Massachusetts journeyman electrician exam: what to expect
Massachusetts licenses Journeyman and Master electricians through the Board of State Examiners of Electricians. The exam is a two-part PSI test, open book, with the 527 CMR 12.00 amendments tested directly. We verified the current format, fees, and rules against the Board and the live PSI bulletin in July 2026. Full MA-specific practice content is on our roadmap; the verified exam intel is below.
Last reviewed July 2026
The short answer
The Massachusetts journeyman electrician exam is a two-part PSI test: 80 trade questions in 3 hours, then 30 applied questions in 1 hour, each needing 70 percent. It is open book with the current adopted NEC and the 527 CMR 12.00 Massachusetts amendments, and 9 of the 30 applied questions test Massachusetts rules directly.
The exam at a glance
- Who runs it: PSI Services (applications also run through PSI)
- Questions: Part 1: 80 trade questions. Part 2: 30 applied questions.
- Time: Part 1: 180 minutes. Part 2: 60 minutes.
- Passing score: 70 percent on each part, scored separately
- References: Open book. Bring the current adopted NEC (tabs and highlighting done in advance are fine), the 527 CMR 12.00 amendments, the board rules, and NFPA 72. Only PSI-provided scrap paper during the exam.
- Code edition tested: Massachusetts adopted the 2026 NEC (527 CMR 12.00) effective April 24, 2026, among the first states in the country. The PSI bulletin switches exam content in July of a code year, so confirm with PSI which edition your sitting targets before you buy or tab a code book.
- Exam fee: $226 for a first attempt ($60 PSI processing + $80 trade + $55 applied + $31 state fee; the state fee is waived for veterans and active military). Retakes are $135 for both parts.
- Retakes: Wait at least 24 hours to rebook a failed part. Up to 6 attempts within 12 months of approval. After 3 fails you must document additional education before attempts 4 through 6. After 6, you repeat the full 600-hour education program.
Massachusetts licensing authority
Massachusetts licenses Journeyman, Master, and Apprentice electricians through the Board of State Examiners of Electricians (BSEE). The Massachusetts Electrical Code adds state-specific amendments to NEC.
Authority: Massachusetts Board of State Examiners of Electricians (BSEE)
Official site: https://www.mass.gov/orgs/board-of-state-examiners-of-electricians
License types issued
Massachusetts issues the following electrician license classifications:
- Master Electrician (Class A and Class B)
- Journeyman Electrician
- Apprentice Electrician
Hour requirement
Journeyman requires 8,000 hours of supervised work and 600 hours of related instruction. Master (Class A) requires at least 1 year as a licensed Massachusetts Journeyman plus 150 classroom hours and the exam.
Hour requirements typically combine on-the-job experience under a licensed electrician with classroom or related supplemental instruction. Confirm exact totals and qualifying-experience rules with the Massachusetts Board of State Examiners of Electricians (BSEE) before submitting an application — requirements occasionally change.
Code edition
Massachusetts adopts NEC with the Massachusetts Electrical Code (527 CMR 12.00) amendments. That code edition is set by the Board of Fire Prevention Regulations at the Department of Fire Services, not BSEE. Verify the current adopted edition with the Department of Fire Services.
What trips candidates up
- Nine of the 30 Part 2 questions test Massachusetts amendments and licensing law. NEC-only prep under-prepares you here.
- The 15-hour Code-Update class is an initial-application requirement on top of the 600 classroom hours. Easy to miss, and the application gets bounced without it.
- Pass both parts, pay the $104 license fee at the test center, and the license prints on the spot the same day.
- Education older than 20 years and work experience older than 20 years are void. Applications near that line get denied outright.
- mass.gov still links a stale bulletin marked effective 2/1/2024. The live PSI bulletin (effective 11/1/2024) is the current word.
Official sources
Facts on this page were last reviewed July 2026 against these primary sources. Rules change; when in doubt, the state’s page wins.
Frequently asked questions
How many questions is the Massachusetts journeyman electrician exam?
Two parts: 80 trade questions with 180 minutes, and 30 applied questions with 60 minutes. You need 70 percent on each part, and both parts must be passed within 12 months of application approval.
Is the Massachusetts electrician exam open book?
Yes. You bring the current adopted NEC, the Massachusetts amendments (527 CMR 12.00), the board rules, and NFPA 72. Highlighting and tabs made before the exam are allowed. During the exam you write only on PSI-provided scrap paper.
How many hours do you need for a Massachusetts journeyman license?
8,000 hours of supervised work over at least 4 years under a licensed Massachusetts journeyman, plus 600 hours of board-approved classroom education and a 15-hour code-update class before you apply.
What does the Massachusetts journeyman exam cost?
$226 for a first attempt, including PSI processing and the state fee. Retakes run $135 for both parts. The initial license fee is $104, payable at the test center the day you pass.
What is the pass rate for the Massachusetts electrician exam?
Massachusetts does not publish pass rates for the electrician exams. Neither the Board nor PSI releases official statistics, so treat any percentage you see on a prep site as invented.
What you can do now while we build MA content
Even though we don’t yet have Massachusetts-specific practice questions, the underlying NEC concepts our diagnostic measures are universal. Voltage drop, conduit fill, motor sizing, grounding electrode systems, GFCI/AFCI requirements — these are tested on every state’s electrician exam regardless of jurisdiction.
Three things you can do today (free)
- Take the free diagnostic. 15 questions across the core NEC domains. 90 seconds. No signup. Tells you which topics will lose you points if you walked into any state electrician exam this week. Take it →
- Read our pass-rate analysis. Verified TDLR FY2025 pass rate (27.52%) and California 2022 figures. Useful context whether you’re sitting for Massachusetts or another state. See the stats →
- Drill the topics that decide most exams. Grounding vs bonding (Article 250), voltage drop calculation, conduit fill, motor sizing, GFCI/AFCI requirements, the wave-pass open-book strategy. All resource pages are free. Browse resources →
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