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by Mark Lamendola
So, you need a state license and must pass a code exam to get it. You
can choose between taking the test and hoping for the best (the usual
approach), or preparing for the exam and passing with flying colors the
first time. Let’s assume you don’t like to waste time and money, and
don’t want to wait six months or longer for a retest. That assumption
means you must know how to prepare for the exam.
To
prepare for electrical code exams, click here.
Step 1: Buy and review a current code book. You can’t know the code
unless you read it.
- See how it’s laid out. Notice which sections provide the
definitions, purpose, limitations, and applicability of the code.
Then, notice which sections apply to general circumstances and which
to special circumstances.
- Carefully read the definitions. Make it a point to carefully read
one definition each day between now and the test day.
- Note the major divisions, categories, or chapters. You may find it
beneficial to read a separate book on those general topics you have
no knowledge of—don’t count this toward your exam study time,
but do it if you need to. If time is short, skim the supplemental
books—read the headings, then read the first three chapters. That’s
generally all you’ll need to do to get a general understanding of
the topic.
Step 2: Find out about the exam.
- Is it open book? If so, which books can you bring? Can you mark in
your Code book, underline things, use tabs, highlight things,
provide your personal notes, etc.? Can you bring a calculator,
computer, or PDA? Ask the test registrar for a written copy of the
rules. Learn these, and obey them.
- How long is the exam? Does it have sections, and what are they and
how long does each last?
- Are there penalties for guessing, or do you need to know the
answer?
- Ask if you can have a copy of a previous exam or if there is a
place to get one. You’ll want to make copies of this exam, and
take it once a month—even if you don’t have the answers—so you
are used to taking that kind of exam.
- Does the exam focus on application or theory?
- Does the exam require doing calculations? Which ones? What
percentage of the exam, and of your score, are they?
Step 3: Study
- Obtain an exam prep course (we offer these for the National
Electrical Code).
- Set aside 6 hours per week to study. One way to divide up the 6
hours is to use one hour every night except Wednesday, and then
study for 2 hours on Saturday. Whatever regimen you set up, make
sure you stick with it. Provided you have several months prior to
the exam, it will not be necessary to study more than the 6 hours.
If you have less time than that, schedule two or three sessions with
someone who can tutor you, and interleave these with your
self-study. Trying to proceed with too difficult a study program
leads to burnout.
- Don’t have a supply of chips and other junkfood on hand. Declare
your study time a "no food zone." Drinking water is fine—nothing
else, though. The last thing you want to do is emerge from your
study efforts with two additional inches of waistline. Absolutely no
food or water while practicing taking the exam.
Step 4: Practice.
- Work all the practice questions that come with the exam materials.
- Make a photocopy of the practice exam that was in your exam prep
materials. If you have no such exam, prepare your own. A few weeks
before the exam, take your sample exam once, and then carefully
research your answers. Study again wherever you had difficulty. This
differs from taking a previous exam, because in this case you have
the answers. If you do develop your own, try simply modifying the
previous exam and coming up with answers. When you take the exam as
practice, do so under the exam time limits.
- Two weeks before the real exam, take the sample exam again. Study
where you had weaknesses.
Throughout the course of the exam prep, you can gain an edge by
tending carefully to your health and other obligations.
- If you smoke, quit smoking until you have passed the exam. The
carbon monoxide in your blood deprives your brain of oxygen. Your IQ
will actually go up if you are off the cigarettes. If you try to
quit less than 3 weeks before the exam, you’ll have withdrawals
while you are trying to take it. If you don’t quit at all, you’ll
have the tobacco shakes as you try to sit in an exam room all day
without your fix.
- Get on a regular exercise program. This will help you oxygenate
your brain, plus insulate you from fatigue on test day. See www.supplecity.com
for helpful suggestions.
- Forget oddball diets like high carb, low fat, etc. Give your body
good fuel. See www.supplecity.com
for helpful suggestions.
- Take a day or evening off every other week or so. This gives you a
break. It also gives you time to spend with family and friends, so
you avoid the depression that can come from too much isolation.
- Ask a friend or family member to quiz you. It’s OK if you write
the quiz and provide them the answers. The point of this exercise is
to involve others who are important to you. It also serves as a good
review. Writing the questions and answers forces you to think them
through. Acing quiz questions builds your confidence, provided they
aren’t "cakewalk questions." Stumbling on quiz questions
shows you where you need more study. Be sure to express how much you
appreciate the help. This method is especially valuable if you have
company from out of town. They won’t mind helping you—in fact,
it gives them something to brag about—as long as you also arrange
for something special for them (see your local information center or
town hall for suggestions on sights that out of towners will love).
Passing a code exam is tough for most folks, but easy for some.
Follow these tips and you’ll be in that second group.
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