North Carolina Electrician PrepLicense, exam and code, in one place

Checked against primary sources 2026-09-05

Read this before you tab

NC Electrical Exam Book Rules: Tabs, Marks and Books

North Carolina runs open book examinations, which means the reference check at the door decides how your day goes. The rules are short, they are in the Board's handbook, and one of them catches almost everybody: temporary tabs are not allowed.

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On this page
  1. Which books are allowed
  2. The binding rule
  3. What you may write in it, and when
  4. The tab rule that catches people
  5. The edition trap
  6. What to do with your book now
  7. Questions people ask
  8. What this page cites

Which books are allowed

The handbook splits its references in two, and the split is the part people miss. One short list goes into the examination center with you. Everything else on it is a closed book study reference.

Open book, and you supply it:

Closed book, so you study them ahead of the day and answer from memory:

Lighting and Power Plans are not a book you buy or carry. The handbook prints them at the back, and the printed versions are the ones candidates work from.

So the day asks two things of you: fast lookups in the one or two books you bring, and recall for the law, the rules and the business material.

The binding rule

References must be softbound, spiral or hardbound. Loose leaf references are not allowed.

This catches people who print a code book, who use a three ring binder for their notes, or who tore a section out to carry. If it is not bound as a book, it does not come in.

It also means a spiral bound handbook is fine, which is the usual format the handbook is printed in.

What you may write in it, and when

Materials may be highlighted, underlined and annotated before the examination session.

Writing during the examination is prohibited. So the notes go in at home, weeks ahead, and the pen stays away from the book in the room.

There is no published limit in the handbook on how much annotation is acceptable, which is not the same as no limit. Keep annotations to notes about the code rather than worked answers, because a book full of pre-solved problems is the kind of thing a proctor asks about.

The tab rule that catches people

Temporary tabs such as post-it notes or stapled tabs are not allowed and must be removed before testing.

That is one sentence and it costs more candidates their references than anything else on the list. A code book tabbed with sticky flags the night before is a code book that gets stripped at the door.

What the rule permits by implication is a permanent tab, the printed adhesive kind sold as a tab set and applied to the page. It does not say a tab set is approved, so if your set is the peel and stick paper kind rather than a laminated permanent tab, ask the Board before your date rather than the proctor on the day.

The safer plan is to know your book. On a paper that gives you three minutes thirty six seconds a question, the table of contents and the index are fast enough if you have used them for a few weeks.

The edition trap

The required code book is the 2020 edition. Not 2023, which North Carolina has adopted but has not put in force, and not 2026, which it has not adopted.

The NFPA 72 edition allowed is 2013, which is older still. A candidate who buys the newest of everything arrives with two books that do not match the list.

Read which edition is on the exam before you buy anything, and which code edition applies to the work for the enforcement side.

What to do with your book now

Buy the 2020 edition, not the current one. Bind it or buy it bound. Tab it with something permanent, or do not tab it at all.

Then use it. Work the free topic sets and the timed practice test with the book open beside you, and time the lookups. The point of an open book paper is that speed of lookup is the skill being tested.

Every annotation you want in that book has to be in it before you leave the house on the morning.

Questions people ask

Can I use tabs on my code book for the NC exam?

Temporary tabs such as post-it notes or stapled tabs are not allowed and must be removed before testing. If your tab set is not a permanent one, ask the Board before your date.

Can I highlight and write notes in my NEC?

Yes, before the examination session. Highlighting, underlining and annotation are allowed in advance, and writing during the examination is prohibited.

Which NEC edition do I bring?

The 2020 edition. That is what the handbook's reference list requires, and it is the edition North Carolina currently enforces.

Can I bring a printed or loose leaf code book?

No. References must be softbound, spiral or hardbound, and loose leaf references are not allowed.

Are the licensing law and the Board rules open book?

No. The licensing law in Chapter 87 Article 4, the Board's rules in Title 21 NCAC 18B and the NASCLA North Carolina Electrical Edition guide are closed book study references. You read them before your date and answer their questions from memory.

Is NFPA 72 allowed on every exam?

No. The 2013 edition of the National Fire Alarm Code is allowed for Limited, Intermediate, Unlimited, SP-SFD and SP-FA/LV only.

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What this page cites

If your book is the other edition

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

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.

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