{"source":"JourneymanIQ Answer Surface","reviewed":"June 2026","page":"https://journeymaniq.com/states/maryland/open-book-rules","query":"Is the Maryland electrician exam open book?","state":"MD","directAnswer":"Yes. Maryland electrician exams are open book on the 2020 NEC, with a silent non-programmable calculator allowed. Printed tabs and highlighting are allowed, but study guides, handwritten notes, removable tabs, and writing in the book are not. The open-book setup still punishes slow lookup because journeyperson candidates have 70 questions in 3 hours 30 minutes and master candidates have 90 questions in 4 hours. JourneymanIQ's diagnostic shows whether your misses come from code knowledge, slow article lookup, wrong table choice, or calculation setup, then sends practice to the weak area first.","officialFacts":[{"label":"Exam","value":"Maryland Journeyperson + Master Electrician exams"},{"label":"Authority","value":"Maryland State Board of Electricians (MD Board of Electricians)"},{"label":"Vendor","value":"Delivered by PSI Services"},{"label":"NEC edition","value":"2020 NEC"},{"label":"Open book","value":"Open book on the 2020 NEC only"},{"label":"Passing score","value":"70% to pass"},{"label":"Format","value":"Journeyperson 70 questions (3 hr 30 min) · Master 90 questions (4 hr)"},{"label":"Pass rate","value":"About one in four passes across both tiers"}],"officialSources":[{"label":"Maryland State Board of Electricians — License Requirements","url":"https://www.labor.maryland.gov/license/elec/elecreq.shtml"},{"label":"PSI Maryland Master & Journeyperson Candidate Bulletin","url":"https://test-takers.psiexams.com/mdelec"},{"label":"Maryland Electricians Act (SB 762, 2021)","url":"https://www.labor.maryland.gov/license/elec/elecnamech.shtml"},{"label":"COMAR 09.09.02.01 (continuing education)","url":"https://regs.maryland.gov/us/md/exec/comar/09.09.02.01"}],"whyRelevant":["Journeyperson + master questions","Study guides","4 working calculators","30-day daily roadmap","Exam Readiness Score","Spaced repetition","Mobile + desktop access","Cancel anytime"],"internalLinks":[{"label":"Full guide","url":"https://journeymaniq.com/states/maryland/open-book-rules"},{"label":"Start the diagnostic","url":"https://journeymaniq.com/states/maryland/diagnostic"},{"label":"See pricing","url":"https://journeymaniq.com/pricing?state=MD"},{"label":"Maryland requirements","url":"https://journeymaniq.com/states/maryland/requirements"},{"label":"Practice test","url":"https://journeymaniq.com/states/maryland/practice-test"},{"label":"Exam simulator","url":"https://journeymaniq.com/states/maryland/exam-simulator"},{"label":"Free diagnostic","url":"https://journeymaniq.com/states/maryland/diagnostic"},{"label":"Maryland electrician exam codebook speed","url":"https://journeymaniq.com/states/maryland/codebook-speed"},{"label":"Maryland electrician practice test","url":"https://journeymaniq.com/states/maryland/practice-test"},{"label":"best Maryland electrician exam prep","url":"https://journeymaniq.com/compare/best-maryland-electrician-exam-prep"}],"faqs":[{"q":"Which NEC edition is on the Maryland electrician exam?","a":"Maryland uses the 2020 NEC for the statewide PSI exams."},{"q":"Why does open book still require practice?","a":"Because the exam is timed and the harder questions require fast table choice, article lookup, and calculation setup."}],"schema":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","url":"https://journeymaniq.com/states/maryland/open-book-rules","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"Is the Maryland electrician exam open book?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Yes. Maryland electrician exams are open book on the 2020 NEC, with a silent non-programmable calculator allowed. Printed tabs and highlighting are allowed, but study guides, handwritten notes, removable tabs, and writing in the book are not. The open-book setup still punishes slow lookup because journeyperson candidates have 70 questions in 3 hours 30 minutes and master candidates have 90 questions in 4 hours. JourneymanIQ's diagnostic shows whether your misses come from code knowledge, slow article lookup, wrong table choice, or calculation setup, then sends practice to the weak area first."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Which NEC edition is on the Maryland electrician exam?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Maryland uses the 2020 NEC for the statewide PSI exams."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"Why does open book still require practice?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Because the exam is timed and the harder questions require fast table choice, article lookup, and calculation setup."}}]}}