Training · Certification
Pass your state exam the first time
WECA exam prep is popular throughout California for a reason: every instructor who teaches or develops our courses has passed the exam and is state-certified.
The four California certifications
Anyone performing covered electrical work for a C-10 contractor needs one of these. Here's what each exam looks like:
General Electrician
100 questions · 4 hr 30 min
For work on any electrical system covered by the NEC. Content: Installation 66%, System Requirements 22%, Safety 6%, Maintenance & Repair 6%.
Residential Electrician
80 questions · 3 hr 30 min
For NEC-covered work in homes, multi-family units, hotels and motels (120/208 or 120/240V service). Content: Installation 66%, System Requirements 23%, Safety 5%, Maintenance 6%.
Voice Data Video Technician
50 questions · 2 hr 15 min
Preparation 22%, Installation 22%, Termination 14%, Testing & Troubleshooting 12%, plus telecom, security, sound, and AV systems.
Fire/Life Safety Technician
50 questions · 2 hr 15 min
Fire Alarm Systems 34%, Preparation 24%, Testing & Troubleshooting 12%, Installation 12%, Safety 10%, Termination 8%.
California testing is currently based on the 2023 edition of the NEC. C-10 license holders working under their own valid license don't need certification.
Pick your prep format
CA General & Residential exams
- Live Online Two-Day Exam Prep — instructor-led weekend intensives.
- GetWired 404 — a 42-hour instructor-led course, entirely online in the evenings, for test-takers who want the deep version.
- Self-paced online — a 24-hour exam prep course, or the self-paced version of GetWired 404, on your own schedule.
Low voltage technician exams
- Fire/Life Safety — 32-hour self-paced online course.
- Voice Data Video — 32-hour self-paced online course.
Are you eligible to test?
Applicants must show proof of required experience under Title 8 §291.1 — sufficient on-the-job experience plus advancement in an Apprenticeship or Electrician Trainee program while those hours were earned. Not there yet? Start with the ET program or apply for apprenticeship.
Renewing your certification
Certifications generally expire three years from the effective date. To renew, you need 2,000 hours worked in the industry and 32 hours of continuing education relevant to your category — all WECA CE courses count for General and Residential, and many for VDV/FLS. Renewal goes to the DAS with a check or money order; if your card has already expired, you must re-register as an ET and retake the exam, so renew on time.
Get your 32 hours through WECA Continuing Education.
ESL test-takers
Extra time (up to time and a half) can be granted for test-takers whose primary language isn't English — for any language. WECA can provide the required school letter; contact us to request it.