Efficient use of the NEC

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But-a-mear-splice

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I am currently taking the class to become a licensed Residential Electrical Inspector, in my state (OR). I served an apprenticeship with the IBEW (2000-2004), and then worked for another 5 years as Journeyman Wireman, primarily on the industrial side of things.

During the "economic downturn," the work picture dried up in my area. Due to circumstances both within my control and out of my control, my world fell apart. So I have been on an extended vacation from the Electrical Industry. In that time, I have worked all sorts of odd jobs (Mushroom Farmer, Taxi Driver, Landscape Construction, Tow Truck Dispatcher, Maintenance Technician, Handyman, Welder). I also went back to School, and earned a degree an AA in Horticulture. The plan was to start my own landscape construction business. But due to some pretty severe injuries sustained in a car accident (don't text and drive!!), that is no longer an option. I need a good job, that will not beat up my body too bad, so now I'm working towards becoming an Inspector.

Because of the long "vacation" from the Electrical Industry I am a bit rusty on all things NEC. As I am taking my Inspector class my training is coming back to me. I am able to participate in all of the discussions, and seem to be at least on par with some of the better students.

Where I feel like I am lacking is in the use of the code book. Throughout my apprenticeship I hardly ever had to crack the book open, due to the excellent on the job training. We just learned how things needed to be installed to code and to my locals craftsmanship standards. So when the class discussion turns to, which article is such and such in, or where would I find the answer to X question, I am never one of the first to come up with the article.

I would like to become much quicker to come up with answers as all of the exams will be timed. I know that as I familiarize myself with the book I will become faster. I have purchased the NEC tabs, as well as the NEC Handbook, Mike's Understanding the NEC volumes 1 and 2, Mike's Journeyman Practice Exam, Tom Henry's Key Word Index, Ugly's, and downloaded a copy of the Oregon Electrical Specialty Code, and all of the course lessons.

I have also made flash cards of all of the definitions in Article 100, and continue to add to them, definitions in each article as they come up in class. I have Highlighted each article heading in pink, each separate part heading in yellow, each code section heading in orange, and every instance where the Oregon Specialty Code supersedes the NEC in green, to help visually breakup the pages. As well as adding my own tabs for important tables and sections.

All of this and it still feels as if I cannot use the NEC efficiently.

Each exam question has to be answered within 1:50, if you are to complete all of the questions within the time limit. There is no way that this is possible if I have to use more than one resource, or If I have to rely on the index for a majority of the questions. Nobody has ever accused me of reading or working too fast!

So, my question to you is:

Do you have any tips and tricks to help with the efficient use of the NEC?

Whoa, after typing all that I am feeling pretty overwhelmed at the moment.
 
Just as the people who win on quiz shows do, you need to take sample tests. Get the sample tests for other states (just the NEC portions, not the "Except in NYC" parts), and work with those as well-- the idea is to get a lot of questions that don't ask the same things, or ask about the same things in a different way.

As far as answering each question in 1:50, the way to answer test questions is to go through the test and answer the 'easy' ones first-- hopefully in much less than 1:50. Then go back and work on the questions that need more thought. Answering the easy questions may even give you a hint at the way to attack the hard questions!

Above all-- RELAX!! Get a good night's sleep, eat a modest breakfast, and hit the test with confidence and enthusiasm.
 
But-a-mear-splice said:
Each exam question has to be answered within 1:50, if you are to complete all of the questions within the time limit. There is no way that this is possible if I have to use more than one resource, or If I have to rely on the index for a majority of the questions. Nobody has ever accused me of reading or working too fast!
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The simple answer is to know as much as possible without having to look anything up. For every question that you can read and answer in 20 seconds you'll get a 1:30 credit for the ones that you need to look up.
 
I agree 100 percent with the others who have suggested the exam prep questions / books

Art 100 definitions is very important but also the index in the back is my best friend. I indexed every question during my exam and I never tab my code book for speed / indexing.

I got very fast with the index. I also made additions to the index. If my brain thinks "burial depth" then I added that term to the index in pen and put the associated article in with it. 300.5 I also made lots of tiny notes in the tables and the margins - referring me to another article etc
Those are my "cheats" if you will. The only downside is that I lost a lot of my shortcuts when i went the 2017 book.

Also I dont recommend the handbook for testing but it can help you a lot with the explanatory.


I am not as smart as most guys on here but if I can do then so can you.
 
It will also help if you make a list of the various tables with their section numbers and memorize them. You do not need to memorize the entire table just its location in the code book.

For example if the question is about the sizing of a GEC and you have memorized that GEC's are contained in T250.66 you can go straight to that table without trying to find GEC's in the index first. Same for common test questions regarding the tables for EGC's, bonding jumpers, standard OCPD sizes, motor amp values, conductor ampacity, etc.
 
ptonsparky said:
Most every night for a year I studied questions in the EC&M magazine. (Before MHs time). Failed almost all of them, but it sure made navigating the Code Book easier.
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I did the same.. I don't think there were the code classes that prepped you for the test. I read ec&m and got familiar with the NEC. I did the examples in the back of the NEC and somehow I passed on my first try-- just barely and it was the limited exam. Yeas later I went for the unlimited and was building my house. I didn't study at all and failed by 1 point. Took it again with a little studying and got an 87-89 (can't remember exactly).

I just want to encourage you because I was one of those kids who could not focus in school. Today I would have been labeled one of those ADHD kids. I passed but I struggled... My reading comprehension sucks and I am embarrassed to say what my sat scores were.. but I made it thru college-- don't know if I could do that today... Work hard as mentioned above and the rewards will come.
 
Keep using the NEC, whether real world situations or practice tests and similar hypothetical situations. Knowing arrangement of code and what applies to different situations IMO is more important than use of index tabs or even the index at the back of the book.

Chapter 1 - contains some pretty basic stuff - things that are common to all aspects of electrical installations. As you get further into the book, content becomes more specific to a particular application, then you just need to know where those specific applications are when they come up.

Chapter 2 still mostly common stuff that applies to nearly everything but divided into certain major areas. You have art 210 - branch circuits, 215 - feeders, 225 outdoor branch circuits and feeders, 230 services. All those have a lot of similar content but each applies to a different aspect and each one has their own differences in certain circumstances. Then there is 240 overcurrent protection and 250 grounding/bonding - both are somewhat general in nature as far as what they apply to and follows the concept of early portions of the book are general and as you go further into the book things get more specific.

Chapter 3 is kind of the middle ground, is beyond the common stuff in chapters 1 and 2, but still a lot of common stuff, but is mostly about conductors, raceways, cables, boxes or other encosures, etc.

Chapter 4 gets more into details on specific yet fairly common stuff you see almost daily. Chapters 5 ,6 and 7 cover more specific items that not all of us see everyday.

Chapter 8 - communications kind of almost can be it's own stand alone document to some degree but they chose to make it a part of NEC.

Chapter 9 is more of a supplement of things that maybe could have been put into other sections. In some ways it would be nice if conductor ampacity tables were back there as well just for convenience when you are trying to design something from ground zero instead of flipping back and forth from chapter 3 to chapter 9 when doing some of these design tasks.

Use the code enough you may not exactly memorize everything, but you eventually get to the point of - what I am looking for is going to be in art 422, or maybe 430, and with enough use maybe you even know which major sub part you are heading to.
 
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