Maryland Master Electrician Exam Day: PSI, One Code Book, and Pacing 4 Hours
What to expect on the Maryland master exam with PSI: the 2020 NEC as your only reference and how you may mark it, PSI's online calculator, 2-point theory items, pacing 90 questions in 4 hours, and the 30-day retake rule.
Maryland Master Electrician Exam Day: What to Expect
PSI gives the Maryland electrical exams for the State Board of Master Electricians, under one combined candidate bulletin for the master and journeyperson exams. Here is what the day looks like.
One book, and only one
The exam is open book, with one reference allowed: NFPA 70, 2020 edition, the 2020 National Electrical Code.
How you may prepare it:
- Highlighting is allowed.
- Indexing with permanent tabs is allowed. Removable tabs are not.
- Writing notes in the book is not allowed.
Make sure it is the 2020 edition. With 30 points of calculations, the edition matters: the 2023 NEC renumbers the load-calculation tables (Table 220.12 in 2020 is Table 220.42(A) in 2023, and the 2020 demand-factor Tables 220.42 and 220.44 become 220.45 and 220.47).
Calculator
PSI provides an online calculator on screen. Thirty points ride on calculations, so practice with a basic calculator and get quick with it before the day.
The clock
90 scored questions in 240 minutes (4 hours), plus 5 to 10 unscored pilot questions mixed in. You will not know which are pilots, so answer everything as if it counts.
Pacing
That is about 2 minutes 40 seconds per scored question, tighter than the journeyperson exam and before the pilots are added.
- Not every question is worth the same. The ten theory items are worth 2 points each. Do not rush them.
- Calculations take longer than lookups. Bank time on the quick Code questions so the calculations are not squeezed at the end.
- Know your tabs before you go in, especially Article 220 and the tables your calculations come from.
- Do not let one problem eat your time. Give your best answer and move on.
- Answer every question.
- Check the clock at the halfway mark: about 45 done at 2 hours.
Scoring
You need 70 of 100 points (70%). It is scored as one exam, and there is no Maryland law section on it.
If you do not pass
You can retake after 30 days, and the fee is $65 per exam. Across both Maryland electrician exams, the Board reports 28% of exams passed since testing began, and 26% in 2025 through October, so most attempts do not pass. Use the 30 days to work the areas you found hardest.
Before you go
Sit a full-length, timed practice exam first. Our free practice test gives you a feel for the questions on the 2020 NEC, and the full exam prep has full-length practice exams weighted to the PSI outline, with every calculation worked step by step from the 2020 NEC tables. For eligibility and reciprocity, see Maryland Master Electrician requirements.
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