- What "UT-JE" Means on This Site
- Who Issues the License and Who Tests You
- Journeyman Level: Where It Sits
- The Two-Part Exam Structure
- Inside the Combined Written Exam
- The Six Practical Tasks
- Hours, Eligibility, and Full Licensure
- Fees and What Is Still Unconfirmed
- Retakes and Renewal
- Sequencing Your Preparation
- Frequently Asked Questions
- UT-JE here means the Utah Journeyman Electrician License Exam, issued through Utah DOPL and administered by Prov, Inc.
- Since August 1, 2025, new candidates take one combined Theory and Code written exam plus a separate practical.
- The written exam is open book: 100 questions, 240 minutes, 75% to pass, with the 2023 NEC as a core reference.
- The practical has six tasks in a 110-minute limit, and every task must be passed.
What "UT-JE" Means on This Site
On this site, UT-JE refers to exactly one thing: the Utah Journeyman Electrician License Exam. It is the examination a candidate must pass to earn a Journeyman Electrician (JE) license in the State of Utah. The abbreviation is a label used by this site and its domain, utjeexam.com. It is not an official credential name published by the state.
That distinction matters because the same letters can point toward unrelated credentials in other fields. Nothing on this page applies to any of those. Every fact below concerns the Utah electrical licensing exam for journeyman-level electricians. If you want other angles on the same topic, our companion pieces cover what UT-JE is, what UT-JE stands for, and the meaning of UT-JE.
Who Issues the License and Who Tests You
Two organizations are involved, and candidates often confuse their roles.
- Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL): the licensing authority, part of the Utah Department of Commerce. DOPL was formerly styled the Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing, so you may see either name in older materials. DOPL sets eligibility, processes your license application, and handles renewal.
- Prov, Inc.: the testing provider that delivers the examinations for DOPL. Prov publishes the Candidate Information Bulletin, takes your registration for the exam, and runs both the written and practical components.
In practice, you work with Prov for scheduling and exam logistics and with DOPL for the license itself. The Candidate Information Bulletin (UTElectrical_CIB 2025.11.26) is the primary source for exam content, timing, and rules, and it is worth downloading and reading in full before you register.
Journeyman Level: Where It Sits
The credential covered here is the Journeyman Electrician license, not the Residential Journeyman and not the Master. Utah treats these as distinct license classifications, so a study plan built for one does not automatically transfer to another. If you are weighing which path fits your work, a residential-only scope and a full journeyman scope differ in what you are authorized to install.
A journeyman electrician is a trade professional qualified to install, maintain, and repair electrical systems, typically working under the umbrella of a licensed contractor. Employers that rely on licensed journeymen include electrical contractors, commercial and industrial builders, maintenance departments, and facilities operations. For a deeper look at the career side, see our guides on UT-JE jobs and the UT-JE salary guide.
The Two-Part Exam Structure
The format changed on August 1, 2025. New journeyman candidates now take:
- One combined Theory and Code written examination, and
- The separate Utah Electrician Practical examination.
Some wording elsewhere in the same bulletin still describes a three-examination structure. That older language is superseded by the dated combined-examination notice, so do not plan around three written tests. Be careful with study materials too: any guide that still describes separate theory and code written exams predates the change.
| Feature | Combined Written Exam | Practical Exam |
|---|---|---|
| Format | Computer-based, open book | In person, hands-on |
| Delivery | Approved test centers or Examroom remote delivery | In person only |
| Size | 100 questions | Six separately assessed tasks |
| Time limit | 240 minutes (four hours) | 110 minutes total |
| Passing standard | 75% | Every task must be passed |
| Written fee | $85 | See fee section: confirm with Prov |
For a candid look at how demanding each component is, read How Hard Is the UT-JE Exam?, and for the scoring threshold alone see UT-JE Passing Score.
Inside the Combined Written Exam
The written exam is organized under 15 published subject headings. The official item counts, in order, are 7, 6, 6, 10, 7, 6, 9, 5, 7, 6, 8, 6, 4, 6, and 7. These are question counts, not published percentage weights, so avoid treating them as official percentages.
| Domain | Subject Heading | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Grounding & Bonding: The Heaviest Single Area
With ten questions, Grounding & Bonding has the largest allocation of any heading. Because the exam is open book, the skill being tested is less memorization and more navigating the NEC quickly and applying it accurately.
- Practice locating grounding and bonding requirements in the 2023 NEC without reading front to back.
- Be able to distinguish grounding from bonding in a scenario, not just define each.
- Expect to apply requirements to specific installations, not recite them.
The Math-Flavored Headings
Current, Power, Resistance, Voltage, and Voltage Drop are the calculation-heavy headings. Together they account for 30 questions (6 + 5 + 6 + 6 + 7). Only Prov's specified test-console calculator is authorized, so practice with straightforward calculator functions rather than relying on a device you will not have.
- Review how the electrical quantities relate before you worry about formulas.
- Practice voltage drop problems in the NEC context, since they usually tie back to conductor and circuit selection.
State Laws & Rules
Only four questions, but they are the most Utah-specific content on the exam. The approved references include Utah's 58-1 and 58-55 licensing acts and the R156-1 and R156-55b rules. Because this is local law rather than national code, general electrician study material may skip it entirely.
For a heading-by-heading walkthrough of all 21 content areas, see UT-JE Exam Domains: Complete Guide to All 21 Content Areas. Note that the 21 headings span both exam components: 15 written plus 6 practical.
What You May Bring to the Written Exam
Because the written exam is open book, reference handling is a skill in itself. Approved references include the 2023 NEC, Ugly's Electrical References 2023, the Utah 58-1 and 58-55 acts, and the R156-1 and R156-55b rules. Highlighting and permanent tabs are permitted. This is also why candidates should be cautious about commercial products marketed with a 2026 label: the approved code edition is the 2023 NEC.
The Six Practical Tasks
The practical is where Utah's exam differs most from a pure written test. It consists of six separately assessed tasks, listed as Domains 16 through 21:
- Torque setting
- Transformer termination
- Conduit bending
- Motor Control (commercial), using a ladder diagram
- 4-way and 3-way switch wiring
- Schematic reading and wiring
The total time limit is 110 minutes, separate from the four-hour written timer. Every task must be passed. Successful tasks are retained, and you repeat only the tasks you failed. Scoring differs by task: conduit bending uses point deductions, while the other tasks are pass/fail.
Conduit Bending
This is the one task graded on point deductions rather than pass/fail, so precision accumulates or costs you. Candidates bring their own specified tools and two five-foot pieces of half-inch EMT.
- Practice with half-inch EMT specifically, since that is the exam material.
- Rehearse your marking and bending sequence until it is routine under time pressure.
Torque Setting
Prov supplies the torque wrench. The bulletin's detailed sentence describing the torque task is truncated in the version we reviewed, so we do not state what object you will torque or how it is scored. Check the bulletin and Prov directly for those specifics.
Motor Control, Switch Wiring, and Schematics
The motor-control, light-switch, and schematic projects must stay de-energized until the examiner inspects them and, when safe, energizes them for testing. Never power up your own work on the practical. Building the habit of verifying a de-energized state is part of what the examiner is watching for, and it reflects real jobsite safety.
- Practice reading ladder diagrams and translating them into physical wiring.
- Practice 3-way and 4-way wiring until the traveler logic is automatic.
- Keep practice projects de-energized until a qualified person has checked them.
Hours, Eligibility, and Full Licensure
This is the area where candidates most often misread the rules, because the number of hours needed to sit for the exam is lower than the number needed to be fully licensed.
| Route | To Be Eligible to Test | To Be Fully Licensed |
|---|---|---|
| Education route | Four-year apprenticeship education of at least 576 classroom hours (or the specified competency equivalent) plus 6,000 licensed-apprentice work hours | Approved apprenticeship completion plus 8,000 supervised licensed work hours, plus passing both examinations |
| Alternative experience route | 16,000 licensed-apprentice work hours | 16,000 hours with verification, plus passing both examinations |
In short: 6,000 hours gets you to the exam on the education route, but it does not by itself get you the license. Plan your timeline around the 8,000-hour licensure requirement. For the full eligibility breakdown see UT-JE Requirements: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify.
Fees and What Is Still Unconfirmed
We want to be direct about what is established and what is not, since fee confusion can derail a budget.
- Written examination: $85.
- Practical examination: unresolved. The bulletin lists $25 per section but also retains legacy wording of $85 for the practical, and its language about whether pricing applies to all tasks or one task is inconsistent. We cannot establish a reliable total from that text, so neither $85 nor a calculated six-section sum should be assumed. Confirm the actual charge with Prov before you register.
- DOPL application processing fee: previously listed at $116 in the Electrician Application (revision v20260716). The Commerce pages were inaccessible during our latest review, so treat this as previously reviewed, not freshly confirmed.
Retakes and Renewal
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 practical retake focuses only on the tasks you missed.
Renewal: Previously reviewed guidance describes biennial renewal by November 30 of even-numbered years at $84, with 16 approved continuing-education hours, of which 12 are core hours made up of eight NEC hours and four NFPA 70E hours. These Commerce renewal pages were inaccessible during our latest review, so current renewal charges remain on verification hold. Check DOPL for the live figures.
Sequencing Your Preparation
Rather than a generic plan, sequence your preparation around the structure of this specific exam. The two components reward different kinds of practice, so build a timeline that treats them separately.
Reference Familiarity
- Get your 2023 NEC and Ugly's Electrical References 2023; tab and highlight as permitted.
- Read the bulletin end to end and note the Utah acts and rules.
- Start with Definitions & General Requirements, since every other area builds on that vocabulary.
The Biggest Allocations First
- Work Grounding & Bonding (ten questions) before anything else.
- Then Overcurrent Protection (nine) and Services, Feeders & Branch Circuits (eight).
Calculations and Utah Law
- Drill Current, Power, Resistance, Voltage, and Voltage Drop with the permitted calculator.
- Cover State Laws & Rules so it does not get squeezed out.
Hands-On Practical Work
- Bend half-inch EMT repeatedly; the point-deduction scoring rewards repetition.
- Wire 3-way, 4-way, motor control, and schematic projects, keeping each de-energized until checked.
- Run timed full-practical rehearsals against the 110-minute limit.
For a more complete outline, see the UT-JE Study Guide and the one-page UT-JE Cheat Sheet. When you are ready to test your recall under realistic conditions, use the UT-JE practice test and keep drilling the weak headings until your lookup speed matches your knowledge.
Key Takeaway
Treat the two components as separate projects. The written exam rewards fast, accurate code lookup across 15 headings; the practical rewards clean, repeatable hands-on execution across six tasks. Passing one does not carry the other, though successful practical tasks are retained if you need to retake.
If you are still deciding whether to pursue the license, Is the UT-JE Certification Worth It? and UT-JE Pass Rate are good next reads. Pass-rate figures are not established in the bulletin we reviewed, so be wary of any source that quotes one without citing it.
Frequently Asked Questions
On this site, UT-JE means the Utah Journeyman Electrician License Exam. It is the combined written and practical examination required for a Journeyman Electrician license in Utah, overseen by the Utah Division of Professional Licensing and delivered by Prov, Inc.
Yes. The written exam is computer-based and open book. Approved references include the 2023 NEC, Ugly's Electrical References 2023, Utah's 58-1 and 58-55 acts, and the R156-1 and R156-55b rules. Highlighting and permanent tabs are allowed, and only the test console's specified calculator is permitted.
The written exam has 100 questions with a 240-minute limit and a 75% passing score. The practical is separate, with a 110-minute total limit and six tasks that must each be passed.
The written exam may be taken at approved testing centers or through Examroom remote delivery. The practical exam is administered in person.
On the education route, 6,000 licensed-apprentice hours plus the required classroom education make you eligible to test, but full licensure requires approved apprenticeship completion and 8,000 supervised hours. The alternative route requires 16,000 licensed-apprentice hours with verification.
Passed tasks are retained, and you repeat only the tasks you failed. Retesting normally requires a 30-day wait, and after six failed attempts the bulletin requires 120 days before further attempts.