Howdy.
Thompson Prometric Exams Note
The parade of testing agencies continues for electricians. Block and Associates, then
Experior now Thompson Prometric.
In the olden days the Block Exam was one hour closed book general knowledge,
two hours NEC look-ups, then 3 hours of calculations. When Experior took over,
they changed the format to a straight NEC open book exam with 80 questions on
the Journeyman Electrician Exam (3 hours) and 100 open book questions for the
Master Electrician (4 hours). They also substantially reduced the calculations
portion. Now it is on to Thompson Prometric.
The folks at Thompson Prometric publish the percentages of question types
which are on each exam of theirs. Don't be taken by surprise. Most electricians spend
little time in the back of the NEC book. So Chapters 5, 6, 7, and 8 seem
unimportant to an electrician unless working in an unusual location. Well, for the examination, nothing could be
further from the truth.
In fact 25% of every final exam score comes from these final four chapters.
Also, calculations were an important part of the Block exam in the old
days. Experior reduced the calculations and now Thompson Prometric has all but
eliminated calculations. Calculations seem to take a back seat to straight NEC look-ups.
The Journeyman Exam seems to have less than 5 calculations. The Masters about
20.
Now admittedly this is only the impression of one electrical instructor, me.
The material I present is mine and mine alone. I do not have affiliation with
Thompson Prometric. The questions I provide are comprehensive. They are intended to
test the ability to search for answers over the entire NEC based on the
percentages provided by Thompson Prometric. They are not questions recovered
from previous exams.
A word of caution. Students of mine have reported that there seems to be
more questions from the back of the book than the percentages given would
indicate. For example, one student was sure there were a dozen questions on fire
alarms on his Journeyman Exam. There should have been not more than 4. I do not know if this is just what it seemed like for a test taker due
to familiarity with the NEC or if in fact it is a true situation. With more
experience by my students at taking the Thompson Prometric examinations, the
better I will know.
The eighteen states which offer the same standard exams include:
Alabama
Florida
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Louisiana
Mississippi
Montana
Nebraska
New York
Ohio
Oklahoma
Pennsylvania
Texas
Tennessee
Virginia
West Virginia
Verify with the municipality where you plan to be sponsored for testing that
you will be taking a Thompson Prometric Exam. Find out the exam number.
Here are the standard electrician exam numbers for the states listed above.
Note that some cities may not use Thompson Prometric as their testing agency and
construct their own exams. This is typical for larger cities. Verify the test
number and administrator for the exam you will take to avoid surprises later.
Master Electrician 20112 (2005 NEC)
Journeyman Electrician 20212 (2005 NEC)
Journeyman Electrician 80 Questions 3 hours
|
General
Knowledge
|
Wiring
NEC 200
|
Methods
NEC 300
|
Equipment
NEC 400
|
Special Occ
NEC 500
|
Special Equip
NEC 600
|
Special Cond
NEC 700
|
Comm
NEC 800
|
Safety
|
% questions
|
10
|
25
|
20
|
20
|
10
|
5
|
5
|
5
|
0
|
# questions
|
8
|
20
|
16
|
16
|
8
|
4
|
4
|
4
|
0
|
Master Electrician 100 Questions 4 hours
|
General
Knowledge
|
Wiring
NEC 200
|
Methods
NEC 300
|
Equipment
NEC 400
|
Special Occ
NEC 500
|
Special Equip
NEC 600
|
Special Cond
NEC 700
|
Comm
NEC 800
|
Safety
|
% questions
|
10
|
25
|
20
|
20
|
10
|
5
|
5
|
5
|
0
|
# questions
|
10
|
25
|
20
|
20
|
10
|
5
|
5
|
5
|
0
|
General Knowledge - General Electrical Knowledge
Wiring - Wiring and Protection
Methods - Wiring Methods and Materials
Equipment - Equipment for General Use
Special Occ - Special Occupancies
Special Equip - Special Equipment
Special Cond - Special Conditions
Comm - Communication Systems
Other states also use Thompson Prometric but the percentage of questions in
each category may vary.
To assist anyone preparing for this new format by Thompson Prometric, here are separate Chapter
5,6,7, and 8 questions and
answers from the back of the book, as generated by my Master electrician
students in a recent course I instructed These questions will be extremely important to you as you prepare for a Thompson Prometric Exam.
They are suitable for Journeyman and Master electrician exams. No extra charge
and good luck.
Cheers:>)
David U. Larson
|
