What's on the ICC Master Electrician Exam (R16)? All 9 Areas and How to Study Them
The ICC outline for the Standard Master Electrician exam (R16): 100 questions across 9 areas, with more weight than the journeyman exam on general knowledge and plan reading, services and motors, on the 2023 NEC — and a study plan built on the weights.
Contents
What's on the ICC Master Electrician Exam (R16)?
The ICC Standard Master Electrician exam (R16) follows ICC's national master outline: nine areas, each a set percentage of the exam. It is 100 four-option multiple-choice questions in 5 hours, open book with the 2023 NEC and Ugly's Electrical Reference, and you need 75% overall. With 100 questions, each percentage is also the number of questions.
The outline
| Area | Share of exam |
|---|---|
| Wiring Methods and Materials | 19% |
| Services | 16% |
| Branch Circuits and Conductors | 16% |
| General Knowledge, including Plan Reading | 12% |
| Special Occupancies, Equipment, and Conditions | 12% |
| Equipment and Devices | 10% |
| Motors and Generators | 8% |
| Feeders | 4% |
| Control Devices | 3% |
How it differs from the journeyman exam
Both exams use the same nine areas, but the weights shift:
| Area | Journeyman (R17) | Master (R16) |
|---|---|---|
| General Knowledge | 6% | 12% |
| Services | 11% | 16% |
| Motors and Generators | 6% | 8% |
| Special Occupancies, Equipment, and Conditions | 11% | 12% |
| Branch Circuits and Conductors | 19% | 16% |
| Wiring Methods and Materials | 26% | 19% |
| Equipment and Devices | 13% | 10% |
| Control Devices | 4% | 3% |
| Feeders | 4% | 4% |
General knowledge doubles and services gain five points; wiring methods drop seven. Wiring methods is still the largest single area. The pass mark also rises, from 70% on R17 to 75% on R16: 75 of 100 correct.
On the 2023 NEC
R16 is the 2023 NEC series. ICC also gives the master exam on the 2014 (F), 2017 (G) and 2020 (T) editions, so confirm with your jurisdiction that R is the series it wants. Study material written for an older edition numbers several load-calculation rules differently:
| Topic | Older editions | 2023 NEC (your exam) |
|---|---|---|
| Non-dwelling general lighting unit loads | Table 220.12 | Table 220.42(A) |
| Lighting load demand factors | Table 220.42 | Table 220.45 |
| Non-dwelling receptacle demand factors | Table 220.44 | Table 220.47 |
| EV charging load in a load calculation | No rule | 220.57: 7,200 VA or the nameplate, whichever is larger |
| Class 1 remote-control and signaling circuits | Article 725 | Article 724 (general rules in Article 722) |
A study plan built on the weights
- Wiring methods, services and branch circuits. 51 questions, just over half the exam.
- General knowledge and special occupancies. 24 more, and general knowledge, with its plan reading, is where the master exam differs most from the journeyman.
- Load calculations on the 2023 tables. Services and feeders are 20 questions together; make sure you are using Tables 220.42(A), 220.45 and 220.47, not the older numbers.
- Know where things are in both books. The exam is open book, so it rewards finding a section quickly as much as knowing it.
- Sit a timed, full-length exam. 100 questions in 5 hours is 3 minutes each.
Taking a state version instead? Kentucky's master exam (701) matches R16 but passes at 70%, and Kentucky, Wyoming and South Dakota each have their own practice exams: see Kentucky, Wyoming and South Dakota.
Our free practice test gives you 10 questions on the 2023 NEC. The full exam prep has a timed full-length practice exam weighted like the ICC outline, with calculations worked out step by step and every answer citing its NEC section. For the day itself, see ICC Master Electrician exam day.
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