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Branch circuits

20 original questions. The keyed answer, the article to open, and a short explanation are on the page. Confirm the section in your NEC 2026 book. These items are a sample. The rest of this topic stays in the practice app.

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1 · Branch circuits · NEC Knowledge
This drill states its own spacing rule so you can practice the measurement: along a dwelling wall, no point measured horizontally along the floor line may be more than 6 ft from a receptacle. A straight 20 ft wall already has receptacles at 2 ft and at 18 ft. Is the wall covered?
1. A. Yes. Both ends of the wall are within 6 ft of a receptacle.
2. B. No. The middle of the wall is more than 6 ft from either receptacle.Keyed answer
3. C. Yes. Any wall shorter than 24 ft is covered by two receptacles.
4. D. No. The two receptacles have to be within 6 ft of each other.
Each receptacle in this drill covers 6 ft either way along the wall. The outlets are 16 ft apart, so a point in the middle sits 8 ft from both. The ends are fine; the gap is the problem. Confirm the real dwelling spacing distance in NEC 2026 Article 210. The 6 ft figure here is printed in the stem so the measurement can be practiced without a table.
Open NEC 2026 210.52
2 · Branch circuits · NEC Knowledge
A dwelling bedroom is rewired with new receptacle outlets. The helper protects them with GFCI only and says arc-fault protection is only for a garage panel. What protection is still missing?
1. A. Bedroom outlets need arc-fault protection. Ground-fault protection, where it is also required, does not take the place of the arc-fault requirement.Keyed answer
2. B. Arc-fault protection is required only on furnace circuits.
3. C. A GFCI receptacle provides both protections because it is a receptacle.
4. D. Bedrooms are exempt from outlet protection when the lamps are LED.
Arc-fault protection for dwelling outlets is an Article 210 rule, and bedrooms are on that list. A GFCI device responds to current leaking to ground. It is not an arc-fault device. Confirm the occupancy list in NEC 2026 Article 210 before you leave the bedroom on GFCI only.
Open NEC 2026 210.12
3 · Branch circuits · NEC Knowledge
A multiwire branch circuit feeds a split-wired receptacle with two ungrounded conductors, one shared neutral, and two single-pole breakers that have no handle tie. A helper says the breakers may be switched separately because the neutral is shared. What is the hazard?
1. A. Opening only one pole leaves the other ungrounded conductor energized, and the shared neutral can still be carrying that other leg while someone is in the box.Keyed answer
2. B. Handle ties are required only on 480 V circuits.
3. C. The neutral must be switched, and the ungrounded conductors may stay energized.
4. D. Multiwire branch circuits are prohibited in dwellings, so the rule does not apply.
Article 210 requires a means that disconnects all ungrounded conductors of a multiwire branch circuit together. Separate single-pole breakers do not do that. The point is to de-energize the circuit before someone works the shared neutral. Confirm the disconnect rule in NEC 2026.
Open NEC 2026 210.4
4 · Branch circuits · NEC Knowledge
A study note says the two small-appliance branch circuits for a dwelling kitchen supply receptacle outlets and are not the lighting circuits. What does that keep you from doing?
1. A. Using 12 AWG copper on a 20 A breaker
2. B. Bonding a metal kitchen sink
3. C. Protecting the counter receptacles with a ground-fault device
4. D. Putting the kitchen luminaire on one of those small-appliance circuitsKeyed answer
Lighting belongs on a general lighting circuit, not on the small-appliance circuits. Those circuits are an Article 210 requirement. Confirm what else they may and may not supply in NEC 2026 Article 210.
Open NEC 2026 Article 210
5 · Branch circuits · NEC Knowledge
A dwelling outlet needs both ground-fault protection and arc-fault protection. Which statement matches the different jobs of those two protections?
1. A. GFCI protection is only for motors, and AFCI protection is only for services.
2. B. GFCI protection is about a shock to ground. AFCI protection is about an arcing fault.Keyed answer
3. C. They are two names for the same device and the same hazard.
4. D. AFCI protection replaces the equipment grounding conductor.
A GFCI watches for current that leaves the circuit on a path to ground. An AFCI watches for the signature of an arc. Article 210 is where dwelling outlets pick up one or both requirements. Confirm the location lists in NEC 2026. One device does not erase the other rule.
Open NEC 2026 Article 210
6 · Branch circuits · NEC Knowledge
An individual 20 A branch circuit supplies one receptacle, and that receptacle is the only outlet on the circuit. The helper installs a 15 A single receptacle and says the 20 A breaker is what matters. What does the rating rule compare?
1. A. On an individual branch circuit, a single receptacle's rating is not less than the branch-circuit rating. A 15 A receptacle on a 20 A individual circuit does not meet that.Keyed answer
2. B. The receptacle may be any rating as long as the wire is 12 AWG.
3. C. A 15 A receptacle is required on every 20 A circuit.
4. D. Individual branch circuits are limited to 15 A.
Article 210 compares a single receptacle on an individual branch circuit with the rating of that circuit. The receptacle cannot be smaller than the circuit. A 15 A duplex on a 20 A multioutlet circuit is a different rule. Confirm the section in NEC 2026.
Open NEC 2026 210.21
7 · Branch circuits · NEC Knowledge
A 12 AWG copper conductor is on a 15 A breaker. Someone says the branch circuit is larger than 15 A because the wire could carry more. Which statement matches the branch-circuit rating?
1. A. The branch circuit is 15 A, because the rating follows the overcurrent device.Keyed answer
2. B. The branch circuit is 25 A, because the wire is larger than the breaker.
3. C. The branch circuit rating is the ampacity of the equipment grounding conductor.
4. D. The branch circuit has no rating until the load is plugged in.
The branch-circuit rating is the rating of the overcurrent device. A larger conductor does not raise that rating. Article 210 states the idea, and Article 240 limits the device on small conductors. Confirm both in NEC 2026.
Open NEC 2026 Article 210
8 · Branch circuits · NEC Knowledge
Dwelling kitchen countertop receptacles are supplied by the small-appliance branch circuits. What does that rule keep you from doing?
1. A. Keeping the two small-appliance circuits on opposite phases of a multiwire circuit.
2. B. Protecting the countertop receptacles with a ground-fault device.
3. C. Using 12 AWG copper on a 20 A small-appliance breaker.
4. D. Landing the countertop receptacles on the kitchen lighting circuit.Keyed answer
The countertop receptacles belong on the small-appliance circuits, not on the general lighting circuit. Article 210 is where that separation is stated. Confirm what those circuits supply in NEC 2026 before you add the counter outlets to the lighting breaker.
Open NEC 2026 Article 210
9 · Branch circuits · NEC Knowledge
Receptacles are added in the unfinished part of a dwelling basement, on a shelf for a freezer and a workbench. The helper says an unfinished basement is exempt from ground-fault protection if the receptacles are not in a bathroom. What should you check?
1. A. Unfinished basement receptacles are on the ground-fault list. A freezer or a workbench does not, by itself, remove that requirement.Keyed answer
2. B. Only finished basements need ground-fault protection.
3. C. Ground-fault protection is required only within 6 in of a basement window.
4. D. A freezer receptacle is required to be on a small-appliance circuit with no ground-fault device.
Article 210 lists unfinished basements among the dwelling locations that need ground-fault protection for personnel. A freezer is a reason people look for an exception, and that exception is narrow if the article still has one. Confirm the 2026 list before you omit the device.
Open NEC 2026 210.8
10 · Branch circuits · NEC Knowledge
A dwelling range is on its own 40 A circuit. The helper moves the range onto a 20 A small-appliance circuit to free a breaker space, and lands the range hood light there too. What do the small-appliance rules stop?
1. A. The range stays on its cooking circuit. The small-appliance circuits are for the receptacle outlets they are assigned, not for the range as utilization equipment.Keyed answer
2. B. The range is required to be on a small-appliance circuit.
3. C. A 20 A circuit is large enough for any range under 10 kW.
4. D. Cooking equipment is covered only by the pool article.
Article 210 keeps the small-appliance branch circuits for the receptacles those circuits supply. A range is a separate cooking load, and the hood lighting is not a reason to move the range onto a 20 A receptacle circuit. Confirm what those circuits may not supply in NEC 2026.
Open NEC 2026 Article 210
11 · Branch circuits · NEC Knowledge
A dwelling kitchen island has a receptacle on the side of the cabinet, 18 in below the countertop, and it is not in a drawer. The helper says any island receptacle is acceptable if it is within arm's reach. What placement limit applies?
1. A. A receptacle is not installed within 24 in below a countertop or work surface, except one installed in a drawer. Eighteen inches below the counter on the cabinet side misses that limit.Keyed answer
2. B. Island receptacles are required to be installed face up in a countertop cutout only.
3. C. Islands are prohibited from having any receptacle, including one in a drawer.
4. D. The 24 in measurement is taken from the floor, so 18 in below the counter is always legal.
NEC 2026 limits receptacles below a countertop or work surface. The usual permission for a low receptacle is a drawer, not the side of the cabinet 18 in down. Confirm Article 210 in your book before you cut that opening.
Open NEC 2026 210.52
12 · Branch circuits · NEC Knowledge
A dwelling living room and a hallway are being wired. The helper provides arc-fault protection in the bedrooms only and says the rest of the house was removed from the list years ago. What is the safer exam habit?
1. A. Open the arc-fault list and apply it to the rooms named there. Bedrooms are not the whole list, and a memory of an older short list is how living areas get missed.Keyed answer
2. B. Arc-fault protection is required only in kitchens.
3. C. Hallways and living rooms are exempt in every dwelling.
4. D. Arc-fault protection replaces the equipment grounding conductor.
Article 210 lists the dwelling outlets that need arc-fault protection, and that list is longer than bedrooms. Do not answer from a remembered older edition. Confirm the 2026 list in the book. The equipment grounding conductor is still required either way.
Open NEC 2026 210.12
13 · Branch circuits · NEC Knowledge
The fastened dishwasher is cord-and-plug connected under the counter. The helper puts it on an ordinary breaker and says ground-fault protection is only for open counter receptacles, not for a fastened appliance. What did he skip?
1. A. A fastened dishwasher is prohibited from having any receptacle, so the cord is the violation and protection is irrelevant.
2. B. Ground-fault protection is required only when the dishwasher is on a small-appliance circuit.
3. C. An ordinary breaker is the required protection because the motor would nuisance-trip a ground-fault device.
4. D. The dishwasher still needs ground-fault protection. Fastening it, and hiding the cord, does not take it off that list.Keyed answer
Article 210 requires ground-fault protection for the dishwasher. The helper's nuisance-trip worry is not an exemption written into the job. Confirm the appliance rule in NEC 2026.
Open NEC 2026 Article 210
14 · Branch circuits · NEC Knowledge
The garage workbench receptacle is an ordinary duplex on a standard breaker. The helper says the garage is a dry location, so ground-fault protection does not apply the way it would outdoors. What rule did he replace with a wet-location test?
1. A. Only outdoor garage receptacles need ground-fault protection.
2. B. Garage receptacles need ground-fault protection because they are in the garage, not because the garage is wet. A dry bench does not cancel it.Keyed answer
3. C. A workbench receptacle is a lighting outlet and skips receptacle rules.
4. D. Ground-fault protection is required in a garage only when a vehicle charger is installed.
Article 210 lists the garage among the dwelling receptacle locations that need ground-fault protection. The location word is garage, not wet. Confirm it in NEC 2026.
Open NEC 2026 Article 210
15 · Branch circuits · Calculations
A small-appliance branch circuit is 20 A at 120 V, so its capacity in this problem is 2,400 VA. A coffee maker at 1,000 W and a toaster at 1,200 W run at the same time. Power factor is 1. How much of the 2,400 VA is still unused?
1. A. 1,400 VA
2. B. 400 VA
3. C. 200 VAKeyed answer
4. D. 2,200 VA
1,000 + 1,200 = 2,200 VA in use. 2,400 − 2,200 = 200 VA left. The 2,200 VA choice is the load, not what remains. The circuit is Article 210 small-appliance work. The subtraction uses the numbers printed in the stem.
Open NEC 2026 Article 210
16 · Branch circuits · Calculations
A branch circuit supplies 14 A of continuous load and 4 A of noncontinuous load. Size the overcurrent device at 125% of the continuous load plus the noncontinuous load. Standard ratings you may use: 15, 20, 25, 30. What is the smallest rating that is at least that result?
1. A. 18 A
2. B. 20 A
3. C. 25 AKeyed answer
4. D. 30 A
14 × 1.25 = 17.5, plus 4 is 21.5 A. The 20 A rating is below 21.5 A, so the smallest standard rating in the list that covers it is 25 A. Adding 14 + 4 and skipping the 125% factor gives 18 A. Confirm the overcurrent rule in NEC 2026 Article 210.
Open NEC 2026 210.20
17 · Branch circuits · Calculations
A branch circuit supplies 10 A of continuous load and 9 A of noncontinuous load. For this drill, size the overcurrent device at 125% of the continuous load plus the noncontinuous load. Standard ratings you may use: 15, 20, 25, and 30. What is the smallest rating that is at least that result?
1. A. 20 A
2. B. 25 AKeyed answer
3. C. 30 A
4. D. 15 A
10 × 1.25 = 12.5 A. Add 9 A to get 21.5 A. The smallest listed rating that is at least 21.5 A is 25 A. A 20 A device is under the required size. Confirm continuous-load sizing in NEC 2026 Article 210.
Open NEC 2026 Article 210
18 · Branch circuits · Calculations
A small-appliance branch circuit is assigned 1,500 VA in this problem, at 120 V. What current does that 1,500 VA represent?
1. A. 12.5 AKeyed answer
2. B. 15 A
3. C. 10 A
4. D. 20 A
1,500 / 120 = 12.5 A. That is the current equivalent of the volt-amperes Article 120 assigns. The circuit itself is still a 20 A small-appliance circuit under Article 210. The division uses only the numbers in the stem.
Open NEC 2026 Articles 210 and 120
19 · Branch circuits · Calculations
Three countertop appliances draw 8 A, 9 A, and 7 A, and they run at the same time on one 20 A branch circuit. How many amperes over the breaker rating is the combined load?
1. A. 4 AKeyed answer
2. B. 20 A
3. C. 16 A
4. D. 24 A
8 + 9 + 7 = 24 A. The breaker is 20 A, so the load is 4 A over the rating. Leaving one appliance off is a different problem. The small-appliance circuits that feed counter receptacles are Article 210.
Open NEC 2026 Article 210
20 · Branch circuits · Calculations
A heater circuit branch circuit supplies 12 A continuous and 8 A noncontinuous. Size the overcurrent device at 125% of the continuous load plus the noncontinuous load. Standard ratings: 20, 25, 30, 35. What is the smallest rating that covers the result?
1. A. 20 A
2. B. 23 A
3. C. 25 AKeyed answer
4. D. 31.25 A
12 × 1.25 = 15 A, plus 8 A is 23 A. 20 A is below that, so the smallest standard rating in the list is 25 A. Confirm the continuous-load rule for the branch-circuit overcurrent device in NEC 2026 Article 210.
Open NEC 2026 210.20

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