Minnesota Master Electrician Exam Day: DLI's Rules, the Supplied Code Book, and Pacing

Minnesota Master Electrician Exam Day: What to Expect

The Department of Labor and Industry runs the master exam itself. Here is how the day goes.

Scheduling

• Schedule ahead — walk-ins are not accepted, and you can reschedule only once.
• Exams at DLI's St. Paul office run from 8:15 a.m. to 1:45 p.m.
• Arrive 30 minutes early with a picture ID.

Materials: theirs, not yours

DLI provides a soft-cover 2026 NEC without tabs, the Laws and Rules Booklet and a basic desk calculator (with square root and percent). Nothing else is allowed — no phones or other electronic devices in the building. A master exam leans on multi-step calculations, so be comfortable on a plain calculator rather than your phone's.

Rules in the room

• No questions to the proctor about exam content.
• Food and drink are fine; restroom breaks are allowed, but leaving the building fails the exam.
• Helping or being helped, or copying or making notes about questions, is an automatic fail.

Pacing

80 questions in 5½ hours — about 4 minutes each. Master questions are rated harder, and many combine several rules or several steps.

• Answer the single-rule questions first; flag load and motor calculations for a second pass.
• Write your intermediate values down as you go so a check doesn't mean starting over.
• Answer everything: equal points, no partial credit, nothing for a blank.

Results and retakes

70% passes. Results are emailed, generally within two weeks. After a failed attempt you can apply again 30 days after notification, with a new application and the $50 fee.

Before you go

Sit a full-length practice exam first. Our free practice test has 10 questions on the 2026 NEC, and the full exam prep has a timed 80-question practice exam. For eligibility, see Minnesota Master Electrician requirements.