Short answer: The PSI bulletin tells you not to consider code exceptions or optional calculation methods unless the question specifically directs you to. So a dwelling load question that does not name the optional method gets the standard method, and an exception only counts when the question brings it up. The same bulletin says all conductors are copper unless noted.
Knowing the rule is easy; applying it on question 20 with the clock running is the hard part. The Practice Pack has 10 full timed two-part mocks (59 questions in 130 minutes plus 26 in 110 minutes) and 299 step-by-step calculation solutions, so you can check whether you picked the method the question asked for. Scores come back by part and by topic, with a line showing which part you would fail. US$39, one payment.
Tsai Electro is an independent learning site. Not affiliated with TDLR, PSI or NFPA. Exam rules can change, so confirm in the PSI bulletin linked below.
What the bulletin rule means in practice
Three lines in PSI Candidate Information Bulletin 1682 decide how you read every question on both parts:
| Bulletin rule | What you do |
|---|---|
| Do not consider code exceptions unless the question directs you to | Use the main rule. Apply an exception only when the question names it or describes it as the condition to use. |
| Do not consider optional calculation methods unless the question directs you to | Use the standard method. Switch only when the question says “optional method” or names the section. |
| All conductors are copper unless noted | Read the copper column and use copper values. Change only when the question says aluminum. |
Exceptions still sit in your code book, and they still matter on the job. On this exam they stay out of play unless the question opens the door. Apply one the question never asked for, or a second method it never named, and you work toward a number the question did not ask you to find.
Standard method vs optional method on a dwelling
The clearest case is the dwelling service load. Our workbook teaches the standard method in Article 120 of the 2026 NEC as the default:
- General lighting at 2 VA per square foot (120.41).
- 1,500 VA for each small-appliance circuit and each laundry circuit (120.52).
- Table 120.45 on the lighting group: first 3,000 VA at 100%, then 35%.
- Four or more fastened-in-place appliances at 75% (120.53); three or fewer at 100%.
- Dryer at 5,000 VA or nameplate, whichever is larger (120.54). Ranges from Table 120.55.
- Heat and air conditioning: keep the larger.
The optional method lives at 120.82, where the first 8 kVA counts at 100% and the rest at 40%. Use it only when the question names it. If the stem simply says “calculate the service load” and nothing more, you run the standard steps above.
Two traps the workbook flags on the same question type: taking 75% with only three appliances, and using the old 3 VA per square foot. 120.13 keeps 3 VA per square foot only for counting branch circuits, not for the feeder or service load.
Reading the stem before you open the book
The habit that saves points is reading the question for its limits before you touch the code book. A short routine:
- Read the last sentence first. That is what you are solving for.
- Look for a named method. No name means the standard method.
- Look for an exception. No mention means no exception.
- Check the conductor material. No mention means copper.
- Write down every given value: VA, length, voltage, temperature, number of conductors.
- Then open the book to the article that owns the topic.
Unscored items are mixed in with scored ones and PSI does not tell you which are which, so treat every item as scored and give every stem the same read. For a walk-through of how the two parts are timed and split, see the exam format page.
Run the read-the-question check
Read-the-question check
Before you open the code book, tick each check for the question in front of you.
- I read the last sentence and know what the question asks for
- I checked whether the question names a method, such as the optional method; if not, I use the standard method
- I checked whether the question mentions an exception; if not, I apply the main rule only
- I checked the conductor material; if none is given, I use copper
- I wrote down every given value: VA, length, voltage, temperature, conductor count
- I know which article owns this topic before I open the book
- I compared my answer to the choices and checked I did not add a step the question never asked for
[ETOS_ACCOUNT_CARD]
Do you use exceptions on the Texas journeyman exam?
Only when the question tells you to. The PSI bulletin says not to consider code exceptions or optional calculation methods unless the question specifically directs you to, so apply the main rule by default.
Should I use the optional method for a dwelling service on the journeyman exam?
Use the standard method unless the question names the optional method. The optional method is at 120.82 in the 2026 NEC, with the first 8 kVA at 100% and the rest at 40%.
Are conductors copper or aluminum on the journeyman exam?
All conductors are copper unless the question notes otherwise. When a question says aluminum, switch to the aluminum values; otherwise stay with copper.
Sources checked October 2026
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