What's on the South Carolina Electrician Exam? The 13 Areas of PSI's Commercial Contractor Trade Exam

What's on the South Carolina Electrician Exam?

South Carolina's commercial electrical contractors (the Electrical classification of the Mechanical Contractor license) take PSI's Electrician trade exam: 80 questions in 5 hours, open book, 56 correct (70%) to pass. PSI publishes the question count for every area.

The content outline

Five core NEC areas give you 45 of the 80 questions. Safety, power and motors add another 22. The last four areas are only 8 questions together.

Where each area comes from

• General Electrical Knowledge (9). Ohm's law, power, ac theory and voltage drop, plus NEC Articles 90, 100 (definitions), 110 and Chapter 9. The American Electricians' Handbook (17th edition) is on the reference list for this kind of theory question.
• Service, Feeders, and Branch Circuits (9). Articles 210 to 230, including load calculations in Article 220. The outline has no separate overcurrent area, so expect Article 240 here too.
• Grounding and Bonding (9). Article 250: grounding electrodes, Table 250.66 for grounding electrode conductors, Table 250.122 for equipment grounding conductors, bonding.
• Conductors and Cables (9). Article 310 ampacity and adjustment factors, and the cable articles (MC, NM, SE, UF).
• Raceways and Boxes (9). Article 300, box fill (314.16), raceway articles and Chapter 9 conduit fill.
• Safety Information (8). OSHA's construction standards, 29 CFR 1926: PPE, ladders, fall protection, the electrical subpart (K) and excavation. The South Carolina 811 Excavator Manual is also on the list.
• Electrical Power (7). Transformers (450), generators (445), panelboards and switches (404, 408), emergency and standby systems (700 to 702) and PV systems.
• Motors (7). Article 430: full-load current tables, branch-circuit and overload protection, disconnects. Article 440 for air conditioning.
• Lighting (5). Articles 410 and 411.
• Special Occupancies (2), Low Voltage (2), Illuminated Signs (2), Fire Alarm (2). Hazardous and health-care locations, pools and similar; Class 2 and communications circuits; Article 600 signs; and Article 760 plus NFPA 72 (2019) for fire alarm.

Which edition to study

PSI allows the 2023 or the 2020 NEC from November 1, 2026, and only the 2023 after July 1, 2027. Study the 2023. Our questions cite the 2023 NEC. If you bring the 2020 book before July 2027, watch the load-calculation tables that moved (Table 220.12 became Table 220.42(A); Table 220.42 became 220.45) and the Class 1 rules that moved from Article 725 to 724.

A study plan

1. Tab your NEC for the five big areas first. Articles 210 to 250, 310, the cable and raceway articles, 314.16 and Chapter 9 cover more than half the exam.
2. Drill the tables. 310.16, 250.66, 250.122, 430.248 to 430.250, 430.52 and Chapter 9 Tables 4, 5 and 8 answer many questions in seconds once you know where they are.
3. Give safety a full week. Eight questions come from 29 CFR 1926, a book many electricians have never opened. Tab Subparts E (PPE), K (electrical), M (fall protection), P (excavation) and X (ladders).
4. Work timed sets. Five hours for 80 questions is about 3.75 minutes each, which is generous, but the attempt cap means you want a comfortable margin, not a squeaker.

Business and Law is separate

The Business Management and Law for Commercial Contractors exam (50 questions, 125 minutes, 35 to pass) is a different exam on the NASCLA South Carolina Commercial Contractors guide. Our practice exam does not cover it yet.

Practice

Our free 10-question South Carolina Electrician practice test samples every area, and the full exam prep has 450+ questions on the 2023 NEC, NFPA 72, the American Electricians' Handbook and 29 CFR 1926. See also requirements and exam day.