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There have been some confusion lately as to which page tabs are accepted at the exam site for the Texas electrical exam, so I wanted to clarify in a mini rant. Read on...
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In the good old days, as they say, or once upon a time, you pick your favorite… but a while ago (not that long ago. Ok I’ll get to the point.) Up until recently you were able to make your own tabs and stick them to your NEC book as long as the tabs you used were permanent. Back then electricians would buy Reditabs and hand write on them the articles and tables that were going to be widely useful during the exam. In the state of Texas at least, you might want to check with your municipality or state, that is no longer the case. Now you are only allowed to bring in 1 type of tab otherwise they make you sit there and tear off one by one your homemade tabs.
Ain’t that a b***. (Nancy says I shouldn’t cuss cause it’s not professional but dang it, this pisses me off!)
The only tabs that are accepted in the exam room in the state of Texas for the electrical exam are the NFPA tabs. Now don’t get me wrong, those tabs are made of durable material and they are very adhesive but they are not specifically made to help you point out any particular or special article for the exam. These tabs are made to separate each article and table.
NFPA 70®: National Electrical Code® (NEC®) or Handbook Tabs, 2017 Edition
So, don’t be the guy they pull off to the side to do the tab tear of shame. Just go along with the rules and buy the NFPA tabs to be on the safe side. I will give you some tips though and here they are:
- DO NOT apply ALL of the tabs on the set. Get yourself to a seminar so you can see what articles you will absolutely need to pay attention to for the electrical exam. Then use tabs for THOSE articles.
- IF you cannot make it to our seminar, buy yourself an exam prep book and download the exam bulletin so you can see what categories you have to focus on. The study books will give you a clear idea of what you might see on the exam. If you see article 250.4 more than a few times in your electrical exam prep book, I would find that tab or a tab that is close to it and tab it on that article page.
- TABLE TABS- stick your table tabs on the TOP of the page. Don’t let them get lost with the articles on the side of the book. This will save you some time during the electrical test.
- No one ever said anything about dog ear folding your NEC code book, so if you don’t have a tab for an article you think you’ll need, dog ear fold it and write yourself the Article on the corner of the page and highlight it, that way, when you are flipping through your pages, it will catch your eye.
We are just as frustrated that more efficient tabs aren’t in the market for you but we are going to continue working on providing you with tips and advise that are sure to help you prepare for and pass that dang electrical exam.
Let me know if you have other tips I didn’t write down here so we can share with the other guys. If you already passed your exam let us know what your grade was and how you did it!
This may be the last post Nancy lets me write and share.
-Tony
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