- How the 21 Headings Split Across Two Exams
- The Written Blueprint: Item Counts by Domain
- Domains That Carry the Most Questions
- The Calculation Cluster: Current, Power, Resistance, Voltage, Voltage Drop
- Code-Navigation Domains and the Open-Book Format
- Domain 13: State Laws and Rules
- Domains 16-21: The Six Practical Tasks
- Sequencing Your Preparation by Domain
- Eligibility, Fees and Logistics That Affect Your Plan
- Frequently Asked Questions
- The 21 headings are 15 written subject areas plus 6 separately assessed practical tasks, not 21 written domains.
- The combined written exam has 100 questions, 240 minutes, a 75% passing score, and is open book.
- Grounding & Bonding has the largest allocation at ten questions; Voltage Drop and Special Occupancies carry far fewer.
- The practical has a 110-minute total limit, and every one of its six tasks must be passed.
How the 21 Headings Split Across Two Exams
When people hear that the Utah Journeyman Electrician License Exam has "21 content areas," many assume they face a 21-topic written test. That is not how the exam is built. Since August 1, 2025, new journeyman candidates take one combined Theory and Code written examination plus the separate Utah Electrician Practical examination, both administered through Prov, Inc. for the Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL). Domains 1 through 15 are the published subject headings of the written exam. Domains 16 through 21 are the six hands-on tasks of the practical.
This distinction matters for how you study. The written side rewards fluency with the 2023 NEC, Utah's licensing statutes and rules, and a handful of electrical calculations. The practical side rewards physical skill, tool readiness, and the discipline to follow de-energized procedures. A candidate who treats them as one blob of "21 things to memorize" will under-prepare for at least one of them. For a broader orientation to the credential itself, see our overview of what the UT-JE is, and for the full pathway, our UT-JE requirements guide.
The Written Blueprint: Item Counts by Domain
The written exam consists of 100 questions delivered on computer, with a 240-minute (four-hour) time limit and a 75% passing score. It is open book. The bulletin publishes how many questions each subject heading receives, but it does not publish percentage weights, so we present the official item counts exactly as listed. Note that the counts for Domains 1 through 15 are the figures the issuer's bulletin supplies in order; this table is a study aid built from them.
| Domain | Subject Heading | Official Item Count |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Conductors & Cables | 7 |
| 2 | Current | 6 |
| 3 | Definitions & General Requirements | 6 |
| 4 | Grounding & Bonding | 10 |
| 5 | Lighting & General Use Equipment | 7 |
| 6 | Motors & Controllers | 6 |
| 7 | Overcurrent Protection | 9 |
| 8 | Power | 5 |
| 9 | Raceways & Enclosures | 7 |
| 10 | Resistance | 6 |
| 11 | Services, Feeders & Branch Circuits | 8 |
| 12 | Special Occupancies & Equipment | 6 |
| 13 | State Laws & Rules | 4 |
| 14 | Voltage | 6 |
| 15 | Voltage Drop | 7 |
With a 75% threshold, you need to answer at least 75 of the 100 questions correctly. Because the counts are spread fairly evenly, no single weak domain is fatal, but a pattern of weakness across several mid-sized domains can add up quickly. Our passing score breakdown explains how the threshold works in practice.
Domains That Carry the Most Questions
Three headings stand out on the blueprint, and they overlap heavily with the parts of the NEC that electricians use every day.
Domain 4: Grounding & Bonding (10 questions)
This is the single largest allocation on the written exam. Expect questions that require you to locate and apply the correct NEC provisions rather than recite them from memory.
- Distinguish grounding from bonding in service and separately derived contexts.
- Practice looking up equipment grounding conductor sizing and grounding electrode conductor sizing quickly in your 2023 NEC.
- Know what must be bonded and why, including metal raceways, enclosures and equipment.
Domain 7: Overcurrent Protection (9 questions)
Overcurrent questions often sit at the junction of calculation and code lookup: you determine a load, then select or verify a protective device.
- Practice relating conductor ampacity to the overcurrent device protecting it.
- Understand standard device ratings and when the next size up is permitted.
- Connect overcurrent concepts to motor circuits and feeders, where they recur.
Domain 11: Services, Feeders & Branch Circuits (8 questions)
This heading draws on load calculation methods and circuit requirements. It pairs naturally with Domains 4 and 7, so studying them together is efficient.
- Work through dwelling and commercial load calculation examples with the code book open.
- Know where branch-circuit, feeder and service requirements are organized in the NEC.
Together, Domains 4, 7 and 11 account for 27 of the 100 written questions. That does not mean you can ignore the rest, but it does justify front-loading your time on these three.
The Calculation Cluster: Current, Power, Resistance, Voltage, Voltage Drop
Five headings read like physics chapters rather than code chapters: Current (6), Power (5), Resistance (6), Voltage (6) and Voltage Drop (7). Combined, that is 30 questions, nearly a third of the written exam. These are the domains where the open-book format helps least, because no table tells you how to apply Ohm's law to a series circuit or work a voltage drop problem. You either know the relationships or you do not.
Only the calculator available in the Prov test console is authorized, so practice with a basic calculator interface rather than relying on your own scientific model. Build fluency in the following areas:
- Ohm's law and power relationships: rearranging voltage, current, resistance and power formulas under time pressure.
- Series, parallel and combination circuits: finding equivalent resistance and branch currents.
- Single-phase and three-phase power: knowing when a square-root-of-three factor applies.
- Voltage drop: calculating drop for a given conductor, length and load, and judging whether it falls within recommended limits.
If you are unsure how demanding this cluster will feel, our difficulty guide discusses where candidates typically struggle.
Code-Navigation Domains and the Open-Book Format
The remaining written headings, including Conductors & Cables (7), Definitions & General Requirements (6), Lighting & General Use Equipment (7), Motors & Controllers (6), Raceways & Enclosures (7) and Special Occupancies & Equipment (6), are largely about finding and correctly applying NEC provisions.
Approved written references include the 2023 NEC and Ugly's Electrical References 2023, along with Utah's 58-1 and 58-55 licensing acts and the R156-1 and R156-55b rules. Highlighting and permanent tabs are permitted. Note that these are 2023-based references; be cautious of commercial materials that label themselves with a different year, and confirm what the bulletin approves.
Open book is a skill, not a shortcut
Open book does not mean easy. Four hours for 100 questions is generous, but a candidate who has never navigated the NEC under pressure will burn time hunting for articles. Practical preparation includes:
- Learning the NEC's chapter structure well enough to jump to the right article on the first try.
- Tabbing major articles and tables you will use repeatedly, within the permitted tab rules.
- Rehearsing definitions in Article 100, since Domain 3 questions often hinge on exact wording.
- Practicing with Special Occupancies and Equipment topics so you recognize which chapter applies to a scenario.
The UT-JE cheat sheet collects the facts most worth having at your fingertips, and you can test your navigation speed with timed questions on the main practice test site.
Domain 13: State Laws and Rules
State Laws & Rules is the smallest written allocation at four questions, which tempts candidates to skip it. That is a mistake for two reasons. First, four questions is 4% of the exam, and with a 75% threshold every point matters. Second, these are among the most "gettable" questions on the test, because the source documents are short compared with the NEC and are explicitly approved references.
The relevant documents are Utah's 58-1 and 58-55 licensing acts and the R156-1 and R156-55b rules. Rather than memorizing them cover to cover, read them once with an eye toward the topics an examiner would likely test: licensing classifications, scope of work, supervision of apprentices, and the structure of licensure requirements. Then tab the sections so you can find them during the exam.
Key Takeaway
Treat Domain 13 as a low-effort scoring opportunity. A single focused reading session plus good tabbing can secure most of its four questions, freeing your harder study time for grounding, overcurrent and calculations.
Domains 16-21: The Six Practical Tasks
The practical examination is in person and has a total time limit of 110 minutes, entirely separate from the four-hour written timer. It consists of six tasks. Every task must be passed. Successful tasks are retained, and only failed tasks must be repeated, which softens the cost of a miss. Conduit bending is scored with point deductions, while the other tasks are pass/fail.
Candidates bring the specified tools and two five-foot pieces of half-inch EMT. Prov supplies the torque wrench. The motor-control, light-switch and schematic projects must remain de-energized until the examiner inspects them and, when it is safe, energizes them for testing. Never energize your own work.
Domain 16: Torque Setting
You will use Prov's torque wrench on this task. The bulletin's detailed sentence describing the exact torque assignment is truncated, so we cannot tell you precisely what object you will torque or how it is scored. Prepare generally: know how to read and set a torque tool, and know where manufacturers' torque values are found.
Domain 17: Transformer Termination
This task assesses your ability to terminate transformer connections correctly. Practice reading nameplate and terminal markings and making clean, secure connections.
Domain 18: Conduit Bending
This is the only task scored with point deductions, so precision counts. You work with half-inch EMT, and the two five-foot pieces you bring are your material.
- Practice common bends until your measurements and take-up calculations are automatic.
- Check your work against a level and a tape before time runs out.
- Remember that every minute spent on bending is a minute not available for other tasks within the 110-minute total.
Domain 19: Motor Control (Commercial), Use of Ladder Diagram
You wire a commercial motor-control project from a ladder diagram. The project stays de-energized until the examiner inspects it. Practice translating ladder logic into physical wiring, including control circuits with start/stop functions and overload contacts.
Domain 20: 4-Way and 3-Way Switch Wiring
This task covers multi-location switching. Know how travelers, commons and switched legs relate in a three-way and four-way arrangement, and verify your wiring logic before calling the examiner.
Domain 21: Schematic Reading and Wiring
You read a schematic and wire to match it. The skill here is faithful interpretation: wire what the drawing shows, not what you would have designed.
For general guidance on building these skills, see our UT-JE training overview.
Sequencing Your Preparation by Domain
Rather than a generic schedule, order your preparation by how domains depend on each other. The sample sequence below is a suggestion, not an official timeline, and you should compress or stretch it to fit your calendar and the testing windows covered in our exam dates guide.
Foundations and the Calculation Cluster
- Work Domains 2, 8, 10, 14 and 15: current, power, resistance, voltage and voltage drop.
- Do this first because later code questions assume these relationships are second nature.
The Heavy Hitters
- Study Domains 4, 7 and 11 together: grounding and bonding, overcurrent protection, and services, feeders and branch circuits.
- Practice code lookup with timed questions to build book-navigation speed.
Equipment and Wiring Methods
- Cover Domains 1, 5, 6, 9 and 12: conductors, lighting and general use equipment, motors and controllers, raceways, and special occupancies.
- Read Domains 3 and 13 and tab the definitions and state rules.
Practical Rehearsal and Full Review
- Run timed hands-on drills for Domains 16-21, always de-energized.
- Finish with full-length written practice and review weak domains.
Our study guide expands on pacing, and you can find complementary material in the companion piece on exam domains.
Eligibility, Fees and Logistics That Affect Your Plan
Knowing the domains is only part of readiness. The path to the exam has its own rules, and misunderstanding them can delay your test date.
Testing versus licensing hours
The bulletin's examination-eligibility route is a four-year apprenticeship education of at least 576 classroom hours, or the specified competency equivalent, plus 6,000 licensed-apprentice work hours. Alternatively, a candidate may qualify with 16,000 licensed-apprentice work hours. However, 6,000 hours gets you to the exam, not to the license. Full licensure through the education route requires approved apprenticeship completion and 8,000 supervised licensed work hours, plus both examinations. The alternative experience route requires 16,000 hours and verification.
| Route | To Sit for the Exams | For Full Licensure |
|---|---|---|
| Education route | 576+ classroom hours (or competency equivalent) plus 6,000 licensed-apprentice work hours | Approved apprenticeship completion plus 8,000 supervised licensed work hours, plus both exams |
| Experience route | 16,000 licensed-apprentice work hours | 16,000 hours with verification, plus both exams |
First-time candidates must submit Verification of Electrician Experience to Prov, with registration effective January 19, 2026. See the requirements guide for the full pathway.
Fees and delivery
The written exam fee is $85. The practical exam fee is on verification hold: the bulletin lists $25 per section but also retains legacy $85 practical-examination wording and inconsistent language about whether pricing applies per task or for all tasks. We cannot state a reliable total from that text, so confirm the actual charge directly with Prov before you register. The DOPL application processing fee was previously listed at $116, but the Commerce licensing pages returned access errors during our most recent review, so confirm current figures with the issuer. Our certification cost breakdown tracks which figures are firm and which are unresolved.
The written exam may be taken at approved testing centers or through Examroom remote delivery; the practical is always in person.
Retakes
Retesting normally requires a 30-day wait. After six failed attempts, the bulletin requires 120 days before subsequent attempts. Because passed practical tasks are retained, a failed practical does not erase your progress on the tasks you cleared.
After you pass
Licenses renew biennially by November 30 of even-numbered years. The renewal fee was previously reviewed at $84, with 16 approved CE hours including 12 core hours (eight NEC hours and four NFPA 70E hours). As noted, that renewal information could not be re-retrieved in our latest review and remains on hold for current confirmation. For earnings and career context, see the salary guide and our analysis of whether the certification is worth it.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. The written exam has 15 subject headings (Domains 1-15). Domains 16-21 are the six separately assessed practical tasks. The 21 figure counts headings across both components.
Grounding & Bonding, with ten of the 100 questions. Overcurrent Protection follows with nine, then Services, Feeders & Branch Circuits with eight.
No. Only Prov's specified test-console calculator is authorized for the written exam, so practice with a simple on-screen style calculator.
Every task must be passed, but successful tasks are retained. Only the failed tasks must be repeated, subject to the retest waiting period, which is normally 30 days.
That is unresolved. The bulletin lists $25 per section but also contains legacy $85 wording and inconsistent pricing language, so confirm the payable charge with Prov before registering. The written exam fee is $85.
Ready to see where you stand across the written domains? Try timed questions on the practice test site, and revisit our pass rate discussion for context on how to set realistic expectations.