Washington 06 Limited Energy Exam Day: PSI, What to Bring, and Pacing Two Sections

Washington 06 Limited Energy Exam Day: What to Expect

PSI gives the Washington electrical exams for L&I. Here is what the day looks like for the 06 limited energy specialty exam.

Before you go

• Book with PSI using the Exam Unique ID from your L&I approval letter. PSI bills by the exam hour: $65 for the full three-hour 06 exam.
• Cancel or reschedule at least two days ahead.
• Arriving late forfeits the fee.

Arrival and ID

Arrive 30 minutes early with a valid government-issued photo ID with your signature. You log in with the Exam Unique ID from your approval letter.

What you can bring

The exam is open book:

• any original copyrighted code book — for the NEC and Theory section, that means the 2020 NEC, not the 2023,
• RCW 19.28 and WAC 296-46B printed and bound in a three-ring binder (L&I publishes "exam friendly" versions to print),
• a silent, non-programmable calculator.

You may highlight and use permanent tabs. Handwritten notes and removable tabs are not allowed. PSI gives you 2 sheets of scratch paper and a pencil.

If your daily code book is a 2023 NEC, buy or borrow a 2020 for the exam. Article 725 is organized differently in the two editions, and a tab set made for one sends you to the wrong place in the other.

The two sections

Up to 10 unscored experimental questions may be added.

• On the NEC section, check the clock at 1 hour: about 17 done.
• Tab Articles 725, 760, 770 and 800 for the low-voltage questions, but tab Articles 240, 250 and Chapter 3 too — together they carry more questions.
• Answer every question.

Scoring and retakes

Each section is scored on its own, and you need 70% on each. Within the one-year exam period you retake only the section you failed:

• wait 14 days after a failed attempt,
• after three failures of the same section within a year, wait 90 days,
• pass every section within one year of L&I approval, or you retake the whole exam.

A one-hour Washington Codes retake is $45; a two-hour NEC retake is $55. A pending rule would change the time limits — to two years and 60 days — from November 20, 2026, but it is only proposed.

Before you go

Sit both sections timed first. Our free practice test gives you 10 questions on the 2020 NEC, and the full exam prep has a full-length practice exam for the NEC and Theory section and one for Washington Codes. For eligibility, see Washington 06 Limited Energy requirements.