- Score 49 of 70 scored questions correctly within 210 minutes to pass the VA-JE.
- PSI may add up to 10 unscored experimental questions inside the same time limit.
- Conductors and Cables and Raceways and Boxes are tied as the largest domains at 10.00% each.
- Bring only permanently tabbed, highlighted, or underlined references - no loose papers or study guides.
Exam Snapshot: The Numbers You Must Memorize
Before you touch a single practice question, lock in the mechanics of the Virginia Journeyman Electrician Exam (VA-JE). This is a computer-based, open-book, multiple-choice exam administered by PSI on behalf of the Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation (DPOR), Board for Contractors, Tradesmen Program. The structure never changes from sitting to sitting, so memorizing it removes one source of test-day anxiety.
- Scored questions: 70
- Time limit: 210 minutes
- Passing threshold: 49 correct answers
- Possible extras: 1-10 unscored experimental questions embedded in the same time block
- Format: multiple-choice, open-book, computer-based
- Minimum age: 18
Notice that the experimental questions are not flagged - you won't know which items count and which don't, so treat every question with equal seriousness. For a broader breakdown of how these numbers translate into a study plan, see the VA-JE Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt.
Registration and Fee Mechanics
Unlike some trade exams, the VA-JE involves two separate financial and procedural steps, and candidates frequently get tripped up by the order of operations.
- DPOR pre-approval first. You cannot schedule your exam until DPOR approves your examination-route application. The current application fee is $171.75.
- PSI exam fee second. Once approved, you pay PSI's separate journeyman exam fee of $100 to schedule your test session.
Applicants must also satisfy one of Virginia's published education-and-experience combinations. These range from a related engineering bachelor's degree paired with one year of practical experience, all the way to eight years of practical experience with no formal vocational training. If you're unsure which combination applies to your background, review the full breakdown in VA-JE Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify before you submit anything to DPOR.
Because two separate fees are involved, total out-of-pocket cost is easy to underestimate. A full accounting of both mandatory fees and optional prep expenses is broken down in VA-JE Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown.
Key Takeaway
Submit your DPOR examination-route application well ahead of when you want to test - approval must happen before PSI will let you pay the $100 exam fee and schedule a seat.
Approved References and Tabbing Rules
The VA-JE is open-book, but "open-book" has strict limits that trip up unprepared candidates. Know these rules cold:
- Current reference set: 2020 NEC, 2024 NFPA 70E, and Virginia tradesman regulations
- Allowed: permanent tabs, highlighting, underlining, and indexing added to your approved references
- Prohibited: study guides, loose papers, removable tabs, and any handwritten notes or annotations inside the references
This means your NEC prep work has to happen well before test day - you build your tabbing system during study sessions, not during the exam. Practice navigating Article 100 definitions, ampacity tables, and box-fill calculations using only the tabs and highlights you're allowed to bring. Timed practice with your actual tabbed code book is one of the highest-leverage things you can do; run through simulated questions on the main practice test platform to build the muscle memory for flipping straight to the right table under time pressure.
Domain-by-Domain Cheat Sheet
DPOR and PSI organize the VA-JE into 24 content domains, spanning everything from licensure law to hands-on installation knowledge. Below is a condensed reference. For the full explanation of every domain with sample question styles, see VA-JE Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 24 Content Areas.
Domains 1-6: Board Law and Licensure Structure
Standards of Practice, Standards of Conduct, Renewal and Reinstatement, Definitions, Qualification for Licensure, and Revocation of Licensure cover how DPOR governs tradesmen in Virginia.
- Know the difference between a tradesman license and a contractor license
- Understand grounds for disciplinary action and revocation
Domains 7-9: Foundational Electrical Knowledge
General Electrical Knowledge, Requirements for Electrical Installations, and Electrical-Electronic Fundamentals build the theory base for every calculation question later in the exam.
- Ohm's Law and power formulas
- Basic circuit theory and installation code requirements
Domains 10-14: Core Installation Topics
Branch Circuits, Service and Feeders, Grounding and Bonding, Conductors and Cables, and Raceways and Boxes make up the largest cluster of tested material on the exam.
- Grounding electrode conductor sizing
- Conductor ampacity adjustments and box-fill calculations
Domains 15-20: Specialty and Occupancy-Based Rules
Special Occupancies, Special Equipment, Electrical Signs and Outline Lighting, Motors and Controls, Utilization Equipment, and Lighting cover application-specific code sections.
- Hazardous locations and special occupancy classifications
- Motor overload and branch-circuit protection sizing
Domains 21-24: Low Voltage and Safety
General Low Voltage Requirements, Communication Systems, Fire Detection and Alarm Systems, and Safety round out the domain list with topics tied to NFPA 70E.
- Low-voltage wiring separation requirements
- Fire alarm circuit classifications and safety procedures
The Two Heaviest Domains
PSI calculates domain percentages from its official item counts, and two domains tie for the largest share of the exam at 10.00% each: Conductors and Cables and Raceways and Boxes. Together, these two domains represent a meaningfully large chunk of your scored questions, so they deserve disproportionate study time relative to smaller domains like Revocation of Licensure or Electrical Signs and Outline Lighting.
- Conductors and Cables: ampacity tables, conductor sizing, insulation types, derating for temperature and bundling
- Raceways and Boxes: conduit fill calculations, box-fill formulas, support and spacing requirements, raceway types and their permitted uses
If your practice test results show weakness in either of these two areas, that's not a minor gap - it's a direct hit to nearly 20% of your scored questions combined. Diagnostic sections that isolate these domains specifically are worth running repeatedly on the practice test site before you consider yourself exam-ready.
Key Takeaway
Conductors and Cables plus Raceways and Boxes account for roughly one-fifth of your scored questions - master conduit fill and ampacity tables before moving to lower-weight domains.
Final Week Review Schedule
In the days before your test date, resist the urge to start new material. Instead, run a compressed review cycle that mirrors the exam's own weighting.
Heaviest Domains First
- Re-drill Conductors and Cables and Raceways and Boxes since they carry the most scored questions
- Re-tab any NEC tables you keep flipping past slowly
Core Installation Cluster
- Review Branch Circuits, Service and Feeders, and Grounding and Bonding
- Time yourself on grounding electrode conductor sizing problems
Board Law and Definitions
- Refresh Standards of Practice, Standards of Conduct, and Qualification for Licensure
- Confirm you know the difference between renewal and reinstatement rules
Full Timed Simulations
- Run a full 70-question, 210-minute practice exam under real conditions
- Review any missed items against your tabbed reference set, not new material
This kind of structured pacing is one of the few generic study techniques worth borrowing here - but only because it's built directly around the VA-JE's own domain weighting rather than a one-size-fits-all schedule. For a fuller ramp-up plan starting months out instead of days, see the VA-JE Study Guide 2026.
Licensure, Renewal, and Scope Facts
Passing the exam is a milestone, not the finish line. A few facts about what happens after you pass are easy to forget under study pressure:
- License term: expires three years from the last day of the issuance month
- Renewal requirement: three hours of Board-approved electrical code-change continuing education
- Scope limit: a tradesman license is separate from the Virginia contractor license required for work over $1,000
That last point matters for career planning - passing the VA-JE licenses you as a journeyman tradesman, not as a contractor able to bid and sign larger jobs on your own. If you're weighing whether the credential is worth the investment given this scope limitation, the analysis in Is the VA-JE Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 walks through the tradeoffs, and VA-JE Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis looks at how licensure connects to earning potential.
Quick Reference Table
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Governing body | DPOR, Board for Contractors, Tradesmen Program |
| Exam administrator | PSI |
| DPOR application fee | $171.75 |
| PSI exam fee | $100 |
| Scored questions | 70 |
| Passing score | 49 correct |
| Time limit | 210 minutes |
| Possible unscored items | 1-10 experimental questions |
| Reference codes | 2020 NEC, 2024 NFPA 70E, Virginia tradesman regulations |
| Largest domains | Conductors and Cables (10.00%), Raceways and Boxes (10.00%) |
| License term | 3 years from last day of issuance month |
| Renewal CE | 3 hours Board-approved code-change training |
Keep this table next to your desk during final review - it's a faster memory check than flipping back through full study notes. For context on how difficult the exam actually feels relative to its structure, see How Hard Is the VA-JE Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026, and for patterns in outcomes, see VA-JE Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are 70 scored questions, and you need 49 correct to pass. PSI may also include up to 10 unscored experimental questions that don't count toward your final score, but you can't identify which ones those are during the test.
You may bring the 2020 NEC, 2024 NFPA 70E, and Virginia tradesman regulations with permanent tabs, highlighting, underlining, and indexing already applied. Study guides, loose papers, removable tabs, and any writing added inside the references are prohibited.
Conductors and Cables and Raceways and Boxes are tied as the largest domains at 10.00% each of PSI's item counts, making them the highest-value areas to master if your time is limited.
Two separate fees apply: a $171.75 DPOR examination-route application fee paid for pre-approval, and a separate $100 PSI fee paid to schedule the actual exam session.
No. A tradesman license earned through the VA-JE is separate from the Virginia contractor license, which is required for work over $1,000.
Use this cheat sheet as a quick-recall companion, not a substitute for full domain study - pair it with structured practice sessions on the practice test platform and the deeper domain breakdowns linked above to close any remaining gaps before test day.