What's on the Mississippi Master Electrician Exam? PSI's 14 Areas and 80 Questions

What's on the Mississippi Master Electrician Exam?

The State Board of Contractors' Master Electrician trade exam qualifies a company for the commercial Electrical classification. It is 80 questions in 3 hours, open book, and you need 70% (56 correct). PSI gives it.

The content outline

No area dominates. The five largest add up to 41 questions, so you need to be comfortable across the whole code.

Where each area sits in the code

PSI's bulletin lists only the area names. This is where the questions are found:

• Service, Feeders, and Branch Circuits (10). Articles 210, 215, 220, 225 and 230: required outlets, load calculations, feeder and service sizing, service equipment.
• Conductors and Cables (10). Article 310 ampacity and the correction and adjustment tables, plus the cable articles (NM, MC, AC, SE, UF) and flexible cords (400).
• Grounding and Bonding (7). Article 250, especially Table 250.66 (grounding electrode conductor) and Table 250.122 (equipment grounding conductor).
• Raceways and Boxes (7). Article 300, boxes (314, including box fill), cabinets (312) and the raceway articles, with Chapter 9 conduit fill.
• Special Occupancies and Equipment (7). Chapter 5 (hazardous locations, health care, assembly) and Chapter 6 special equipment.
• General Electrical Knowledge (6). Definitions (100), general requirements (110), the grounded conductor (200), and electrical theory: Ohm's law, power and voltage drop.
• Electrical Power (6). Switches, panelboards, appliances, heating, transformers (450), capacitors, generators and emergency and standby systems (Chapter 7).
• Motors (6). Article 430 and its full-load current tables, branch-circuit protection, overloads and controllers; Article 440 for air conditioning.
• Overcurrent Protection (6). Article 240: standard ratings, conductor protection, the "next size up" rule, and taps.
• Safety Information (5). OSHA's construction standards (29 CFR 1926): electrical (Subpart K), PPE, ladders, fall protection and general duties.
• Lighting (3). Articles 410 and 411.
• Fire Detection and Alarm Systems (3). NEC Article 760, the wiring of fire alarm circuits.
• Low Voltage (2). Class 1, 2 and 3 circuits (725) and communications (Chapter 8).
• Illuminated Signs (2). Article 600: branch circuits, disconnects and grounding for signs.

Books and editions

The references are the 2020 NEC, 29 CFR 1926 (or PSI's selections from it) and Ugly's Electrical References (2011, 2014 or 2017). For code questions only the listed NEC edition counts. Non-code references can come from later editions, at your own risk.

Much current study material is on the 2023 NEC, which renumbered several load-calculation tables and moved Class 1 circuits to new articles. Study from the 2020 book you will bring.

A study plan

1. Tab the tables first. 220.12 and 220.42, 240.6(A), 250.66, 250.122, 310.15(B)(1) and (C)(1), 310.16, 314.16(A) and (B), 430.52 and 430.247 to 430.250, and Chapter 9 Tables 1, 4, 5 and 8.
2. Drill the calculation areas. Services, conductors, motors and overcurrent protection are 32 questions, and most involve a table lookup or a calculation.
3. Don't skip the two-question areas. Signs, low voltage and fire alarm are only 7 questions together, but each sits in one short article you can learn in an evening.
4. Read OSHA Subpart K. Five safety questions come from 29 CFR 1926.
5. Practice under time. 80 questions in 3 hours is about 2 minutes 15 seconds each, and PSI's unscored experimental questions use the same clock.

Law and Business Management is separate

The Law and Business Management exam (50 questions, 2 hours, 70%) is a different exam on the NASCLA Mississippi guide, 6th edition. Every applicant takes it. We do not cover it yet.

Practice

Start with our free 10-question practice test, then the full Master Electrician exam prep with 320+ questions on the 2020 NEC. See also requirements and exam day.