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Checked against primary sources 2026-09-05

What gets refused at the door

Florida Electrical Exam Book Rules: Tabs and Binding

The candidate information booklet calls every Florida electrical contractor examination open book, and the department publishes the list of books by area with the edition of each one. The rules about how those books are marked and bound are short, and they're checked.

Test yourself: thirty free questions, timed

On this page
  1. The marking rule
  2. The binding rule for printed references
  3. The approved list, by area
  4. The editions, and when they change
  5. How to tab a book you can actually search
  6. Questions people ask
  7. What this page cites

The marking rule

Permanently attached tabs may be used in reference books. Post-it Notes, pull-off labels and removable tabs are not allowed.

No scratch paper, formulas or study notes are permitted. That covers the loose sheet of formulas taped inside a cover as much as it covers a notepad.

Tab permanently, well before the day. A book tabbed the night before is a book you haven't practiced finding things in.

The binding rule for printed references

Where a reference is supplied as a PDF, the booklet says it has to be printed and bound in a spiral notebook or a binder with three or more holes.

That reaches the UL standards the reference list offers as free PDFs to eligible candidates, and it means the printing and binding is a job for the week before, not the morning of.

The Florida Contractors Manual entry on the list also notes that a bound PDF index is permitted with it.

The approved list, by area

The department publishes the list by reference number, with the edition and the certification areas each title applies to. In summary:

A separate reference list covers the Two-Way Radio examination, and a separate candidate booklet goes with it.

The editions, and when they change

The list carries a future edition and a date for most titles. Several are set for August 21, 2027: the 2026 National Electrical Code, the 2025 OSHA volume, the 2025 NFPA 72, the 2026 NFPA 780, the 2023 National Electrical Safety Code, the 2014 UL 681, the 2023 Lineman's and Cableman's Handbook, the 2025 NTC Blue Book and the 2025 Florida Contractors Manual.

Until then the electrical questions reference the 2023 National Electrical Code. Buy the edition on the list rather than the newest one on the shelf. Which edition is on the exam explains what changed between the two.

How to tab a book you can actually search

Tab by subject, not by article number. Under pressure you reach for the thing you're being asked about, not for the number you memorized, and a tab that reads grounding electrodes finds the page faster than one that reads 250.

Keep the count down. Sixty tabs is a fringe you fan through. Twenty five you can hit first time.

Then practice with it. The free practice test is timed for exactly this: read, decide which book, turn to the tab, answer.

We're not a training provider, an approved course or an examination vendor, and nothing here is endorsed by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, the Electrical Contractors' Licensing Board or Pearson VUE. We're independent of all three.

Questions people ask

Can I tab my code book for the Florida exam?

Yes, if the tabs are permanently attached. The booklet says Post-it Notes, pull-off labels and removable tabs are not allowed.

Can I highlight or write in my book?

The booklet's rule is about tabs and about what you carry: no scratch paper, formulas or study notes. Ask the department before the day if you're unsure about marks already in a used book.

Which code edition do I bring?

The 2023 edition of NFPA 70, listed as RN9. The 2026 edition is scheduled to take over on August 21, 2027.

Can I bring a PDF reference on a tablet?

No. The booklet says PDF references have to be printed and bound in a spiral notebook or a binder with three or more holes.

Which books apply to my area?

The department's reference list marks each title with the certification areas it applies to. The OSHA volume and the Florida Contractors Manual apply to every area.

Is the exam actually open book?

Yes, though the phrase sits in two documents rather than on the department's examination page. The candidate information booklet describes the business and technical sections as open book, and the approved reference list names what you may carry. The examination page itself says candidates are strongly encouraged to bring approved reference materials and that no others are allowed at the site.

Do I get any of the books free?

The reference list marks UL 681 and UL 365 as free PDFs for eligible candidates. They still have to be printed and bound before you bring them in.

Put it to the test

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.

Start the free practice testSee the $79 question bank

All questions here are original. They are not actual exam questions, and no question bank can promise you a pass.

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.

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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