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. The practical difference between a Georgia Class I and Class II electrical contractor license is that:
Georgia Business, Law and Safety · Medium · Objective: Distinguish the two Georgia license classes.
- A. Class I is unrestricted and Class II is limited
- B. Class II is unrestricted, while Class I is limited by the size of the electrical systems that may be installed (correct)
- C. Class I is residential only and Class II is commercial only
- D. There is no difference other than the fee
Correct answer: B. Class II is unrestricted, while Class I is limited by the size of the electrical systems that may be installed
Why this is right: Georgia issues a restricted Class I license limited by the size of the electrical systems the holder may install, and an unrestricted Class II license. The distinction is capacity-based rather than a simple residential and commercial split.
Why the other options are wrong:
- A. Class I is unrestricted and Class II is limited — The classes are reversed; Class II is the unrestricted license.
- C. Class I is residential only and Class II is commercial only — Neither class is defined purely by occupancy type.
- D. There is no difference other than the fee — The scope of permitted work differs materially between the classes.
Where this shows up on the job: Taking a job beyond your class limitation exposes the license and can void the permit.
Code reference: O.C.G.A. Title 43, Chapter 14; Division of Electrical Contractors rules
Common misconception: Assuming Class I is the higher license because of the number.
Question 2. Working space in front of a 480-volt panelboard likely to be examined while energized must have a minimum headroom of:
General Requirements and Definitions · Medium · Objective: Apply working space clearance requirements.
- A. 6 feet flat
- B. 6 feet 6 inches or the height of the equipment, whichever is greater (correct)
- C. 7 feet in all cases
- D. No headroom requirement applies to panelboards
Correct answer: B. 6 feet 6 inches or the height of the equipment, whichever is greater
Why this is right: Minimum headroom of working spaces about service equipment, switchboards, panelboards and motor control centers is 6 feet 6 inches, or the height of the equipment where that is greater.
Why the other options are wrong:
- A. 6 feet flat — 6 feet is below the required minimum.
- C. 7 feet in all cases — 7 feet overstates the general requirement.
- D. No headroom requirement applies to panelboards — The headroom rule expressly includes panelboards.
Where this shows up on the job: Panels installed under low mechanical-room ductwork are a repeat inspection failure.
Code reference: NEC 110.26(A)(3) and 110.26(E)
Common misconception: Confusing headroom with the depth-of-working-space table.
Question 3. For a dwelling unit general lighting load calculation, the unit load per square foot of floor area is:
Branch Circuits, Feeders and Load Calculations · Medium · Objective: Apply the dwelling general lighting load.
- A. 1 volt-ampere
- B. 3 volt-amperes (correct)
- C. 5 volt-amperes
- D. 10 volt-amperes
Correct answer: B. 3 volt-amperes
Why this is right: Dwelling unit general lighting and general-use receptacle load is calculated at 3 volt-amperes per square foot of floor area, exclusive of open porches, garages and unused spaces.
Why the other options are wrong:
- A. 1 volt-ampere — 1 volt-ampere applies to certain storage and similar occupancies.
- C. 5 volt-amperes — 5 volt-amperes is not the dwelling figure.
- D. 10 volt-amperes — 10 volt-amperes is far above the dwelling unit load.
Where this shows up on the job: Every standard-method service calculation for a house starts with this number.
Code reference: NEC 220.12 and Table 220.12
Common misconception: Including unfinished garage and porch area in the square footage.
Question 4. A dwelling unit must have a minimum of how many 20-ampere small-appliance branch circuits serving the kitchen and related areas?
Branch Circuits, Feeders and Load Calculations · Hard · Objective: Apply small-appliance branch circuit requirements.
- A. One
- B. Two (correct)
- C. Three
- D. Four
Correct answer: B. Two
Why this is right: At least two 20-ampere small-appliance branch circuits are required to serve receptacle outlets in the kitchen, pantry, breakfast room and dining room, and they may not serve other outlets.
Why the other options are wrong:
- A. One — One circuit is below the minimum.
- C. Three — Three is common in practice but is not the code minimum.
- D. Four — Four exceeds the requirement.
Where this shows up on the job: The load calculation adds 1,500 volt-amperes for each of these circuits, so miscounting them shifts the whole service size.
Code reference: NEC 210.11(C)(1) and 210.52(B)
Common misconception: Counting the required laundry or bathroom circuit as a small-appliance circuit.
Question 5. A conductor has an allowable ampacity of 83 amperes, and the calculated load is 80 amperes. Which overcurrent device is permitted?
Conductors, Ampacity and Overcurrent Protection · Hard · Objective: Apply the next-size-up rule and its exception.
- A. 70 amperes only
- B. 90 amperes, using the next-standard-size rule (correct)
- C. 100 amperes
- D. 125 amperes
Correct answer: B. 90 amperes, using the next-standard-size rule
Why this is right: Where the conductor ampacity does not match a standard device rating and the circuit is 800 amperes or less and not a receptacle-supplying multioutlet branch circuit, the next higher standard device rating is permitted. 90 amperes is the next standard rating above 83.
Why the other options are wrong:
- A. 70 amperes only — 70 amperes is permitted but is not the maximum, and the question asks what the rule allows.
- C. 100 amperes — 100 amperes skips past the next standard rating above the conductor ampacity.
- D. 125 amperes — 125 amperes leaves the conductor unprotected.
Where this shows up on the job: This rule saves conductor upsizing constantly, and its exceptions are exactly what the exam tests.
Code reference: NEC 240.4(B) and 240.6(A)
Common misconception: Applying the next-size-up rule to branch circuits supplying multiple receptacles.
Question 6. Conductors run through an attic space where the ambient temperature reaches 50 degrees Celsius. Compared with the 30 degree Celsius table basis, the conductor ampacity must be:
Conductors, Ampacity and Overcurrent Protection · Hard · Objective: Apply ambient temperature correction.
- A. Increased, since heat improves conduction
- B. Corrected downward using the ambient temperature correction factors (correct)
- C. Left unchanged, because attics are exempt
- D. Corrected only if more than three conductors are present
Correct answer: B. Corrected downward using the ambient temperature correction factors
Why this is right: Table ampacities are based on a 30 degree Celsius ambient. Higher ambient temperatures require downward correction, and this is separate from the adjustment factor for the number of current-carrying conductors.
Why the other options are wrong:
- A. Increased, since heat improves conduction — Higher ambient temperature reduces a conductor's ability to shed heat.
- C. Left unchanged, because attics are exempt — Attics are a classic high-ambient location, not an exemption.
- D. Corrected only if more than three conductors are present — Correction and adjustment are independent and can both apply.
Where this shows up on the job: In the Southeast, attic and rooftop ambient corrections are the difference between a passing and a failing conductor size.
Code reference: NEC 310.15(B) correction factors
Common misconception: Treating correction and adjustment as the same factor.
Question 7. The service disconnecting means for a building must be located:
Grounding, Bonding and Services · Medium · Objective: Apply the service disconnect rule.
- A. Anywhere convenient inside the building
- B. At a readily accessible location either outside the building or inside nearest the point of entrance of the service conductors (correct)
- C. Only outdoors on a pole
- D. In a locked room accessible to the utility only
Correct answer: B. At a readily accessible location either outside the building or inside nearest the point of entrance of the service conductors
Why this is right: The service disconnect must be readily accessible, located outside the building or inside nearest the point at which the service conductors enter, limiting the length of unprotected conductors inside the structure.
Why the other options are wrong:
- A. Anywhere convenient inside the building — Running service conductors deep into a building before the disconnect is prohibited.
- C. Only outdoors on a pole — Outdoor pole mounting is not the only permitted arrangement.
- D. In a locked room accessible to the utility only — A disconnect that occupants cannot reach is not readily accessible.
Where this shows up on the job: Emergency responders need to kill the building without hunting, which is the whole point of this rule.
Code reference: NEC 230.70(A)(1)
Common misconception: Believing conduit protection lets you extend service conductors anywhere inside.
Question 8. The minimum size of a wire-type equipment grounding conductor is determined by:
Grounding, Bonding and Services · Hard · Objective: Size an equipment grounding conductor.
- A. The largest ungrounded service-entrance conductor
- B. The rating of the overcurrent device ahead of the circuit (correct)
- C. The length of the circuit run
- D. The number of receptacles served
Correct answer: B. The rating of the overcurrent device ahead of the circuit
Why this is right: Equipment grounding conductors are sized from the rating of the overcurrent device protecting the circuit, using the equipment grounding conductor table. Grounding electrode conductors use the service conductor size instead.
Why the other options are wrong:
- A. The largest ungrounded service-entrance conductor — That basis sizes the grounding electrode conductor.
- C. The length of the circuit run — Length affects voltage drop and may require upsizing, but it is not the sizing basis.
- D. The number of receptacles served — Outlet count does not determine the grounding conductor.
Where this shows up on the job: Mixing the two grounding tables is one of the most common ways candidates lose points in this section.
Code reference: NEC 250.122 and Table 250.122
Common misconception: Using Table 250.66 for equipment grounding conductors.
Question 9. Conductors supplying a single continuous-duty motor are sized at not less than:
Special Occupancies, Motors and Equipment · Hard · Objective: Size motor branch-circuit conductors.
- A. 100 percent of the nameplate current
- B. 125 percent of the full-load current from the applicable NEC table (correct)
- C. 125 percent of the nameplate current
- D. 80 percent of the branch-circuit device rating
Correct answer: B. 125 percent of the full-load current from the applicable NEC table
Why this is right: Motor branch-circuit conductors are sized at 125 percent of the table full-load current value. Nameplate current is used for overload protection sizing, not conductor sizing.
Why the other options are wrong:
- A. 100 percent of the nameplate current — This uses the wrong source and omits the factor.
- C. 125 percent of the nameplate current — The factor is right but the source is wrong; the table value governs conductors.
- D. 80 percent of the branch-circuit device rating — Motor conductors are not derived from the device rating.
Where this shows up on the job: Table versus nameplate is the single distinction that decides the motor section on nearly every state exam.
Code reference: NEC 430.6(A), 430.22 and 430.32
Common misconception: Sizing motor conductors from the nameplate.
Question 10. The equipotential bonding grid around a permanently installed pool is required primarily to:
Special Occupancies, Motors and Equipment · Medium · Objective: Apply pool equipotential bonding.
- A. Provide a low-impedance fault path back to the panel
- B. Reduce voltage gradients between conductive surfaces people can touch simultaneously (correct)
- C. Improve pump motor efficiency
- D. Satisfy the pool manufacturer's warranty
Correct answer: B. Reduce voltage gradients between conductive surfaces people can touch simultaneously
Why this is right: Equipotential bonding is not a grounding path; it ties conductive pool shell, deck, rails and equipment together so they sit at the same potential, eliminating the gradients that cause shock in and around water.
Why the other options are wrong:
- A. Provide a low-impedance fault path back to the panel — That describes the equipment grounding conductor, which is a separate requirement.
- C. Improve pump motor efficiency — Bonding has nothing to do with motor efficiency.
- D. Satisfy the pool manufacturer's warranty — Warranty terms are not a code basis.
Where this shows up on the job: Georgia's pool density makes Article 680 a recurring topic on both the exam and inspections.
Code reference: NEC 680.26
Common misconception: Treating bonding and grounding as interchangeable at pools.
Question 11. A Georgia electrical contractor license is tied to a qualifying licensed individual. If that individual leaves the company, the business must:
Georgia Business, Law and Safety · Medium · Objective: Understand the qualifying agent relationship.
- A. Continue operating indefinitely on the departed individual's license
- B. Notify the board and requalify with another licensed individual to keep contracting lawfully (correct)
- C. Automatically receive a Class II upgrade
- D. Do nothing, since the license belongs to the company
Correct answer: B. Notify the board and requalify with another licensed individual to keep contracting lawfully
Why this is right: The license depends on a qualifying licensed individual. When that person separates from the business, the company must notify the board and requalify, or it loses the authority to contract.
Why the other options are wrong:
- A. Continue operating indefinitely on the departed individual's license — Operating on a departed licensee's credential is unlicensed contracting.
- C. Automatically receive a Class II upgrade — Class upgrades come from examination and qualification, not from turnover.
- D. Do nothing, since the license belongs to the company — Silence after a qualifier departs is itself a violation.
Where this shows up on the job: This is a routine enforcement trigger when a qualifier retires mid-project.
Code reference: O.C.G.A. Title 43, Chapter 14; board rules
Common misconception: Believing a company license stands on its own without a qualifier.
Question 12. Before working on a de-energized circuit, the correct sequence includes:
Georgia Business, Law and Safety · Medium · Objective: Apply lockout and tagout practice.
- A. Open the disconnect, then begin work immediately
- B. Open the disconnect, apply lockout and tagout, then test for absence of voltage with a meter verified before and after (correct)
- C. Ask a coworker to watch the panel while you work
- D. Tag the panel without locking it if the job is short
Correct answer: B. Open the disconnect, apply lockout and tagout, then test for absence of voltage with a meter verified before and after
Why this is right: Verified de-energization requires isolating the source, locking and tagging it, then proving the circuit dead with a meter that is itself proven working before and after the test. A tag alone does not prevent reenergizing.
Why the other options are wrong:
- A. Open the disconnect, then begin work immediately — Skipping verification assumes the correct breaker was opened.
- C. Ask a coworker to watch the panel while you work — Human supervision is not an accepted substitute for a physical lock.
- D. Tag the panel without locking it if the job is short — Job duration does not waive lockout requirements.
Where this shows up on the job: Mislabeled panels in older buildings are exactly why the meter check exists.
Code reference: OSHA 29 CFR 1926 Subpart K; NFPA 70E practice
Common misconception: Trusting panel schedules instead of testing.
How to study for the Georgia electrical contractor exam
Decide your class before you study
Class I is restricted by the size of the electrical systems you may install, and Class II is unrestricted. The class you apply for affects the qualifying experience you must document and, in some cases, the depth of the technical material. Confirm the current definitions and limits with the Division of Electrical Contractors before you build a study plan around the wrong target.
Tab the code book you will actually carry
The trade exam is an open-book NEC examination, and speed comes from tabs and familiarity, not from memory. Tab Articles 100, 110, 210, 220, 240, 250, 310, 430 and 680, plus Chapter 9 and the Annex C fill tables. Practice with the exact edition the board has adopted, including Georgia amendments, because article numbering shifts between cycles.
Master the load calculation from end to end
Work standard-method dwelling calculations until each step is automatic: general lighting at 3 volt-amperes per square foot, two small-appliance circuits plus laundry at 1,500 volt-amperes each, appliance and range demand, heating versus air conditioning as the larger load, then the demand factors. Then repeat the same discipline for a small commercial service.
Treat ampacity as three independent steps
Table value, adjustment for the number of current-carrying conductors, correction for ambient temperature, and finally the termination temperature limit. In Georgia, attic and rooftop ambient corrections come up often, and questions that combine two steps are far more common than questions that test one.
Do not skip business and law
Candidates who know the code cold still fail on the business component. Study license classes and their limits, qualifying agent duties and what happens when a qualifier leaves, contracts and lien basics, insurance obligations, and OSHA electrical safe work practice. It is the cheapest section to pass with focused study.
Run a six-week plan
Week one: definitions, general requirements and code navigation drills. Week two: branch circuits, feeders and load calculations. Week three: conductors, ampacity and overcurrent protection. Week four: grounding, bonding and services. Week five: motors, HVAC equipment, transformers and pools. Week six: Georgia business and law plus full-length timed sets with your tabbed code book.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a Class I and Class II license in Georgia?
Class I is restricted by the size of the electrical systems the holder may install. Class II is unrestricted. Confirm the current limits with the Division of Electrical Contractors.
Who administers electrical contractor licensing in Georgia?
The Division of Electrical Contractors of the Construction Industry Licensing Board, under the Georgia Secretary of State.
Is the exam open book?
The trade portion is an open-book code examination. Check the current candidate information bulletin for the exact references you may bring and the edition adopted.
Is there a business and law component?
Yes. Georgia requires a business and law component in addition to the trade examination, covering license scope, contracts, liens, insurance and safety.
How much experience do I need?
The board publishes qualifying experience requirements for each class and updates them, so we mark that pending here rather than repeating unsourced numbers. Verify with the board before applying.
Are these real Georgia 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 load calculations, ampacity, grounding, and the business and law component.