Is the Journeyman Electrician Exam Open Book?

Yes for many U.S. journeyman electrician exams, but not all—and "open book" does not always mean you can bring your own National Electrical Code (NEC). Texas lets you bring a compliant personal book, Minnesota supplies an untabbed one, and Maine’s journeyman exam is closed book (Texas rules, Minnesota guide, p. 4, Maine bulletin, pp. 4–5).

Open-book rules by state

Selected examples: 27 states and 28 exam routes, because Kentucky has separate Prov and ICC entries. This is not a complete state or local directory. Reference rules and named editions reviewed September 29–30, 2026.

In the table, "Not listed" means the book isn't expressly named in that exam's reference list, not an automatic ban where a broader permission applies. "Not stated" means the cited official source doesn't address it. "Bring your own" means you supply printed references that meet the bulletin's rules. The edition column distinguishes tested editions from permitted reference editions; they are not always the same. Calculator entries summarize the policy—check the linked security rules for every device restriction.

What the formats mean

Here's how the 27 states we checked break down:

• Bring your own book (20 states; mixed exams counted separately). The rules on tabs, highlighting and notes vary a lot. Check your row above before you mark up your book.
• Book supplied at the test site (Minnesota, Colorado). Minnesota supplies an untabbed NEC. Colorado supplies the NEC and a formula page. Neither lets you substitute your own reference copy.
• Code on screen (California). The NEC opens as a searchable PDF, and you can't bring any references.
• Closed book, all or part (Maine, New Mexico, North Dakota). Maine's whole journeyman exam is closed book. New Mexico's Theory part is closed. North Dakota has both a closed and an open section.
• Open book, book source not stated (Alaska). Alaska's official page says open book, but it doesn't say who supplies the book.

These counts describe the selected exams above, not the proportion of all U.S. electrician exams. Bulletins change, so open yours before exam day.

Iowa and West Virginia

The sources available for these two states did not establish the reference permissions used in the table.

• Iowa: The official testing-sponsorship instructions identify PSI, but the candidate bulletin was not retrievable. Use your approval letter and the Iowa electrical licensing page to obtain the exam-specific reference rules.
• West Virginia: The State Fire Marshal says exams use the 2023 NEC from January 1, 2026. That announcement does not say whether the exam is open or closed book. Use the contact route on the Fire Marshal's licensing page to confirm permitted materials.

State contractor rules are not local journeyman rules

A contractor examination and a local journeyman examination can have different reference rules. Do not substitute a state contractor page for the exam named on your approval letter. The Georgia electrical-contractor rule, Louisiana contractor-license listings, Nevada contractor examinations and North Carolina electrical-contractor licensing page concern contractor licensing, not a universal local journeyman exam policy.

For example, New Orleans and Reno both use ICC journeyman exams. New Orleans names F17; Reno names G17 for journeyman electricians. Match the city and exam code. See the ICC rules below.

What to watch for in your state

These are the traps the table can't show in one cell.

• Alabama: Photocopied books and photocopied pages are never allowed. (Official source.)
• Alaska: The official page confirms an open-book exam using the 2020 NEC but does not say who supplies it. Ask Mechanical Inspection what to bring. (Official source.)
• Arkansas: At-home testing is offered. The bulletin's reference restrictions still apply; remote testing also has its own room and equipment requirements. (Official source.)
• California: You can't bring any references. The supplied set is the 2023 NEC, 2024 NFPA 70E and the Cal/OSHA construction pocket guide updated in 2022. (Official source; Additional source.)
• Colorado: The NEC and a formula page are provided. You may not bring your own references or mark the supplied materials. (Official source.)
• Connecticut: The approved list includes OSHA 1926, NFPA 72 and NESC. Some study titles, including the Solar Photovoltaic Systems Installer Trainee Guide, are specifically not allowed. Check each title. (Official source.)
• Idaho: Use the Journeyman Electrician reference list, not a specialty-exam list. It permits the 2020 or 2023 NEC or NEC Handbook, plus the other specifically listed references. (Official source.)
• Kentucky (Prov exam): Prov and ICC publish separate Kentucky journeyman exam listings with different rules. Follow the bulletin for the exam you book. (Official source.)
• Kentucky (ICC exam 703): Books must be bound (original binding, three-ring binder or stapled). No photocopies of copyrighted books. (Official source; Additional source.)
• Maine: No references are marked as permitted for the journeyman exam, so no books go into the room. (Official source.)
• Massachusetts: Paperback, ring-binder, spiral and loose-leaf formats are allowed, but loose individual pages are not. The notes conflict is specific: FAQ 11 prohibits handwriting, while the reference rules permit prewritten formulas and margin notes. (Official source.)
• Michigan: Each printed state-law or rule document must be bound with three staples on the left edge. No markings or tabs are permitted on those documents. (Official source.)
• Minnesota: No other materials or electronic devices are allowed in the building. A laws and rules booklet is supplied. (Official source; Additional source.)
• Montana: Montana's amendments and Hittinger's Printreading are also on the list. Calculators cannot have preprogrammed electrical calculations. (Official source.)
• Nebraska: Ugly's (any edition) is allowed. (Official source.)
• New Hampshire: The June 24, 2026 bulletin includes a Journeyman Electrician (2023) version and also retains a 2017 version. The 2023 list includes both 2023 and 2020 NEC references. Match the authorized exam version; study guides are not approved references. (Official source.)
• New Mexico: Part 2, Theory (50 questions), is closed book. (Official source.)
• North Dakota: The exam has a 1-hour closed section and a 3.5-hour open section. The board supplies code books, calculators and pencils. The page does not specify section order or book-marking rules. (Official source.)
• Oklahoma: A spiral-bound NEC is not allowed. (Official source.)
• Oregon: Practice tests and class prep materials are not allowed. Oregon says your approval letter lists the current approved materials. (Official source; Additional source.)
• South Dakota: Books must be bound. No photocopies of copyrighted books. (Official source; Additional source.)
• Texas: Questions reference the 2026 NEC from Sept. 1, 2026. TDLR also names the 2026 edition. No loose-leaf, spiral or ring-bound NEC books. (Official source; Additional source.)
• Utah: At-home written testing is offered. The bulletin replaces the separate Code and Theory exams with a combined Journeyman exam from August 1, 2025; a separate practical exam remains. (Official source.)
• Vermont: No pencil notes. No photocopies or Post-its. (Official source.)
• Virginia: References aren't provided at the test site. Downloaded references must be bound or in a binder. (Official source.)
• Washington: Copies of copyrighted books aren't allowed. Printed RCW/WAC copies go in a binder. (Official source; Additional source.)
• Wisconsin: Up to two additional printed, bound reference books (such as Ugly's) are allowed alongside the NEC or Handbook and the rules/notes binder. No loose papers, sticky notes or paperclips. (Official source.)
• Wyoming: The ICC 385 bulletin lists the 2023 NEC. Wyoming's licensing page says the current NEC edition without naming a year; match your authorization rather than assuming the newest published NEC. (Official source; Additional source; Licensing instructions.)

Is any journeyman electrician exam closed book?

Yes. Three states in this table have closed-book content:

• Maine. The whole journeyman exam is closed book. The current bulletin marks no reference as permitted, so no books go into the room (Prov Maine bulletin, p. 4).
• New Mexico. Part 1, Code, is open book. Part 2, Theory, is closed book, with 50 questions in 120 minutes (PSI New Mexico bulletin, pp. 7–8).
• North Dakota. The exam has a 1-hour closed section and a 3.5-hour open section. The board supplies the code books for the open part (NDSEB exam information).

For a closed-book part, practice answering its listed theory and calculation topics without consulting references, then check your work after the practice attempt. Use that part's content outline rather than assuming it covers the same topics as the open-book part.

A supplied book is not the same as closed book. Minnesota and Colorado exams are open book. You just can't use your own copy.

Before you tab, highlight or pack your book

Run these seven checks against your own bulletin. They help catch two test-day problems: a book turned away at check-in, or a book you've never practiced with.

1. Are you reading the rules for your exact exam? Match the credential, exam title or code, and test vendor on your approval letter. Kentucky has separate Prov and ICC listings with different rules. A contractor or master exam can also have its own list.
2. Which edition is tested on your exam date? Look for the bulletin's effective-date notice. Don't rely on the newest NEC or your state's installation code. Minnesota's code took effect August 17, 2026, but its exams switched on September 8 (DLI announcement). Texas permits any compliant soft-bound NEC edition while testing the 2026 edition. Permission to bring an older book does not mean its rules and section locations match the tested edition (TDLR reference rules).
3. Do you bring the book, or is it supplied? If it's supplied, practice without your tabs and notes.
4. Is every title on the allowed list? A reference list is not a reading list. California's bulletin lists books used to develop questions that aren't supplied during the exam (California bulletin, pp. 10–11). Check the NEC Handbook and Ugly's separately. States split on both.
5. Is the binding allowed? Texas allows only a soft-bound NEC. Oklahoma bans a spiral-bound NEC. Massachusetts allows spiral and loose-leaf. ICC's test-site rules require bound references and prohibit photocopies of copyrighted books (ICC test-site rules).
6. What exactly does the tab rule say? Several listed exams require permanent tabs. Texas goes further and allows only the NEC publisher's own tabs, and Michigan allows only factory tabs. A permanent tab is not automatically acceptable when the program also restricts who makes it. Check the exact wording in your row's bulletin.
7. Are you allowed to write in your book? This is the biggest split. Handwritten notes are allowed in some states (such as Texas, Oregon, Montana, Connecticut and Vermont) and banned in others (such as Washington, Utah, Michigan, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Arkansas, Virginia, Oklahoma and Alabama). Check pre-existing notes and writing during the exam separately. Texas, for example, permits notes made beforehand but bans marking the book during testing. Connecticut also excludes question-and-answer notes, even when made before the exam (Texas bulletin, p. 8; Connecticut bulletin, pp. 8–9).

If your bulletin is silent on something, ask the test vendor before exam day, not at the check-in desk. You can copy and fill in this message:

I'm scheduled for [exact exam title or code] in [state or city] on [date]. I've read [bulletin title and date, section]. May I bring [exact title, edition and binding] with [tabs, highlighting or notes, described exactly]? If references are supplied, may I still bring my own copy? Please point me to the rule that applies to my appointment.

Keep the reply with your admission papers.

Not listed? Local and national exams

If your state isn't in the table, start with your approval letter and licensing authority. Match the exact exam title, code and testing organization. ICC and NASCLA are two possible programs; neither creates one nationwide journeyman license (ICC exam catalog; NASCLA program).

• ICC exams (International Code Council). At Pearson VUE test centers, ICC allows copyrighted books that are bound (original binding, a three-ring binder or stapled). Its general rules allow permanently attached tabs, notes in ink and highlighting, subject to exam-specific restrictions. Photocopies of copyrighted books are not allowed, and calculators must be basic four-function models (ICC: what to bring). Match your exam's title and number in the ICC exam catalog to see its reference list.
• NASCLA journeyman electrician exam. It's open book. It allows the 2020 or 2023 NEC or NEC Handbook with permanent tabs and highlighting or underlining, but no writing in those books. Its optional index references must remain unmarked, without highlights or tabs (NASCLA exam bulletin, p. 5). Whether your licensing agency accepts it is up to that agency (NASCLA electrical exams).

Either way, the licensing agency's current instructions decide what counts for your license.

How to practice for your format

• You bring your own book. Prep it within your state's rules, then do every timed practice session with that exact book. Learn both routes to an answer: the index and any permitted tabs.
• The book is supplied (Minnesota, Colorado, North Dakota's open section). Include practice without personal tabs or notes so your navigation does not depend on bringing your own copy. Minnesota expressly supplies an untabbed book; North Dakota's page does not specify the supplied books' markings. Practice using the index and table of contents.
• The code is on screen (California). Search finds words, not ideas. Use the terminology in the question rather than relying on a broad everyday synonym. The official exam navigation guide shows the PDF search controls, so you can preview the interface.
• A closed-book part (Maine; New Mexico Theory; North Dakota's closed section). Drill the formulas, theory and definitions in that part's outline without looking them up; check the explanation afterward.

For a simple navigation exercise, choose a topic from your exam outline, locate it in the permitted reference, and record the route you used and how long it took. Repeat using the same reference format you will have on test day. This is practice feedback, not a pass prediction.

Does open book make it easier?

Reference access does not remove the time limit. You still need to find the rule and confirm it fits the question. Texas gives 130 minutes for 59 NEC questions and 110 minutes for 26 calculation questions; those totals include three and two unscored items, respectively (PSI Texas bulletin, pp. 12–13). That's about 2.2 minutes per NEC item on average, not an individual question limit.

In fiscal year 2025, Texas recorded 1,402 passes from 5,731 NEC-portion attempts (24.46%) and 1,301 passes from 6,328 calculations-portion attempts (20.56%)—about one in four and one in five, respectively (TDLR FY2025 statistics). These are separate exam-attempt totals, not unique people, first-attempt rates or a national pass rate. They do not measure how much an open book helps or predict your result.

Common questions

Can I bring Ugly's Electrical References? In several of the listed exams, yes. It's on the lists for Idaho, Nebraska, Connecticut, Oregon, Oklahoma, Utah, Vermont, Kentucky, South Dakota, Wyoming and Wisconsin (as one of two additional reference books). It's not on the Texas, Michigan or Arkansas lists. Use your row's official source to check the exact title and edition; do not assume an unlisted book is permitted.

Can I take the journeyman exam at home? In some states. Prov's bulletins offer at-home written testing for Utah, p. 10, New Hampshire, pp. 2–3 and Arkansas, p. 9. At-home testing is still proctored: the program's reference restrictions and separate remote-room/equipment rules apply. It does not permit unrestricted web browsing or replace a required practical examination.

What happens if my book breaks the rules? Bulletins say references that don't meet the rules won't be allowed in. Oregon says the proctor removes anything not on the approved list (approved materials). Texas lists options such as testing without a noncompliant book or rescheduling and forfeiting the exam fee (PSI Texas bulletin, p. 8). Fix the book before exam day.

Which NEC edition should I buy? The one your current bulletin says is tested on your exam date. First check whether you need a personal book at all. Installation-code adoption and exam transitions are separate dates: Minnesota's 2026 adoption began August 17, while its examination change began September 8 (DLI announcement).

Where do I start studying? Start with the content outline in your exact exam's linked bulletin, then use the format-matched practice steps above. Before preparing a personal reference, finish the seven checks and resolve any notes, tab or edition question with the exam program.

Sources

Reference permissions and named editions were checked against the linked official publications during September 29–30, 2026. The table distinguishes stated rules, missing details and the Massachusetts notes conflict. State sources and page locators are linked beside their entries.

• Texas: PSI Texas candidate bulletin, p. 8 (references), p. 4 (calculator), and pp. 12–13 (timing). Also TDLR electrician exam information.
• Washington: WAC 296-46B-960(2) and the PSI Washington bulletin, p. 4.
• Minnesota: DLI electrical license examination guide, pp. 1, 4, 6, and DLI electrical codes and standards.
• California: candidate bulletin, pp. 10–11, and exam navigation guide.
• Colorado: PSI Colorado bulletin, p. 6.
• Maine: Prov Maine bulletin, p. 4.
• New Mexico: PSI New Mexico bulletin, pp. 7–8.
• Wisconsin: DSPS journeyman exam page, Trades Exam Information.
• Wyoming: State Fire Marshal licensing.
• ICC and NASCLA: ICC: what to bring to the test site, ICC exam catalog, NASCLA exam bulletin and NASCLA electrical exams.
• Texas pass rates: TDLR electrician exam statistics, FY2025.

By Castleport Test Prep Editorial Team. Last verified September 30, 2026 (source checks September 29–30): the reference-material rules, exam formats and named NEC editions described above, within the limits stated for each source. This is source verification. It is not a professional review, and we did not take these exams or contact the boards.

AI assistance was used in researching and drafting this page. See our editorial standards and methodology.

Castleport Test Prep is an independent exam prep publisher. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or approved by NFPA, the International Code Council, NASCLA, PSI, Prov, Pearson VUE, CPS HR Consulting, or any state licensing board or agency named on this page. Exam, credential and code names are used to identify their subjects; trademarks belong to their respective owners.