The New Hampshire Journeyman Electrician Guide

What Is the New Hampshire Journeyman Electrician License?

In New Hampshire, electricians are licensed by the New Hampshire Electricians' Board, part of the Office of Professional Licensure and Certification (OPLC) in Concord. The Board licenses apprentices, journeyman electricians, and master electricians, and it contracts with Prov Inc. (formerly PSI) to administer computer-based examinations. The governing law is RSA 319-C, with the Board rules in Elec 300–400.

An active New Hampshire license is required for any electrical work at 30 volts or more. The journeyman license authorizes you to perform electrical installations for hire under the direction of a licensed master electrician, and contractors and employers across the state require the journeyman credential for field electricians. New Hampshire has a reciprocity agreement with Massachusetts for electrician licensing.

The Requirements

• Apprentice registration: Register as an electrical apprentice with the OPLC before accumulating hours — a legal electrical work experience hours count only while you hold a current apprentice registration with an annual card.
• Experience: 8,000 hours of practical electrical experience working as an apprentice under a journeyman or master electrician licensed in New Hampshire. Equivalent experience can substitute: 10 years of licensed experience outside New Hampshire, an associate or higher degree in an electrical program, or having already passed the New Hampshire exam.
• Classroom education: 600 hours of approved schooling, including at least 24 hours of safety training. Credit of up to 2,000 hours of the 8,000-hour experience requirement is possible for courses at OPLC-approved schools — keep transcripts and certificates of completion.
• Apprentice continuing training: As a registered apprentice you must complete 150 hours of training per year and renew your apprentice card annually through the OPLC while you build your hours.
• Pass the exam: Pass the state journeyman exam administered by Prov Inc. — 110 questions, 270 minutes, 70% (77 correct), open-book NEC 2023 with New Hampshire amendments — before the Board issues your license.

The New Hampshire exam is open book on the NEC 2023 with New Hampshire amendments adopted by the Board. Because the code is in your hands, the exam rewards code navigation — knowing which chapter covers which topic, using the index efficiently, and reading sections including exceptions and tables.

Exam Format: Open Book, Prov Inc.

The New Hampshire journeyman exam is <strong>open book</strong> and computer based on the <strong>NEC 2023 plus New Hampshire amendments</strong>, administered by Prov Inc. (formerly PSI). The exam is a single scored section:

The exam covers the NEC 2023 as amended by New Hampshire, so you must know both the code and the NH amendments the Board has adopted. The exam is computer based at Prov Inc. testing centers. Because the code is in your hands, the exam rewards <strong>code navigation</strong> — knowing which chapter covers which topic, using the index efficiently, and reading sections including exceptions and tables.

What the Exam Covers

The official Prov Inc. content outline for the New Hampshire journeyman exam allocates the 110 questions across 12 subject areas:

• General Electrical Knowledge — 22 questions: the largest block — definitions, code administration, and broad electrical theory.
• Motors and Generators — 19 questions: motor and generator circuits, controllers, and protection (Article 430 and related).
• Wiring Methods and Materials — 14 questions: conductors, cables, raceways, and wiring method installations (Chapter 3).
• Services and Service Equipment — 12 questions: service entrances and equipment (Article 230).
• Feeders — 8 questions: feeder sizing, ampacity, and protection (Article 215).
• Branch Circuits and Conductors — 6 questions: branch circuits, conductors, and their protection (Article 210 and related).
• Equipment for General Use — 9 questions: switches, receptacles, fixed electric equipment, and general-use appliances (Articles 404/406/422 and related).
• Control Devices — 5 questions: controllers, relays, and control circuit applications.
• Administrative — 9 questions: RSA 319-C, the Board rules in Elec 300–400, licensing, and enforcement.
• Special Conditions — 2 questions: emergency systems and other special conditions (Chapter 7).
• Special Equipment — 2 questions: signs, cranes, and other special equipment (Articles 600–695).
• Special Occupancies — 2 questions: hazardous locations and other special occupancies (Chapters 5–6).

New Hampshire leans heavily on general electrical knowledge, motors and generators, and wiring methods — 55 of the 110 questions come from those three areas. The 9 Administrative questions are unusual: New Hampshire tests RSA 319-C and the Board rules alongside the NEC, so study the statute and Elec 300–400 as well as the code.

How to Prepare

1. Register as an apprentice first. You cannot legally accumulate experience hours in New Hampshire without an active OPLC apprentice registration — and unregistered hours will not count toward your 8,000.
2. Track your hours under a licensed NH electrician. You need 8,000 hours of practical experience working under a journeyman or master electrician licensed in New Hampshire. Keep a verified log of every period of work.
3. Bank your 600 classroom hours. Complete approved schooling including at least 24 hours of safety, and keep your transcripts — up to 2,000 hours of approved school courses can be credited toward the experience requirement.
4. Learn the NH amendments. The exam is open book on the NEC 2023 as amended by New Hampshire, and the 9 Administrative questions test RSA 319-C and the Elec 300–400 rules — study the state statute alongside the code.
5. Learn the chapter map and the index. Know where every exam topic lives — motors in Article 430, services in 230, wiring methods in Chapter 3, feeders in 215 — before you open a single practice question.
6. Simulate under exam conditions. Full-length, timed, open-book runs of 110 questions in 270 minutes at least once a week in the final month build the pacing discipline that open-book exams reward.

Journeyman Practice covers the New Hampshire exam with code-referenced questions, adaptive difficulty, and timed simulations. Start with free NEC practice questions to see the format.

Retaking the Exam

If you fail the New Hampshire journeyman exam, you can retake it. The Prov Inc. exam fee is $90, and retakes are scheduled directly with Prov Inc. Exam fees are non-refundable and non-transferable. The Board reviews your full application — passing the exam does not by itself guarantee the license, and licenses are issued by e-mail roughly 10 business days after approval.

After Licensure: The Path to Master

Licensed journeyman electricians work in residential, commercial, and industrial electrical construction across New Hampshire. The journeyman years are also the runway to the master license: the Board requires a New Hampshire journeyman license plus additional experience before you can sit for the master exam, which opens the door to contracting. Journeyman and master licenses renew every 2 years through the online OPLC portal and require 15 hours of continuing education per cycle, including at least 1 hour on changes to RSA 319-C and the electrical rules.

Ready to Start?

Learn to navigate the NEC 2023, drill code-referenced free practice questions, and take a timed New Hampshire simulation before you walk into the Prov Inc. testing center.