What's on the Mississippi Residential Electrician Exam? PSI's 9 Areas and 60 Questions

What's on the Mississippi Residential Electrician Exam?

The State Board of Contractors' Residential Electrician trade exam is 60 questions in 3 hours, open book, and you need 70% (42 correct). PSI gives it.

The content outline

The first two areas are 28 of the 60 questions.

What each area covers

PSI's Mississippi bulletin lists only the area names. The outline is identical, area for area and question for question, to PSI's South Carolina Residential Electrical exam, whose bulletin lists the tasks under each area:

• Services, Feeders, and Branch Circuits (15). Services, feeders, branch circuits and temporary wiring, motors used in dwellings and three-phase services. Expect dwelling load calculations (Article 220), required receptacle outlets (210.52), small-appliance and laundry circuits, and service sizing.
• General Electrical Knowledge (13). Series, parallel and combination circuits, power, ac theory, voltage drop, troubleshooting, definitions, smoke alarms, blueprints and take-offs.
• Grounding and Bonding (6). Article 250, with Table 250.66 (grounding electrode conductor) and Table 250.122 (equipment grounding conductor).
• Overcurrent Protection (5). Article 240.
• Conductors and Cables (5). Conductor selection and ampacity, underground conductors, and NM, MC, AC, SE, USE and UF cable.
• Raceways and Boxes (4). RMC, IMC, EMT, PVC and flexible conduit, conduit fill, boxes and box fill.
• Lighting (4). Luminaires and their wiring and grounding, recessed fixtures, and switches.
• Specialty (4). Pools, spas and hot tubs (Article 680), generators, wheelchair lifts and garages.
• Safety (4). OSHA's construction standards: PPE, training, first aid, hazard communication, ladders and fall protection.

Books and editions

The references are the 2020 NEC, the 2021 International Residential Code, Ugly's Electrical References (2017) and 29 CFR 1926. For code questions only the listed edition counts.

Our practice questions cite the 2020 NEC, Ugly's and 29 CFR 1926. They do not cover the IRC. Its electrical chapters largely restate NEC rules for one- and two-family dwellings, so tab the IRC's electrical part and look up anything worded from it.

Much current study material is on the 2023 NEC, which renumbered several load-calculation tables. Study from the 2020 book you will bring.

A study plan

1. Spend half your time on services, feeders and branch circuits and on theory. That's where 28 questions are. Work dwelling load calculations until they're routine, and drill Ohm's law, power and voltage-drop math.
2. Tab the tables. 220.42, 220.55, 240.6(A), 250.66, 250.122, 310.16, 314.16(A) and (B), and Chapter 9 Tables 4, 5 and 8.
3. Read Article 680 once, carefully. Specialty questions often come from pools and spas.
4. Don't skip OSHA. Four safety questions come from 29 CFR 1926.
5. Aim above 80% in practice before you book.

Law and Business Management is separate

The Law and Business Management exam (50 questions, 2 hours, 70%) is a different exam on the NASCLA Mississippi guide, 6th edition. We do not cover it yet.

Practice

Start with our free 10-question practice test, then the full Residential Electrician exam prep with 220+ questions on the 2020 NEC. See also requirements and exam day.