Alaska's electrical administrator exams are open book on the 2020 NEC at PSI: 100 questions in 240 minutes for Unlimited Commercial Wiring and 75 questions in 180 minutes for Residential Wiring, with 70% needed to pass. Each attempt costs $150. PSI gives them for the Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing (CBPL), and since October 20, 2026 you can test online or at a test site (PSI bulletin updated October 15, 2026).
An electrical administrator is the license a contractor's supervisor holds. It covers supervision and sign-off, not hands-on wiring. The journeyman card is a different credential, called a certificate of fitness (COF), and the Department of Labor's Mechanical Inspection section gives its own exam for it.
| Quick facts | Alaska electrical exams |
|---|---|
| Administrator exams | PSI, online with a remote proctor or at a test site. Rules are in the Electrical Administrators bulletin (updated October 15, 2026). |
| Unlimited Commercial Wiring (UCW) | 100 questions, 240 minutes, 70% to pass, $150 |
| Residential Wiring (RW) | 75 questions, 180 minutes, 70% to pass, $150 |
| Code edition | 2020 NEC. Code questions are graded on that edition only. |
| Books | Open book. You bring your own. Permanent tabs allowed, Post-its not. |
| Before you book | CBPL approves your administrator application ($150 application fee plus $170 license fee) and sends an eligibility letter good for 1 year. |
| Journeyman COF exam | Given by Mechanical Inspection, not PSI. Open book on the 2020 NEC, 4 hours maximum, 70% to pass. |
Who can take the Alaska electrical administrator exam?
You need CBPL approval first. A "year" of experience means at least 1,500 hours worked within 12 straight months (12 AAC 32.930).
- Unlimited Commercial Wiring: 4 of the last 6 years as a journeyman in inside commercial wiring. Field superintendent time, an electrical engineering degree, or inspector and instructor years can also qualify you (12 AAC 32.145).
- Residential Wiring: 2 of the last 4 years as a journeyman residential wireman (12 AAC 32.215).
Send the License by Examination application (form 08-4898) with $320. CBPL then mails an eligibility letter with an ID number you use to book with PSI. Every route and category is laid out in JCR's Alaska electrical administrator license guide.
Testing for UCW or RW? JCR's Alaska package is built on the 2020 NEC that PSI grades Alaska administrator code questions on.
What you get for $495: 100 video lessons (21 hours), JCR's 152-page workbook with a six-week plan, a 500+ question mock exam (digital and printed) and permanent code tabs, which PSI's Alaska rules allow.
What's on the Alaska UCW and RW administrator exams?
The PSI bulletin lists these question counts. Only 5 on each exam test Alaska law. The rest are code and trade questions.
| Topic | UCW / RW questions |
|---|---|
| Grounding and bonding | 13 / 10 |
| Raceways and enclosures | 13 / 10 |
| Conductors and cables | 13 / 10 |
| Services, feeders and branch circuits | 13 / 9 |
| General electrical knowledge | 9 / 6 |
| Special occupancies | 8 / none |
| Motors | 5 / none |
| Safety | 5 / 4 |
| Alaska statutes and regulations | 5 / 5 |
| Low voltage | 4 / 5 |
| Lighting, alarm systems | 3 each / 5 each |
| Photovoltaics | 3 / 3 |
| Electrical power | 3 / none |
| Special equipment | none / 3 |
| Total | 100 in 240 minutes / 75 in 180 minutes |
PSI may add 1 to 10 unscored trial questions. They do count against your time.
The other four Alaska administrator categories
Each one is its own PSI exam. All take 70% to pass and cost $150.
| Category | Exam and allowed books |
|---|---|
| Unlimited Linework (UL) | 100 questions, 240 minutes. 2020 NEC and 2020 NESC (the National Electrical Safety Code). Transformers and poles are 15 questions each. |
| Controls and Control Wiring (CNTL) | 50 questions, 120 minutes. 2020 NEC, 2013 NFPA 72, OSHA 29 CFR 1926 and Control Systems for Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning (6th edition). |
| Inside Communications (IC) | 50 questions, 120 minutes. 2020 NEC, 2013 NFPA 72 and OSHA 29 CFR 1926. |
| Outside Communications (OC) | 50 questions, 120 minutes. 2020 NEC, 2017 NESC and OSHA 29 CFR 1926. |
Every category also allows the four Alaska law documents listed below. Adding a category to a license you already hold means passing that category's exam (12 AAC 32.032).
What books can you bring to the Alaska administrator exam?
PSI doesn't hand out books. Bring your own copies.
- Both UCW and RW: the 2020 NEC and OSHA 29 CFR Part 1926 (the full text or PSI's Selections)
- UCW adds: the 2013 NFPA 72 fire alarm code
- RW adds: the 2020 NESC
- Alaska law, both exams: Electrical Administrator Statutes and Regulations, Construction Contractor Statutes and Regulations, Centralized Licensing Statutes and Centralized Licensing Regulations
Book rules from the bulletin:
- Before exam day you may highlight, underline, annotate and index. During the exam you can't mark the books at all.
- Tabs: permanent only, meaning tabs that would tear the page if pulled off. Post-its and other removable tabs must come out before the exam starts.
- Printouts of the Alaska law PDFs must be spiral-bound or hole-punched in a binder.
- Not allowed: loose or attached extra papers, study guides and sample exams.
- Calculator: silent, nonprinting and non-programmable.
- Dictionary: a word-to-word translation dictionary with no pictures or definitions is fine.
How do you schedule the Alaska PSI exam?
- Book at PSI's Alaska page or by phone at (855) 746-8173, using the ID number from your eligibility letter.
- Test sites in Alaska: Fairbanks, Juneau, Ketchikan, Sitka and Soldotna, plus PSI centers in other states.
- Online: no breaks and no scratch paper. Military ID isn't accepted. Test sites hand you an LCD writing tablet for notes.
- ID: one current photo ID with your signature, matching the name you booked under. Arrive 30 minutes early.
- Fees can't be refunded or transferred and are good for 1 year from payment.
- Cancel at least 2 days ahead online or by phone. A voicemail doesn't count.
- Scores show on screen and arrive by email. A fail includes a report of weak areas.
Retakes and deadlines
- You can't rebook the same day. Fail on a Wednesday, call Thursday, and you may retest Friday if seats are open.
- Each attempt costs another $150.
- Pass within 1 year of your eligibility letter or you reapply with CBPL.
- Send your passing result to CBPL. A pass is good for 12 months.
Alaska journeyman electrician exam (certificate of fitness)
To do hands-on electrical work in Alaska, you need a COF from Mechanical Inspection. Its rules:
- Electrician journeyman: 8,000 hours under an Alaska trainee COF. No more than 2,000 can be residential (8 AAC 90.160).
- Residential wireman: 4,000 hours of residential or commercial work.
- Fees: $50 application plus a $200 certificate fee that isn't charged until after you test (Electrical and Plumbing application).
- Exam: open book on the 2020 NEC, 4 hours maximum, 70% to pass. A fail means a 30-day wait.
- Where: Anchorage, Juneau and Fairbanks on the first and third Wednesday of each month. Job Centers proctor it in other cities, and Alaska electrical unions test at their halls.
Licensed as a journeyman in another state for at least a year? You may get the COF with no exam. See Alaska electrical license reciprocity.
Alaska electrical exam prep: how to pass
- Pace at 2.4 minutes a question on UCW and RW. Trial questions eat into that time.
- Drill the big four. Grounding, raceways, conductors and services are 52 of 100 UCW questions.
- Tab the law PDFs. Five questions come from them, and they're quick points if you can find the section.
- Put permanent tabs on before exam day. Post-its get pulled at check-in.
- Plan 6–8 weeks, about an hour a night, and finish with timed practice tests.
Alaska electrical exam FAQ
Is the Alaska electrical administrator exam open book?
Yes. You bring your own 2020 NEC, the Alaska law documents and the other books listed for your category. PSI doesn't supply any.
Can I take the Alaska electrical administrator exam online?
Yes. Starting October 20, 2026, PSI offers it with a remote proctor or at a test site. Online testing allows no breaks and no scratch paper.
How many questions are on the Alaska Unlimited Commercial Wiring exam?
100 questions in 240 minutes, and you need 70%. Five are on Alaska law. The rest are 2020 NEC and trade questions.
Are tabs allowed in my code book?
Yes, permanent tabs that would tear the page if removed. Post-its and other removable tabs must come out before the exam starts.
Who gives the Alaska journeyman electrician exam?
The Department of Labor's Mechanical Inspection section, not PSI. It's open book on the 2020 NEC, with a 4-hour limit and a 70% passing score.
Prepare for the 2020 NEC on the UCW and RW exams
JCR's Alaska self-study package trains the code lookups, theory and calculations behind the technical questions on both administrator exams. The journeyman COF exam uses the same 2020 NEC.
It costs $495. Videos and digital practice exams open right after checkout, and the printed workbook, mock exam and permanent tabs ship the same business day. Pair it with the 2020 NEC and, for UCW, the 2013 NFPA 72.
Get the Alaska self-study package — $495
Want to check your level first? Try 25 free NEC practice questions.
More Alaska guides
Sources JCR checked
- PSI Alaska Electrical Administrators bulletin (updated October 15, 2026)
- PSI: Alaska electrical administrators
- CBPL: Electrical Administrators
- CBPL: exam information
- CBPL License by Examination application 08-4898
- AS 08.40 and 12 AAC 32
- Mechanical Inspection: testing information
- Mechanical Inspection: licenses and requirements
- Certificate of Fitness statutes and regulations (August 2025)
- Electrical and Plumbing COF application
JCR checked these exam details against PSI's Alaska bulletin, CBPL's pages, forms and regulations, and Mechanical Inspection's pages on October 21, 2026. Confirm the question count and book rules for the journeyman COF exam with Mechanical Inspection (mi@alaska.gov) before you test.