Navigating the National Electrical Code

What you'll learn

• Explain how the NEC is developed, revised every three years and adopted by state and local governments, and the role of the authority having jurisdiction.
• Describe the arrangement of the Code in 90.3 and use the chapter, article, part and section structure to locate rules quickly.
• Apply Article 100 definitions, such as readily accessible, in sight from, feeder, grounded conductor and continuous load, to decide questions correctly.
• Apply the general requirements of Article 110, including listing instructions, interrupting ratings, terminal temperature limits and working space.
• Read article tables, Chapter 9 tables and their notes correctly, and use the informative annexes as study and exam tools.
• Distinguish mandatory rules, permissive rules, exceptions and informational notes, and apply exceptions only when all their conditions are met.
• Choose between your knowledge of the structure, the table of contents and the index to find rules at exam speed.
• Read sections precisely, including parent text, list connectors, measuring points, units and negative question wording.
• Identify the code in force for a job, including the adopted edition and state and local amendments, and find administrative and licensing rules.
• Summarize the broad structural changes in the 2023 and 2026 editions and choose the right edition for your exam.
• Plan, tab, highlight and test an exam code book within your candidate bulletin's rules.
• Use a two-pass strategy, time checkpoints and lookup drills to finish a timed open-book exam with time to review.