Free apprentice lessons

Plain-language lessons for someone starting in the trade in Texas: what the quantities mean, how to read the code book, and the maths you cannot fake later. Free, no card.

Stage 1 · Staying alive on the job

• Lesson 2 — PPE and why the category matters
• Lesson 4 — What the NEC is for

Stage 2 · Tools, meters and materials

• Lesson 5 — The hand tools you are expected to own
• Lesson 6 — Reading a multimeter without lying to yourself
• Lesson 7 — Conductor types: read the letters
• Lesson 8 — Boxes, raceways and what goes where

Stage 3 · The theory you cannot fake later

• Lesson 9 — Ohm's law and the power wheel
• Lesson 10 — Series and parallel circuits
• Lesson 11 — AC, frequency, and why it is not DC
• Lesson 12 — Three-phase, gently
• Lesson 13 — Voltage drop: why the run length matters

Stage 4 · Finding your way around the code book

• Lesson 14 — Chapters, articles, sections
• Lesson 15 — Article 100: the definition decides it
• Lesson 16 — Reading a table without losing the row
• Lesson 17 — Grounded, grounding, bonded

Stage 5 · Getting to journeyman

• Lesson 18 — The hours and supervision Texas requires
• Lesson 19 — What the journeyman exam looks like

Stage 6 · The quantities behind every calculation

• Lesson 20 — Voltage, current, resistance
• Lesson 21 — Watts versus watt-hours
• Lesson 22 — Units and prefixes

Stage 7 · Reading the job

• Lesson 23 — Fractions on a tape measure
• Lesson 24 — Area is not diameter
• Lesson 25 — One-line diagrams
• Lesson 26 — Plans, legends and symbols

Stage 8 · Equipment and faults

• Lesson 27 — Reading a nameplate
• Lesson 28 — Open, short and ground fault

Stage 9 · Protective devices

• Lesson 29 — Overload is not a short circuit
• Lesson 30 — What a breaker does
• Lesson 31 — What a fuse does
• Lesson 32 — GFCI: watching for imbalance
• Lesson 33 — AFCI: watching for arcing

Stage 10 · Devices and terminations

• Lesson 34 — Switches control paths
• Lesson 35 — Receptacles are rated devices

Stage 11 · Grounding and bonding

• Lesson 36 — Neutral and equipment ground
• Lesson 37 — Bonding metal parts
• Lesson 38 — Ground rods do not replace the fault path

Stage 12 · Sitting the exam

• Lesson 39 — Read the whole question

Stage 13 · Conductors and markings

• Lesson 40 — Copper and aluminum
• Lesson 41 — Solid and stranded
• Lesson 42 — AWG: smaller number, larger wire
• Lesson 43 — Read the jacket marking
• Lesson 44 — Ampacity is conditional
• Lesson 45 — Temperature ratings

Stage 14 · Where the work happens

• Lesson 46 — Dry, damp and wet locations

Stage 15 · Making the connection

• Lesson 47 — Strip without damaging copper
• Lesson 48 — Terminations need the right length
• Lesson 49 — Torque is a specification
• Lesson 50 — Connectors must match
• Lesson 51 — Pigtails: a connection concept

Stage 16 · Supporting and protecting the run

• Lesson 52 — Cable support and protection

Stage 17 · Boxes and enclosures

• Lesson 53 — Boxes have a purpose
• Lesson 54 — Box fill: space is calculated
• Lesson 55 — Knockouts and openings

Stage 18 · Raceways

• Lesson 56 — EMT: identify the parts
• Lesson 57 — PVC raceway
• Lesson 58 — Flexible raceways
• Lesson 59 — Reaming and edge control
• Lesson 60 — Layout before bending
• Lesson 61 — Offsets change position
• Lesson 62 — Bend radius and pulling
• Lesson 63 — Planning a conductor pull

Stage 19 · Habits that outlast you

• Lesson 64 — Label both ends

Stage 20 · Judgement

• Lesson 73 — Measurement is a process

Stage 21 · Test instruments and their limits

• Lesson 74 — Meter category and voltage
• Lesson 76 — Resistance measurements need context
• Lesson 77 — Clamp meter concept

Stage 22 · Fault-finding

• Lesson 80 — Troubleshoot with a plan
• Lesson 81 — Change one thing at a time
• Lesson 82 — Loose connections and heat

Stage 23 · Motors

• Lesson 83 — Motors: the basic parts
• Lesson 84 — Contactors and relays
• Lesson 85 — Transformers: the basic idea
• Lesson 86 — Power factor, gently

Stage 24 · Lighting and controls

• Lesson 87 — Lighting: read the driver
• Lesson 88 — Controls and sensors

Stage 26 · The paperwork that decides the work

• Lesson 92 — Material takeoff basics
• Lesson 93 — Read the revision
• Lesson 94 — As-built records
• Lesson 95 — Inspection readiness

Stage 27 · Proving it

• Lesson 96 — Explain what you did
• Lesson 97 — Calculation habits
• Lesson 98 — Code lookup practice
• Lesson 100 — Your next step as an apprentice
Take the free 15-question readiness check

Aimed at the journeyman exam — see where you stand by topic.

17 safety lessons are written and are being held until a licensed reviewer signs them off. They are not published here yet.

The Texas apprentice licence is an application, not an exam (Occupations Code 1305.161). Nothing here counts as apprenticeship hours or continuing-education credit.