An ME donates his labour to wire a new kitchen addition at his community hall and charges nothing for the work. Under the Safety Codes Act, what is his position?

He is a contractor and must ensure the Act is complied with

He owes only the vendor's duty for the materials he supplies

He is a volunteer, so the hall's owner carries all the duties

He is a contractor only for work he does for gain or profit

The Administrator issues an ME certificate under CPR s.4 and specifies no term in it. For how long is the certificate valid, unless suspended or cancelled first?

One year from the date of issue

Until the next CEC edition is adopted in Alberta

Three years, one CEC code cycle

Five years, the period the experience test looks back over

An ME's worker has been off on a WCB-Alberta claim for two weeks and comes back to work on Monday. According to WCB-Alberta, when must the ME's company tell WCB-Alberta about the return?

Within 24 hours of the return to work

Within 72 hours of the return to work

With the next annual return of assessable earnings

Only if the worker comes back on modified duties

An ME is designing a new 12-storey hotel with 120/208 V and 347/600 V systems. Under STANDATA 24-ECB-004, what conductor colour coding does Alberta recommend for the new 347/600 V circuits?

Red, black and blue, with raceways, boxes and panels marked by voltage

Orange, brown and yellow, to tell them apart from the 120/208 V circuits

Orange, brown and yellow, as the code requires above 150 V to ground

Any colours, provided each panelboard directory states the system voltage

A 600 A feeder in a hospital's central plant will run as single-conductor armoured cables in cable tray. Under CEC Rule 12-106, what armour must these current-carrying cables have?

Non-magnetic armour, such as aluminum

Galvanized steel interlocking armour

Steel wire armour, bonded at both ends

A new house will use a plate electrode buried in the soil under its basement. Under CEC Rule 10-102 2) c) as STANDATA 24-ECB-010 explains it, how deep must the plate be?

At least 600 mm below the final basement floor surface

Directly under the basement slab, in full contact with the soil

At least 600 mm below the finished grade outside the house walls

At least 600 mm below the top of the nearest foundation footing

In CEC 2024, Rules 12-500 to 12-524 set the installation rules for non-metallic-jacketed cable. To which of these cables do they apply?

Type FAS cable installed as part of a fire alarm system

Type NMD90 branch-circuit cable in a wood-frame house

Type NMWU cable run in a wet location to a detached garage

Type ACWU90 jacketed armoured cable feeding a barn

An ME's permit covers a new house whose service calculation includes a 40 A EVSE on its own branch circuit. How does Rule 8-104 treat the EVSE branch circuit and the house's calculated service load?

The branch circuit is continuous; the service load is not

Both are continuous, since the EVSE may charge for hours

Neither is continuous, since dwelling loads are diverse

The service load is continuous; the branch circuit is not

Free Alberta Master Electrician Exam Questions

Ten practice questions for Alberta's Master Electrician exam, each with four options and one correct answer. The Safety Codes Council describes the exam as 120 multiple-choice questions in two parts: Part 1, Alberta Acts and Regulations, 50 questions on the documents in its 2024 Exam Kit, and Part 2, the Canadian Electrical Code, 70 questions. These are original questions written by TicketPrep from the Exam Kit documents and the CEC rule numbers; none of them comes from the exam. They are free to use, print and share. There is nothing to sign up for on this page.

01How to use these

The questions come from the TicketPrep Alberta ME bank, which groups the two parts into four units of our own: Units A and B for Part 1, Units C and D for Part 2. Four of the ten are Part 1 questions, two each from Unit A (the Safety Codes Act, ME certification and permits) and Unit B (trades law, OHS, WCB, STANDATA and the AEUC), and six are Part 2, three each from Unit C (CEC rules) and Unit D (CEC calculations), each on a different one of our objectives. The Council publishes only the two parts and their 50 and 70 questions, so the units and the split are ours. Two of the ten are calculations. Answer each one before opening the explanation. Every explanation covers all four options, because knowing why a wrong answer is wrong is most of the skill.

Pace. Each part has 3.5 hours: about 4 minutes 12 seconds a question in Part 1 and 3 minutes in Part 2. Try these at that pace, with the books open.
Books. The exam is open book: the Council allows the CEC, Part I, 26th edition (2024), which you buy separately, and its free 2024 Exam Kit, which holds every Part 1 document. The questions cite the Rule, section or bulletin they rest on, so you can practise finding it.
Print. The printed version shows the questions and the answer key without the explanations, so it works as a handout. The explanations are on the web page. Download PDF
Mark. Score the four Part 1 and six Part 2 questions separately. The Council's pass rule needs 60 per cent or more on each part and a 75 per cent average of the two part scores, so a strong Part 2 cannot carry a Part 1 under 60 per cent.

02The questions

Procedural · Part 1 · Unit A Safety Codes Act, ME certification and permits

An ME donates his labour to wire a new kitchen addition at his community hall and charges nothing for the work. Under the Safety Codes Act, what is his position?
1. He owes only the vendor's duty for the materials he supplies
2. He is a volunteer, so the hall's owner carries all the duties
3. He is a contractor only for work he does for gain or profit
4. He is a contractor and must ensure the Act is complied with
Show the answer

D. Correct. SCA s.1(1)(h) defines a contractor as anyone who does or undertakes a regulated activity for their own or another's use or benefit, whether or not for gain. As a contractor installing a regulated thing, s.8 makes him ensure the Act is complied with.

Why not the others

A. The vendor's duty (s.9) applies to a person selling or disposing of things in the ordinary course of business. Installing the wiring makes him a contractor under s.1(1)(h), so his duty is the s.8 duty to ensure the Act is complied with.

B. The owner does carry the s.5 duty, but that does not displace the ME's. Working without pay does not take him out of the contractor definition, so the s.8 duty applies to him too.

C. The definition in s.1(1)(h) says expressly "whether or not for the purposes of gain". Unpaid work is still a contractor's work, and s.8 applies.

Source: SCC exam Part 1: Alberta Acts and Regulations (our Unit A); Safety Codes Act
Recall · Part 1 · Unit A Safety Codes Act, ME certification and permits

The Administrator issues an ME certificate under CPR s.4 and specifies no term in it. For how long is the certificate valid, unless suspended or cancelled first?
1. Until the next CEC edition is adopted in Alberta
2. Three years, one CEC code cycle
3. One year from the date of issue
4. Five years, the period the experience test looks back over
Show the answer

C. Correct. CPR s.4(6) makes an ME certificate, whether issued or renewed, run one year from the date of issue or renewal unless the Administrator specifies a longer term; none was specified here. The Act adds that a certificate is valid for the time stated in it unless suspended or cancelled earlier (Safety Codes Act s.42(2)).

Why not the others

A. A new edition can bring required code update training as a renewal condition (s.4(4)(b)); it does not set the term, which is one year under s.4(6).

B. The Administrator may require code update training when a new code edition arrives, but the certificate's term is set by CPR s.4(6): one year from issue or renewal, unless the Administrator specifies longer.

D. The 5 years is the window in s.4(1)(b) for counting experience. The term in s.4(6) is one year from issue or renewal.

Source: SCC exam Part 1: Alberta Acts and Regulations (our Unit A); Safety Codes Act; Certification and Permit Regulation, AR 295/2009
Recall · Part 1 · Unit B Trades, OHS, WCB, STANDATA and the AEUC

An ME's worker has been off on a WCB-Alberta claim for two weeks and comes back to work on Monday. According to WCB-Alberta, when must the ME's company tell WCB-Alberta about the return?
1. Within 24 hours of the return to work
2. Within 72 hours of the return to work
3. With the next annual return of assessable earnings
4. Only if the worker comes back on modified duties
Show the answer

A. Correct. Among the employer's duties after a work-related injury, WCB-Alberta lists notifying it within 24 hours of the worker's return to work. If the employer keeps paying full wages during the disability, the compensation is paid to the employer, and the adjudicator or case manager should be told to avoid duplicate payments.

Why not the others

B. That period belongs to a different employer duty to WCB-Alberta, not to a return to work. WCB-Alberta lists notifying WCB-Alberta within 24 hours of the worker's return.

C. The annual return reports assessable earnings and is filed before the last day of February each year; a return to work is notified within 24 hours.

D. Any return to work, full or modified, is notified within 24 hours.

Source: SCC exam Part 1: Alberta Acts and Regulations (our Unit B); WCB-Alberta Employer Handbook
Recall · Part 1 · Unit B Trades, OHS, WCB, STANDATA and the AEUC

An ME is designing a new 12-storey hotel with 120/208 V and 347/600 V systems. Under STANDATA 24-ECB-004, what conductor colour coding does Alberta recommend for the new 347/600 V circuits?
1. Orange, brown and yellow, to tell them apart from the 120/208 V circuits
2. Red, black and blue, with raceways, boxes and panels marked by voltage
3. Orange, brown and yellow, as the code requires above 150 V to ground
4. Any colours, provided each panelboard directory states the system voltage
Show the answer

B. Correct. 24-ECB-004 recommends red, black and blue for all new installations, even where a building uses several slash voltages, with raceways, junction boxes and panelboards identified for the voltages they contain; orange, brown and yellow is the coding the bulletin notes Section 24 permits for isolated systems in patient care areas. It is a recommended practice: confirm with the AHJ.

Why not the others

A. Using orange, brown and yellow to separate 347/600 V from 120/208 V circuits is the practice the bulletin addresses; its recommendation for new installations is red, black and blue throughout, with the voltage identified on raceways, boxes and panels.

C. Rule 4-032 does not require orange, brown and yellow for higher voltages: its three-phase coding is red, black and blue, and the bulletin recommends that coding for every new installation.

D. The bulletin is not indifferent to colour: for new installations it recommends red, black and blue exclusively, with raceways, boxes and panelboards identified by voltage.

Source: SCC exam Part 1: Alberta Acts and Regulations (our Unit B); STANDATA 24-ECB-004
Recall · Part 2 · Unit C Canadian Electrical Code rules

A 600 A feeder in a hospital's central plant will run as single-conductor armoured cables in cable tray. Under CEC Rule 12-106, what armour must these current-carrying cables have?
1. Any armour, if laid in trefoil
2. Galvanized steel interlocking armour
3. Steel wire armour, bonded at both ends
4. Non-magnetic armour, such as aluminum
Show the answer

D. Correct. Rule 12-106 4) requires non-magnetic armour on any single-conductor armoured cable that carries current, and 12-106 5) bars a single-conductor cable over 200 A from being encircled by magnetic material. Magnetic metal around one conductor heats by induction.

Why not the others

A. Trefoil placement reduces induced sheath voltage but does not lift Rule 12-106 4): a single-conductor armoured cable that carries current needs non-magnetic armour in any arrangement.

B. Steel is magnetic; around a single conductor it heats by induction, which is why Rule 12-106 4) requires non-magnetic armour on single-conductor armoured cable carrying current.

C. Bonding the armour at both ends lets circulating currents flow, which Rule 4-008 2) treats like sheath currents, and does not cure induction heating; Rule 12-106 4) requires non-magnetic armour.

Source: SCC exam Part 2: Canadian Electrical Code (our Unit C); CEC Rules 12-106, 4-008
Procedural · Part 2 · Unit C Canadian Electrical Code rules

A new house will use a plate electrode buried in the soil under its basement. Under CEC Rule 10-102 2) c) as STANDATA 24-ECB-010 explains it, how deep must the plate be?
1. Directly under the basement slab, in full contact with the soil
2. At least 600 mm below the finished grade outside the house walls
3. At least 600 mm below the final basement floor surface
4. At least 600 mm below the top of the nearest foundation footing
Show the answer

C. Correct. Rule 10-102 2) c) requires a plate electrode to touch exterior soil 600 mm or more below grade, or to sit in the bottom 50 mm of a footing 600 mm or more below finished grade. STANDATA 24-ECB-010 explains that finished grade means the expected final surface right above the plate, so a plate under a basement is buried at least 600 mm below the expected final basement floor surface.

Why not the others

A. 24-ECB-010 was issued because plates were being placed just under basement slabs; the plate must be at least 600 mm below the expected final floor surface.

B. The depth is measured from the expected finished surface right above the plate (24-ECB-010); for a plate under a basement that is the basement floor, not the outside grade.

D. The footing reference in Rule 10-102 2) c) ii) is for a plate encased in the bottom 50 mm of a footing; a plate in the soil under a basement is measured from the final floor surface above it.

Source: SCC exam Part 2: Canadian Electrical Code (our Unit C); CEC Rule 10-102; STANDATA 24-ECB-010
Recall · Part 2 · Unit C Canadian Electrical Code rules

In CEC 2024, Rules 12-500 to 12-524 set the installation rules for non-metallic-jacketed cable. To which of these cables do they apply?
1. Type NMD90 branch-circuit cable in a wood-frame house
2. Type FAS cable installed as part of a fire alarm system
3. Type NMWU cable run in a wet location to a detached garage
4. Type ACWU90 jacketed armoured cable feeding a barn
Show the answer

B. Correct. Rule 12-500 1) applies the group to non-metallic-jacketed cables other than NMD90 and NMWU, and names Type FAS fire alarm cable installed under Section 32. In CEC 2024, NMD90 and NMWU have their own group, Rules 12-552 to 12-576 (12-560 support, 12-566 and 12-568 protection), so check the group before citing a support or protection rule.

Why not the others

A. Rule 12-550 states that Rules 12-552 to 12-576 apply only to Types NMD90 and NMWU, and Rule 12-500 1) a) expressly leaves those two types out of the 12-500 group. NMD90 support and protection come from 12-560 to 12-568.

C. NMWU is in the same separate group as NMD90 (Rules 12-552 to 12-576), whatever the location. The 12-500 group covers other non-metallic-jacketed cables, such as Type FAS fire alarm cable.

D. Rule 12-500 2) c) excludes armoured cables with or without a jacket; ACWU90 is installed under Rules 12-600 to 12-618. The 12-500 group covers non-metallic-jacketed cables such as Type FAS.

Source: SCC exam Part 2: Canadian Electrical Code (our Unit C); CEC Rules 12-500, 12-550
Recall · Part 2 · Unit D Canadian Electrical Code calculations

An ME's permit covers a new house whose service calculation includes a 40 A EVSE on its own branch circuit. How does Rule 8-104 treat the EVSE branch circuit and the house's calculated service load?
1. The branch circuit is continuous; the service load is not
2. Both are continuous, since the EVSE may charge for hours
3. Neither is continuous, since dwelling loads are diverse
4. The service load is continuous; the branch circuit is not
Show the answer

A. Correct. Rule 86-302 makes the EVSE branch-circuit load continuous for Rule 8-104, so it is held to the 80 % or 100 % limits. Rule 8-200 3) says that, despite Rule 86-302, the dwelling's total calculated load is not a continuous load.

Why not the others

B. Long charging times are why Rule 86-302 makes the EVSE branch circuit continuous, but Rule 8-200 3) expressly keeps the dwelling's total calculated load out of the continuous-load limits, even with EVSE in it.

C. Diversity is why Rule 8-200 3) treats the dwelling total as not continuous, but the EVSE branch circuit is separately made continuous by Rule 86-302 and must meet the Rule 8-104 limits.

D. This reverses the two rules: Rule 86-302 makes the EVSE branch circuit continuous, and Rule 8-200 3) makes the dwelling's total calculated service load not continuous.

Source: SCC exam Part 2: Canadian Electrical Code (our Unit D); CEC Rules 8-200, 86-302, 8-104
Calculation · Part 2 · Unit D Canadian Electrical Code calculations

An addition to a house adds ten 1500 W, 240 V baseboard heaters, all on breakers marked for continuous operation at 80 %. Under Rule 62-114, how many heating branch circuits must the ME provide, at the least?
1. 2 branch circuits
2. 3 branch circuits
3. 4 branch circuits
4. 5 branch circuits
Show the answer

C. Correct. In a dwelling unit, Rule 62-114 2) groups heaters only on devices of 30 A or less, and Rule 62-114 6) b) limits the load to 80 % of an 80 %-marked device: 24 A. Each heater draws 1500 / 240 = 6.25 A, so three fit (18.75 A) and four (25 A) do not: ten heaters need four circuits (3 + 3 + 3 + 1).

Why not the others

A. Two circuits need up to seven heaters (43.8 A) on one. Grouping on devices up to 60 A is the Rule 62-114 3) allowance outside dwelling units; in a dwelling unit, Rule 62-114 2) limits a grouped heating circuit to a 30 A device.

B. Three circuits need four heaters (25.0 A) on some of them. With 80 %-marked breakers, Rule 62-114 6) b) holds the heating load to 80 % of the 30 A device, 24 A, so four heaters are too many.

D. This allows only two heaters (12.5 A) per circuit, as if dwelling heating circuits were limited to 20 A. Rule 62-114 2) permits devices up to 30 A, so three heaters per circuit fit within 24 A: four circuits.

Source: SCC exam Part 2: Canadian Electrical Code (our Unit D); CEC Rule 62-114
Calculation · Part 2 · Unit D Canadian Electrical Code calculations

On a strip mall's rooftop, a 2-gang FS box (Table 23: 14 No. 12 conductors) will hold a GFCI receptacle and a switch, each on its own single strap, and one pair of insulated-cap connectors. All conductors are No. 12. Under Rule 12-3034 2), what is the most No. 12 conductors the box may contain?
1. 8 conductors
2. 9 conductors
3. 11 conductors
4. 13 conductors
Show the answer

B. Correct. Rule 12-3034 2) reduces the Table 23 count by two conductors for each flush device on a single strap (2 × 2 = 4) and by one, of the largest size under the connectors, for each pair of insulated-cap connectors (1): 14 − 4 − 1 = 9 No. 12 conductors.

Why not the others

A. 8 deducts one conductor for each of the two connectors. Rule 12-3034 2) b) deducts one conductor per pair of connectors: 14 − 4 − 1 = 9.

C. 11 deducts one conductor per device. Rule 12-3034 2) c) deducts two for each flush device on a single strap: 14 − 4 − 1 = 9.

D. 13 deducts only the connector pair. Each single-strap device also takes two conductors under Rule 12-3034 2) c): 14 − 4 − 1 = 9.

Source: SCC exam Part 2: Canadian Electrical Code (our Unit D); CEC Rule 12-3034

03Answer key

Question	Answer	Part and our unit
Q1	D	Part 1 · Unit A Safety Codes Act, ME certification and permits
Q2	C	Part 1 · Unit A Safety Codes Act, ME certification and permits
Q3	A	Part 1 · Unit B Trades, OHS, WCB, STANDATA and the AEUC
Q4	B	Part 1 · Unit B Trades, OHS, WCB, STANDATA and the AEUC
Q5	D	Part 2 · Unit C Canadian Electrical Code rules
Q6	C	Part 2 · Unit C Canadian Electrical Code rules
Q7	B	Part 2 · Unit C Canadian Electrical Code rules
Q8	A	Part 2 · Unit D Canadian Electrical Code calculations
Q9	C	Part 2 · Unit D Canadian Electrical Code calculations
Q10	B	Part 2 · Unit D Canadian Electrical Code calculations

Want the other 540?

The full TicketPrep Alberta Master Electrician bank is 550 questions, 400 Standard plus 150 harder Advanced ones, written across both parts of the exam, with every option explained the way the ten above are. Its timed 120-question mock exams run seven hours, Part 1 first, and score you on both of the Council's rules, 60 per cent on each part and a 75 per cent average, showing each part's score. Try five more free in the quiz, no account, or get the whole bank for $69 one-time. All-Access ($119) covers the Alberta ME exam along with all eighteen Red Seal trades, the Ontario G3, the Ontario Master Electrician exam and 4th Class Power Engineering.

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04More free questions

For the exam itself, the Alberta Master Electrician exam guide covers the two parts, the pass rule, the books you may use, booking and the fees, and the Alberta Master Electrician practice test page has five more sample questions and describes the full TicketPrep bank. Each of our four units also has ten free questions of its own: Unit A, Unit B, Unit C, Unit D. The same free format covers Ontario's Master Electrician exam and the electrical Red Seal trades too.

How these questions are written and checked: how our questions are made. Found a mistake? Tell us and we will fix it. TicketPrep is an independent study site; it is not affiliated with the Safety Codes Council or CSA Group. Nothing here is taken from the exam, and no CEC text, table or definition is reproduced: the questions cite Rule numbers and explain each requirement in their own words.