How to prepare for major load calculations portion of administrator exam (WA state)

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electrofelon

electrofelon

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Location
Cherry Valley NY, Seattle, WA
It's a rather hard test. I failed the first time and I usually get low 90's on electrical tests without studying. You need to know your way around article 220 very well. They will give you a pile of loads and ask for the service calc for for the building. I would get a book that has lots of load calc examples, I would see what Mike holy offers in this area.
 
Mike Holt Exam prep, many of my students said it was what helped them pass. That plus time, Do all the load calc examples in the NEC.
Look at back issues of Currents for calculation questions. Those are likely the same as on the test.
Have you looked at the PSI exam candidate information?
 
From what I’ve seen, there isn’t anything offered for this portion of the exam from his materials. Can I ask how you managed to get through that exam?
 
Every state is different.

In most states due to time limitations they don’t do the standard method anymore. It’s all alternative method. Also make sure you know range calculations. Write it all out because the notes are very confusing. It’s very straightforward if you figure it out but written badly. The questions you get in standard method are like that...how to do X but not the whole thing. I can do alternative method in like 30-45 seconds. Standard method takes minutes.
 
I passed first time, about 71%, ten questions. That was long time ago when the test was harder, the exam content was owned by other than L&I and they had no incentive for you to pass. Today L&I owns the questions and PSI delivers them
 
Paigeshadley said:
From what I’ve seen, there isn’t anything offered for this portion of the exam from his materials. Can I ask how you managed to get through that exam?
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I did not study at all the first time and didn't even look at what the exam was on. I thought by "calculations" they meant things like resistors, power, volts/amps, conduit fill, etc. I got 90% the next time by looking over 220 and spending time on the examples in the NEC annex.
 
It took me two tries to pass the exam. I did well on calculations and code of the first attempt. But I had out-of-date references for the WAC & RCW portion of the exam. I am certain the format and content have changed in the intervening 17 years. So I can't suggest any preparatory materials that have not already been mentioned. Best of luck.
 
I took that test a few years ago. Failed the calculations the first time. Then used Tom Henry's Calculation book and it helped me a lot.
 
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