Journeyman Electrician’s Exam Journeyman Electrician's NEC 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: NEC 334.15 requires that where NM cable (Romex) is run along the surface of a building, it must be protected from physical damage. At what height does NEC consider NM cable to no longer require physical protection on walls?
- 4.5 feet above the floor
- 6 feet above the floor
- 7 feet above the floor
- No height exemption — always requires protection on exposed surfaces (Correct answer)
Correct answer: No height exemption — always requires protection on exposed surfaces
NEC 334.15 requires that NM cable exposed on the surface of finished or unfinished walls always be protected from physical damage, with no height-based exemption for surface runs.
Question 2: According to NEC 110.26, what is the minimum clear working space depth required in front of a 480-volt panelboard when there are grounded parts (Condition 2) on the opposite wall?
- 3 feet
- 3.5 feet (Correct answer)
- 4 feet
- 5 feet
Correct answer: 3.5 feet
NEC Table 110.26(A)(1) specifies 3.5 feet (42 inches) of working clearance for voltages 151–600V with Condition 2 (grounded parts on the opposite wall).
Question 3: Per NEC 430.52, which type of overcurrent protective device allows the highest percentage of motor full-load current for short-circuit and ground-fault protection?
- Inverse time circuit breaker
- Instantaneous trip circuit breaker (Correct answer)
- Dual element (time-delay) fuse
- Non-time-delay fuse
Correct answer: Instantaneous trip circuit breaker
NEC Table 430.52 permits instantaneous trip circuit breakers to be sized up to 800% (or 1300% in some cases) of motor FLA, the highest multiplier in the table.
Question 4: NEC 501.15 covers sealing requirements for Class I hazardous locations. Conduit seals in Class I, Division 1 locations must be installed within how many inches of an enclosure containing arcing equipment?
- 12 inches
- 18 inches (Correct answer)
- 24 inches
- 36 inches
Correct answer: 18 inches
NEC 501.15(A)(1) requires seals to be installed within 18 inches of enclosures containing equipment that may produce arcs, sparks, or hot metal in Class I, Division 1 locations.
Question 5: Under NEC 220.12, the general lighting load for a bank building is calculated at how many volt-amperes per square foot?
- 1.5 VA/sq ft
- 2.0 VA/sq ft
- 3.5 VA/sq ft (Correct answer)
- 5.0 VA/sq ft
Correct answer: 3.5 VA/sq ft
NEC Table 220.12 lists banks at 3.5 VA per square foot for general lighting load calculations.
Question 6: According to NEC 680.22, what is the minimum horizontal distance that a receptacle outlet must be located from the inside wall of a permanently installed swimming pool?
- 6 feet
- 8 feet (Correct answer)
- 10 feet
- 12 feet
Correct answer: 8 feet
NEC 680.22(A)(1) requires receptacle outlets to be located at least 6 feet from the inside walls of permanently installed pools, but not less than 6 feet from the water's edge — actually 6 feet minimum.
Question 7: NEC Article 358 covers Electrical Metallic Tubing (EMT). What is the maximum number of quarter-bends (360 degrees total) permitted between pull points in an EMT installation?
- Two 90° bends
- Three 90° bends
- Four 90° bends (360° total) (Correct answer)
- Five 90° bends
Correct answer: Four 90° bends (360° total)
NEC 358.26 limits bends between pull points to 360 degrees total, which equals four 90-degree bends.
