The NEC electrical engineering syllabus (code AElE) has 10 chapters and 60 sub-sections. It starts with circuits and machines, moves through power plants, measurement, power electronics and control, protection, transmission and distribution, utilisation and power system analysis, and ends with the project planning chapter that all branches share.
NEC published this syllabus with a model question set in November 2025. The model set has 100 multiple choice questions of one mark each. Below you will find what each chapter covers, which topics carry the most calculation work, and a six-week plan. The official PDF links are in the downloads section.
New to the licence exam? Start with the NEC licence exam guide for eligibility and the application steps. For other branches, see the NEC syllabus list for all 41 branches.
NEC Electrical Engineering exam pattern at a glance
| Item | What NEC has published |
|---|---|
| Question type | Multiple choice, four options |
| Questions in the 2025 model set | 100 questions of 1 mark each (100 x 1 = 100) |
| Syllabus size | 10 chapters, 6 sub-sections each, 60 sub-sections in all |
| Earlier pattern (exams up to 2023) | 60 one-mark and 20 two-mark questions, 2 hours, pass at 50 marks, no negative marking |
| Where to confirm | The exam notice for your session on the NEC notices page |
With 100 questions spread over 60 sub-sections, there is no safe topic to skip. If you leave out a whole chapter, you give up marks you cannot win back elsewhere.
NEC Electrical Engineering syllabus: chapter-by-chapter breakdown
NEC describes the order this way: chapters 1 and 2 are fundamentals, chapter 3 is about power plants with a hydropower focus, chapters 4 to 6 deal with measurement, protection and control, chapters 7 to 9 cover transmission, distribution, utilisation and system analysis, and chapter 10 is project planning.
| Chapter and what it covers | What to focus on |
|---|---|
| 1. Fundamentals of Electrical Engineering circuit laws, network theorems, AC fundamentals, transients in RL, RC and RLC circuits, power factor and resonance, three-phase systems | Star-delta relations, power triangle, resonance frequency and transient time constants. |
| 2. Electrical Machines magnetic circuits, transformers, DC machines, synchronous machines, three-phase and single-phase induction motors | Transformer efficiency and regulation, induction motor slip and torque, synchronous speed. A high-scoring chapter if you practise numericals. |
| 3. Power Plant Engineering hydro plants, diesel plants, solar and wind, energy storage, excitation systems, generator starting and black start | Hydro plant layout and turbine selection, which suits Nepal's grid. Learn excitation types and AVR basics. |
| 4. Electrical Measurements and Instrumentation errors, AC bridges, measuring instruments, transducers, ADC and DAC, digital instruments, CTs and PTs | Which bridge measures what, instrument errors and CT/PT ratios. |
| 5. Power Electronics and Control transfer functions, time and frequency response, root locus, Bode and Nyquist, power switches, converters, UPS and HVDC | Second-order response values, stability checks, and rectifier output formulas. |
| 6. Power System Protection fuses and isolators, circuit breakers, relays, lightning protection, earthing, substations | Relay types and where they are used, breaker types and ratings, earthing practice. |
| 7. Transmission and Distribution Lines overhead lines and cables, voltage level choice, sag and tension, insulators and string efficiency, load types, distribution systems, power factor correction | Sag calculation, string efficiency and capacitor sizing for power factor correction. |
| 8. Utilisation of Electrical Energy illumination, electrical design and estimation for buildings, tariff schemes in Nepal, drives, heating, traction | Lighting calculations, NEA tariff structure and building wiring estimates. |
| 9. Power System Analysis line parameters, GMD and GMR, corona, per-unit system, ABCD parameters, fault calculation, load flow, stability, VAR compensation | Per-unit conversion, symmetrical components, equal area criterion and Ferranti effect. |
| 10. Project Planning, Design and Implementation drawings, engineering economics, CPM and PERT, project management, professional practice, NEC Act | Common to all branches. Practise NPV, IRR and critical path problems. |
Chapter 10 is the same in every NEC syllabus. Its six sub-sections are:
- 10.1 Engineering drawings: drawing sheets, scales, orthographic and isometric views, sections.
- 10.2 Engineering economics: cash flow, interest and time value of money, payback, NPV, IRR, MARR, depreciation and tax in Nepal.
- 10.3 Project planning and scheduling: project life cycle, bar charts, CPM and PERT, resource levelling and smoothing.
- 10.4 Project management: risk, project financing, tendering and contract management.
- 10.5 Professional practice: ethics, society and environment, occupational health and safety, role of the Nepal Engineers' Association.
- 10.6 Regulatory body: the Nepal Engineering Council Act and Regulations.
You can practise this chapter with the project management and engineering economics MCQ set.
Where to focus your time
- Machines and power systems are where the numericals are. Chapters 2, 7 and 9 reward a formula sheet and daily practice more than any other part of the syllabus.
- Nepal-specific topics are named in the syllabus. Sub-section 8.3 asks for tariff schemes in Nepal and the electricity acts and regulations, and 3.1 focuses on hydro plants. Read the current NEA tariff and the Electricity Act summary at least once.
- Protection and measurement are mostly recall. Make one-page tables: device, principle, where it is used, typical rating.
- Control systems trip people up because many treat it as an electronics subject. Root locus rules and Bode plot slopes come up often in MCQ form.
Six-week study plan for the NEC Electrical Engineering exam
| Week | What to do |
|---|---|
| Week 1 | Go through all 60 sub-sections in the official PDF and rate each one. |
| Week 2 | Chapters 1 and 2. Build the formula sheet for circuits and machines. |
| Week 3 | Chapters 7 and 9 (lines and power system analysis). |
| Week 4 | Chapters 3, 5 and 6 (plants, power electronics and control, protection). |
| Week 5 | Chapters 4, 8 and 10. |
| Week 6 | Model set under exam timing, then two more full papers and a final pass through your weak list. |
Two to three hours a day is enough for most graduates who finished the degree recently. If you have been out of study for a few years, stretch the plan to eight or ten weeks. For general and civil practice questions, the site's engineering MCQ practice tool tracks your weak topics. Electrical graduates can also use the electrical engineering MCQ set.
How this syllabus relates to other branches
Electrical and electronics engineering (AEEE) has its own syllabus and model question set, and energy engineering has a separate file too. You can open both from the full NEC syllabus list.
Common mistakes
- Memorising formulas without units. Many options differ only by a factor of root 3 or by line versus phase values.
- Skipping chapter 8 because it looks easy. Tariff, illumination and estimation questions need specific numbers.
- Revising from notes written for the old 80-question pattern without checking the new sub-section list.
- Leaving no time for chapter 10, which is the same for every branch and easy to score in.
Frequently asked questions
How many chapters are in the NEC electrical engineering syllabus?
Ten chapters with six sub-sections each, 60 topics in total. Chapter 10 on project planning is common to every branch.
What is the NEC electrical exam pattern now?
The model question set NEC released in November 2025 has 100 one-mark multiple choice questions. Earlier exams had 60 one-mark and 20 two-mark questions, so confirm the pattern in the exam notice.
Is hydropower part of the electrical syllabus?
Yes. Chapter 3 is power plant engineering and sub-section 3.1 is about hydroelectric plants, their layouts, turbines and governing. There is also a separate hydropower engineering syllabus for that branch.
Where is the official NEC electrical syllabus PDF?
On the NEC notices page under "Syllabus / Model Questions". The downloads section below links to the syllabus and model question files directly.
Download the official NEC Electrical Engineering PDFs
- NEC Electrical Engineering syllabus (PDF, nec.gov.np)
- NEC Electrical Engineering model questions (PDF, nec.gov.np)
- NEC notices page (filter by "Syllabus / Model Questions")
The files are hosted by the Nepal Engineering Council. If a link stops working, NEC has probably uploaded a new version, so open the notices page and look for the latest file.
Last checked October 2026 against the syllabus and model question files on nec.gov.np. NEC can change the pattern, fees and dates for any session, so read the official notice before you apply. This page is general study guidance, not an official NEC document.
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