Michigan Master Electrician Exam Day: PSI, Your Code Book, and Pacing 3 Hours
What to expect on the Michigan master electrician exam with PSI: the NEC and state documents you can bring and how to prepare them, the calculator question, 76 questions in 180 minutes, the 75% pass mark and the retake rules.
Contents
Michigan Master Electrician Exam Day: What to Expect
The Michigan master electrician exam is given by PSI for LARA's Bureau of Construction Codes, and written by the Bureau's staff. It shares a candidate bulletin with the journeyman, fire alarm specialty technician and sign specialist exams. Here is what the day looks like.
Where you test
PSI has seven test centers for the Michigan electrical exams: Dearborn, Holt-Lansing, Southfield (two), Grand Rapids, Gaylord and Marquette. There is no remote option for electrical exams, and the exam is English only.
After LARA approves you, register at test-takers.psiexams.com/mielec or by phone at 855-579-4635. Cancel or reschedule at least two days ahead, or the fee is forfeited.
What you can bring
It is an open-book exam with four permitted references, plus a ruler:
| Reference | Rules |
|---|---|
| NEC | Factory markings, highlights and factory tabs only. Questions are based on the 2023 edition. |
| 2016 PA 407 (Skilled Trades Regulation Act) | Printed from the BCC site, bound separately with 3 staples on the left edge. No highlighting, marking or tabs. |
| 1972 PA 230 (Single State Construction Code Act) | Same rules as PA 407. |
| Michigan Electrical Code Rules, Part 8 | Same rules as PA 407. |
| Straight-edge ruler | With no calculations on it. |
Not allowed: the NEC Handbook, and any loose or attached papers in your books.
The Skilled Trades Regulation Rules are part of the exam's scope but are not on the list, so you cannot bring them. Know the key points, such as the 75% pass mark and the license renewal and relicensure rules.
Calculator
The master exam is calculation-heavy, so check this before you go. The electrical bulletin lists calculators among the personal belongings that must be stored and does not mention an on-screen calculator. (The inspector and plan reviewer bulletin does allow one.) Ask PSI what applies to your sitting, and practice load calculations by hand so you are ready either way.
The clock
76 questions in 180 minutes (3 hours). It is computer-based, with a mouse and keyboard. Time-and-a-half is available for approved candidates for an extra $50.
Pacing
That is about 2 minutes 20 seconds per question, a little more per question than the journeyman exam allows. Spend it on the calculations.
- Budget for the calculations. A full service or feeder calculation takes several minutes. Make up the time on quick lookups and law questions.
- Tab your NEC for calculations. Article 220, the demand-factor tables, Article 430's motor tables and Chapter 9 should be one flip away.
- The Michigan documents are untabbed. Know Part 8's plan threshold, permit terms and the emergency disconnect rule without looking them up.
- Check the clock at the halfway mark: about 38 questions done at 90 minutes.
Scoring
You need 75% to pass. Your score shows on screen when you finish, and a failing score report includes a diagnostic section.
If you do not pass
The fee is $100 per attempt, paid to PSI, non-refundable and valid for one year from payment.
Under PA 407, if you fail the master exam twice within two years, you must wait at least one year from the second failure and complete a board-approved course on the Michigan electrical code, electrical fundamentals or theory before you can retest. The PSI bulletin words its retake limits differently, but the statute and LARA's PSI page agree on this rule.
Your LARA approval lasts one year from first review, and every attempt has to fit inside it.
Before you go
Sit a full-length, timed practice exam first. Our free practice test gives you a feel for the questions on the 2023 NEC, and the full exam prep has full-length practice exams weighted to the bulletin's topics, with every answer explained. For eligibility, see Michigan Master Electrician requirements.
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