What's on the Massachusetts Journeyman Electrician Exam? Both Parts, Item by Item

What's on the Massachusetts Journeyman Electrician Exam?

The Massachusetts Journeyman (Class B) exam has two parts, and the Board publishes how many questions come from each area. Both parts are open book, and you need 70% on each one. The counts below are from the Board's Candidate Information Bulletin, effective September 30, 2026.

Part 1: 80 questions, 180 minutes

Part 1 is a code exam. Wiring methods, services and grounding together make up 36 of the 80 questions. Solar and battery storage add up to 10, more than many other states' journeyman exams carry. Alarm systems account for 6, and NFPA 72 is one of the books you can bring.

Part II, Applied: 30 questions, 60 minutes

Part II is where the Massachusetts-specific material lives. Nine of the 30 questions come from the state's own rules: five on the amendments in 527 CMR 12.00 and four on licensing law in 237 CMR and M.G.L. c. 141. The rest is trade knowledge: Ohm's law and circuit math, reading circuits, materials, and meters and testing.

What you can bring

The bulletin allows these in the testing room:

• The National Electrical Code (NFPA 70)
• NFPA 72, the National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code
• 527 CMR 12.00, the Massachusetts amendments to the NEC
• 237 CMR, the Board's rules
• M.G.L. c. 141, the electrician licensing law, and other General Laws that apply

They may be tabbed, highlighted and annotated in the margins, and you may write formulas on the blank pages of your code book beforehand. Questions may also come from Ugly's Electrical References and the American Electricians' Handbook, but those two books are not allowed in the room. That matters most for Part II's calculations: know the formulas, or write them into your code book.

The Massachusetts amendments

Massachusetts adopted the 2026 NEC on April 24, 2026, with its own changes in 527 CMR 12.00. Those changes are fair game on Part II, and they override the national text in Part 1. A few examples from the 2026 package:

• Ampacity adjustment. Massachusetts rewrites Table 310.15(C)(1). With 7 to 24 current-carrying conductors the adjustment is 70%, with 25 to 42 it is 60%, and with 43 or more it is 50%.
• Sinks. The amendment to 210.8(B)(7) requires GFCI protection for receptacles within 6 feet of the top inside edge of a sink bowl.
• Inspections. Rule 10 says work may not be concealed until inspected, and the inspector must get there within 24 hours for excavations and 72 hours for other installations, after proper notice, weekends and holidays excluded.
• Unit equipment. Massachusetts deletes the NEC sentence that allowed cord-and-plug connection of emergency unit equipment.
• Deletions. Article 691 and 680.4 are deleted in Massachusetts.

Because amended rules read differently here, study the 2026 NEC with the 2026 amendments beside it.

How to study it

1. Learn the layout of the NEC and where the high-count areas live: Chapter 3 wiring methods, Article 230 services and Article 250 grounding.
2. Read 527 CMR 12.00 front to back. It is short, and it is five guaranteed Part II questions.
3. Read 237 CMR and M.G.L. c. 141 for licensing: license classes, supervision, permits and renewal.
4. Practice the Ohm's law and power formulas until they are automatic.
5. Practice both parts separately, because each one has to reach 70% on its own.

Our Massachusetts Journeyman Electrician practice test draws from each area in these proportions, with a separate practice exam for each part. For eligibility, fees and renewal, see Massachusetts Journeyman Electrician requirements.