Michigan Electrician Exam Questions: Answered and Cited

How many questions are on the Michigan journeyman electrician exam, and are any unscored?

Eighty, with 150 minutes to answer them. That is what the PSI candidate information bulletin for the Michigan Bureau of Construction Codes prints, in the version effective 20 August 2026.

The bulletin prints a single item count with no scored and unscored split, so plan on all 80 counting. Divided by the clock that is just under two minutes a question.

How long is the Michigan master electrician exam?

Three hours. The master examination is 76 questions with 180 minutes, against the journeyman paper's 80 questions in 150 minutes.

So the master paper is shorter and slower: a little over two minutes and twenty seconds a question, against just under two. Both pass at 75 percent.

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

Seventy five percent. PSI prints that standard for the journeyman, master, fire alarm specialty technician and sign specialist examinations alike.

LARA's electrical examination page names the same minimum score. There is no separate calculations portion in Michigan and no second threshold to clear.

How much does the Michigan electrician exam cost?

One hundred dollars, paid to PSI when you schedule. PSI states that examination fees are not refundable and not transferable.

An accommodation of time and a half adds $50 per examination and can only be booked by telephone with a PSI registrar. LARA's page says fees are paid directly to PSI.

How long is the Michigan exam fee good for?

One year from the date of payment. PSI puts that sentence in capitals in the bulletin.

That is a different clock from the two attempt limit, and the two do not start on the same day. Write down the date you paid and the date you first sat.

Is the Michigan electrician exam open book?

Yes, with four documents allowed: the National Electrical Code, 2016 PA 407, 1972 PA 230 and the Michigan Electrical Code Rules Part 8. A straight edge rule is allowed provided it carries no calculations.

Everything has to be bound, and printed documents need three staples down the left edge as separate documents. No loose paper of any kind is permitted.

Can you tab or highlight your code book for the Michigan exam?

Only if the factory did it. PSI allows factory markings or highlights with factory tabs only, and states that reference materials cannot have any highlights, underlining or marking of any type.

A tab set you applied is a mark you added, and so is a highlighter line from two years on the job. PSI says a candidate caught writing, highlighting, underlining or indexing before or during the examination is reported to the Bureau of Construction Codes.

So the compliant Michigan book is a clean one, which is the opposite of the advice written for most other states.

Is the NEC Handbook allowed on the Michigan exam?

No. The bulletin states that the NEC Handbook is not allowed in the examination room.

The Handbook is a separate product that wraps the code in commentary, and it costs more than the code book. Buy the softbound code book instead.

Can you bring a calculator to the Michigan electrician exam?

Calculators are on the bulletin's list of prohibited electronic devices, alongside phones, smartwatches, tablets and recording devices, and they go into the secure storage outside the room.

What the bulletin does not describe is what the workstation gives you instead. We read it on 4 September 2026 and it names no on screen calculator and no scratch surface.

Call PSI on 855-579-4635 and ask before you build a study routine around one answer or the other.

Which NEC edition are Michigan electrician exam questions written on?

The 2023 edition. LARA's electrical examination page says the questions are based on the 2023 National Electrical Code, the 2023 Michigan Electrical Code Rules Part 8, 1972 PA 230 and 2016 PA 407.

Underneath that sits R 408.30801 of the Part 8 rules, which adopts the National Electrical Code 2023 second printing with technical interim amendments 70-23-1 through 70-23-13 and errata 70-23-1 through 70-23-6. That rule set took effect on 12 March 2024.

Has Michigan adopted the 2026 NEC?

Not yet. Draft rule set 2026-17 LR, dated 19 August 2026, would adopt the 2026 National Electrical Code second printing with technical interim amendments 70-26-1 through 70-26-8.

It would take effect 120 days after filing with the secretary of state, and as of 4 September 2026 it has not been filed. So no countdown has started, and any date you hear for the switch is a guess.

What is the Michigan Electrical Code?

It is the Part 8 rule set, R 408.30801 through R 408.30880, which adopts the National Electrical Code by reference and then amends it. R 408.30807 designates those rules as the Michigan Electrical Code.

Michigan also leaves parts of the code out. R 408.30801 excludes sections 80.2, 80.5, 80.15, 80.23, 80.27, 80.29, 80.31, 80.33, 80.35 and 90.6 and puts Michigan's own administration in their place.

Does the Michigan exam test state law as well as the code?

Yes. Every content outline names the Skilled Trades Regulation Act and the electrical code rules. The journeyman, master and fire alarm specialty technician outlines add the Stille-DeRossett-Hale single state construction code act, and the fire alarm one names it as it relates to fire alarm systems. Only the sign specialist outline leaves it off.

Those are 2016 PA 407 and 1972 PA 230, and both are on the reference list you may carry in. They are free from LARA, which means the only item on the list you have to buy is the code book.

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

The bulletin says master, journeyman and sign specialist candidates are limited to 2 attempts within 1 year, and that fire alarm and contractor candidates are unlimited.

A different line in the same document says that if you fail you may retest unlimited and pay the fee each time. Both sentences were in the bulletin we read on 4 September 2026 and they do not agree.

Call PSI on 855-579-4635, ask them to read your own record, and get the count that applies to you before you pay for a third sitting.

What happens after two failed attempts in Michigan?

You reapply with the state. The bulletin says that once your attempt limit has been exceeded you must reapply with the state to become eligible again.

Statute adds a wait on top of that. MCL 339.5715(3) for the journeyman and MCL 339.5713(2) for the master make an applicant who fails twice within two years ineligible until at least one year after the second failure, and then ask for a board approved course on the Michigan electrical code, electrical fundamentals or electrical theory. LARA's Licensing Section approves an applicant before PSI will schedule anything, so eligibility comes back through the Bureau of Construction Codes.

The bureau takes licensing questions on (517) 241-9316, and its mailing address is P.O. Box 30254, Lansing, MI 48909.

Which cities host the Michigan electrician exam test centers?

PSI lists seven: Dearborn, Holt near Lansing, two in Southfield, Grand Rapids, Gaylord and Marquette.

Two of the seven share a city, on Northland Drive and on Lahser Road in Southfield, so go by the street address on your confirmation, since the city name fits both. Arriving at the wrong one means arriving late, and a late arrival forfeits the fee.

What ID do you need, and how early do you have to arrive?

One current, unexpired government issued identification carrying a photograph and a signature. PSI accepts a state driver's license, a state identification card, a US passport, a US military identification, a US alien registration card or a Canadian government identification, and does not accept temporary identification.

Arrive 15 minutes before your appointment, which is the time PSI sets aside for signing in and verifying who you are. Arriving after the start time means you are not admitted and the fee is gone.

Can you cancel or reschedule without losing the fee?

Yes, if the cancellation notice reaches PSI two days before the scheduled examination date. Cancel later than that, or fail to appear, and the $100 is forfeited.

It has to go through the PSI website or a phone call to a customer service representative. A voicemail does not count and neither does an email.

Who approves you to test, LARA or PSI?

LARA does. The Licensing Section has to approve your application before PSI will let you schedule, and only then do you contact PSI directly for a date.

So the two organizations have different jobs: the state decides whether you may sit, and PSI decides where and when. That is also why a candidate who runs out of attempts goes back to the state to reapply.

When do you get your score, and what does a failing report show?

Immediately. Your score appears on the screen as soon as you finish the examination and PSI provides a score report before you leave.

A failing report carries a diagnostic showing your strengths and weaknesses by examination type, and reports print later from your PSI online account. Read the diagnostic before you rebook, because with two attempts inside a year a booking made on a hunch is expensive.

What this page cites

• PSI's Michigan candidate information bulletin In effect from 20 August 2026 and read on 4 September 2026. The item counts, time limits, 75 percent passing standard, $100 fee, allowed references, book and conduct rules, attempt limit, score report and test center list cited on this site all come from it. source
• LARA exam and licensing page, Bureau of Construction Codes The state page naming the code each examination is based on and the experience each license calls for. Read 4 September 2026. source
• Part 8 Electrical Code rules, R 408.30801 to R 408.30880 Michigan's adopting rule, which puts the NEC into force in the state and writes in the state's own amendments. Read on the state administrative rules site, 4 September 2026. source
• Draft rule set 2026-17 LR, Part 8 Electrical Code The strike and bold draft dated 19 August 2026 that would move Michigan to the 2026 National Electrical Code. Not filed as of 4 September 2026. source
• MCL 339.5715(3) and MCL 339.5713(2) The journeyman and master sections of the Occupational Code, each holding an applicant who fails twice within two years out for at least a year and then asking for a board approved course. Read 4 September 2026. source
• LARA construction codes rules, acts and standards Where the Bureau of Construction Codes links the Occupational Code, the Skilled Trades Regulation Act and the construction code administrative rules. Read 4 September 2026. source