Michigan Electrician ExamJourneyman and master, open book

Checked against primary sources 2026-09-04

The exam, from the bulletin

Michigan Journeyman Electrician Exam: Format and Pass Score

Michigan gives you 80 questions and 150 minutes, and 75 percent passes. The paper is open book on the 2023 National Electrical Code, the reference list runs to four documents, and the rule that turns candidates away at the door is that your book cannot carry a single mark you made yourself.

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On this page
  1. The paper in three numbers
  2. What the outline covers, and what it will not tell you
  3. Open book, and the four documents you can carry
  4. The rule that turns candidates away
  5. The calculator question, answered honestly
  6. Booking it, and what it costs
  7. Two attempts in a year, and a sentence that disagrees with itself
  8. Which edition you answer against
  9. What you walk out with
  10. Questions people ask
  11. What this page cites

The paper in three numbers

The journeyman electrician examination is 80 questions with 150 minutes to answer them, and 75 percent passes. Those three figures come from the PSI candidate information bulletin for the Michigan Bureau of Construction Codes, effective 20 August 2026.

Divide the clock by the paper and you get just under two minutes a question. That is the pace to rehearse against, because nothing in the bulletin splits the paper into separately timed sections the way some states do.

The bulletin prints one item count, 80. It does not describe unscored pretest questions mixed in, so plan on all 80 counting and answer them at one pace.

What the outline covers, and what it will not tell you

The bulletin prints a content outline for the journeyman examination and it names fifteen areas: grounding and bonding, overcurrent protection, wiring methods and installations, boxes and cabinets, services, feeders, motors and motor controls, special occupancies, load calculations, lighting, appliances, box and raceway fill, power limited circuits, general electrical trade knowledge, and electrical theory. Services and feeders are two separate lines, and so are lighting and appliances.

What the outline does not carry is an item count beside any area. Some states publish the number of questions per subject and Michigan's bulletin does not, so anyone telling you that grounding is worth twelve questions on this paper is guessing.

The outline also names the law it tests: the Skilled Trades Regulation Act, the Part 8 electrical code rules and the Stille-DeRossett-Hale single state construction code act, which the fire alarm outline names too. Those are 2016 PA 407 and 1972 PA 230 on the reference list, and they are not the National Electrical Code.

What is on the exam works through all fifteen areas and what each one means in the book.

Open book, and the four documents you can carry

The reference list is four documents: the National Electrical Code, 2016 PA 407, 1972 PA 230, and the Michigan Electrical Code Rules Part 8. A straight edge rule is allowed as long as it carries no calculations printed on it.

The NEC Handbook is not allowed in the examination room. It is a different product from the code book, it costs more, and it is the wrong thing to carry to this exam.

Everything you bring has to be bound. PSI asks for printed documents to be stapled three times down the left edge, each document kept separate, and it does not allow loose paper of any kind.

The rule that turns candidates away

Michigan's book rule is stricter than most candidates expect. Reference materials cannot carry highlights, underlining or marking of any type, and the code book is allowed factory markings and factory tabs only.

So the tab set you cut and laid out yourself does not go in, and neither does the copy you have been highlighting on the job for two years. PSI states that a candidate caught writing, highlighting, underlining or indexing before or during the examination is reported to the Bureau of Construction Codes.

Read the book rules before you spend money on a book. The compliant copy in Michigan is a clean one, which is the opposite of the advice written for most other states.

The calculator question, answered honestly

Calculators sit on the bulletin's list of electronic devices that stay in the secure storage outside the room, alongside phones, smartwatches, tablets and recording devices. The list of what you may carry in names your reference materials, the straight edge rule and a close fitting jacket or sweatshirt.

What the bulletin does not say is what the workstation gives you instead. We read it on 4 September 2026 and it describes no on screen calculator and no scratch material, so we are not going to tell you there is one.

Call PSI on 855-579-4635 before you sit and ask what the workstation provides for arithmetic. Write down the answer and the date you got it, because this one decides how you practice every load calculation between now and your date.

Booking it, and what it costs

LARA approves you first. The Licensing Section has to approve your application before PSI will let you schedule, so your exam date sits downstream of the paperwork rather than beside it.

The examination fee is $100 and PSI states it is not refundable and not transferable. The fee is valid for one year from the date you pay it.

You book online at the PSI Michigan electrical site or by phone on 855-579-4635. The line runs Monday to Friday from 7:30am to 10pm Eastern, and at the weekend from 9am to 5:30pm Eastern.

Time and a half is available as an accommodation, carries an extra fee of $50 per examination, and has to be scheduled by telephone with a PSI registrar rather than online.

Two attempts in a year, and a sentence that disagrees with itself

The bulletin says journeyman, master and sign specialist candidates are limited to two attempts within one year, and that once the limit is exceeded you have to reapply with the state to become eligible again.

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

The retakes page sets out both sentences side by side and gives you the question to ask PSI before you book a third sitting.

Which edition you answer against

LARA's 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. The Part 8 rules adopt the 2023 NEC second printing, and that rule set took effect on 12 March 2024.

A draft rule set numbered 2026-17 LR and dated 19 August 2026 would move Michigan to the 2026 NEC second printing, taking effect 120 days after it is filed. It has not been filed, so the 2023 book is still the one to buy.

Which edition is tested tracks that date and lists the section numbers that carry a different address in the two books.

What you walk out with

Your score comes up on the screen as soon as you finish and PSI hands you a score report. A failing report carries a diagnostic showing your strengths and weaknesses by examination type.

Reports print from your PSI online account afterwards, so a lost copy is not a lost result.

Read the diagnostic before you rebook rather than after. It is the only page anyone gives you that names which part of the paper cost you the pass.

Questions people ask

How many questions is the Michigan journeyman electrician exam?

Eighty. The PSI bulletin for the Michigan Bureau of Construction Codes prints one item count for the journeyman examination and it is 80 questions. It does not describe unscored pretest items, so answer all 80 at the same pace.

How long is the Michigan journeyman electrician exam?

150 minutes for the whole paper, run on one clock. That is just under two minutes a question across 80 questions. The bulletin does not split the journeyman paper into separately timed portions.

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

Seventy five percent. That is the passing score the PSI bulletin prints for the journeyman, master, fire alarm specialty technician and sign specialist examinations alike. LARA's examination page names the same standard.

How much does the Michigan journeyman electrician exam cost?

The examination fee is $100 and it is paid to PSI when you schedule. PSI states the fee is not refundable and not transferable, and that it is valid for one year from the date of payment. Time and a half as an accommodation adds $50 per examination.

Is the Michigan journeyman electrician exam open book?

Yes, and four documents are allowed: the National Electrical Code, 2016 PA 407, 1972 PA 230 and the Michigan Electrical Code Rules Part 8. A straight edge rule with no calculations on it is allowed as well. The NEC Handbook is not allowed in the room.

Can you bring a calculator to the Michigan electrician exam?

The bulletin lists calculators among the electronic devices that go into secure storage before you enter the room. It does not describe an on screen calculator at the workstation either. Call PSI on 855-579-4635 and ask what you get for arithmetic, because the answer is not in the published document.

Which NEC edition is the Michigan journeyman exam based on?

The 2023 edition. LARA's examination page names the 2023 National Electrical Code and the 2023 Michigan Electrical Code Rules Part 8, and the Part 8 rules that adopt the 2023 NEC took effect on 12 March 2024. A draft rule would move the state to the 2026 edition, and it has not been filed.

How many times can you take the Michigan journeyman exam?

The bulletin says journeyman, master and sign specialist candidates are limited to two attempts within one year, after which you reapply with the state. Another line in the same bulletin says a failing candidate may retest unlimited. Ask PSI which one governs your record before you book a third sitting.

Put it to the test

Free practice questions, sections shown

Every miss shows the working and the section behind it, so you learn the trap and not just the answer. No account.

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Written on the 2026 code with the 2023 number beside anything that moved, which is what the Michigan exam still uses.

What this page cites

NEC and National Electrical Code are registered trademarks of the National Fire Protection Association.

Trojan Digital Marketing is an independent company. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by NFPA, LARA, the Michigan Bureau of Construction Codes, PSI Services, or any licensing authority.

Bring your own copy of the National Electrical Code, unmarked. The Michigan exam is open book on the 2023 edition until the bulletin says otherwise.

All practice questions are original. They are not actual exam questions.

Part of the electrician network with Michigan Journeyman Prep (licensing) and the Texas sites Texas Journeyman Prep, Texas Electrician Exam and Texas Electrical Code Prep.

Built and maintained by Jeff Clerisier, Trojan Digital Marketing.

Every rule here is cited to the section it comes from, and corrections are logged in public with the date. This is study material rather than electrical advice, and it does not replace your own code book or your inspector.

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