When it comes to studying the NEC, most electricians do the usual: they tab their books, highlight important code sections, and hope for the best. But there’s one trick we teach in our classes that makes a huge difference in both speed and accuracy—especially under the pressure of exam day.
Here’s the tip:
Use a completely different highlighter color just for the Parts in each Article.
Not the whole Article—just the “Part I,” “Part II,” “Part III,” etc.
Why?
Because in larger Articles—like 110, 230, 240, 250, 410, 430, and even optional ones like 517, 520, 551, 610, 620, 680, 690—the Parts are often the only road signs telling you what section you’re in.
And if you don’t train your eye to catch those headings fast, you’ll find yourself reading way more than you need to. Or worse, panicking and flipping pages back and forth trying to figure out where you are.
What this simple color trick does:
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🚀 Speeds up navigation when you’re racing the clock.
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👀 Visually separates sections of dense text.
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✅ Reduces exam-day stress by giving your eyes anchor points.
And yes—this technique is 100% allowed on the exam, as long as you follow the rules: softbound NEC book, permanent tabs, no additional pages, and no Post-it notes.
If you’re serious about passing, small things like this make a big difference.
Want more tips like this?
👉 Check out our NEC exam prep tools, online courses, and live seminars designed just for electricians like you.
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Electrical Excel: Helping electricians prepare, pass, excel.
