ICC Master Electrician Exam (G16, 2017 NEC): Requirements, Cost, and Who Accepts It
What the ICC Master Electrician exam G16 takes: the 2017-NEC version of R16, no ICC experience rule, the $120 fee, which jurisdictions accept the G series, and why your city or county sets the license rules.
Contents
ICC Master Electrician Exam (G16): Requirements and Who Accepts It
The International Code Council (ICC) writes and gives the Master Electrician exam, but ICC is not a licensing agency. Each city, county or state decides whether it accepts an ICC exam, which one, and on which edition of the NEC. G16 is the master exam on the 2017 NEC, for jurisdictions that still test on that code. Everything below comes from ICC's National Contractor/Trades Examination Information Bulletin (published June 30, 2026) unless noted.
Which edition? The four series
ICC offers each electrician exam on four NEC editions:
| Series | NEC edition |
|---|---|
| F | 2014 |
| G | 2017 |
| T | 2020 |
| R | 2023 |
G16 and R16 share the same outline; only the code edition differs. Ask your jurisdiction which series it wants before you book. A passing score on the wrong edition may not count. If it wants the 2023 NEC, see our R16 practice exam.
Who accepts the G series
Acceptance is local and changes as jurisdictions adopt newer codes. With a published source:
- Nevada: Electrical Safety Professionals issues the Clark County, Las Vegas and Reno electrician ID cards on G16, G17 and G18. See Nevada electrician exams.
- Missouri: the approved-exam list for the optional statewide electrical contractor license includes G16 and G17. See Missouri electrician exams.
- The Town of Amherst, New York names the G-series exam and accepts results on the 2017, 2020 and 2023 editions.
Eligibility and experience
ICC sets no experience requirement to sit G16. Experience hours, apprenticeship, application paperwork, the license and its renewal all come from the jurisdiction that accepts the result. If it requires pre-authorization, you register with the ICC ID number from its Eligibility To Test Notice.
The exam
- 100 multiple-choice questions in 5 hours, four options and one correct answer each,
- open book with the 2017 NEC and Ugly's Electrical Reference (any edition),
- ICC's master electrician exams require 75%; confirm the mark for G16 in ICC's Exam Catalog when you book,
- $120 at a Pearson VUE test center, and a 10-day wait after a failed attempt.
What is on the G16 exam breaks down the outline.
Practice for the exam
Our ICC G16 practice test is weighted like ICC's outline, and every question cites the 2017 NEC section.
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