Tennessee CE Electrical Contractor Exam Day: What to Expect with Prov

Tennessee CE Electrical Contractor Exam Day: What to Expect

The Tennessee CE Electrical Contractor trade exam is given by Prov on a computer: 100 questions in 5 hours, open book on the 2017 NEC, with 73% to pass. Prov took over the Board for Licensing Contractors' exams from PSI on July 1, 2026. Most candidates also sit the 50-question Business & Law exam, which is booked and scored separately. Everything below comes from Prov's Tennessee bulletin dated August 18, 2026.

Where you test

• A Prov test center in Tennessee: Murfreesboro (MTSU), Memphis (University of Memphis), Greeneville (Walters State), Tullahoma (Motlow State) or Chattanooga (UT Chattanooga).
• Any Prov test center in the country.
• At home through Examroom, Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., on your own computer with a webcam and Prov's ProvLock browser extension.

Scheduling and rescheduling

• Register at provexam.com/register or call Prov at (866) 720-7768. Each exam costs $53, every attempt.
• Reschedule or cancel at least three business days ahead at no charge. A no-show or a late change forfeits the fee.
• Arrive early: if the session has started, you are turned away and lose the fee.

What to bring

Bring a valid photo ID and your own copies of the references:

• NFPA 70, 2017 NEC
• Ugly's Electrical References (2020)
• OSHA 29 CFR 1926
• American Electrician's Handbook, 17th edition

Until January 1, 2027, you may also bring the books PSI listed: NFPA 70E (2017) and its handbook, and the 2021 International Building Code. You may bring an older or newer edition of any reference, but the exam is scored on the editions listed.

Highlighting and permanent tabs are the only marks allowed. Handwritten notes, moveable tabs, Post-it notes, photocopied pages and copied books are not, and neither are study guides or practice exams. Bring a simple 4-function calculator, or use the one built into the test.

Breaks and pacing

You have 3 minutes per question. You can take a break, but the clock keeps running, and every question you saw before the break is locked when you return, answered or not. Finish and check the questions on screen before you click Break.

Scoring and retakes

Your score is emailed to you as soon as you finish, and test-center candidates also get a printed copy. If you fail, you get a diagnostic report of the content areas to work on. You can retake as often as you need, with no waiting period, at $53 per attempt. After failing twice within 10 points of 73%, you can pay $53 to review the questions you missed. Prov sends your official result to the Board, but you still include your score report with your contractor application.

Practice first

Our Tennessee CE practice test follows Prov's trade exam outline and cites the 2017 NEC section for every code answer. For the content breakdown, see what is on the CE trade exam.