2023 or 2026 NEC? The Code Book for the Texas Exam

What the bulletin and TDLR say

The PSI bulletin puts it in capitals at the top of its reference list: effective 1 September 2026, the examinations are referenced to the 2026 NEC. The same list names the National Electrical Code, 2026 Edition, as the reference allowed in the exam room.

TDLR's exam information page agrees. It names the 2026 Edition as the code you may reference and says the questions are based on the current TDLR-adopted bound edition.

The change was planned well ahead. TDLR's staff report for the Electrical Safety and Licensing Advisory Board, dated 29 January 2026, records that an exam review committee of TDLR, PSI and subject matter experts began re-referencing the electrician exam items to the 2026 NEC on 11 November 2025, with the updated exams scheduled for republication on 1 September 2026. The same report dates the two-portion journeyman format to 11 March 2025.

"Any soft-bound edition" does not mean any edition will do

The bulletin's book rules say any soft-bound edition of the NEC may be used in the exam. Read the next clause too: the questions are based on the current TDLR-adopted bound edition, and the reference list names 2026. A 2023 book will get you through the door, but the questions were checked against 2026. If a section moved or a table changed, your book will send you to the wrong place under time pressure.

Bring the 2026. The rest of the book rules have not changed: soft-bound only, publisher tabs only, highlighting and notes made before the exam are fine, nothing written during it, and no NEC Handbook. Our NEC book rules guide lists them in full.

What the format looks like now

The staff report describes the 2026 work as re-referencing the existing exam items to the new code, and the two-portion journeyman format dates from March 2025. The current bulletin lists:

• Two portions. NEC Knowledge (59 items, 130 minutes) and Calculations (26 items, 110 minutes) for journeyman.
• 70% on each portion, scored on its own.
• $78 for both portions, and $78 for a retake of one or both.
• Ten subject areas in each portion, with an item count for each area. The counts add up to 56 scored items in NEC Knowledge and 24 in Calculations.
• Reading rules: do not apply exceptions or optional calculation methods unless the question tells you to, and treat conductors as copper unless it says otherwise.

If you were preparing before September, move to the 2026 book: the bulletin names it as the reference, and the exams are now referenced to it.

Is a 2023 NEC practice test still worth using?

Yes, if you use it for the right job. Practice questions do two things: they teach a method, and they train you to find the right page. The first transfers across editions far better than the second.

What carries over well:

• Method. Ohm's law and the power formulas need no code book at all. The order of steps for a box fill count, a conductor sizing problem or a continuous load calculation is a habit, and habits move with you.
• Reading the question. Spotting what is actually asked, ignoring the distractor that is a standard size when the question wants a calculated value, and checking units.
• Pacing. A timed set teaches you how long a lookup takes you, whichever edition it came from.

What needs checking:

• Section and table numbers. Numbers can differ between editions, as our own guides warn. A 2023 answer key that says "see section X" may point to a different place in the 2026 book.
• The answer itself. Where a requirement changed between editions, the 2023 key can simply be wrong for the Texas exam.

We have not compared the two editions line by line and do not list the changes here. NFPA publishes the code, and your 2026 book is the authority.

How to use older material without hurting yourself

1. Look everything up in your 2026 book. Never answer from the old key alone. Find the section yourself and read it.
2. Flag every mismatch. If the key's citation does not match what you find, write the 2026 location on your error log. That list doubles as a tabbing guide.
3. Treat a mismatch as a lesson, not a nuisance. If you find the right place by searching the index, you have just practiced the skill the exam rewards.
4. Switch to 2026-referenced practice before your final week. In the last days you want every lookup to land first time.

To test how quickly you find tables in your own tabbed book, try the free Texas journeyman lookup drill: five timed lookups against a pace you set.

What Bonding Jumper uses

Our Texas practice questions are written for the 2026 NEC and cite it by article and table, without reproducing code text. A few of our guides, such as the calculations portion guide, still give 2023 section numbers in places. Each of those pages says so and tells you to confirm the number in your 2026 book, which is exactly the habit described above.

Check where you stand

Take the free 10-question check with your 2026 NEC open. It takes a few minutes, needs no signup, explains every answer and shows your score by subject area.

FAQ

Which NEC edition is the Texas journeyman exam based on?

The 2026 NEC. The PSI bulletin says the exams are referenced to the 2026 NEC effective 1 September 2026, and TDLR's exam page names the 2026 Edition.

Can I bring a 2023 NEC to the Texas exam?

The bulletin allows any soft-bound edition, but the questions are based on the current TDLR-adopted edition and the reference list names 2026. Bring a soft-bound 2026 NEC.

Are 2023 NEC practice tests useless now?

No. They still train method and pacing. Check each citation and answer against your 2026 book, and move to 2026-referenced practice before your final week.

Did the exam format change with the new code?

TDLR's January 2026 staff report describes the work as re-referencing the exam items to the 2026 NEC. The two-portion journeyman format dates from March 2025, and the current bulletin lists 70% on each portion and a $78 fee.

Does the master exam use the 2026 NEC too?

Yes. The bulletin's reference list covers the Texas electrician exams, including journeyman and master.