What's on the Washington 06 Limited Energy Exam? Both Sections and How to Study Them
The PSI outline for the Washington 06 limited energy specialty exam: 34 NEC and Theory questions by article range — most of them outside the low-voltage articles — 17 Washington Codes questions, 70% on each, on the 2020 NEC, and a study plan.
Contents
What's on the Washington 06 Limited Energy Exam?
The 06 limited energy specialty exam has two sections, each scored on its own. You need 70% on each, and within your one-year exam period you retake only the section you fail.
| Section | Questions | Time |
|---|---|---|
| NEC and Theory | 34 | 2 hours |
| Washington Codes (RCW 19.28 and WAC 296-46B) | 17 | 1 hour |
Up to 10 more questions may be unscored experimental items.
NEC and Theory: the outline
PSI's bulletin lists the 34 questions by NEC article range:
| NEC articles | Topic | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| 90 | Introduction | 1 |
| 100–110 | Definitions, general requirements | 2 |
| 200–225, 280–285 | Branch circuits, feeders, surge protection | 1 |
| 240 | Overcurrent protection | 3 |
| 250 | Grounding and bonding | 3 |
| 300–398 | Wiring methods and materials | 5 |
| 400–427, 455–480 | Equipment for general use | 3 |
| 430–450 | Motors, A/C, generators, transformers | 1 |
| 500–516 | Hazardous locations | 2 |
| 600–695 | Special equipment | 1 |
| 705–780 | Special conditions — Class 1, 2 and 3 circuits, fire alarm, optical fiber | 6 |
| 800–830 | Communications systems | 3 |
| — | Theory | 3 |
It is not just the low-voltage articles
Only 9 of the 34 questions come from Articles 705 through 830 — the chapters most limited energy work lives in. The other 25 range across the code:
- Grounding, overcurrent protection and wiring methods are 11 together, a third of the section.
- Hazardous locations get 2 — think intrinsically safe systems and signaling circuits in classified areas.
- Equipment for general use and definitions are 5 more.
Candidates who study only Articles 725, 760, 770 and 800 walk in unprepared for most of the NEC section.
Washington Codes: 17 questions in an hour
The second section is entirely RCW 19.28 and WAC 296-46B, the same section every Washington electrician sits. Expect certificate scope and supervision rules — what a 06 may and may not do on the line-voltage side, trainee ratios — along with permits, Class B work and continuing education. WAC 296-46B-300 also adds Washington's own rules for supporting and securing Class 2 and Class 3 cable. You may bring both books, printed and bound in a three-ring binder; L&I publishes "exam friendly" printable versions.
On the 2020 NEC, not the 2023
Washington installations have used the 2023 NEC since April 1, 2024, but the exam is still on the 2020 edition. L&I's September 2026 Electrical Currents newsletter says the exams will move to the 2026 NEC in July 2027.
That matters more for the 06 than for any other Washington exam, because the 2023 NEC split old Article 725 into three articles. If you study from 2023 material, these rules are in a different place on your exam:
| Topic | 2020 NEC (your exam) | 2023 NEC |
|---|---|---|
| Class 1 remote-control, signaling and power-limited circuits | Article 725, Part II | Article 724 |
| Class 2 and Class 3 circuits | Article 725, Part III | Article 725 |
| Cables for power-limited circuits (listing, marking, installation) | Article 725, Parts III–IV | Article 722 |
A study plan built on the weights
- Articles 725, 760 and 770 first. Six questions, and the rules you use every day: separation from power conductors, support, cable substitution and where each cable type is permitted.
- Then grounding, overcurrent and Chapter 3. Eleven questions you cannot skip.
- Chapter 8. Three questions on communications circuits, grounding and bonding at the entrance, and cable types.
- Drill finding rules, not just knowing them. Tab and highlight your 2020 NEC — permanent tabs are allowed — and practice lookups against the clock. Two hours for 34 questions is about 3½ minutes each.
- Read RCW 19.28 and WAC 296-46B in your binder. A separate pass, decided by 17 questions — a third of the exam.
- Sit both sections timed. 34 questions in 2 hours, then 17 in 1 hour.
Our free practice test gives you 10 questions on the 2020 NEC. The full exam prep has a timed full-length practice exam for the NEC and Theory section and one for Washington Codes, weighted like the PSI outline, with every answer citing its section. For the day itself, see Washington 06 exam day.
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