Is the Michigan exam open book?
Yes. Michigan is open book. You bring your own NEC, plus the Michigan Electrical Code Part 8 rules, 1972 PA 230, and 2016 PA 407. The items are written to the 2023 NEC, so bring that edition even though the bulletin allows others. References must be bound with factory tabs and markings only. No highlighting, underlining, handwritten notes, or personal indexing, and the NEC Handbook is not allowed.
What you can bring
- NFPA 70, National Electrical Code (items are based on the 2023 Edition; the bulletin allows other editions)
- 2023 Michigan Electrical Code Rules (Part 8)
- 1972 PA 230 (Stille-DeRossett-Hale Single State Construction Code Act)
- 2016 PA 407 (Skilled Trades Regulation Act)
Open book. References must be bound, with factory tabs and markings only. Printed rules and acts go in as separate documents, each stapled three times on the left edge. No highlighting, underlining, handwritten notes, or personal indexing, and the NEC Handbook is not allowed.
Open book does not mean easy
The book is allowed because the exam is testing whether you can find the rule fast, not whether you memorized it. With 80 questions in 2 hours 30 minutes, that is under two minutes each. The candidates who pass have the 2023 NEC tabbed and know the chapter before they open it.
How fast is your code lookup, really?
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