The 2921-34 EV charging exam: format, pass mark and what replaced 2919-01

If you've been searching for the City & Guilds 2919-01 EV charging course, you're looking for a qualification that has gone. The current City & Guilds award for domestic and small commercial EV charging is 2921-34, the Level 3 Award in the Requirements for the Design and Installation of Domestic and Small Commercial Electric Vehicle Charging Installations.

This guide explains how its test works, which books you can take in, who can register and how Amendment 4 to BS 7671 fits in. The facts come from City & Guilds' handbook and the Ofqual register, listed at the end.

Qualification

City & Guilds 2921-34, Level 3, Ofqual 610/4640/1

Test

30 multiple-choice questions in 60 minutes, on screen at a centre

Pass mark

Approx. 75% (about 22 to 23 out of 30)

Books

The IET Code of Practice for EV Charging Equipment Installation and BS 7671, paper copies only

Practical

None: the online test is the whole assessment

Entry

A Level 3 electrotechnical qualification or an ECS Gold Card; 18 or over

What happened to 2919-01?

The Ofqual register lists City & Guilds 2919-01, the Level 3 Award in Domestic, Commercial and Industrial Electric Vehicle Charging Equipment Installation, as no longer awarded. Its operational end date was 31 July 2023 and its final certification date was 30 June 2024. The domestic-only version, 2919-02, has the same status and dates.

2921-34 replaced 2921-31, which City & Guilds listed as available until 31 October 2024. The other 2921 qualifications, 2921-32 and 2921-33, are separate awards for large-scale EV charging with written and project assessments, and aren't what most domestic installers need.

Who can take the 2921-34?

It's a short course for practising, qualified electricians who design and install EV charging equipment in homes and small commercial premises. It isn't for beginners. To register, City & Guilds asks for one of these:

• City & Guilds 2357, 5357, 2356, 2346 or 2347, or an equivalent from another awarding organisation or an equivalent historical qualification under the Electrotechnical Assessment Specification;
• an ECS Gold Card issued by the JIB or SJIB as an Installation, Maintenance or Domestic Electrician.

The entry qualification must have been achieved in the last five years, unless you've kept current by holding the latest Wiring Regulations qualification. You must be 18 or over. Your centre checks your eligibility, and registration lasts one year. Recognition of prior learning isn't allowed.

The test: 30 questions in 60 minutes

2921-34 has one unit, Unit 305, and one assessment: an online multiple-choice test on City & Guilds' e-volve system, taken under exam conditions at an approved centre. It's graded pass or fail, and there's no practical, assignment or project.

What is the 2921-34 pass mark?

City & Guilds gives it as approximately 75%. On 30 questions that's roughly 22 to 23 correct, so you can only afford about seven or eight wrong answers. Don't plan to scrape through: we suggest aiming for 85% or more in practice to leave a margin. That's our advice, not a City & Guilds figure.

Time, calculator and marking

Sixty minutes for 30 questions is 2 minutes a question, across two books. A non-programmable scientific calculator is allowed. No negative marking is published, so answer every question. City & Guilds doesn't publish pass rates for 2921-34.

What's on the paper

Design is the biggest single outcome, and learning outcomes 2 and 3 together supply 20 of the 30 questions. Earthing on a PME supply sits inside learning outcome 3, and it's where many candidates lose marks; our guide to PME and open-PEN protection for EV chargers walks through it.

Which books can you take in?

City & Guilds allows two books, both as paper copies:

• the IET Code of Practice for Electric Vehicle Charging Equipment Installation (the handbook names the 5th edition, published in 2023);
• BS 7671.

E-books can't be used in e-volve tests. If you only have an electronic copy, ask your centre about a paper one.

There's one wrinkle. The 2921-34 handbook still names the 2022 edition of BS 7671 (Amendment 2), which is withdrawn on 15 October 2026, while City & Guilds' permitted materials guide says to use current versions unless an edition is specifically stated. Confirm with your centre which edition to bring.

The same guide allows stick-on tabs, highlighting and very short cross-references to regulation or BS numbers. Added notes, formulae and extra printed pages aren't allowed.

Amendment 4 and EV charging

BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 was published on 15 April 2026. Trade summaries of the amendment report these changes for EV charging:

• a residual direct current protective device (RDC-PD) to BS IEC 62955 is listed as an alternative to an RCD in 722.531.3.101;
• a new regulation, 722.421.1.7.201, clarifies that AFDDs aren't required on circuits supplying charging equipment to the BS EN 61851 series with socket-outlets or connectors to BS EN IEC 62196-2;
• "higher risk residential buildings" in the AFDD rules became "high-rise residential buildings", without changing where AFDDs are required.

The test was written against the Code of Practice 5th edition and the A2 book, so the safest approach is to understand the principle behind each rule, and to know which answers changed with A4.

What the qualification doesn't do

Passing 2921-34 shows knowledge of the requirements. It doesn't, on its own, make you an OZEV-authorised installer or a member of a certification scheme: the government's authorised installer page asks for scheme or ECA membership rather than a named qualification. Trade bodies report that from 1 October 2026, certification schemes expect individuals doing EV charging work to hold a relevant qualification; that's a scheme rule, so check with your own scheme.

If your provider works with EAL instead, EAL offers a Level 3 Award in the Requirements for the Installation of Electric Vehicle Charging Points (Ofqual 603/3929/9). Ask your EAL centre for its exam details.

Where candidates lose marks

From our own analysis of the syllabus, these are the traps:

• thinking an RCD protects against an open-PEN fault (it doesn't);
• forgetting that TN-S is treated as PME unless the network operator can guarantee it won't be converted;
• mixing up Type A with an RDC-DD (6 mA), Type F with an RDC-DD (10 mA) and Type B, or thinking Type AC is acceptable;
• applying diversity to a distribution circuit feeding several chargers when there's no load curtailment;
• using 5% voltage drop where an open-PEN voltage-monitoring device is fitted, when the guidance is 4%;
• confusing modes with connection cases: Mode 2 has the control box in the cable, Case C is tethered to the charger.

Frequently asked questions

How many questions are in the 2921-34 exam?

30 multiple-choice questions in 60 minutes, taken on screen at a City & Guilds approved centre.

What is the 2921-34 pass mark?

Approximately 75%, which is about 22 to 23 out of 30. City & Guilds publishes it as approximate, so aim well above it.

Is 2919-01 still available?

No. Ofqual lists 2919-01 as no longer awarded, with a final certification date of 30 June 2024. The current City & Guilds award for domestic and small commercial EV charging is 2921-34.

Is there a practical assessment for 2921-34?

No. The 30-question online test is the only assessment.

Which books can I take into the 2921-34 test?

Paper copies of the IET Code of Practice for EV Charging Equipment Installation (5th edition) and BS 7671. Check with your centre which edition of BS 7671 to bring.

Does 2921-34 make me an OZEV-authorised installer?

Not by itself. The government's authorised installer requirements ask for membership of a competent person scheme or the ECA, among other conditions, rather than a named qualification.

Sources

• City & Guilds, 2921-34 qualification handbook, version 1.3 (January 2025): entry requirements, assessment and test specification.
• City & Guilds, Electric Vehicle Charging (2921) qualification page (updated 5 August 2026) and Electrotechnical Guide to Assessments and Permitted Materials, version 3.1 (May 2026).
• The Ofqual register entries for 610/4640/1, 600/7756/6, 600/7374/3 and 603/3929/9.
• BEAMA and Doepke summaries of BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 (2026) for the EV changes.
• GOV.UK, "Residential and commercial chargepoints: become an authorised installer" (updated 1 April 2026).

Ready to practise? The EV Charging course has lessons for every learning outcome and timed 30-question mocks spread like the real test.