What's on the South Carolina Residential Electrical Exam? PSI's 9 Areas and 60 Questions

What's on the South Carolina Residential Electrical Exam?

The Residential Builders Commission's Residential Electrical trade exam is 60 questions in 3 hours, open book, and you need 44 correct (73.3%). That pass mark is higher than the usual 70%. The exam covers electrical work on residential buildings of up to 16 units and 3 stories.

The content outline

The first two areas are 28 of the 60 questions.

What each area covers

PSI's bulletin lists the tasks under each area:

• Services, Feeders, and Branch Circuits (15). Installing 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; reading blueprints; quantity take-offs; and not compromising structural members.
• Grounding and Bonding (6). General rules plus the two tables: 250.66 for the grounding electrode conductor and 250.122 for the equipment grounding conductor.
• Overcurrent Protection (5). Article 240.
• Conductors and Cables (5). Underground conductors, conductor selection, and the cable types: AC, MC, NM, SE and USE, UF.
• Raceways and Boxes (4). RMC, EMT, IMC, PVC, FMC, LFMC and FMT; conduit fill; boxes and box fill.
• Lighting (4). Fixtures, grounding them, fixture wiring, recessed and fluorescent fixtures, and switches.
• Specialty (4). Pool, spa and hot tub wiring, bonding and lighting (Article 680); generators; wheelchair lifts; and equipment in garages.
• Safety (4). Employer duties under OSHA's construction standards: PPE, emergency action plans, training, first aid, safety data sheets, ladders and fall protection.

Books and editions

The references are the NEC with South Carolina modifications and the International Residential Code, plus Tom Henry's Key Word Index, Ugly's Electrical References and 29 CFR 1926. From November 1, 2026 you may use the 2023 or 2020 NEC and the 2024 or 2021 IRC; after July 1, 2027, only the 2023 NEC and 2024 IRC.

South Carolina modifies three NEC rules that come up in residential questions:

• 210.8(A), dwelling GFCI locations: receptacles in walk-out basements are excluded.
• 210.8(F), outdoor outlets: South Carolina's own wording for dwellings.
• 210.12(B), dwelling AFCI locations: kitchens and laundry areas are removed from the list.

PSI says a state rule overrides the national code where they conflict, so answer these from South Carolina's version.

Our practice questions cite the 2023 NEC, Ugly's and 29 CFR 1926, and stay off those three modified sections. They do not cover the IRC chapters.

A study plan

1. Spend half your time on services, feeders and branch circuits and on theory. That's where 28 questions live. Work dwelling load calculations until they're routine, and drill Ohm's law, power and voltage-drop math with your calculator.
2. Tab the tables. 310.16, 250.66, 250.122, 314.16(B) and Chapter 9 Tables 4, 5 and 8.
3. Read Article 680 once, carefully. Four specialty questions often come from pools and spas.
4. Don't skip OSHA. Four safety questions come from 29 CFR 1926, mostly Subparts C, E, M and X.
5. Aim above 80% in practice. You need 73.3% on the day.

Business and Law is separate

The Business Management and Law for Residential Builders exam (50 questions, 2 hours, 34 to pass) is a different exam on the NASCLA South Carolina Residential Builders guide. We do not cover it yet.

Practice

Start with our free 10-question practice test, then the full Residential Electrical exam prep with 290+ questions on the 2023 NEC. See also requirements and exam day.