Paperback and Kindle · 2026 NEC
Texas Journeyman Electrician Exam Prep 2026 NEC
316 chapter questions that send you into your own 2026 NEC, eight calculation lessons, and two full mock exams split the way Texas splits the real one: 59 NEC Knowledge questions in 130 minutes, 26 Calculations questions in 110.
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Most attempts at each part do not pass
In fiscal year 2025, 1,301 of 6,328 Journeyman Calculations attempts passed (20.56%). On NEC Knowledge, 1,402 of 5,731 passed (24.46%).
Source: TDLR electrician exam statistics, FY2025.
You have to clear 70% on each part separately, and leftover time from one part does not carry into the other. A strong code score cannot rescue a weak math score. So the book trains them as two separate skills: finding the rule fast, and working the numbers without a slip.
Work the sample from page 5
This is the worked calculation printed on page 5 of the book, word for word. It is question 235 from Chapter 12. Grab a pencil and try it before you open the solution.
A dwelling has 2,000 square feet of living area. Use the 2026 NEC dwelling unit load of 2 VA per square foot for general lighting, and add two small-appliance branch circuits and one laundry branch circuit at 1,500 VA each. Applying 100% to the first 3,000 VA and 35% to the remainder, what is the demand load?
- 2,975 VA
- 4,400 VA
- 4,925 VA
- 5,625 VA
Show the worked solution
Given. Living area: 2,000 sq ft at 2 VA per sq ft. Two small-appliance circuits and one laundry circuit at 1,500 VA each. Demand factor stated in the question: 100% of the first 3,000 VA, 35% of the remainder.
Code lookup. Article 120 → 120.41 (2 VA per sq ft for dwelling feeder and service loads) → 120.52(A) and 120.52(B) (1,500 VA per small-appliance and laundry circuit) → Table 120.45 (dwelling lighting demand factors).
Steps.
- General lighting (120.41): 2,000 sq ft × 2 VA = 4,000 VA.
- Small-appliance and laundry (120.52): 3 circuits × 1,500 VA = 4,500 VA.
- Add them before any demand factor: 4,000 + 4,500 = 8,500 VA.
- Table 120.45 keeps the first 3,000 VA at 100%, which leaves 8,500 – 3,000 = 5,500 VA for the next band.
- That remainder counts at 35%: 0.35 × 5,500 = 1,925 VA.
- Demand load: 3,000 + 1,925 = 4,925 VA.
Rounding. None needed. Every step lands on a whole number of volt-amperes, so carry the exact values to the end.
Answer. C. 4,925 VA
Why the other choices fail.
- 2,975 VA applies 35% to the whole 8,500 VA (0.35 × 8,500 = 2,975) and skips the first 3,000 VA that Table 120.45 keeps at 100%.
- 4,400 VA drops the laundry circuit. Two circuits give 3,000 VA, the total becomes 7,000 VA, and 3,000 + 0.35 × 4,000 = 4,400.
- 5,625 VA uses the 2023 unit load of 3 VA per sq ft. Lighting becomes 6,000 VA, the total 10,500 VA, and 3,000 + 0.35 × 7,500 = 5,625.
Every calculation answer in the book is laid out the same way. Look at the last wrong choice. It is the answer a 2023 habit gives you.
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What you will be able to do by exam day
- Find load calculation rules in their new 2026 home. They moved out of Article 220 into Article 120, and dwelling general lighting is now 120.41.
- Work the eight calculation types the lessons cover: dwelling service load, commercial feeder load, conductor ampacity with correction and adjustment, motor FLC and protection, transformer current and protection, voltage drop, conduit and box fill, and three-phase power.
- Recognize the mistake a wrong answer choice is built on before you fall for it.
- Keep pace with the clock: about 2 minutes 12 seconds per Knowledge question and 4 minutes 14 seconds per calculation.
- Tab the 20 most-used articles with publisher tabs, the only kind the exam allows.
- Read your mock results by subject area and know which chapter to redo next.
The full table of contents
327 pages and 486 questions. Each chapter’s answer key and explanations follow right after its questions.
Part 1. Practice by topic (316 questions)
NEC Knowledge
- Definitions, Theory, and Plans (12)
- Electrical Services, Service Equipment, and Separately Derived Systems (35)
- Electrical Feeders (15)
- Branch Circuits and Conductors (38)
- Electrical Wiring Methods and Electrical Materials (38)
- Electrical Equipment and Devices (35)
- Motors and Generators (19)
- Electrical Control Devices and Disconnecting Means (4)
- Special Occupancies, Equipment, and Conditions (23)
- Renewable Energy Technologies (8)
Calculations, after eight method lessons
- Calculations and Theory (6)
- Electrical Services, Service Equipment, and Separately Derived Systems (15)
- Electrical Feeders (11)
- Branch Circuit Calculations and Conductors (10)
- Electrical Wiring Methods and Electrical Materials (13)
- Electrical Equipment and Devices (6)
- Motors and Generators (13)
- Electrical Control Devices and Disconnecting Means (2)
- Special Occupancies, Equipment, and Conditions (4)
- Renewable Energy Technologies (9)
Part 2. Full mock exams
Mock exams 1 and 2, each with 59 NEC Knowledge and 26 Calculations questions, spread across subject areas by the item counts in the PSI content outline and set in mixed order. Printable answer sheets, a quick key, a score-by-topic page and full solutions for both.
Part 3. Tools
A 2023 to 2026 NEC crosswalk, a publisher-tab list of the 20 most-used articles, and an NEC section index.
The four-week plan from page 4
Week 1. Use publisher tabs to find each Part 3 article, then work the NEC Knowledge chapters with it open. Look up every answer, even the ones you got right.
Week 2. Work the Calculations chapters. Copy each step by hand until you can do it without looking.
Week 3. Take Mock exam 1 under the real time limits. Mark every question you guessed, then rework those topics.
Week 4. Take Mock exam 2, then a timed mock online. Aim for 80% or better on each part before exam day.
How it compares
On October 11, 2026, we checked 11 Texas and journeyman prep books on Amazon. Only this listing’s product information stated two full mock exams in the 59 + 26 Texas split. It also states the 2026 NEC, where some Texas titles still state the 2023 NEC.
Paperback or Kindle
Paperback
327 pages you can mark up, with answer sheets for both mocks. Keep your 2026 NEC beside it for the lookups. The prep book stays home on exam day, since the exam allows a soft-bound 2026 NEC with publisher tabs only.
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Kindle
Covers the content of the 327-page paperback, with two-way links from every question to its answer. Handy for a few questions on a lunch break.
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Who wrote it, and why it is built this way
Tsai Electro is run by a career switcher who completed 920 hours of vocational training, earned Taiwan’s national Class B Indoor Wiring Technician certificate and has worked in the MEP field. You can find the channel on YouTube at @tsai.electro.
The book is built for open-book practice. Passing is partly knowing the code and partly how fast you can find things in it, so most Code answers point to the exact section to turn to.
Questions
Which NEC edition does it use?
Can I bring this book into the exam?
Is there practice online too?
Book or the online pack?
Ready to practice both parts?
Step 1. Get the book.
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Step 2. While the paperback ships, try the 70 free online questions. No sign-up needed.
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