What's on the Hawaii Supervising Electrician Exam? The PSI Outline
PSI's content outline for the Hawaii Supervising Electrician exam: 70 questions across thirteen areas of the 2020 NEC, how it differs from Journey Worker, and how to study with the code book PSI provides.
What's on the Hawaii Supervising Electrician Exam?
The Hawaii Supervising Electrician exam has 70 scored questions, and you need 70% to pass. It is open book on the 2020 NEC, which PSI provides, and there is no law or business section. The counts below are from PSI's candidate bulletin for Hawaii's electrician exams.
The outline
| Content area | Supervising | Journey Worker, for comparison |
|---|---|---|
| Service, Feeders, and Branch Circuits | 10 | 10 |
| Grounding and Bonding | 10 | 10 |
| Conductors and Cables | 8 | 10 |
| General Electrical Knowledge | 6 | 10 |
| Electrical Power | 6 | 6, combined with motors and equipment |
| Motors | 6 | (in the line above) |
| Raceways and Boxes | 4 | 6 |
| Special Occupancies, Conditions, and Equipment | 4 | 6 |
| Lighting | 4 | 4 |
| Overcurrent Protection | 4 | (not a separate area) |
| Safety Information | 4 | 4 |
| Low Voltage and Communication Circuits | 2 | 4 |
| Illuminated Signs | 2 | (not a separate area) |
| Total | 70 | 70 |
Supervising trades some general-knowledge and wiring-method questions for power, motors, overcurrent protection and signs: the design and protection decisions a supervising electrician signs off on.
Where each area lives in the 2020 NEC
PSI does not map its areas to NEC articles. This is where you will find the rules for each one.
- Service, Feeders, and Branch Circuits: Articles 210, 215, 220 (load calculations), 225 and 230.
- Overcurrent Protection: Article 240, plus the protection rules in the equipment articles.
- Grounding and Bonding: Article 250.
- Conductors and Cables: Article 310 ampacity tables, the cable articles and Article 400.
- Motors: Article 430 (and 440 for air-conditioning equipment): full-load current tables, branch-circuit protection and overloads.
- Electrical Power: the rest of Chapter 4: switches, panelboards, appliances, generators, transformers (Article 450) and capacitors.
- Illuminated Signs: Article 600.
- Lighting: Article 410.
- Raceways and Boxes: Articles 300, 312, 314 and the raceway articles.
- Special Occupancies, Conditions, and Equipment: Chapters 5, 6 and 7.
- Low Voltage and Communication Circuits: Articles 725, 760 and Chapter 8.
- General Electrical Knowledge and Safety Information: Articles 90, 100 and 110, Chapter 9, circuit theory, and OSHA's construction standards (29 CFR 1926) for safety.
How to study
- Master the motor tables. Six motor questions and four overcurrent questions come down to Tables 430.248 to 430.250, Table 430.52 and Article 240. Practice the full sequence: full-load current, conductor size, branch-circuit protection and overload.
- Know load calculations cold. Service and feeder sizing is the largest area. Use the 2020 Article 220 numbering; the 2023 edition moved several of those tables.
- Practice with a clean book. PSI hands you its own copy of the NEC, so your tabs stay home. Learn the index.
- Don't skip the small areas. Signs, lighting and low voltage are ten questions together, and quick lookups if you know where they are.
Practice for the exam
Our Hawaii Supervising Electrician practice test draws from all thirteen areas in the same proportions, and every explanation cites the 2020 NEC section. For test-day logistics, see the Hawaii Supervising exam day.
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