Arkansas Master Electrician Exam Day: Prov, One Code Book, and the Retake Rules
What to expect on the Arkansas master electrician exam with Prov: test center or remote, the 2023 NEC as your only listed reference and how you may tab it, the unanswered calculator question, the 70% pass mark, retakes and the 6-month licensing deadline.
Contents
Arkansas Master Electrician Exam Day: What to Expect
Prov gives the Arkansas master electrician exam for the Board of Electrical Examiners. Here is the day, from booking to results.
At a glance
| Item | Master exam |
|---|---|
| Vendor | Prov |
| Where | 10 Prov centers in Arkansas, any Prov center in the US, or remote via Examroom.ai |
| Questions | 60, four-option multiple choice |
| Time | 180 minutes |
| Book | Open; NFPA 70, 2023 edition |
| Pass mark | 70% |
| Fee | $80 |
| Results | Immediate |
Booking
You need the Board's approval first; it is good for 183 days. Then book at provexam.com/scheduler ("New Test-Taker", certifying body "AR - Arkansas Department of Labor - Electrical Examining Board", then the master license), or by phone at (801) 733-4455. You will enter personal details including your SSN and pay by card.
Cancel or reschedule at least 3 days before the exam to keep your fee.
The book and how to mark it
The only listed reference is the 2023 NEC. Prov's rules for it:
- Highlighting and underlining before the exam are fine. No marking during it.
- Permanent tabs only. Movable tabs and Post-its are not allowed.
- No handwritten notes, formula sheets, Tom Henry or Kelly indexes, or added stickers.
- Photocopies only where the bulletin permits them, and the book title must be exact.
The bulletin says older and newer editions are "always permitted". Arkansas's adopted code is now the 2026 NEC, so you may own that book, but the exam is still keyed to 2023. Section numbers and some values differ between editions. Bring a 2023.
On a master exam, the tabs that pay off are the ones with the most items behind them: Article 250 (grounding is 10 items), Articles 210 through 240 (services through overcurrent protection is 10), and Chapter 4 (equipment is 8).
Calculator
The bulletin is silent on calculators. It bans "any other electronic devices" and does not describe an on-screen calculator. Calculations are only 5 items on the master exam, but service and feeder sizing questions need arithmetic too. Ask Prov before test day what is allowed.
Pacing
3 minutes per question. The master exam is weighted toward Code lookups rather than pure calculation, so speed in the book matters more than speed with numbers.
- Know your way around Article 250 before you sit down. Its tables (250.66, 250.122) answer a lot of questions quickly.
- Do not chase a lookup for ten minutes. Answer, and move on.
- Answer every question. There is no penalty for guessing.
- Halfway check: about 30 done at 90 minutes.
Scoring
You need 70%: 42 of 60 if it is a straight percentage. The bulletin does not say whether scores are raw or scaled, and it does not mention unscored pretest items. Results are immediate and go to the Board.
If you do not pass
- Retest after 2 days.
- Prov allows unlimited attempts within one approval, each at full fee.
- The Board's rules let it require an applicant who did not complete an apprenticeship to complete up to two years of apprenticeship before retesting.
After you pass
Obtain the license within 6 months after the end of the month you tested, or you will have to test again. The license is $50 a year.
Before you go
Our free practice test gives you a feel for the questions on the 2023 NEC, and the full exam prep has timed, full-length practice exams weighted to the Prov master outline. For eligibility, see Arkansas Master Electrician requirements.
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