Tennessee LLE Exam: Registration, Format, and What to Expect at Prov

Board Approval Comes Before Scheduling the LLE Exam

One of the least-understood aspects of Tennessee's LLE process: the Board must approve your application before you schedule and take the exam. After approval, candidates register directly through Prov (provexam.com), pay the $57 exam fee, and schedule the test. The passing score is then part of the license application record.

This means you should assemble your experience documentation and reference letters before registering for the exam.

The Prov Transition

As of July 1, 2026, Prov is the Board for Licensing Contractors' official exam administrator, replacing PSI. If you're scheduling a new exam, you register through Prov. Candidates who had exams scheduled under PSI through September 2026 may still take those, but any new registrations go through Prov.

To register after Board approval: create an account at provexam.com, search for the Tennessee Limited Licensed Electrician exam, select a testing center and date, and pay the $57 fee. Testing centers are available across Tennessee and in neighboring states.

Exam Format and Passing Requirements

The LLE exam is designed to test your knowledge of the National Electrical Code — not electrical theory or calculations that the high-priced prep courses focus on.

Here's the format:

• Questions: 40 multiple-choice
• Time limit: 130 minutes (just over 2 hours)
• Passing score: 70% (28 out of 40 correct)
• Format: Open-book — you may bring a tabbed, highlighted copy of the NEC into the testing center
• Reference materials: Commercially printed index tabs are allowed. Handwritten notes, loose pages, and electronic devices are not.

The 130-minute window gives you roughly 3 minutes per question. Since the exam is open-book, the challenge isn't memorizing code sections — it's knowing where to find the right section quickly. Candidates who tab and highlight their NEC codebook ahead of time consistently report better results than those who try to navigate the book cold.

What the LLE Exam Covers

The exam tests practical application of the National Electrical Code to the type of work an LLE would perform: residential wiring, light commercial installations, service panels, branch circuits, grounding, and overcurrent protection. The questions focus on code compliance for projects under the $25,000 threshold.

You won't see questions about business law, financial statements, or contractor management — those are exclusive to the CE contractor exams. The LLE exam is purely a trade-knowledge test.

The Electrical Contractor (CE) Exams Are a Different Beast

If you're pursuing the state CE contractor license instead of or in addition to the LLE, the exam requirements are significantly more demanding:

CE Trade Exam: 100 questions, 300 minutes (5 hours), 73% passing score. This covers the full scope of the NEC for commercial and industrial applications.

Tennessee Business and Law Exam: 50 questions, 140 minutes, 73% passing score. This tests Tennessee-specific contractor law, bidding rules, lien law, and business regulations.

Both are administered through Prov. The combined exam fees run approximately $106. Out-of-state contractors using reciprocal trade exam waivers still must pass the Business and Law exam — no exceptions.

After You Pass

A passing score doesn't automatically generate a license. The Board still needs to complete its review of your approved application and exam result, including your documented experience and references, before issuing the license.

The Board reviews your application package — including your documented experience and references — before issuing the license. Processing typically takes a couple of weeks for complete applications.

The Tennessee Electrician License Guide walks through the entire sequence from exam registration through license issuance, including the exact forms you need and common application mistakes that trigger Board rejections and non-refundable fee losses.

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