Checked against primary sources 2026-09-07
The reference list, quoted
Wisconsin Electrician Exam: What You Can Bring In
Wisconsin lets four reference items into the exam room, and the rules that catch people are about how the material is bound rather than what it says. Here is the state list word for word, along with the one place DSPS contradicts itself.
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The list, exactly as DSPS prints it
From the electrician exam pages: "The exam will cover information listed below. Pearson VUE and DSPS exam locations will ONLY allow the following four reference items into the exam:
- In One Binder: Wis. Admin. Code § SPS 305; Wis. Admin. Code § SPS 316; Printed Notes
- 2017 National Electrical Codebook (NEC) or Handbook
- Up to two printed, bound reference book (i.e. Ugly's, Ferm's Fast Finder Index to National Electrical Code, Tom Henry series books, Mike Holt series books)"
That is three numbered items whose third entry allows two books, which is how a list of three adds up to four things in your hands.
Three items or four, and DSPS says both
The journeyman and residential journeyman exam pages introduce that list as "the following four reference items." The master and residential master pages introduce the identical list as "the following three reference items."
The standalone permitted materials PDF settles the practical question by marking every electrician row "Up to 4 items."
So the count that reconciles them is four things. If a proctor questions it, the numbered list and the permitted materials PDF are the documents to have with you.
The two chapters worth printing
Item 1 is the part worth planning around. Wisconsin lets you bring its own administrative code chapters into the room: SPS 305, which carries the credential rules, and SPS 316, which carries Wisconsin's own changes to the National Electrical Code.
Both are public law, so you can print them in full without anybody's permission, and both are examinable subject matter rather than background reading.
That makes the binder the cheapest advantage available in this exam. Print the chapters, tab them with paper dividers, and know where the amendment subjects sit. Our SPS 316 page is a subject index to the second chapter.
The binding rules that catch people
Quoted from the exam pages:
- "For all exams printed notes are allowed, as long as they are three hole punched and placed in the binder."
- "Printed code can only be brought into the exam if it is bound together in a three-ring binder."
- "Tabs are acceptable if they come with a bound code book. Three ring paper dividers with tabs are permitted."
- "Items that are not allowed include loose papers, removable tabs, sticky notes and paperclips."
Read the tab rule carefully. A tab set that came with a bound code book is fine, and so are three ring paper dividers, and the sticky flags most people use the night before are not.
The line only the PDF carries
The standalone permitted materials PDF, last updated June 2025, restates the rules and adds one sentence the exam pages leave out: "Practice or previous exams do not qualify as notes and are not allowed."
Its full general rule reads: "For all exams printed notes are allowed, as long as they are three hole punched and placed in the binder. Practice or previous exams do not qualify as notes and are not allowed. Printed code can only be brought into the exam if it is bound together in a three-ring binder. You may use three ring paper dividers with tabs. You cannot use removable tabs, sticky notes, or paperclips; no loose papers. Tabs are acceptable if they come with a bound code book."
So worked practice papers stay at home. Notes about the code are notes. A page of solved questions is not.
No highlighter
The Pearson VUE trades exam FAQ carries one restriction the electrician pages do not: "Highlighters and architect or scale rulers are permitted for plumbing exams only."
So an electrician candidate cannot bring a highlighter into the room. The same FAQ also refuses a book that has already been marked with one: "Do not highlight your reference material as it will not be permitted at future exams."
Read that as written. Highlighting your own book in advance is not a way around the rule against carrying the pen. It is the thing that gets the book turned away at the door, so keep the copy you sit with unhighlighted.
Which edition of the code book
Item 2 names the 2017 edition, and that is what the exam pages and the permitted materials PDF still said on September 7, 2026.
DSPS expects exam updates to the 2023 edition to be completed by October 1, 2026, and the trade press reports the change as starting on that date. The edition page prints both wordings and says what to do by test date.
Check the exam page for your credential on the day you book. The book that is allowed is the book that page names.
A sensible four
One binder with SPS 305, SPS 316 and your own printed notes, three hole punched. One code book or handbook in the edition your exam page names. Then two bound reference books, and DSPS itself names the sort of thing it means: Ugly's, Ferm's Fast Finder Index, the Tom Henry series and the Mike Holt series.
Practice with exactly that stack. On an open book paper the skill being tested is how fast you find a rule, and a stack you have never used is slower than a smaller one you know.
Questions people ask
What can I bring into the Wisconsin electrician exam?
One binder holding SPS 305, SPS 316 and printed notes, a National Electrical Code book or handbook, and up to two printed bound reference books. The permitted materials PDF caps every electrician exam at up to 4 items.
Can I use sticky tabs on my code book in Wisconsin?
No. Removable tabs, sticky notes, paperclips and loose papers are not allowed. Tabs that came with a bound code book are acceptable, and three ring paper dividers with tabs are permitted.
Can I bring printed notes?
Yes, as long as they are three hole punched and placed in the binder. Practice or previous exams do not qualify as notes and are not allowed.
Can I bring a highlighter?
No. The Pearson VUE trades exam FAQ says highlighters and architect or scale rulers are permitted for plumbing exams only, and it also says not to highlight your reference material because it will not be permitted at future exams.
Is it three items or four?
DSPS says both. The journeyman pages say four reference items and the master pages say three, and the standalone permitted materials PDF marks every electrician row Up to 4 items.
Can I bring the Wisconsin code chapters?
Yes, and you should. SPS 305 and SPS 316 are named in item 1 of the list, they go in the binder, and both are public law that you can print in full.
Thirty free questions, timed, with the working shown
Every miss comes back with the arithmetic worked out and the code section named, so you learn the trap and not just the answer. No account.
All questions here are original. They are not actual exam questions, and no question bank can promise you a pass.
What this page cites
- DSPS Journeyman Electrician exam page The four reference items, the binder rule, the tab rule and the list of items that are not allowed. source
- DSPS Master Electrician exam page The identical list introduced as three reference items rather than four. source
- DSPS permitted trades exam materials The Up to 4 items cap, the full general rule text and the sentence about practice exams. source
- Pearson VUE trades exam FAQ The rule that highlighters and scale rulers are for plumbing exams only. source
- SPS 316 chapter contents The chapter you are allowed to print and carry, including the Wisconsin amendment subchapter. source
The 2023 to 2026 section crosswalk maps every section that moved, both directions, $29 once.