Maryland electrician exam cost and fees
The exam fee is the small number. A failed sitting and another 30-day wait is the expensive part. Here is the full breakdown for both tiers, plus the cost most candidates forget to count.
Last reviewed June 2026
What you pay, journeyperson
- Exam fee: $65 to PSI Services, for the 70-question journeyperson exam in 3 hours 30 minutes.
- License fee: $18.50 to the MD Board of Electricians once you pass and the Board issues the license.
- Code book: your own copy of the 2020 NEC, since the exam is open book and you bring it in. Budget for a 2020 edition you can tab and highlight.
What you pay, master
- Exam fee: $65 to PSI Services, the same fee as journeyperson, for the 90-question master exam in 4 hours.
- License fee: $25.00 to the MD Board of Electricians once you pass.
- Same open-book setup: bring the 2020 NEC and a silent non-programmable calculator. The master exam is calculation-heavy, with calculations making up 30 of the 90 questions, so the calculator earns its keep.
The cost most candidates forget
A failed attempt is not just the $65 fee again. It is another wait before you can retest, plus the lost evenings and the momentum. Wait 30 days from your most recent attempt to retest, and pay the $65 exam fee again. Your exam approval is valid for one year.
That wait is why the cheapest move is finding your weak articles before test day. The MD Board of Electricians publishes pass rates in its meeting minutes, and they run about 27 percent across both tiers. Open book does not mean easy. The test rewards landing on the right rule fast under a tight clock, so a second $65 sitting is a real risk, not a formality. Study the articles costing you points, not everything.
The whole-cost math, before you book
Add it up the way a journeyperson on the truck would. The $65 exam fee, plus the license fee once you pass, plus a 2020 NEC you can tab. Prep is separate and optional. Free options exist, and paid prep runs from workbooks to subscriptions. The number that wrecks the budget is not any of those. It is paying the exam fee twice because you walked in studying everything evenly instead of the articles the exam leans on.
Where these fee figures come from: Maryland State Board of Electricians — License Requirements, PSI Maryland Master & Journeyperson Candidate Bulletin, Maryland Electricians Act (SB 762, 2021), COMAR 09.09.02.01 (continuing education). Fees change, so re-check the live PSI bulletin and the Board before you schedule.
Spend the $65 once. Find your weak spots first.
Start with the free 15-minute diagnostic. It shows your projected score and the article families costing you the most points. Then the full platform drills your weak areas with original questions, calculators, a 30-day plan, and study guides, all on the 2020 NEC, before you pay the $65 fee and book it.