Colorado Journeyman PrepLicense, exam and code, in one place Start the free practice testPractice exam

Checked against primary sources 2026-09-07

Same paper size, smaller scope

Colorado Residential Wireman Exam: What to Expect

People assume the residential paper is the easy one because the license is the first rung. The format says otherwise. It is the same ninety items in the same four hours with the same pass mark as the master paper.

Test yourself: thirty free questions, timed

On this page
  1. The format
  2. What the license scope tells you
  3. The book on the desk
  4. Fees and validity
  5. What the license does not cover
  6. Results
  7. Who sits this paper
  8. Questions people ask
  9. What this page cites

The format

PSI lists it as Residential Wireman: 90 Scored Items, 240 Minutes, 70% (63 Items) Correct to Pass.

Up to 7 non-scored items add 30 minutes, so the seat time is four hours and thirty minutes.

That is the one number the four papers do not share. The other three carry up to 10 non-scored items in the same 30 minutes. Length, scored time and pass mark are identical, so whatever separates this exam from the journeyman exam, it is none of those.

What the license scope tells you

The Board publishes no content outline for any Colorado paper, so the only honest guide to scope is the license definition.

C.R.S. 12-115-103 describes a residential wireman as having the qualifications, training, experience and technical knowledge to wire for, and install, electrical apparatus and equipment for wiring one-, two-, three-, and four-family dwellings.

Dwelling work is the scope of the license. We are not going to translate that into a percentage breakdown of the paper, because no published source supports one.

The book on the desk

PSI provides the code book and a formula page. Since August 1, 2026 the questions are consistent with the 2026 National Electrical Code, and that is the book supplied.

You may not write, highlight, underline, and/or index on the references, and you may not use any other materials.

The 2023 book can be provided on request until November 1, 2026 and not after. The deadline page covers that choice, and the book rules page covers what to practice instead of tabbing.

Fees and validity

Examination Fee $78. Retest Fee $73. Not refundable, not transferable, and valid for one year from the date of payment.

The residential wireman license behind it needs 4,000 hours of residential only experience earned in no less than 2 years, so most candidates reach this paper about two years in. Pay the fee when you are close, not when you start.

What the license does not cover

Worth knowing before you sit, because it changes what you plan next. A residential wireman working a commercial job site has to be registered as an electrical apprentice and supervised by a journeyman or master electrician.

That is the Board's own position on its apprentice page, and rule 3 CCR 710-1.6.A.2 says the same. C.R.S. 12-115-109(2) puts the general fence around it: a residential wireman shall not perform electrical work of a type that is beyond the authorization of the license held.

So passing this paper opens dwelling work and keeps you an apprentice on commercial work. That is also how the 2,000 commercial hours for the journeyman license usually get earned. The license page has the rest.

Results

Pass or fail in writing, and no other format. Board rule 3 CCR 710-1.8.C says so, and rule 1.8.D bars candidate review of examinations.

Since a failure tells you nothing about where you lost marks, do the diagnosis first. The free diagnostic ranks your weak subjects in 24 questions, and the timed practice test shows your real pace against a clock.

Who sits this paper

Anyone applying for the residential wireman license, and anyone reinstating one that expired more than two years ago, because rule 3 CCR 710-1.13.B lists passing the state examination as one of the reinstatement options.

2,032 residential wireman licenses were active in the September 2026 data pull against 4,438 expired, so the reinstatement route is not a rare one.

An out of state residential licensee does not sit it if endorsement is granted, although endorsement carries its own edition problem. The reciprocity page prints both sides of it.

Questions people ask

How long is the Colorado residential wireman exam?

240 minutes for 90 scored items, plus 30 extra minutes for up to 7 non-scored items. That is four hours and thirty minutes of seat time. The other three papers carry up to 10 non-scored items in the same 30 minutes.

What is the pass mark?

70 percent, printed by PSI as 63 items correct out of 90. It is the same mark as the journeyman and master papers.

Is the residential paper easier?

The format is identical to the other three. The license scope is narrower, but no Colorado pass rate or content outline is published, so nobody can give you a sourced difficulty comparison.

What does it cost?

$78 for the examination and $73 for a retest, not refundable or transferable, valid for one year from the date of payment.

Which code book will I use?

The 2026 National Electrical Code, supplied by PSI with a formula page. The 2023 book can be requested until November 1, 2026, and you cannot bring or mark any book.

Do I need this exam if I plan to go for journeyman?

No. The residential wireman license is a separate credential with its own paper. Many people take it at 4,000 hours and keep working toward the journeyman 8,000, registering as an apprentice again for commercial work.

Put it to the test

Thirty free questions, timed, with the working shown

Every miss comes back with the arithmetic worked out and the code section named, so you learn the trap and not just the answer. No account.

Start the free practice testSee the $79 question bank

All questions here are original. They are not actual exam questions, and no question bank can promise you a pass.

What this page cites

If your notes still say 2023

The 2023 to 2026 section crosswalk maps every section that moved, both directions, $29 once.

NEC and National Electrical Code are registered trademarks of the National Fire Protection Association.

Trojan Digital Marketing is an independent company. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by NFPA, the Colorado State Electrical Board, PSI, or any licensing authority, school or union.

The Colorado examinations are open book only in the sense that PSI puts a book on the desk. PSI provides the National Electrical Code and a formula page at the test center, bars writing, highlighting, underlining and indexing on them, and allows no other materials. The questions have followed the 2026 edition since 1 August 2026, and the 2023 book is provided on request until 1 November 2026.

All practice questions are original. They are not actual exam questions.

Built and maintained by Jeff Clerisier, Trojan Digital Marketing.

Every rule here is cited to the section it comes from, and corrections are logged in public with the date. This is study material rather than electrical advice, and it does not replace your own code book or your inspector.

Free, weekly

One exam question a week, worked all the way through

One original question in the Colorado style, the arithmetic worked, the code section named, and a short note whenever a Colorado licensing or code rule moves. Unsubscribe in one click.