Michigan Electrician ExamJourneyman and master, open book

Checked against primary sources 2026-09-04

One level up

Michigan Master Electrician Exam: 76 Questions, 180 Minutes

The master paper is shorter than the journeyman paper and gives you longer to sit it: 76 questions in 180 minutes, against 80 in 150. The passing score is the same 75 percent, and the extra half hour is the clearest thing the bulletin tells you about how the two papers differ.

Test yourself: free practice questions

On this page
  1. Fewer questions, more clock
  2. What the outline says the master paper adds
  3. Who is eligible to sit it
  4. The same four documents, the same clean book
  5. The fee, and the two attempt limit
  6. The edition, and the draft behind it
  7. Preparing for a paper with no published weighting
  8. Questions people ask
  9. What this page cites

Fewer questions, more clock

The master electrician examination is 76 questions with 180 minutes, and 75 percent passes. The journeyman examination is 80 questions with 150 minutes at the same standard.

Work the two out per question and the gap is wide. The journeyman paper allows just under two minutes an item. The master paper allows a little over two minutes and twenty seconds.

That is roughly a quarter more time on each question for a paper that is four questions shorter. PSI does not explain the difference, but it is a reasonable signal that the master items are meant to take longer to work.

What the outline says the master paper adds

The master and journeyman content outlines name the same fifteen areas: grounding and bonding, overcurrent protection, wiring methods and installations, boxes and cabinets, services, feeders, motors and motor controls, special occupancies, load calculations, lighting, appliances, box and raceway fill, power limited circuits, general electrical trade knowledge, and electrical theory. Services and feeders sit on separate lines, and so do lighting and appliances.

One sentence sets them apart. The bulletin says the master examination covers the additional knowledge required to plan and supervise electrical installations.

That is the whole of the published difference in subject matter. No item counts appear beside either outline, so any weighting you read anywhere is somebody's inference and not Michigan's published shape.

Our reading of that one sentence, and it is ours rather than PSI's: the master items lean toward the work a person signs off rather than the work a person installs. Load calculations, service and feeder sizing, and the parts of the law that decide who may do what.

Who is eligible to sit it

LARA sets the experience before PSI sets the date. The master electrician license needs you to be at least 22, to have held an electrical journeyman license for at least 2 years and 4,000 hours in that capacity, and to have 12,000 hours over at least 6 years in total.

The Licensing Section approves the application first. Only then does PSI let you schedule, so a master candidate's real timeline starts at the experience affidavit rather than at the booking page.

The hours side of this belongs to the licensing site. Michigan Journeyman Prep works through the master requirements and the forms.

The same four documents, the same clean book

The reference list does not change between the two examinations. The National Electrical Code, 2016 PA 407, 1972 PA 230 and the Michigan Electrical Code Rules Part 8, plus a straight edge rule with no calculations on it.

The marking rule does not change either. No highlights, no underlining, no marks of any type, and factory tabs only on the code book. The Handbook stays out of the room.

Calculators are on the list of electronic devices that go into storage, and the bulletin does not describe what the workstation gives you instead. Ask PSI on 855-579-4635 before your date.

The fee, and the two attempt limit

The examination fee is $100, not refundable and not transferable, and valid for one year from the date of payment. Time and a half as an accommodation adds $50 per examination and is booked by telephone.

Master candidates are inside the two attempt limit. The bulletin says master, journeyman and sign specialist candidates are limited to two attempts within one year, and that exceeding the limit means reapplying with the state.

The same document also says a failing candidate may retest unlimited. The retakes page carries both sentences and what to do about the conflict.

The edition, and the draft behind it

The master examination is written against the same 2023 National Electrical Code and 2023 Part 8 rules as the journeyman paper, per LARA's examination page. The Part 8 rules adopting the 2023 NEC took effect on 12 March 2024.

Draft rule set 2026-17 LR, dated 19 August 2026, would adopt the 2026 NEC second printing 120 days after filing. Until it is filed the 2023 book is what you carry.

If you are studying from material written for the 2026 book, a handful of section numbers point at the wrong page. Which edition is tested lists them.

Preparing for a paper with no published weighting

Michigan gives you fifteen named areas and no item counts, so a study plan built on weighting is built on a guess. What you do have is a clock: 180 minutes and 76 questions.

Our advice, and it is judgment rather than a published rule: rehearse at the full 76 and the full 180 at least once. An hour of practice after work never tells you what your accuracy does in the third hour, and the master paper is a third longer than the journeyman one.

The study plan lays out four weeks against the open book format, and it separates what is sourced from what is ours.

Questions people ask

How many questions is the Michigan master electrician exam?

Seventy six, with 180 minutes to answer them. That is four fewer questions than the journeyman paper and half an hour more time, which works out at a little over two minutes and twenty seconds a question.

What score do you need to pass the Michigan master electrician exam?

Seventy five percent, the same standard PSI prints for the journeyman, fire alarm specialty technician and sign specialist examinations. LARA's examination page names 75 percent as the minimum score as well.

How is the Michigan master exam different from the journeyman exam?

The published outlines name the same fifteen subject areas. The one sentence that separates them says the master examination covers the additional knowledge required to plan and supervise electrical installations. Beyond that, the difference in the published material is the item count and the clock.

What experience do you need before you can sit the Michigan master exam?

LARA requires you to be at least 22, to have held an electrical journeyman license for at least 2 years covering 4,000 hours, and to have 12,000 hours over at least 6 years in total. The Licensing Section approves the application before PSI will schedule you.

How much is the Michigan master electrician exam?

The fee is $100, paid to PSI at scheduling. It is not refundable and not transferable, and it is valid for one year from the date of payment. An accommodation of time and a half costs an extra $50 per examination.

Is the Michigan master electrician exam open book?

Yes, with the same four references as the journeyman paper: the National Electrical Code, 2016 PA 407, 1972 PA 230 and the Michigan Electrical Code Rules Part 8. The book cannot carry highlights, underlining or marks of any type, and only factory tabs are allowed.

How many times can you take the Michigan master exam in a year?

The bulletin limits master, journeyman and sign specialist candidates to two attempts within one year, after which you reapply with the state. It also carries a line saying a failing candidate may retest unlimited. Ask PSI which applies to your own record.

Put it to the test

Free practice questions, sections shown

Every miss shows the working and the section behind it, so you learn the trap and not just the answer. No account.

Start the free questionsThe licensing side

Written on the 2026 code with the 2023 number beside anything that moved, which is what the Michigan exam still uses.

What this page cites

NEC and National Electrical Code are registered trademarks of the National Fire Protection Association.

Trojan Digital Marketing is an independent company. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by NFPA, LARA, the Michigan Bureau of Construction Codes, PSI Services, or any licensing authority.

Bring your own copy of the National Electrical Code, unmarked. The Michigan exam is open book on the 2023 edition until the bulletin says otherwise.

All practice questions are original. They are not actual exam questions.

Part of the electrician network with Michigan Journeyman Prep (licensing) and the Texas sites Texas Journeyman Prep, Texas Electrician Exam and Texas Electrical Code Prep.

Built and maintained by Jeff Clerisier, Trojan Digital Marketing.

Every rule here is cited to the section it comes from, and corrections are logged in public with the date. This is study material rather than electrical advice, and it does not replace your own code book or your inspector.

Free, weekly

One exam question a week, worked all the way through

One original Michigan-style question, the arithmetic worked, the section named, and the day the bulletin moves to the 2026 code you hear it here first. Unsubscribe in one click.