What's on the Minnesota Journeyworker Electrician Exam? Topics, Calculations, and a Study Plan

What's on the Minnesota Journeyworker Electrician Exam?

The Department of Labor and Industry's examination guide lists the knowledge areas tested on each license, but — unlike many states — does not publish how many questions come from each area. What it does tell you is plenty to plan around.

The format

• 80 questions, all worth the same, no partial credit
• 5½ hours
• 70% to pass
• Questions on the 2026 NEC (in effect in Minnesota since August 17, 2026)
• DLI supplies the NEC (soft cover, no tabs), the Laws and Rules Booklet and a basic calculator

DLI rates every question's difficulty from 1 to 5; journeyworker exams average 1.5 to 2.5. Stems can include extra information, every wrong answer is plausible, and power factor is unity unless the question says otherwise.

The knowledge areas

DLI's list for the Class A journeyworker covers almost the whole NEC:

• Chapter 1 — definitions, approval and listing, working space, connections and temperature limitations.
• Chapter 2 — grounded-conductor identification, GFCI and AFCI protection, required outlets, branch-circuit and feeder ratings, load calculations for dwellings, non-dwellings and farms, services, overcurrent protection, and a long run of grounding and bonding rules.
• Chapter 3 — conductor ampacity with correction and adjustment, box fill, raceway fill, and every common wiring method: NM, MC, AC, UF, SE, RMC, IMC, PVC, EMT, flexible conduits, wireways and cable trays.
• Chapters 4–7 — equipment, motors and air-conditioning, transformers, special occupancies, special equipment and special systems.
• Chapter 9 and Annex D — the tables and worked load-calculation examples.
• Theory — Ohm's law, Watt's law and voltage drop.

Calculations

The guide spends pages on percentages, Ohm's and Watt's laws, parallel resistance, power factor, voltage drop and conduit fill, and points to Annex D for load calculations. Expect a real share of the exam to be math: motor feeder conductors, ampacity after correction and adjustment, box fill with the 2026 volume allowances, and dwelling service loads.

The 2026 NEC changes to watch

• Load calculations moved from Article 220 to Article 120
• Dwelling general lighting load: 3 VA/ft² → 2 VA/ft² (120.41)
• Box fill table: Table 314.16(B) → Table 314.16(B)(4)
• Transformer overcurrent protection: 450.3 → 450.5

A study plan

1. Grounding and bonding, then Chapter 2. They dominate DLI's list.
2. Calculations every week. Annex D's examples are the model.
3. Learn the NEC without tabs. DLI's book has none, so practice finding rules through the index.
4. Read the Laws and Rules Booklet once. The Minnesota Electrical Act and Rules 3800/3801 cover licensing, supervision and permits, and they are in front of you at the exam.
5. Sit a full, timed practice exam. 80 questions in 5½ hours is about 4 minutes each — time to look things up, if you know where to look.

Our free practice test gives you 10 questions on the 2026 NEC with every calculation worked out. The full exam prep has an 80-question practice exam built on our own blueprint across these areas.