Chicago Supervising Electrician (Low Voltage)

One paper exam of 100 four-option questions in 3 hours, and you need 70. The first 25 questions cover electrical principles and practices: theory, blueprint reading, transformers and delta/wye loads, power factor, voltage drop and 6 to 8 OSHA 1926 safety questions. The other 75 cover the Chicago Electrical Code by NEC chapter, with wiring methods (14 to 16), communication systems (10 to 12) and wiring and protection (10 to 12) the largest, plus 5 to 7 questions on Municipal Code Titles 2, 4 and 13.

A supervising electrician’s license type follows the exam passed, and an electrical contractor’s license type follows its supervising electrician’s. A low voltage contractor and its employees may only do electrical work on Class 1, 2 and 3 remote-control, signaling and power-limited circuits and communications circuits. For any other electrical work you need the General exam.

No. CTS uses the same outline as the General exam, with fewer questions per area, so expect questions from every NEC chapter: grounding, wiring methods, equipment, special occupancies and emergency systems as well as Articles 725, 760, 770 and 800 to 840. Chicago’s own rules for fire alarm systems and for cabling in plenums and risers are worth knowing well.

The same as for the General exam: you must be at least 21 and have at least two years of experience installing, altering, repairing and maintaining electrical wiring and equipment under the direct supervision of a supervising electrician or equivalent person, verified by letters from your supervisors. You apply through Continental Testing Services, which processes applications for the Department of Buildings.

Only a clean, printed copy of the 2018 Chicago Electrical Code (NFPA’s book: the 2017 NEC with Chicago’s Title 14E amendments). Tabs may mark sections, but notes and highlighting are not allowed, and no other books or materials are permitted. CTS also hands every candidate a clean copy of “Selected Provisions of Titles 2, 4 and 13,” which you can download from the CTS site to study from.

Continental Testing Services gives it for the Department of Buildings, on paper, in person in Chicago, about three times a year. Bring two sharpened No. 2 pencils and a silent, non-programmable solar or battery calculator; there is no power at the test site. There are no make-up exams and no refunds; if you miss a date, register for the next one.

You need 70. If you fail, the Municipal Code (4-292-020(d)) makes you wait six months before you apply to retake the exam, and each attempt costs the $150 exam fee.

About 8 to 10 questions on the General exam (5 to 7 on the Low Voltage exam) come from Titles 2, 4 and 13 of the Municipal Code, as printed in the CTS handout: the Department of Buildings, electrical contractor and supervising electrician licensing, and old Title 13 on electrical permits, wires on the public way and penalties. That handout reflects the code as of December 2017, before the administrative provisions moved to Title 14A in 2019, so study it rather than the current Title 14A.

Most questions are keyed to the 2018 Chicago Electrical Code by section number, and CTS says more than 75% of the answers are in that book. CTS’s question bank also keeps some older items with legacy wording or article numbers, so read each question carefully and find the current rule in the book.

Every year, for $150. No continuing education requirement is listed in Chapter 4-292 or on the Department of Buildings page. A license expired three years or more cannot be renewed, and a supervising electrician who has not acted as one in the city or pulled a permit for three continuous years must retake the exam (4-292-070).

Illinois has no state electrician license, so each town sets its own rules. Many suburbs accept the Chicago supervising electrician exam; Aurora’s contractor testing sheet, for example, lists Chicago among the municipal tests it accepts. That sheet dates from 2013, so confirm with the town before you apply.