WAC 296-46B-960
Administrator and electrician
certificate of competency examinations. General.
(1) The minimum passing score on any examination or
examination section is seventy percent. If examination is
requested to be administered by the department, an application
is required and the examination must be successfully completed
within one year of application or the individual must submit a
new application for exam including all appropriate fees.
(2) All examinations are open book.
(a) Candidates may use:
(i) Any original copyrighted material;
(ii) A silent, nonprinting, nonprogrammable calculator
that is not designed for preprogrammed electrical
calculations;
(iii) Copies of chapter 19.28 RCW and this chapter; or
(iv) A foreign language dictionary that does not contain
definitions.
(b) Candidates may not use:
(i) Copies of copyrighted material;
(ii) Copies of internet publications, except for RCWs or
WACs;
(iii) Personal notes; or
(iv) A personal computing device of any type other than
the calculator in (a)(ii) of this subsection.
(3) Administrator, master electrician, and electrician
examinations may consist of multiple sections. All sections
must be successfully completed within a one-year examination
period after beginning the examination. Within the one-year
examination period, the candidate does not have to retake any
sections successfully completed within the examination period.
If all sections are not successfully completed within the
one-year period, the candidate must begin a new examination
period and retake all sections.
Special accommodations for examination.
(4) An applicant for an examination who, due to a
specific physical, mental, or sensory impairment, requires
special accommodation in examination procedures, may submit a
written request to the chief electrical inspector for the
specific accommodation needed.
(a) The applicant must also submit to the department a
signed and notarized release, authorizing the specifically
identified physician or other specialist to discuss the matter
with the department representative. The applicant must also
submit an individualized written opinion from a physician or
other appropriate specialist:
(i) Verifying the existence of a specific physical,
mental, or sensory impairment;
(ii) Stating whether special accommodation is needed for
a specific examination;
(iii) Stating what special accommodation is necessary;
and
(iv) Stating if extra time for an examination is
necessary and if so, how much time is required. The maximum
allowance for extra time is double the normal time allowed.
(b) The written request for special accommodation and
individualized written opinion must be submitted to the
department at least six weeks in advance of the examination
date and must be accompanied by a completed application and
fees as described in WAC 296-46B-909.
(c) Only readers and interpreters provided from the
administrative office of the courts and/or approved by the
department may be used for reading or interpreting the
examination. The applicant will be required to bear all costs
associated with providing any reading or interpretive services
used for an examination.
(d) Applicants who pass the examination with the
assistance of a reader or interpreter will be issued a
certificate with the following printed restriction: "Requires
reading supervision for product usage." A competent reader or
interpreter must be present on any job site where a person
with this restriction is performing electrical work as
described in chapter 19.28 RCW.
Applicants who pass the examination with the assistance
of a mechanical device (e.g., magnifier, etc.) will be issued
a certificate with the following printed restriction:
"Requires mechanical reading assistance for product usage." Appropriate mechanical reading assistance must be present on
any job site where a person with this restriction is
performing electrical work as described in chapter 19.28 RCW.
If a candidate successfully retakes the examination
without the assistance of a reader or translator, a new
certificate will be issued without the restriction.
(5) Applicants who wish to use a foreign language
dictionary during an examination must obtain approval at the
examination site prior to the examination. Only dictionaries
without definitions will be approved for use.
Failed examination appeal procedures.
(6) Any candidate who takes an examination and does not
pass the examination may request a review of the examination.
(a) The department will not modify examination results
unless the candidate presents clear and convincing evidence of
error in the grading of the examination.
(b) The department will not consider any challenge to
examination grading unless the total of the potentially
revised score would result in a passing score.
(7) The procedure for requesting an informal review of
examination results is as follows:
(a) The request must be made in writing to the chief
electrical inspector and must be received within twenty days
of the date of the examination and must request a rescore of
the examination. The written request must include the
appropriate fees for examination review described in WAC 296-46B-909.
(b) The following procedures apply to a review of the
results of the examination:
(i) The candidate will be allowed one hour to review
their examination.
(ii) The candidate must identify the challenged questions
of the examination and must state the specific reason(s) why
the results should be modified with multiple published
reference material supporting the candidate's position.
(iii) Within fifteen days of the candidate's review, the
department will review the examination and candidate's
justification and notify the candidate in writing of the
department's decision.
Subjects included in administrator certificate, or master
electrician, journeyman, or specialty electrician competency
examinations.
(8) The following subjects are among those that may be
included in the examination for an administrator certificate
or electrician certificate of competency. The list is not
exclusive. The examination may also contain subjects not on
the list.
(a) For general administrators, master journeyman, and
journeyman electricians:
AC - Generator; 3-phase; meters; characteristics of;
power in AC circuits (power factor); mathematics of AC
circuits.
Administration - Chapter 19.28 RCW and this chapter.
Air conditioning - Basic.
Blueprints - Surveys and plot plans; floor plans; service
and feeders; electrical symbols; elevation views; plan views.
Wiring systems - Less than 600 volts; 480/277 volts;
single-and 3-phase delta or wye; distribution systems over 600
volts.
Note:
The general administrator, master journeyman, and journeyman electrician examinations may also include the subjects
listed below for specialty electrician examinations.
(b) For specialty administrators, master specialty and
specialty electricians, the following subjects are among those
that may be included in the examination. Examination subjects
are restricted to those subjects related to the scope of work
of the specialty described in WAC 296-46B-920. The list is
not exclusive. The examination may also contain subjects not
on the list.
AC - Meters.
Administration - Chapter 19.28 RCW and this chapter.
Failing an administrator certificate exam or electrician
certificate of competency examination.
(9) Anyone failing an administrator or electrician
competency examination may retake the examination by making
arrangements with the testing agency and paying the retesting
fee.
(10) If the individual makes a failing score, the
individual must wait two weeks before being eligible to
retest.
(11) If the individual fails an electrician examination
or a part of an administrator or master electrician
examination three times within a one-year period, the
individual must wait three months to retake the failed portion
of the examination.
(12) Anyone failing an electrician competency examination
may continue to work in the electrical trade if they have a
valid electrical training certificate and work under the
direct supervision of a certified journeyman or specialty
electrician in the proper ratio, per RCW 19.28.161.
Cheating on an examination.
(13) Anyone found cheating on an examination, attempting
to bribe a proctor or other agent involved in administering an
examination, or using inappropriate materials/equipment during
an examination will be required to wait at least eleven months
before being allowed to reexamine. All such reexaminations
will be administered by the department in Tumwater, Washington
and the candidate will be required to apply and schedule for
the examination with the chief electrical inspector.