# How to Pass the Texas Electrician Calculations Exam

> Budget about 4 minutes per journeyman calculation and 5 per master calculation, classify each question before you touch the calculator, write the givens as a small table, find the rule through the code book index, and drill the outline's heaviest areas (services, feeders, branch circuits and, for master, motors) until the method is automatic.

Updated: 2026-11-09

The calculations portion is where Texas electrician candidates fail most. In FY2025, 20.56% passed Journeyman Calculations and 19.08% passed Master Calculations, per TDLR. The math itself is not advanced. What sinks people is time, picking the wrong method, and small code traps. This guide covers all three.

## Key facts

- Journeyman Calculations: 26 items (24 scored) in 110 minutes. Master Calculations: 33 items (30 scored) in 170 minutes.
- Residential Wireman has no separate calculations portion; calculations are mixed into its 80 scored items.
- You need 70%: about 17 of 24 for journeyman, about 21 of 30 for master.
- PSI instructions: no code exceptions or optional methods unless the question asks, and conductors are copper unless stated.
- The exam is open book, and PSI gives you an electronic notepad for working.

## Your time budget

| Exam | Items | Minutes | Per item (all items) | Per scored item |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Journeyman Calculations | 26 | 110 | about 4.2 | about 4.6 |
| Master Calculations | 33 | 170 | about 5.2 | about 5.7 |
| Residential Wireman (whole exam) | 85 | about 260 | about 3.1 | 3.0 |

TDLR's July 2025 newsletter put it at about 4 minutes per calculation question for journeyman. You cannot tell which items are unscored, so budget on the "all items" column.

A practical plan for the journeyman portion:

1. **First pass, about 3 minutes each.** Answer every question you know how to set up. If you cannot see the method within a minute, write the question number on the notepad and move on.
2. **Second pass.** Go back to the numbers on your list. PSI lets you return to any question and change your answer while time remains.
3. **Last 10 minutes.** Make sure nothing is blank. The bulletin scores by percent correct and mentions no guessing penalty, so a blank can only cost you.

Leftover time does not carry into the next portion, so if you finish early, recheck the problems with the most steps.

## Step 1: classify the question before you calculate

Read the last sentence first. It tells you what is being asked. Then name the type. Each type has a fixed method and a fixed place in the code book.

| If the question asks for | It is a | Where to look | Drill |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amps, volts, ohms, watts of a circuit | Theory | No code lookup needed | [Ohm's law](https://texaselectricianexam.com/calculations/ohms-law/), [series and parallel](https://texaselectricianexam.com/calculations/series-parallel-circuits/) |
| Load of a dwelling, service or feeder size | Load calculation | Article 120 in the 2026 NEC | [Dwelling standard load](https://texaselectricianexam.com/calculations/dwelling-standard-load/) |
| Minimum conductor size | Conductor sizing | Ampacity table plus correction and adjustment | [Conductor sizing](https://texaselectricianexam.com/calculations/conductor-sizing/), [ampacity correction](https://texaselectricianexam.com/calculations/ampacity-correction/) |
| Breaker or fuse size | OCPD sizing | Standard ampere ratings in Article 240 | [OCPD sizing](https://texaselectricianexam.com/calculations/ocpd-sizing/) |
| Motor conductors, protection or overloads | Motor circuit | Article 430 and its FLC tables | [Motor branch circuit](https://texaselectricianexam.com/calculations/motor-branch-circuit/), [motor OCPD](https://texaselectricianexam.com/calculations/motor-ocpd/) |
| Number of wires in a box or conduit | Fill | Article 314 for boxes, Chapter 9 tables for conduit | [Box fill](https://texaselectricianexam.com/calculations/box-fill/), [conduit fill](https://texaselectricianexam.com/calculations/conduit-fill/) |
| Voltage at the end of a run | Voltage drop | Chapter 9 conductor properties | [Voltage drop](https://texaselectricianexam.com/calculations/voltage-drop/) |
| Transformer amps or protection | Transformer | Article 450 | [Transformer current](https://texaselectricianexam.com/calculations/transformer-current/), [transformer protection](https://texaselectricianexam.com/calculations/transformer-protection/) |
| Grounding conductor size | Grounding | Article 250 tables | [GEC sizing](https://texaselectricianexam.com/calculations/gec-sizing/), [EGC sizing](https://texaselectricianexam.com/calculations/egc-sizing/) |

Once you know the type, the question shrinks to "plug the givens into a method I already know."

## Step 2: write the givens as a small table

On the electronic notepad, write the givens as a short list or table before you calculate. For a box fill problem that means each conductor size and how many, the devices, the clamps, the grounding conductors. For a dwelling load it means each load, its VA and the demand factor that applies. For a motor feeder it means each motor's table current and which one is largest.

This takes 30 seconds and prevents the most common failure: dropping one item from a list of six.

## Step 3: use the code book index, not your memory

The exam is open book, so you never need to recall a table value. You need to find it fast and read it correctly.

- Look up a plain keyword in the index ("box fill", "motors, full-load current", "dwelling, range demand") and go straight to the section.
- Read the table title and footnotes before taking a number. Temperature columns, copper or aluminum, and the conditions in the notes change the answer.
- Highlight and tab your book ahead of time within PSI's rules. See [open-book NEC rules and tabs](https://texaselectricianexam.com/guides/open-book-nec-rules-and-tabs/).
- The 2026 NEC moved dwelling load calculations into Article 120, per TDLR's November 2026 newsletter. If you studied from a 2023 book, your old page memory for Article 220 no longer works. See [2026 NEC changes](https://texaselectricianexam.com/nec-2026-changes/).

Practice this with our [code lookup drills](https://texaselectricianexam.com/code-lookup/) until each lookup takes under a minute.

## Step 4: check against the common traps

Before you pick an answer, run through this list:

- **Optional methods or exceptions used without being asked.** PSI says not to.
- **Aluminum used when nothing was said.** Conductors are copper unless stated.
- **Continuous loads not at 125%.** A load running 3 hours or more is sized at 125% for conductors and protection. EV charging is treated as a continuous load.
- **Motor nameplate amps used for conductors or breakers.** The NEC has you use its full-load current tables for those, and the nameplate for overloads.
- **Wrong ampacity column.** Check the termination temperature rating, and only derate from the 90°C column when the insulation allows it.
- **Three-phase without √3, or single-phase with it.** Three-phase current is power divided by (voltage × 1.732).
- **Voltage drop with the wrong multiplier.** Single-phase uses 2 × length; three-phase uses 1.732 × length.
- **Wrong voltage.** 208 V and 240 V give different answers. Use the one in the question.
- **Rounding at the wrong time.** Keep full numbers until the last step, then round the way the question or the code says.
- **Box fill count errors.** All equipment grounding conductors together count once; each device yoke counts twice.

Our worked steps in every drill flag these traps where they apply. The [formula sheet](https://texaselectricianexam.com/formula-sheet/) collects the formulas in one place.

## Which drills match each outline area

The PSI bulletin lists scored items per area. Counts below are for the Journeyman (J) and Master (M) calculations portions.

| Outline area | J | M | Drills |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calculations and theory | 2 | 2 | [Ohm's law](https://texaselectricianexam.com/calculations/ohms-law/), [series-parallel](https://texaselectricianexam.com/calculations/series-parallel-circuits/), [three-phase power](https://texaselectricianexam.com/calculations/three-phase-power/), [power factor and efficiency](https://texaselectricianexam.com/calculations/power-factor-efficiency/) |
| Services (load calcs, grounding, transformers) | 4 | 8 | [Dwelling standard](https://texaselectricianexam.com/calculations/dwelling-standard-load/), [dwelling optional](https://texaselectricianexam.com/calculations/dwelling-optional-load/), [multifamily optional](https://texaselectricianexam.com/calculations/multifamily-optional/), [commercial lighting](https://texaselectricianexam.com/calculations/commercial-lighting-load/), [receptacle load](https://texaselectricianexam.com/calculations/receptacle-load/), [GEC](https://texaselectricianexam.com/calculations/gec-sizing/), [transformer current](https://texaselectricianexam.com/calculations/transformer-current/), [transformer protection](https://texaselectricianexam.com/calculations/transformer-protection/) |
| Feeders (load calcs, OCP) | 3 | 3 | [Neutral load](https://texaselectricianexam.com/calculations/neutral-load/), [OCPD sizing](https://texaselectricianexam.com/calculations/ocpd-sizing/), [kitchen equipment](https://texaselectricianexam.com/calculations/kitchen-equipment-demand/) |
| Branch circuits and conductors | 4 | 4 | [Conductor sizing](https://texaselectricianexam.com/calculations/conductor-sizing/), [ampacity correction](https://texaselectricianexam.com/calculations/ampacity-correction/), [voltage drop](https://texaselectricianexam.com/calculations/voltage-drop/), [continuous loads](https://texaselectricianexam.com/calculations/continuous-loads/), [EGC](https://texaselectricianexam.com/calculations/egc-sizing/) |
| Raceways and boxes | 2 | 2 | [Box fill](https://texaselectricianexam.com/calculations/box-fill/), [conduit fill](https://texaselectricianexam.com/calculations/conduit-fill/), [pull box sizing](https://texaselectricianexam.com/calculations/pull-box-sizing/) |
| A/C and appliances | 2 | 2 | [Appliance demand](https://texaselectricianexam.com/calculations/appliance-demand/), [range demand](https://texaselectricianexam.com/calculations/range-demand/), [dryer demand](https://texaselectricianexam.com/calculations/dryer-demand/) |
| Motors and generators | 2 | 6 | [Motor FLC](https://texaselectricianexam.com/calculations/motor-full-load-current/), [motor branch circuit](https://texaselectricianexam.com/calculations/motor-branch-circuit/), [motor OCPD](https://texaselectricianexam.com/calculations/motor-ocpd/), [motor overloads](https://texaselectricianexam.com/calculations/motor-overloads/), [motor feeder](https://texaselectricianexam.com/calculations/motor-feeder/) |
| Controls and disconnecting means | 1 | 1 | No dedicated topic; the motor drills are closest |
| Special occupancies (RVs, mobile homes, data processing, marinas) | 3 | 1 | No dedicated topic; use [code lookup](https://texaselectricianexam.com/code-lookup/) |
| Renewable energy (EV, PV) | 1 | 1 | [Continuous loads](https://texaselectricianexam.com/calculations/continuous-loads/), [conductor sizing](https://texaselectricianexam.com/calculations/conductor-sizing/) |

For master candidates, services and motors are 14 of 30 items. For journeyman candidates, services, feeders and branch circuits are 11 of 24. Start there.

## A simple practice routine

1. Pick one topic. Work drills with the steps showing until you get 5 right in a row.
2. Hide the steps and time yourself. Target 4 minutes (journeyman) or 5 (master), code book open.
3. Once every topic passes step 2, run mixed timed sets on the [journeyman](https://texaselectricianexam.com/practice-test/journeyman/) or [master](https://texaselectricianexam.com/practice-test/master/) practice test.
4. Log every miss by trap. If the same trap shows up three times, go back to that topic.

The drills generate new numbers every time, so you cannot memorize answers, only methods. That is the point.

TexasElectricianExam is an independent study site, not affiliated with TDLR, PSI or NFPA.

## Questions people ask

### How much time do I get per question on the journeyman calculations portion?

110 minutes for 26 items, about 4.2 minutes each. Counting only the 24 scored items it is about 4.6 minutes, but you cannot tell which items are unscored, so plan on 4.

### How many calculation questions do I need right to pass?

PSI requires 70%. On the journeyman portion that is about 17 of 24 scored items, and on the master portion about 21 of 30. PSI does not publish how it rounds.

### Should I use the optional dwelling calculation method?

Only when the question tells you to. The PSI bulletin says not to apply code exceptions or optional calculation methods unless the question directs you to.

### Are conductors copper or aluminum on the Texas exam?

Copper, unless the question says otherwise. That instruction is printed in the PSI bulletin under each content outline.

### What is the hardest part of the Texas electrician exams?

Calculations. In FY2025, 20.56% passed Journeyman Calculations and 19.08% passed Master Calculations, the two lowest rates among the journeyman, master and residential wireman exams.

## Sources

- [PSI, TDLR Electrician Candidate Information Bulletin (English), updated 9/15/2026](https://test-takers.psiexams.com/api/content/bulletin/1682) (checked 2026-11-09)
- [TDLR, Electrician Exam Information](https://www.tdlr.texas.gov/electricians/elecexam.htm) (checked 2026-11-09)
- [TDLR newsletter, July 2025 (about 4 minutes per calculation question)](https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/TXDLR/bulletins/3e4429c) (checked 2026-11-09)
- [TDLR newsletter, November 2026 (2026 NEC load calculations in Article 120)](https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/TXDLR/bulletins/4318917) (checked 2026-11-09)
- [TDLR, Electrician exam statistics FY2025](https://www.tdlr.texas.gov/electricians/elecExamStats2025.htm) (checked 2026-11-09)

Page: https://texaselectricianexam.com/guides/how-to-pass-the-calculations-exam/