Nevada C-2 Electrical Contractor Exam Prep

About the Nevada C-2 Electrical license

Nevada licenses electrical contracting businesses through the Nevada State Contractors Board (NSCB). The C-2 Electrical classification is a single-tier general electrical contractor license — Nevada does not issue a state-level journeyman or master electrician credential, so C-2 is not the top rung of a journeyman-to-master ladder the way it works in some other states. To qualify, the license's qualifying individual must document at least four years of experience within the ten years before applying, at the journeyman level or as a foreman, supervisor, or contractor in the electrical trade, backed by reference certificates from people with firsthand knowledge of that work. (Some local jurisdictions, such as Clark County, separately license individual journeyman and master electricians for on-the-job work — that local trade credential is not itself an NSCB prerequisite.) A holder of the C-2 license can pull permits, supervise employees, design installations, and serve as the qualifying individual for a licensed electrical contracting business.

The C-2 trade exam is National Electrical Code (NEC) based and is administered by PSI as a semi-open-book test: you may bring a clean, bound copy of the current code reference material PSI's candidate bulletin specifies (typically the NEC) — not other textbooks, binders, or handwritten notes. Tabs and highlighting in the code book are normally permitted; loose inserts usually are not — confirm the exact rule, and the specific NEC edition being tested, on the current PSI candidate information bulletin before you buy or tab a book. The edition tested is set by the exam vendor/board and does not necessarily match what your local jurisdiction (Clark County, Reno, etc.) has separately adopted for jobsite inspections. Plan to tab and index your code book before test day, because the exam is as much a test of how fast you can locate a section as it is of what you have memorized.

Know these scope facts cold, because the exam asks them in plain-language form: the C-2 license is issued to the contracting business, qualified through the individual who passed these exams and documented the experience — if that qualifying individual leaves, the business generally has a limited window to replace them or the license lapses; most installations require a permit and inspection before concealment (rough-in) and again at final; you must work within the classification you hold; and performing electrical work without the required license, or beyond your scope, is a violation that can cost you the license and carry civil penalties.

How Nevada licensing works

• Experience: at least four years of documented journeyman-level (or foreman/supervisor/contractor) experience within the ten years before you apply, supported by reference certificates from employers or licensed contractors who can verify the work; relevant college or trade-school training may count toward part of this requirement.
• Safety training: Nevada law requires construction workers to hold an OSHA-10 card and construction supervisors an OSHA-30 card shortly after being hired — plan on completing this before you're active in the field.
• Application: submit the application, fees, and proof of experience (reference certificates from employers or licensed contractors who can verify your work) to the NSCB before you're approved to sit for the exams.
• Exams: two separate PSI exams are required — the Contract Management Survey (CMS), the business-and-law exam (open book, using the board's own business and law manual; passing score commonly 75 percent), and the C-2 trade exam (semi-open book — see Section 1 above; passing score commonly 70 percent). Confirm the current question counts, time limits, and cut scores on the PSI candidate information bulletin before you schedule.
• Bond: a surety bond (or cash deposit), typically $1,000 to $500,000, is required before the license is issued — the board sets the exact amount based on the classification, the monetary limit granted, and your financial history.
• Renewal: licenses renew on a cycle set by the board; confirm the current renewal period and any continuing-education or code-update expectations directly with the NSCB, since these details change.

Before you rely on any value in this guide, confirm the currently adopted NEC edition on the board and PSI bulletin. Ampacities, GFCI/AFCI scope, working-clearance distances, and receptacle-spacing rules all change between editions, and the exam is written to the edition your state has adopted — not necessarily the newest one published.