Idaho Journeyman Electrician Exam Day: PSI, Your NEC and Ugly's, and Pacing 4½ Hours

Idaho Journeyman Electrician Exam Day: What to Expect

PSI gives Idaho's journeyman electrician exam for the Idaho Electrical Board (DOPL). Since December 1, 2025 it has been an Idaho-specific exam. Here is what the day looks like.

Booking

Create a PSI account, select the Idaho journeyman exam and complete the application, which is accepted automatically. Then pay $75 and schedule online, or call PSI at 855-340-3713. The fee is good for one year from payment and is not refundable.

Idaho test centers are in Boise, Moscow, Lewiston, Twin Falls and Idaho Falls, plus Spokane Valley, Washington. You may also test at PSI centers in Washington, Oregon, Wyoming or Nevada.

To cancel or reschedule, give PSI at least 2 days' notice, or you forfeit the fee. Voicemail and email are not accepted.

What to bring

• One current government-issued photo ID with your signature.
• Your references (see below).
• A calculator: it must be silent, nonprinting and non-programmable.

Arrive 15 minutes early.

Your references

The exam is open book, and you bring your own books. The required references are:

• NFPA 70, the National Electrical Code: 2020 edition OR 2023 edition. Bring one or the other.
• Ugly's Electrical References, 2023 edition.

Optional, if you use them: Ferm's Fast Finder Index or the Tom Henry Key Word Index, in the 2020 or 2023 edition to match your Code book. The bulletin notes the exam was not developed from these; they are only a faster way into the NEC.

How you may prepare your books:

• Highlighting, underlining and permanent indexing (tabs) are allowed, done before the exam.
• No writing in the books during the exam.
• No loose papers or Post-it notes.

Which edition should you bring? Idaho enforces the 2023 NEC, and the Board has noted that schools teach the 2023 code. The bulletin says Code questions use only the listed editions, so either book is valid. Idaho's own amendments to the NEC are not on the reference list; answer from the NEC as printed.

The clock

100 questions in 270 minutes (4½ hours).

Pacing

That is 2 minutes 42 seconds per question. Use it, but do not waste it.

• Wiring and Protection is 25 of the 100 items. Tab Articles 210, 220, 230, 240 and 250 so they open in seconds.
• Use Ugly's for theory. General Electrical Knowledge is 13 items, and Ugly's formulas are faster than working from memory under the clock.
• Do not let one lookup eat your time. Give your best answer and move on.
• Answer every question.
• Check the clock at 2 hours 15 minutes: about 50 done.

Scoring

You need a 70. Your score appears on screen when you finish, and if you do not pass, you get a diagnostic report showing where you lost points.

If you do not pass

You can retake as many times as you need, at $75 per attempt. The bulletin states no waiting period. Use the diagnostic report to pick what to study before you book again.

After you pass

Apply for your license through DOPL at edopl.idaho.gov.

Before you go

Sit a full-length, timed practice exam first. Our free practice test gives you a feel for the questions, and the full exam prep has full-length practice exams weighted to the PSI outline, with every answer explained. Our questions stick to rules that read the same in the 2020 and 2023 NEC, so they work whichever book you bring. For eligibility, see Idaho Journeyman Electrician requirements.