Free practice test — 12 questions with full explanations
Original CraftPATH practice questions. These are not real exam questions. Every answer includes the reasoning, why each wrong option fails, the code area it comes from, and the misconception it targets.
Question 1. For electrical work inside the City of Chicago, the enforceable technical requirements come from:
Chicago Wiring Methods and Raceways · Medium · Objective: Identify the governing technical code.
- A. The National Electrical Code exactly as published
- B. The Chicago Electrical Code, which adopts the NEC with substantial local amendments (correct)
- C. A statewide Illinois electrical code
- D. The Illinois Plumbing Code
Correct answer: B. The Chicago Electrical Code, which adopts the NEC with substantial local amendments
Why this is right: Chicago adopts the National Electrical Code and amends it heavily, publishing the result as the Chicago Electrical Code. Illinois has no statewide electrical code or license for the trade.
Why the other options are wrong:
- A. The National Electrical Code exactly as published — The unamended NEC does not control in Chicago; the city amendments prevail.
- C. A statewide Illinois electrical code — Illinois does not maintain a statewide electrical code that governs municipalities like Chicago.
- D. The Illinois Plumbing Code — The Illinois Plumbing Code is a plumbing rule and is unrelated.
Where this shows up on the job: Contractors coming in from other counties routinely bid Chicago work using suburban wiring methods and lose the margin re-piping it.
Code reference: Chicago Electrical Code; Chicago Municipal Code
Common misconception: Believing the newest NEC edition applies unmodified in Chicago.
Question 2. A residential branch circuit in a Chicago two-flat is most likely required to be installed in:
Chicago Wiring Methods and Raceways · Medium · Objective: Apply the local wiring method restriction.
- A. Nonmetallic sheathed cable stapled to framing
- B. Raceway, because the city restricts the common cable wiring methods permitted elsewhere (correct)
- C. Open wiring on insulators
- D. Any method the electrician prefers
Correct answer: B. Raceway, because the city restricts the common cable wiring methods permitted elsewhere
Why this is right: Chicago's best-known amendment restricts cable assemblies such as NM, so conductors are pulled in raceway for typical occupancies. That single rule shapes how every job in the city is estimated and installed.
Why the other options are wrong:
- A. Nonmetallic sheathed cable stapled to framing — NM cable is broadly permitted by the model code but restricted by Chicago's amendments.
- C. Open wiring on insulators — Open wiring on insulators is a legacy method and is not a general option.
- D. Any method the electrician prefers — Wiring method is a code decision, not an installer preference.
Where this shows up on the job: This is the amendment that makes Chicago labor rates and bend skills different from the rest of the Midwest.
Code reference: Chicago Electrical Code amendments to NEC Chapter 3
Common misconception: Bidding Chicago residential work at cable prices.
Question 3. Three current-carrying conductors are installed in a single conduit run of 60 feet. The maximum permitted fill is:
Chicago Wiring Methods and Raceways · Hard · Objective: Apply raceway fill limits.
- A. 31 percent
- B. 40 percent (correct)
- C. 53 percent
- D. 60 percent
Correct answer: B. 40 percent
Why this is right: Chapter 9 permits 53 percent fill for one conductor, 31 percent for two, and 40 percent for three or more in a raceway.
Why the other options are wrong:
- A. 31 percent — 31 percent applies to exactly two conductors.
- C. 53 percent — 53 percent applies to a single conductor.
- D. 60 percent — 60 percent applies only to nipples not exceeding 24 inches.
Where this shows up on the job: In a conduit city, fill calculations are daily arithmetic rather than an occasional exam topic.
Code reference: NEC Chapter 9, Table 1 and Note 4, as adopted by the Chicago Electrical Code
Common misconception: Applying the 60 percent nipple allowance to a full-length run.
Question 4. A branch circuit supplies a 32-ampere continuous load. The minimum conductor ampacity required before adjustment is:
Branch Circuits, Feeders and Load Calculations · Medium · Objective: Apply the continuous load multiplier.
- A. 32 amperes
- B. 36 amperes
- C. 40 amperes (correct)
- D. 50 amperes
Correct answer: C. 40 amperes
Why this is right: Conductors supplying continuous load are sized at 125 percent of that load. 32 x 1.25 = 40 amperes.
Why the other options are wrong:
- A. 32 amperes — 32 amperes omits the continuous-duty multiplier.
- B. 36 amperes — 36 amperes reflects a 112.5 percent factor, which the code does not use.
- D. 50 amperes — 50 amperes exceeds the requirement and is the next standard device size above it.
Where this shows up on the job: Continuous lighting and EV charging circuits are where this gets missed on plan review.
Code reference: NEC 210.19(A) and 210.20(A) as adopted
Common misconception: Applying the multiplier to the breaker only.
Question 5. Six current-carrying conductors share a single raceway. The ampacity of each conductor must be adjusted to:
Branch Circuits, Feeders and Load Calculations · Hard · Objective: Apply ampacity adjustment factors.
- A. 100 percent
- B. 80 percent (correct)
- C. 70 percent
- D. 50 percent
Correct answer: B. 80 percent
Why this is right: For four through six current-carrying conductors in a raceway, the adjustment factor is 80 percent, because bundled conductors cannot shed heat as freely.
Why the other options are wrong:
- A. 100 percent — No adjustment applies only up to three current-carrying conductors.
- C. 70 percent — 70 percent applies to seven through nine conductors.
- D. 50 percent — 50 percent applies to much larger bundles, in the twenty-plus range.
Where this shows up on the job: Home-run raceways feeding a panel from several circuits are exactly where the adjustment gets overlooked and conductors run hot.
Code reference: NEC 310.15(C)(1) adjustment factors
Common misconception: Counting only the circuits rather than the current-carrying conductors, including shared neutrals where they count.
Question 6. Equipment terminations are rated 75 degrees Celsius, and the conductor insulation is rated 90 degrees Celsius. Conductor ampacity for sizing purposes must be taken from:
Overcurrent Protection and Conductors · Hard · Objective: Apply termination temperature limits.
- A. The 90 degree column, since the insulation allows it
- B. The 75 degree column, because the termination rating governs (correct)
- C. The 60 degree column in all cases
- D. The average of the 75 and 90 degree columns
Correct answer: B. The 75 degree column, because the termination rating governs
Why this is right: The lowest-rated component in the circuit governs. The 90 degree column may be used for adjustment and correction calculations, but the final ampacity cannot exceed the termination rating.
Why the other options are wrong:
- A. The 90 degree column, since the insulation allows it — Using the 90 degree column for final sizing overheats the terminations.
- C. The 60 degree column in all cases — The 60 degree column applies to specific smaller conductors and equipment, not universally.
- D. The average of the 75 and 90 degree columns — Averaging columns is not a recognized method.
Where this shows up on the job: This distinction decides whether a 90 degree conductor actually buys you anything, and it appears on nearly every electrician exam.
Code reference: NEC 110.14(C) and 310.15
Common misconception: Treating the insulation rating as the usable ampacity.
Question 7. Which of these is a standard ampere rating for an inverse time circuit breaker?
Overcurrent Protection and Conductors · Medium · Objective: Recall standard device ratings.
- A. 55
- B. 65
- C. 75
- D. 90 (correct)
Correct answer: D. 90
Why this is right: Standard ratings include 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100 and upward. 90 is on the list; 55, 65 and 75 are not.
Why the other options are wrong:
- A. 55 — 55 amperes is not a standard rating.
- B. 65 — 65 amperes is not a standard rating.
- C. 75 — 75 amperes is not a standard rating, though 70 and 80 are.
Where this shows up on the job: Every calculation question ends with rounding to a standard rating, so the list must be memorized cold.
Code reference: NEC 240.6(A)
Common misconception: Assuming any multiple of five is a standard overcurrent device rating.
Question 8. Where metal raceway serves as the equipment grounding conductor, the installation depends most on:
Grounding and Bonding · Hard · Objective: Evaluate raceway as an equipment grounding path.
- A. The color of the conductors inside
- B. Continuous, tight mechanical and electrical continuity at every fitting and coupling (correct)
- C. The raceway being painted
- D. Whether the circuit is single phase
Correct answer: B. Continuous, tight mechanical and electrical continuity at every fitting and coupling
Why this is right: A metal raceway only functions as a fault-current path if every coupling, connector and enclosure connection is electrically continuous. One loose fitting breaks the path.
Why the other options are wrong:
- A. The color of the conductors inside — Conductor color identifies function but does not create a grounding path.
- C. The raceway being painted — Paint at joints can actually impair continuity rather than help it.
- D. Whether the circuit is single phase — Phase configuration does not determine grounding continuity.
Where this shows up on the job: In a conduit city, a single backed-out setscrew in a junction box can leave an entire branch ungrounded with no visible symptom.
Code reference: NEC 250.118 and 250.148
Common misconception: Assuming a metal raceway is automatically a reliable ground regardless of workmanship.
Question 9. The grounding electrode conductor for a service is sized from:
Grounding and Bonding · Medium · Objective: Size a grounding electrode conductor.
- A. The service overcurrent device rating
- B. The largest ungrounded service-entrance conductor (correct)
- C. The calculated demand load
- D. The number of electrodes installed
Correct answer: B. The largest ungrounded service-entrance conductor
Why this is right: The grounding electrode conductor is sized from the largest ungrounded service-entrance conductor, using the electrode conductor table, not from the overcurrent device.
Why the other options are wrong:
- A. The service overcurrent device rating — The device rating sizes equipment grounding conductors instead.
- C. The calculated demand load — Calculated load determines the conductors, which then determine the electrode conductor.
- D. The number of electrodes installed — The number of electrodes does not change the sizing basis.
Where this shows up on the job: Service upgrades in older Chicago buildings get corrected for this constantly, because the existing electrode conductor is undersized for the new service conductors.
Code reference: NEC 250.66
Common misconception: Using one grounding table for both electrode and equipment grounding conductors.
Question 10. Branch-circuit conductors supplying a single continuous-duty motor must be sized at not less than:
Motors, Services and Existing Buildings · Hard · Objective: Size motor branch-circuit conductors.
- A. 100 percent of nameplate current
- B. 125 percent of the full-load current from the applicable NEC table (correct)
- C. 115 percent of nameplate current
- D. 80 percent of the overcurrent device rating
Correct answer: B. 125 percent of the full-load current from the applicable NEC table
Why this is right: Motor conductors are sized at 125 percent of the table full-load current value. Nameplate current is used for overload protection, not conductor sizing.
Why the other options are wrong:
- A. 100 percent of nameplate current — Nameplate at 100 percent uses both the wrong source and the wrong factor.
- C. 115 percent of nameplate current — 115 percent is an overload percentage for certain motors, not a conductor factor.
- D. 80 percent of the overcurrent device rating — Conductors are not sized backward from the device rating on motor circuits.
Where this shows up on the job: Table versus nameplate is the single distinction that decides whether you pass the motor section.
Code reference: NEC 430.6(A), 430.22 and 430.32
Common misconception: Sizing motor conductors from the nameplate.
Question 11. In Chicago's licensing structure, the supervising electrician is:
Licensing, Permits and Safety · Medium · Objective: Understand the supervising electrician role.
- A. An optional designation for larger firms
- B. The examined individual who qualifies the electrical contractor license and is responsible for directing the licensed work (correct)
- C. A city employee assigned to each job
- D. The same as the job foreman on any crew
Correct answer: B. The examined individual who qualifies the electrical contractor license and is responsible for directing the licensed work
Why this is right: The city licenses the contracting business, and a qualifying supervising electrician who passed the city examination stands behind and directs the work performed under that license.
Why the other options are wrong:
- A. An optional designation for larger firms — The qualifying individual is required, not optional.
- C. A city employee assigned to each job — Supervising electricians work for the contractor, not the city.
- D. The same as the job foreman on any crew — A foreman may or may not be the licensed qualifying individual; the roles are distinct.
Where this shows up on the job: Lending the supervising electrician credential to work the holder does not actually direct is a license-ending violation.
Code reference: Chicago Municipal Code licensing provisions; Chicago Department of Buildings
Common misconception: Treating the qualifying license holder as a paperwork signature.
Question 12. The minimum clear working space width in front of electrical equipment likely to require examination while energized is:
Licensing, Permits and Safety · Medium · Objective: Apply working space requirements.
- A. The width of the equipment or 30 inches, whichever is greater (correct)
- B. Exactly 24 inches
- C. Exactly 36 inches regardless of equipment width
- D. No minimum if a door is nearby
Correct answer: A. The width of the equipment or 30 inches, whichever is greater
Why this is right: Working space width must be the width of the equipment or 30 inches, whichever is greater, and the space must permit at least a 90 degree opening of equipment doors.
Why the other options are wrong:
- B. Exactly 24 inches — 24 inches is below the minimum width requirement.
- C. Exactly 36 inches regardless of equipment width — 36 inches is a depth dimension in certain conditions, not the width rule.
- D. No minimum if a door is nearby — A nearby door does not waive working space; egress requirements add to it.
Where this shows up on the job: Panels wedged into closets and behind storage racks are the most commonly cited working-space violation in existing buildings.
Code reference: NEC 110.26(A)(2) and (A)(3)
Common misconception: Confusing the working space depth table with the width requirement.
How to study for the Chicago electrician exam
Start with the Chicago amendments, not the NEC
Most candidates already know the model code. The points are lost in the amendments, especially the restrictions on cable wiring methods that make raceway the default, plus local service, metering and rehab provisions. Get the current Chicago Electrical Code and read the amended articles against the NEC text you already know, marking every place the city diverges.
Know that Illinois has no state electrician license
Electrical licensing in Illinois is municipal. Chicago runs its own program, and suburban jurisdictions run theirs with different codes and reciprocity practices. If you plan to work both in the city and outside it, confirm what each jurisdiction accepts before you assume a Chicago license travels.
Become fluent in raceway math
In a conduit city, conduit fill, box fill, bending offsets, and support spacing are not occasional questions, they are the trade. Practice Chapter 9 fill tables until you can size a raceway without hunting, and practice box fill counting including devices, clamps and equipment grounding conductors.
Drill ampacity as a three-step process
Start with the table ampacity, apply adjustment for the number of current-carrying conductors, apply correction for ambient temperature, then limit the result to the termination temperature rating. Candidates who memorize only the table value miss every question that combines two of these steps, and combined questions are the norm.
Separate the grounding topics
Electrode conductor sizing comes from the service conductors. Equipment grounding conductor sizing comes from the overcurrent device. Bonding and raceway continuity are workmanship requirements that matter enormously where metal raceway serves as the fault path. Learn which one each question is actually asking about before reaching for a table.
Run a six-week plan
Week one: Chicago amendments and wiring methods. Week two: branch circuits, feeders and load calculations. Week three: ampacity, adjustment and overcurrent protection. Week four: grounding and bonding. Week five: motors, services and existing-building work. Week six: licensing, permits, safety and full-length timed sets with a tabbed code book.
Frequently asked questions
Does Illinois have a statewide electrician license?
No. Electrical licensing in Illinois is handled by municipalities, which is why Chicago runs its own examination, code and license program.
Is conduit really required in Chicago?
Chicago's amendments restrict the cable wiring methods that are common elsewhere, so raceway installation is the norm for typical occupancies. Confirm the exact current provisions in the Chicago Electrical Code before bidding.
What is a supervising electrician?
The examined individual who qualifies an electrical contractor license and is responsible for directing the work performed under it. The city licenses the business; the supervising electrician stands behind it.
How many questions are on the exam and what score do I need?
The city publishes item counts and passing scores in its current examination information, and they change, so we mark those pending rather than repeating unsourced numbers.
Will a Chicago license let me work in the suburbs?
Not automatically. Surrounding municipalities license separately with their own codes and reciprocity practices, so verify with each jurisdiction where you intend to work.
Are these real City of Chicago exam questions?
No. Every question here is original CraftPATH material written to the same subject areas the exam covers. We do not reproduce live examination content.
How long should I study?
Experienced electricians typically need six to ten weeks, weighted toward the city amendments, raceway and ampacity calculations, and the licensing and permit rules.