Guides and tools

What is on the exam, who can sit it, what it costs and how to keep it.

• The Texas journeyman exam outline: ten subject areasThe ten subject areas on the Texas journeyman electrician exam, PSI's item counts for each portion, the time limits and a free 10-question check.→
• The Texas master exam outline: ten subject areasThe ten subject areas on the Texas master electrician exam, PSI's item counts for each portion, the time limits, scoring, retakes and a free 10-question check.→
• Bonding Jumper for contractors: seats and invoicesPlan Texas journeyman exam preparation for your apprentices: how the exam is built, the one-year window and what the free check shows.→
• Texas journeyman exam cost, scheduling and retakesThe Texas journeyman exam costs $78 for both portions, and a retake is $78. How to book with PSI, cancel, and what forfeits your fee. Read 24 Oct 2026.→
• Texas journeyman exam day at a PSI test centerWhat to expect on Texas journeyman exam day: arrival time, ID, what you may carry in, the computer tutorial, the clock and your score report.→
• Which NEC book you can bring to the Texas journeyman examThe Texas journeyman exam is open book with the 2026 NEC. What PSI allows for binding, highlighting and tabs, and why the NEC Handbook is out. Read 24 Oct 2026.→
• Texas journeyman eligibility and the one-year windowHow Texas approves you to sit for the journeyman electrician exam, the one-year window from your application date and what to check before you book.→
• Bonding vs grounding: what it means for the Texas examGrounding connects the system to earth; bonding ties metal parts into a path that clears faults. How the two differ and where each applies.→
• EGC vs GEC: what it means for the Texas examThe equipment grounding conductor clears faults on a circuit; the grounding electrode conductor ties the system to earth. Jobs, routes and sizing tables.→
• Main bonding jumper: what it means for the Texas examThe main bonding jumper joins the neutral and the equipment grounding system at the service, once. Why it exists, where it goes and why it never repeats.→
• Ampacity: what it means for the Texas examAmpacity is the current a conductor can carry continuously without overheating its insulation. What raises and lowers it, and how the NEC tables use it.→
• Voltage drop: what it means for the Texas examVoltage drop is the voltage lost along a conductor's resistance, so the load gets less than the source sends. Causes, effects and a worked run.→
• Power factor: what it means for the Texas examPower factor is true power divided by apparent power, the share of current doing real work. What lowers it, why it raises current, with an example.→
• Apparent vs true power: what it means for the Texas examTrue power in watts does the work; apparent power in volt-amperes is what the wires carry. The power triangle, the formulas and a worked example.→
• Single-phase vs three-phase: what it means for the Texas examSingle-phase power has one alternating voltage; three-phase has three, 120 degrees apart. Where each is used, the formulas and why 1.732 shows up.→
• Wye vs delta: what it means for the Texas examA wye joins three windings at a common neutral point; a delta joins them end to end in a loop. Voltages, currents and the high leg, with worked numbers.→
• Neutral conductor: what it means for the Texas examThe neutral is the conductor tied to a system's neutral point, usually grounded and white. How much current it carries on single-phase and three-phase.→
• Overcurrent protection: what it means for the Texas examOvercurrent protection opens a circuit when current exceeds what the conductor can safely carry. Overloads, short circuits and how devices respond.→
• GFCI vs AFCI: what it means for the Texas examA GFCI trips on current leaking to ground to protect people from shock; an AFCI trips on arcing to prevent fires. How each senses trouble and where used.→
• Raceway: what it means for the Texas examA raceway is an enclosed channel built to hold wires, such as conduit, tubing or wireway. What counts, what does not and why the difference matters.→
• Conductor insulation types: what it means for the Texas examInsulation letters like THHN, THWN-2 and XHHW tell you the material, heat rating and wet or dry use. How to decode them and why they change ampacity.→
• Box fill: what it means for the Texas examBox fill limits how many conductors, devices and fittings fit in a box by volume. The idea, what counts as one or two, and the usual counting mistakes.→
• Continuous load: what it means for the Texas examA continuous load runs at its maximum current for 3 hours or more. Why the NEC sizes conductors and breakers at 125% of it, with a worked branch circuit.→
• Series vs parallel circuits: what it means for the Texas examIn a series circuit current is the same everywhere and resistances add; in parallel voltage is the same and currents add. The rules and a worked example.→
• Resistance: what it means for the Texas examResistance is opposition to current, in ohms. How material, length, area and temperature set a conductor's resistance, and where it shows up in wiring.→
• Impedance: what it means for the Texas examImpedance is the total opposition to alternating current, combining resistance and reactance. The formula, an example and why it limits fault current.→
• Transformer kVA: what it means for the Texas examA transformer's kVA rating is the apparent power it can deliver without overheating. Why it is in kVA and how it sets current on each side.→
• Electrical terms glossary for the Texas journeyman examPlain-English glossary of 20 electrical theory and wiring terms behind the Texas journeyman exam, from bonding to impedance, each with its own page.→

Work through one topic at a time, with the method and worked examples.

• The Calculations portion: load, conductor and motor mathWhat the Calculations portion covers, the method for each calculation type by NEC article and table number, and worked examples. 26 items, 110 minutes.→
• NEC conductor ampacity: Table 310.16, correction and adjustmentHow to find a conductor's allowable ampacity with the 2026 NEC open: Table 310.16, temperature correction, adjustment and terminal limits.→
• NEC box fill: 314.16 counting and volumeHow to count box fill with the 2026 NEC open: the conductor, clamp, device and grounding allowances in 314.16, the volume table and a worked example.→
• NEC conduit fill: Chapter 9 tables and Annex CHow to size a raceway with the 2026 NEC open: Chapter 9 Tables 1, 4 and 5, the fill percentages, when Annex C helps and a worked example.→
• NEC grounding electrode conductor sizing: Table 250.66 vs Table 250.122How to size a grounding electrode conductor with Table 250.66, when the rod, ring and concrete-encased limits apply, and how it differs from Table 250.122.→
• NEC motor calculations: Article 430 step by stepHow to size motor conductors, short-circuit and ground-fault protection and overloads with the 2026 NEC open, with a worked example.→
• NEC voltage drop formulas and recommended limitsHow to work voltage drop with the 2026 NEC open: single-phase and three-phase formulas, Chapter 9 Table 8 and the 3% and 5% informational notes.→

Check yourself on questions, symbols and code look-ups, then see what to fix.

• Free Texas journeyman practice questions, by subject areaTwo original Texas journeyman practice questions with explained answers, how to practice by subject area on the PSI clocks, and a free 10-question check.→
• Texas journeyman lookup drill: 2026 NEC on a clockFind 2026 NEC tables and sections on a clock against a target pace you set, five questions for the Texas journeyman exam.→

Run the math your exam asks for and get the answer in seconds.

• Ohm's law calculator: V, I, R, P, 3-phaseEnter any two of volts, amps, ohms and watts, or work three-phase power with power factor, formulas shown.→
• Series and parallel resistance calculator with stepsResistor values to total resistance in series, parallel or both, then total current and the voltage across each resistor, every step shown.→
• Transformer calculator: kVA to amps, turns ratiokVA to primary and secondary amps, single- or three-phase, plus kVA from volts and amps and turns ratio, every step shown.→
• Texas journeyman study plan: week by weekA week-by-week Texas journeyman plan weighted by the ten PSI subject areas, from your exam date and hours.→
• Voltage drop calculator: 1-phase and 3-phaseVolts and percent drop for a single- or three-phase run, and the smallest size that holds your target.→