What's on the Michigan Fire Alarm Specialty Technician Exam? Topics, Code Edition and a Study Plan
The PSI topic list for Michigan's Fire Alarm Specialty Technician exam: 36 questions on the 2023 NEC, PA 407, PA 230 and Part 8, why NFPA 72 is not a reference, our estimated weighting, and the pending move to the 2026 NEC.
Contents
What's on the Michigan Fire Alarm Specialty Technician Exam?
The PSI candidate bulletin for Michigan's electrical exams (effective August 20, 2026) gives the Fire Alarm Specialty Technician exam as 36 questions in 90 minutes, 75% to pass. The questions are written by the Bureau of Construction Codes, not PSI.
The topics, and how many questions each gets
The bulletin lists the topics but not how many questions each gets. Michigan publishes no counts or percentages for any of its electrical exams. The counts below are our estimate, which we use to weight our practice exams. They are not the state's numbers.
| Topic | Our estimated items |
|---|---|
| Power limited circuits (including fire alarm circuits) | 8 |
| Wiring methods and installations | 4 |
| General electrical trade knowledge | 3 |
| Michigan laws and rules | 3 |
| Overcurrent protection | 3 |
| Box and raceway fill | 3 |
| Grounding and bonding | 3 |
| Special occupancies | 3 |
| Electrical theory | 2 |
| Load calculations | 2 |
| Boxes and cabinets | 2 |
| Total | 36 |
The ten electrical topics are the bulletin's own. The law share is our addition to the table: the bulletin scopes the exam to the Skilled Trades Regulation Act, its rules, the Michigan Electrical Code Rules (Part 8) and the Stille-DeRossett-Hale Single State Construction Code Act, "as relating to fire alarm systems", but it does not say how many questions come from them.
What the exam covers, and what it does not
In scope (and allowed in the room):
- NFPA 70, the National Electrical Code. Questions are based on the 2023 edition.
- 2016 PA 407, the Skilled Trades Regulation Act.
- 1972 PA 230, the Stille-DeRossett-Hale Single State Construction Code Act.
- The Michigan Electrical Code Rules, Part 8 (R 408.30801 to 408.30880).
Not on the list: NFPA 72. The National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code is not a permitted reference, and the bulletin does not name it in the exam's scope. Candidates already hold NICET Level II in fire alarm (or ESA CFAT Level II) to qualify, and this exam tests the electrical side. Expect the NEC's power-limited and fire alarm circuit rules, not NFPA 72 device spacing.
The code edition, precisely
Michigan's Part 8 adopts the 2023 NEC, second printing, with TIAs 70-23-1 to 70-23-13, Errata 70-23-1 to 70-23-6 and Annex H, effective March 12, 2024. Part 8 deletes several Article 80 sections and replaces them with Michigan rules.
You may bring another NEC edition, but the bulletin is clear that the items are based on the 2023 edition. Bring the 2023.
Michigan amendments worth knowing, because they are Michigan-only and a 2023 NEC alone will not show them:
- Permits (80.19): permits are not transferable, must be posted, and expire 180 days after issuance, extended 180 days from the last inspection. No permit is needed for minor repair work as PA 407 defines it.
- Plans (80.21): plans are required when a service or feeder exceeds 400 amperes at 1,000 volts or less and the floor area exceeds 3,500 square feet.
- Dangerous installations (80.13): the inspector may order a disconnection, with notice within 24 hours, and it is unlawful to reconnect.
- Emergency systems (700.9 and 701.9): installed under NFPA 110 and NFPA 111, 2019 editions.
The 2026 NEC is coming, but not yet
LARA has a pending rule set (2026-17 LR) to move Part 8 to the 2026 NEC. As of November 2026 it has not been filed, and it takes effect 120 days after filing. No date has been announced for the exam to switch. Study the 2023 NEC, and watch LARA and PSI for the change.
Where the weight is
- Power limited circuits is the heart of it. For a fire alarm technician that means the NEC's power-limited and fire alarm circuit rules: circuit classification, separation from power conductors, cable types and support. In our estimate it is the largest single area.
- Wiring methods, fill and boxes add up. Wiring methods, box and raceway fill, and boxes and cabinets together are about a quarter of our weighting, and they are lookup-heavy.
- Law is in scope, so prepare for it. Expect licensing, apprentice supervision (one technician to no more than two apprentices), permits and inspections from PA 407, PA 230 and Part 8.
- Theory and load calculations are small but cannot be looked up. Know Ohm's law and basic power calculations.
A study plan
- Start with power-limited and fire alarm circuits in the NEC. Know the article structure well enough to find a rule in seconds.
- Work Chapter 3 next: wiring methods, box fill and conduit fill.
- Read the three Michigan texts once, end to end. PA 407 Article 7, PA 230's permit and inspection sections, and the live Part 8 rules. They are short, and they are free on LARA's site.
- Prepare your references by the rules. The NEC may carry factory tabs and highlights only. The state documents must be printed, stapled three times on the left as separate documents, with no highlighting or tabs.
- Sit a timed set. 36 questions in 90 minutes is 2½ minutes each.
Our free practice test shows the question style on the 2023 NEC and Michigan law. The full exam prep has full-length practice exams weighted to the estimate above, with every answer explained. For what to bring and how the day runs, see Michigan Fire Alarm Specialty Technician exam day.
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