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Checked against primary sources 2026-09-07

Before you drive

Wisconsin Trades Exam Locations: Dates and What to Do

Two things end a Wisconsin exam day before it starts: identification that does not match your registration, and a binder full of sticky tabs. Both are avoidable, and so is turning up at the wrong kind of venue.

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On this page
  1. The five DSPS venues and their 2026 dates
  2. The Pearson VUE side
  3. The application deadline for a DSPS sitting
  4. Identification
  5. Cancelling, rescheduling and not turning up
  6. What goes in the bag
  7. After the paper
  8. Questions people ask
  9. What this page cites

The five DSPS venues and their 2026 dates

DSPS publishes its own sitting calendar by venue.

As of today, September 7, 2026, the dates still ahead this year are Appleton on September 22 to 23 and November 24 to 25, Eau Claire on October 7, Deforest on October 27 to 28 and December 8 to 9, and Pewaukee on November 10 to 11.

SPS 305.09 sets the floor rather than the calendar: "the department shall conduct at least 4 license, certification or registration examinations annually."

The Pearson VUE side

DSPS names six Pearson VUE cities in Wisconsin: Eau Claire, Madison, Brookfield, Kenosha, Ashwaubenon and Milwaukee.

The network is larger than those six. The DSPS news release of October 4, 2023 says the partnership added 54 testing sites in Wisconsin, "six Pearson VUE-owned testing centers and 48 centers at third-party sites," on top of five DSPS locations, and that there would be "no reduction in state-run exam slots."

Electrician exams run through either channel. A separate DSPS list restricts certain other credentials to the six Pearson centers, and no electrician exam is on it.

The application deadline for a DSPS sitting

SPS 305.09 requires the application to be "received by the department at least 30 calendar days prior to the day" of the examination.

Count backwards from the venue date you want. For the Deforest sitting on October 27, that means a late September filing, and LicensE has to carry an open application before any of it can be scheduled.

Identification

Pearson VUE's candidate handbook requires the primary identification to be "government-issued and photo-bearing with a signature," and it must "exactly match the name used to register."

Exactly match is the phrase that catches people. A registration in a maiden name and a license in a married name is the same problem as a missing document.

Cancelling, rescheduling and not turning up

The Pearson VUE handbook says candidates who want to cancel or reschedule without penalty must do so "at least forty-eight (48) hours before the examination."

Not turning up is worse than cancelling. SPS 305.09 says an applicant who "fails to appear at a scheduled license, certification or registration examination without giving notice to the department at least 24 hours before the examination shall be considered to have failed the examination and shall be required to submit a re-examination application and examination fee."

For a retake, the handbook says "A new exam eligibility must be sent to Pearson VUE prior to scheduled an appointment to retake the exam," and the DSPS FAQ points you back into LicensE to request it.

What goes in the bag

Up to four reference items: one binder with SPS 305, SPS 316 and three hole punched printed notes, a code book or handbook in the edition your exam page names, and up to two bound reference books.

What stays at home: loose papers, removable tabs, sticky notes, paperclips, practice or previous exams, and highlighters. The book rules page quotes each of those rules.

Check the exam page for your credential the week you travel. As of September 7, 2026 it still names the 2017 code book, and DSPS expects exam updates to be completed by October 1.

After the paper

The pass mark is 70 percent in each part. A pass is not open ended: SPS 305.09 gives you three months from the date the department mailed the results to submit an application, and after that the whole examination has to be retaken.

If you want the paper reviewed, the rule sets a $15 fee for an examination review request.

Questions people ask

Where can I sit the Wisconsin electrician exam?

At a DSPS venue in Pewaukee, Appleton, Deforest, Eau Claire or Weston, or at a Pearson VUE location. DSPS names six Pearson VUE cities: Eau Claire, Madison, Brookfield, Kenosha, Ashwaubenon and Milwaukee.

What are the 2026 DSPS exam dates?

Pewaukee runs six two day sittings, Appleton six, Deforest six, Eau Claire three single days and Weston two. The dates still ahead after September 7 are Appleton on September 22 to 23 and November 24 to 25, Eau Claire on October 7, Deforest on October 27 to 28 and December 8 to 9, and Pewaukee on November 10 to 11.

How far ahead do I have to apply?

SPS 305.09 requires the application to reach the department at least 30 calendar days before the day of the examination, and LicensE has to carry an open application before anything can be scheduled.

What identification do I need?

A government issued, photo bearing identification with a signature, in a name that exactly matches the name used to register.

Can I reschedule my Wisconsin trades exam?

Pearson VUE requires cancellation or rescheduling at least 48 hours before the appointment to avoid a penalty. Under SPS 305.09, failing to appear without notice to the department at least 24 hours before the examination counts as a failed examination and requires a re-examination application and examination fee.

How many exams does DSPS have to run?

At least four a year. SPS 305.09 sets that floor, and the published 2026 calendar runs well above it across five venues.

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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.

NEC and National Electrical Code are registered trademarks of the National Fire Protection Association.

Trojan Digital Marketing is an independent company. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by NFPA, the Department of Safety and Professional Services, Pearson VUE, or any licensing authority, school or union.

The Wisconsin examinations are open book, and the allowance is a generous one: the code book or handbook, one binder holding SPS 305, SPS 316 and printed notes, and up to two bound reference books. The DSPS exam pages still name the 2017 National Electrical Code, DSPS expects its exam updates to be completed by 1 October 2026, and the trade press reports the questions changing from that date. The field code, SPS 316, went to the 2023 edition on 1 September 2026, so for one month the book you work to and the book you test on are different.

All practice questions are original. They are not actual exam questions.

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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