Preparing for Your Electrical Exam
The Department of Labor & Industries administers electrical certification laws for the state of Washington. Anyone who works in the electrical construction trade must be certified as a journeyman or specialty electrician. To become certified you must pass the exam related to the work that you will be doing.
This information is provided to help you to pass the exam. Included is a list of required knowledge and a preview of the type of questions that will be on the exam. Passing the exam ensures that you have the skills and knowledge to work at an entry level.
Basic knowledge that you should have
- All examinations require that you have a working grasp of the National Electrical Code, Washington laws and rules, and a basic level of electrical theory knowledge. All law, rule and code questions are based on the current version of the Revised Code of Washington (RCW) 19.28 and Washington Administrative Code (WAC) 296-46B, and the 2008 National Electrical Code.
- It is recommended that you have appropriate classroom education to be successful in passing the exam. On-the-job experience is typically not enough to ensure a passing grade.
- You should be familiar with general copyrighted electrical or telecommunication publications, as well as general math and electrical theory computation. All theory questions are general in nature and are based on information from general copyrighted electrical or telecommunication publications. Theory questions may include: general math and electrical theory computation questions.
- Carefully check what you are expected to know for your exam. Several specialties are allowed to perform the work of other specialties. The exams will reflect this expectation. In other words, you may be tested on multiple specialties and, if you are not prepared, the questions may be beyond your preparation. For example, 07C Nonresidential Restricted Maintenance Electricians are allowed to perform all the work of 07B Residential Maintenance Electricians; consequently, they must also be knowledgeable of work done as a 07B Residential Maintenance Electrician.
What to expect when taking the exam
- All candidates must show the exam proctor two pieces of valid photo-ID before beginning the exam.
- All examinations are open book: It is okay to use original (i.e. not photocopied or computer generated) copyrighted material and a silent, nonprinting, nonprogrammable calculator.
- Personal notes, cellular telephones, pagers, personal computers, or other programmable data or telecommunication devices are not allowed in the examination area.
- Copyrighted material may be highlighted prior to entering the examination area, but highlighting is not allowed in the examination area.
View Candidate Bulletin of Information for content outlines and other information.
Special accommodations for disabilities
Go to our special accommodations for people with disabilities page for more information.
L&I Electrical Exam Content Outlines
Only the following types of workers must pass exams administered by PSI to receive certification.
Exam outlines are available in the Candidate bulletin of information located at the PSI Web site. For complete certification information, please go to the appropriate pages linked below:
- Electricians. (Contact L&I
Electrical Program before scheduling test.)
Go to How to apply for an Electrician certificate for complete information. - Master Electricians. (Contact
L&I Electrical Program before scheduling test.)
Go to How to apply for a Master Electrician certificate for complete information. - Electrical Administrators.
Go to How to apply for an Electrical Administrator certificate for complete information. - Telecommunication Administrators.
Go to How to apply for a Telecommunication Administrator certificate for complete information.
See also:
WAC
296-46B-960 for information about topics tested in specific electrical
examinations.
How to schedule an electrical exam
1. Get approval first from L&I to take the exam.
All exam candidates (except for administrators) must receive approval from L&I before scheduling with PSI. |
L&I Electrical Exams are administered by |
 |
| Contact L&I Electrical Licensing and Certification Phone: 360-902-5269 Email: electricalprogram@lni.wa.gov |
2. Schedule your exam with PSI
See the fee schedule for PSI exams here.
Electrical exams are given by PSI at their testing centers throughout Washington State. You can use their Web site to locate the site nearest you.
Schedule your exam by calling or accessing the PSI website. View the Candidate bulletin of information to get more information about exam fees, time and outlines. This and other useful information can be found in Candidate bulletin located on the PSI website.
Online: PSI at PSIExamsonline
Phone: 1-800-733-9267
Special scheduling hints
Schedule all exam sections for the same exam day.
When scheduling an exam, keep in mind that there are several categories of electrical work (i.e., general, residential, telecommunications). A separate exam is offered for each category. These separate sections need to be scheduled for the same exam day. You will pay a flat rate rather than by the hour. Retesting on failed sections, when done within a year, is charged by the hour.
You have a year to get it right.
You have one year from your first attempt at an exam section to retest until you are successful. After that year is over, if you have not successfully passed that section, you have to re-take the entire exam.
Once you have passed a section of the exam, you cannot retake that section during a retest.
Retesting a section of the exam is allowed only if you failed it or were absent when scheduled.
PSI exam fees
PSI charges per hour for most exams. Exams that are based on a series of separate sections, however, such as the Master Electrician exam, will be billed at a flat rate. This is regardless of how many sections you take, complete, or how long you spend on the exam. But if you retest on this exam within a year, you will be billed per hour on the retest sections. Contact PSI to get the non-hourly exam rates.
Special accommodations for disabilities
Go to our special accommodations for people with disabilities page for more information.
If you want to challenge the results of an exam
- You need to review the exam results provided by the testing agency.
- You cannot see your exam.
- The exam results provide a list of code articles indicating the areas you got wrong on the test. You have to determine what questions you got wrong by reviewing the code articles.
- You can only challenge the questions that you got wrong, not the entire test.
How to challenge exam results
All challenges must be made in writing and received by the Chief Electrical Inspector no later than twenty (20) days after the examination was taken.
- Send a letter requesting to challenge the exam results, along
with the challenge fee of $119.50 to:
L&I Electrical Program, PO Box 44460, Olympia, WA 98504-4460.
Put your contact information in the letter, including a phone number.
- Allow a minimum of 2 weeks for a response.
- L&I will contact you to schedule an appointment.
Your appointment will be at the Tumwater L&I building.
- At the appointment, you will be asked to write a justification for each question that you want to challenge.
- Allow a week for a response to your challenge, which may be in
writing or over the phone.
Your exam is changed only if the challenge results in a passing score.
Candidates should review WAC 296-46B-960 (6) and (7) for complete information about challenging examination results.
Special accommodations for people with disabilities
L&I administers examinations only to candidates who require special accommodations that cannot be provided by PSI. Check with PSI before attempting to schedule special accommodation testing with L&I. There is a fee for all exams.
Schedule an exam with L&I (special accommodations only)
E-mail: ElectricalProgram@lni.wa.gov
Telephone: 360-902-5269
ADA Coordinator: Jim Reynolds
| Fees for L&I Tests with Special Accommodations | ||
| Electrical Administrator Exam | Retest Exam | Exam Review |
| $77.10 | $90.30 | $119.50 |
| Electrician Exam | Retest Exam | Exam Review |
| $58.00 | $58.00 | $119.50 |
| Master Electrician Exam | Retest Exam | Exam Review |
| $77.10 | $90.30 | $119.50 |
