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Short answer: Yes, with limits. PSI allows permanent index tabs on your soft-bound 2026 NEC only if the book’s publisher made or supplied them; homemade and third-party tabs are not allowed. You may highlight, underline and write notes before exam day, but not during the exam. Spiral-bound, loose-leaf and ring-bound books and the NEC Handbook are banned.
In detail: For the Texas electrician exams, PSI allows permanent index tabs only if they were manufactured or supplied by the NEC book’s publisher. Homemade, DIY and third-party tabs are not allowed. You may highlight, underline and write notes in your soft-bound 2026 NEC before exam day, but you may not mark the book during the exam. Loose-leaf, spiral-bound and ring-bound copies and the NEC Handbook are banned. If your book breaks these rules, you can test without it, remove the tabs on the spot, or forfeit the fee and rebook.
Rules quoted from the PSI candidate information bulletin for TDLR electricians, updated September 15, 2026, and checked October 1, 2026. Other states and other test vendors have different rules.
What is allowed and what is not
| Allowed | Not allowed |
|---|---|
| Any soft-bound edition of the NEC (questions follow the TDLR-adopted 2026 edition) | Loose-leaf, spiral-bound or ring-bound NEC copies |
| Highlighting, underlining and notes added before the exam session | Writing, highlighting, underlining or tabbing during the exam |
| Permanent index tabs manufactured or supplied by the NEC publisher | Homemade, DIY or non-publisher tabs |
| A bound word-to-word translation dictionary without pictures or definitions | Any extra paper, loose or attached to the book |
| The NEC Handbook |
What happens if your book does not comply
The bulletin gives three options at check-in: test without your book, remove the non-compliant tabs yourself and test, or forfeit the exam fee and come back another day with a compliant book. Violations found during the session are reported to TDLR and can lead to losing your code book and test materials and having your score invalidated.
Do not find this out at the test center. Check your book against the table above a week before the exam.
Why tabs matter so much in Texas
The exam is open book, and the time is tight. The NEC Knowledge part gives you about 2.2 minutes per question and the Calculations part about 4.2 minutes. Pass rates are low: 24.46% for NEC Knowledge and 20.56% for Calculations attempts in TDLR fiscal year 2025. Candidates who find the right article in 20 seconds instead of 2 minutes have time to read the question twice.
How to tab a book for the Journeyman exam
- Start with publisher tabs only. Buy the tab set made for your 2026 NEC by its publisher, or a book sold with those tabs already applied.
- Tab by how the exam is weighted. In TDLR’s May 2026 staff report, branch circuits and conductors, wiring methods and materials, and equipment and devices are worth 10 scored points each on the NEC Knowledge part. Services, special occupancies, and motors and generators come next.
- Highlight the tables you use for calculations. Ampacity, conductor properties, raceway fill, box fill and motor full-load current tables are the pages you open again and again on the Calculations part.
- Write lookup notes before exam day. Short notes in the margin, such as where a rule continues, are allowed if you write them in advance.
- Re-check after the code change. If you tabbed a 2023 NEC, do not copy the layout. In the 2026 edition, load calculations were reorganized from Article 220 into a new Article 120, so some tabs belong in a different place.
Practice finding answers, not memorizing them
Every question in our free Texas Journeyman practice shows the NEC article it is based on, so you can drill lookups with your own book. There is no sign-up. The Texas Journeyman Practice Pack adds an article, section and table lookup path for each question, and a ranked list of the code-book locations its questions send you to most. Use that list to decide which publisher tabs and highlights to prioritize.
Next step on the Texas ladder
You are here: Code book tabs. Next: Exam day rules. Check your ID, calculator and book before you go.
Also useful: Exam calculations · All Texas electrician exams
Free first: try 20 Texas Journeyman questions, no sign-up. Ready for the full timed two-part mock? See the practice pack, one payment.
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FAQ
Can you use tabs on the Texas electrician exam?
Yes, but only permanent index tabs made or supplied by the NEC publisher. Homemade, DIY and third-party tabs are not allowed under the PSI bulletin for TDLR exams.
Can I highlight my NEC book for the Texas exam?
Yes. Highlighting, underlining and notes are allowed if they are in the book before the exam session. You may not mark the book during the exam.
Can I bring the NEC Handbook to the Texas exam?
No. The PSI bulletin for TDLR electricians does not allow the NEC Handbook in the examination room. Bring a soft-bound NEC.
Can I use a spiral-bound NEC on the Texas exam?
No. Loose-leaf, spiral-bound and ring-bound copies are not allowed. Any soft-bound edition is accepted, and the questions follow the 2026 edition adopted by TDLR.
What happens if my tabs are not allowed?
You can test without the book, remove the tabs yourself and test, or forfeit the exam fee and rebook with a compliant book.
Sources
- PSI candidate information bulletin for TDLR electricians, Examination Reference Material List, updated September 15, 2026, read October 1, 2026
- TDLR: Electrician exam information, Reference Materials, read October 1, 2026
- TDLR fiscal year 2025 electrician exam statistics, read October 1, 2026
- TDLR staff reports, May 12, 2026, read October 1, 2026
- NFPA 70, National Electrical Code: code development page (the exams use the 2026 edition), read October 3, 2026
