# What Minnesota Provides in the Electrician Exam Room

> DLI provides a soft-cover code book without tabs or other aids, a Laws and Rules Booklet, and a desk calculator. Other reference materials and electronic devices are not allowed in the building, and most questions are intended to be answered without references.

Updated: 2026-11-15

## Build your practice around the supplied materials

The DLI examination guide describes a supplied soft-cover code book, a Laws and Rules Booklet, and an electronic calculator. Candidates may use the supplied references and calculator throughout the examination. Practice with that setup in mind. Put away extra study aids for a timed session, then bring them back afterward to review what you missed.

DLI does not allow other materials or electronic devices, including cell phones, in the building. Do not plan to use your own book, a phone calculator, or a printed formula sheet during the test. Use the [formula sheet](https://minnesotaelectricianexam.com/formula-sheet/) while studying, then try to explain the needed relationships without looking at it.

## The code book has no tabs

The code book is supplied in soft-cover format and does not include tabs or other aids. DLI's examination guide identifies the 2026 NEC as the edition used for electrical license examination questions. The guide says the supplied NEC edition is the one adopted as part of the state building code when the examination is administered.

During study, practice finding a subject from the table of contents or index. Try locating the article before searching for the specific rule. Use [code lookup drills](https://minnesotaelectricianexam.com/code-lookup/) to repeat that process. Keep a study log of the words that led you to the right topic and the wrong turns you want to avoid.

Do not let familiarity with a heavily marked study copy become your only navigation method. For a realistic rehearsal, use an untabbed copy and work without your notes. Read [studying with an untabbed code book](https://minnesotaelectricianexam.com/guides/studying-with-an-untabbed-code-book/) for a routine you can adapt to your weak areas.

## The Laws and Rules Booklet is a separate reference

The supplied Laws and Rules Booklet represents the laws and rules in effect when the examination is administered. The guide identifies the packet's laws-and-rules material as the Minnesota Electrical Act and Minnesota Rules chapters 3800 and 3801. Study licensing duties as a separate subject instead of expecting every answer to come from the NEC.

Use [Laws and Rules practice](https://minnesotaelectricianexam.com/laws-and-rules/) to work on the distinction between a license, registration, supervision, experience, and inspection. Explain the actor and required action in your own words, then verify the wording. The [booklet guide](https://minnesotaelectricianexam.com/guides/the-laws-and-rules-booklet/) suggests a way to organize those subjects without turning them into disconnected facts.

## The calculator is a common desk type

| Function group | Functions described by DLI |
|---|---|
| Arithmetic | Addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division |
| Other functions | Square root and percentage |

DLI describes the supplied calculator as a common desk type. During preparation, practice entering the operations in the order your written method requires. Break a long expression into clear intermediate results. Check those results before continuing, especially when a later step depends on a table value you selected earlier.

For study, solve a problem again through a rearranged relationship or reverse substitution. A second pass should test the result, not merely repeat the same key presses. Use [Ohm's law practice](https://minnesotaelectricianexam.com/calculations/ohms-law/) to build that habit before moving to longer [transformer-current problems](https://minnesotaelectricianexam.com/calculations/transformer-current/).

## References are available, but recall still matters

DLI says the majority of questions are intended to be answered without referring to the supplied materials. It also says candidates should not rely on those materials to answer every question. Make recall and lookup separate parts of practice. First state the rule or method you think applies. Then check whether your remembered conditions were complete.

If you had to look something up, record why. Was the subject unfamiliar, the rule easy to confuse, or the location hard to find? Use the answer to choose the next exercise. More page turning will not address a misunderstood calculation, and more arithmetic will not address a navigation problem.

## Units and power-factor assumptions

DLI uses inch-pound units in examination questions and answers. For absolute-answer questions, the guide allows answers in SI units or inch-pound units. Unless a specific question states otherwise, all questions and related answers assume unity power factor. Read the question before applying that default.

As a study habit, write the requested unit alongside the unknown quantity. Carry units through the calculation and compare the final unit with the question. When practicing [voltage drop](https://minnesotaelectricianexam.com/calculations/voltage-drop/), keep the requested result visible so that you do not stop at an intermediate quantity.

## What an answer needs

Code references are not required as part of an answer unless the individual question specifically requires them. DLI awards full credit or zero credit for a question; it does not award partial points. Practice finishing each problem with a clear selection or response that matches what was asked.

Before your appointment, review [exam day in St. Paul](https://minnesotaelectricianexam.com/guides/exam-day-in-st-paul/). Keep preparation tools and exam-room materials distinct in your plan. This independent study site explains the published rules; it does not supply or authorize examination materials.

## Questions people ask

### What kind of NEC is supplied?

The supplied code book is soft-cover and has no tabs or other aids.

### Which calculator functions are available?

The desk calculator includes addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, square root, and percentage functions.

### What power factor should a candidate assume?

Questions and related answers assume unity power factor unless a specific question states otherwise.

### When must an answer include a code reference?

A code reference is required only when the individual question specifically requests it.

## Sources

- [DLI Electrical license examination guide](https://www.dli.mn.gov/sites/default/files/pdf/LicensingExaminationGuide.pdf) (checked 2026-11-15)

Page: https://minnesotaelectricianexam.com/guides/what-you-get-in-the-exam-room/