers each time, so you practice the method. We never print NEC text or tables: problems tell you which article or table to open in the code book.
Minnesota facts checked . How we check facts.