Exam prep
The 18th Edition exam (2382-26): format, pass mark and what to expect
Everything you need to know before booking the City & Guilds 2382-26 18th Edition exam: 60 questions, 120 minutes, the approx. 60% pass mark, the open book rules and how the paper is split.
Updated 9 min read
On this page · 9 sections
- 1What is the 18th Edition exam?
- 2Exam format: questions, time and pass mark
- 3What's on the paper: the official test specification
- 4Is the 18th Edition exam open book?
- 5Calculator and what to bring
- 6Sitting the exam: at a centre or remotely
- 7Results, certificates and resits
- 8How long should you study?
- 9Frequently asked questions
The 18th Edition exam is the City & Guilds test that shows you know your way around BS 7671, the IET Wiring Regulations. Since April 2026 the current version is 2382-26, based on BS 7671:2018+A4:2026. This guide covers what you need to know before you book: how many questions there are, the pass mark, how the paper is split, what you can take in with you and what happens on the day.
- Qualification
- City & Guilds 2382-26 Level 3 Award in the Requirements for Electrical Installations BS 7671:2018+A4:2026
- Questions
- 60 multiple-choice, answered on screen
- Time allowed
- 120 minutes (about 2 minutes per question)
- Pass mark
- Approx. 60% (around 36 out of 60)
- Open book?
- Yes, with BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 only
- Qualification time
- 40 hours in total, 35 of them guided learning (a notional figure, not revision advice)
What is the 18th Edition exam?
"18th Edition" is the everyday name for the IET Wiring Regulations, published as BS 7671:2018. The exam that goes with it is the City & Guilds Level 3 Award in the Requirements for Electrical Installations (Ofqual number 603/3319/4). It tests whether you understand the regulations and, just as importantly, whether you can find and apply them quickly under time pressure.
It isn't a practical assessment and it doesn't look at your workmanship. It's a knowledge exam about the standard itself, which is why it's open book. Employers, main contractors and competent person schemes commonly ask for it as evidence that you know the current regulations.
2382-26 has replaced 2382-22
When BS 7671 is amended, City & Guilds updates the exam to match. The current version, 2382-26, is based on Amendment 4 (the "Orange Book"), and centres have offered it since 16 April 2026. Registration for it is open until 31 December 2029.
The previous exam, 2382-22, was based on Amendment 2. Its registration closed on 31 July 2026 and its last test date is 15 October 2026. There was never a "2382-24". For a side-by-side comparison, see 2382-22 vs 2382-26, and for the regulation changes themselves, read what changed in Amendment 4.
EAL offers an equivalent Level 3 award, also open book with 60 on-screen questions, if your training provider works with EAL rather than City & Guilds. This guide focuses on the City & Guilds version.
Exam format: questions, time and pass mark
2382-26 is a single online multiple-choice test, graded pass or fail. There are no merits or distinctions, and nobody asks for your score once you've passed.
How many questions are in the 18th Edition exam?
There are 60 questions and you have 120 minutes. That works out at roughly two minutes per question, which sounds generous until you spend six minutes hunting for one table. Managing your time is a real part of passing.
What is the 18th Edition exam pass mark?
City & Guilds gives the pass mark as approximately 60%, which is about 36 correct answers out of 60. The word "approximately" matters, so don't plan to scrape through on exactly 36. Treat 60% as the floor and build a comfortable margin in your practice mocks before you book.
Is there negative marking?
No negative marking is published, so leaving an answer blank can only cost you. Answer every question, even if the last few are educated guesses.
Exam tip
Use a halfway checkpoint: you want to be at or past question 30 when 60 minutes have gone. If you're behind, stop chasing the hard ones. Pick your best answer, note the question number to revisit and keep moving. A guess you can come back to beats five unanswered questions at the end.
What's on the paper: the official test specification
City & Guilds publishes how the 60 questions are split across the book. It's the most useful thing to know when planning your revision, because the split is far from even.
| Learning outcome | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scope, object and fundamental principles (Part 1) | 4 |
| 2 | Definitions (Part 2) | 2 |
| 3 | Assessment of general characteristics (Part 3, Chapters 31 to 36) | 6 |
| 4 | Protection for safety (Part 4, Chapters 41, 42, 43, 44 and 46) | 15 |
| 5 | Selection and erection of equipment (Part 5, including Chapter 57 stationary secondary batteries) | 14 |
| 6 | Inspection and testing (Part 6, Chapters 64 and 65) | 4 |
| 7 | Special installations or locations (Part 7) | 7 |
| 8 | Part 8 and the appendices | 8 |
| Total | 60 |
Parts 4 and 5 together supply 29 of the 60 questions, almost half the paper. Part 4 covers protection against electric shock, thermal effects, overcurrent, voltage disturbances and isolation and switching. Part 5 covers choosing and installing equipment, including the new Chapter 57 on stationary secondary batteries. If your time is limited, these two Parts deserve the biggest share of it.
Don't ignore the smaller areas, though. Part 7 and Part 8 with the appendices add up to 15 questions between them, and many of those are straightforward lookups once you know where to look.
What the questions are like
Expect practical, scenario-based questions rather than trivia. A typical question describes a situation, such as a circuit, a location or a test result, and asks what the regulations require. Some are direct lookups (a maximum disconnection time or a minimum IP rating, for example). Some ask you to apply a rule to a scenario. A few involve simple calculations, such as comparing a measured earth fault loop impedance with a tabulated maximum or working out a voltage drop as a percentage.
Is the 18th Edition exam open book?
Yes. You can take your copy of BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 into the exam, and it's the only book allowed. The On-Site Guide and the IET Guidance Notes are not permitted, however useful they are on site.
Make sure your copy is the A4 edition. The A2:2022 "Brown Book" and the separate A3:2024 pages are withdrawn on 15 October 2026 and don't match the 2382-26 exam.
What you can do to your book
The City & Guilds rules for 2382-26 let you:
- add bookmarks, tabs or sticky notes (blank or numbered) and fold page corners;
- highlight text;
- write short cross-reference notes, such as "see 411.3.3".
What you can't do
- write sample questions or answers in it;
- add diagrams or detailed notes.
If you're not sure whether your book complies, take a clean copy. Expect your book to be checked, and you don't want a debate about margin notes ten minutes before the start. Our guide on how to tab and highlight your BS 7671 book sets out a tab layout that stays within the rules.
Calculator and what to bring
You'll need a non-programmable calculator. A basic scientific calculator is ideal, because it handles the square root in the adiabatic equation and the percentages in voltage drop questions. Your phone won't be allowed at your desk, so don't plan to use it as a calculator.
Your centre will tell you what identification to bring and when to arrive. As a rule, bring photo ID, your book and your calculator, and leave everything else in the car.
Sitting the exam: at a centre or remotely
You book the exam through a City & Guilds approved centre, usually a college or a private training provider. Prices and availability vary between centres, so it's worth asking around. You can find more on the qualification itself on the City & Guilds website.
At a test centre
Most candidates sit the test on a computer at the centre, supervised by an invigilator. You answer on screen with your book and calculator on the desk in front of you.
Remote invigilation
Some centres offer the test with remote invigilation, so you sit it at home or at work while being supervised through your webcam. If you go this way, expect a room check, a clear-desk rule and a look at your book on camera. Check that your computer and internet connection meet the centre's requirements well before the day. The book rules are exactly the same as in a test centre.
Results, certificates and resits
Because the test is marked on screen, results come through quickly. Your centre will explain how you'll receive yours, and a provisional result is often available soon after you finish. Once the result is confirmed, City & Guilds issues your certificate.
The certificate has no expiry date. Whether you need to update it when the regulations are amended is decided by your employer, scheme provider or client contract, not by a fixed rule.
If you don't pass
You can re-sit. You rebook through your centre, which sets its own fees and dates. Before you rebook, look honestly at which areas cost you marks and spend your revision there. A focused week of timed practice on your weak Parts is a better use of time than reading the book cover to cover again.
How long should you study?
City & Guilds sets the qualification at 40 hours of total qualification time, including 35 guided learning hours. That's a notional figure for the whole qualification, including taught time, rather than revision advice, but it gives a sense of scale. Spread over a month, it's roughly ten hours a week, which fits around full-time work. Let your mock scores, not the clock, tell you when you're ready.
How you use the hours matters more than the number. Reading the regulations from start to finish is slow and doesn't build the skill the exam rewards, which is finding the right regulation fast. A better approach is to learn how the book is structured, tab it, then practise with timed questions until finding answers feels routine. Our guide to passing the 18th Edition first time includes a four-week plan, and the 18th Edition course gives you lessons for every Part, an explained question bank and unlimited 60-question timed mocks built to the official specification.
Frequently asked questions
How many questions are in the 18th Edition exam?
The City & Guilds 2382-26 exam has 60 multiple-choice questions, and you have 120 minutes to answer them. That's about two minutes per question.
What is the pass mark for the 18th Edition exam?
City & Guilds states it as approximately 60%, which is around 36 out of 60. Aim higher than that in your practice mocks so you have a safety margin on the day.
Is the 18th Edition exam open book?
Yes. You can use BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 and nothing else. Tabs, highlighting and short cross-references such as "see 411.3.3" are allowed. Written answers, sample questions, diagrams and detailed notes are not.
Can I take the On-Site Guide into the exam?
No. The On-Site Guide and the IET Guidance Notes are not permitted. Only your copy of BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 is allowed.
Can I sit the 18th Edition exam from home?
Some centres offer remote invigilation, where you're supervised through a webcam. Ask your centre whether they offer it and what equipment and room set-up they need.
Does the 18th Edition certificate expire?
No, it has no expiry date. Your employer, scheme provider or a client contract may still ask you to hold the qualification for the current amendment, so check with them.
Want to know where you stand before you book? Try the free 20-question 18th Edition mock exam. It's timed like the real thing and there's no sign-up.
The full course
18th Edition
Inside the course
- 414 exam‑style questionsEach with its regulation and book route
- 264 regulations coveredEvery answer cites its regulation
- 39 lessons, about 5½ hours2 free to read now