Pass the Massachusetts Journeyman Electrician exam
Massachusetts is the only state that splits the journeyman exam in two: 80 theory questions, then 30 applied questions on the state's own code, 527 CMR 12.00. Both parts must be passed at 70%, on the 2026 NEC that has been in force since 24 April 2026. Generic NEC prep does not know 527 CMR 12.00 exists; this bank is written to it.
Not in Massachusetts? See all states.
How licensing works in Massachusetts
The Board of State Examiners of Electricians, within the Division of Occupational Licensure, issues the Journeyman Electrician licence. You qualify with 8,000 clock hours over at least four years under a licensed journeyman and 600 hours of classroom education within ten years of applying (237 CMR 13, 22.01). The application fee is $226; PSI administers the exam, and from 28 September 2026 applications move to the state's eLIPSE portal.
The exam is two independent parts. Part 1 tests theory and the NEC with NFPA 72; Part II tests applied work and Massachusetts law: 527 CMR 12.00, 237 CMR 12–23 and MGL c.141. Each part is scored to 70% on its own, and a failed part can be retaken up to six times in the year. The $104 licence fee is due after you pass both.
The one thing candidates get wrong: studying the national book alone. 527 CMR 12.00 rewrites 72 NEC sections, and where it does, the Massachusetts text is what the exam grades. 210.8 measures GFCI distance along the shortest path, 210.12(B) puts AFCI on every dwelling 120 V 10–20 A circuit, 230.70 changes service-disconnect rules for one- and two-family dwellings, 334.10 limits NM cable, and 680.4 is deleted.
Licensing and exam: Journeyman Electrician
- Eligibility
- 8,000 clock hours over at least 4 years under a licensed journeyman, plus 600 classroom hours within 10 years of applying (237 CMR 13, 22.01)
- Exam format
- Two independent parts. Part 1: 80 questions. Part II: 30 questions. Pass both.
- Pass mark
- 70% on each part: 56 of 80, 21 of 30
- Time
- Part 1: 180 minutes. Part II: 60 minutes.
- Fees
- $226 with the application; $104 licence fee after passing both parts
- Retakes
- A failed part may be retaken up to 6 times in the year
- References allowed
- Your own paper NEC, NFPA 72 and 527 CMR 12.00, tabbed, highlighted and annotated beforehand · non-programmable calculator
- Code edition
- 2026 NEC, adopted by 527 CMR 12.00 effective 24 April 2026
- Applications
- Through eLIPSE from 28 September 2026; PSI keeps administering the exam
237 CMR 13, 22.01 and PSI bulletin 493, read 10 Sep 2026.
The Massachusetts exam, weighted the way PSI weights it.
PSI publishes item counts per subject area for both parts. Every practice question is tagged to one of these domains, so your study time follows the exam.
Part 1 · Theory and code
80 items · 180 minPart II · Applied
30 items · 60 minPart II references: 527 CMR 12.00, 237 CMR 12–23, MGL c.141 and the NEC. Bars share one scale across both parts, so a Part II domain of 5 items reads as 5 items.
Try five questions from the Massachusetts bank
Answer, then read the explanation exactly as the app shows it after every question: the rationale, why each other option fails, the worked solution on calculations, and the Massachusetts amendment note where 527 CMR 12.00 changes the rule.
WorkUgo5 questions from the Massachusetts bank
Answer, then read the full explanation exactly as the app shows it after every question: the rationale, why each other option fails, and the worked solution on calculations.
What makes Massachusetts different
Every amended section carries a Massachusetts note next to the national rule.
527 CMR 12.00 rewrites 72 sections. Where an item rests on one of them, the explanation says so, and tells you which text the exam grades.
Massachusetts amendment: 527 CMR 12.00 rewrites the NEC section this item rests on. On the exam, the Massachusetts text is the one that is graded.
Part II is written from the statute text, not from a national bank.
Items on 527 CMR 12.00, 237 CMR and MGL c.141 cite the Massachusetts section they rest on. A national bank has nothing to cite.
- Massachusetts amendments527 CMR 12.00 (2026) · 368.14
- Licensing laws and regulations237 CMR 13.00
- Licensing laws and regulationsMGL c.141 § 1
Practice filters by part, so you can drill Part II on its own.
Passed Part 1 and failed Part II? Build a set from the 35 applied items only. Progress and the pass prediction are kept per part.
What Massachusetts pays its electricians
Statewide wage estimates for electricians in Massachusetts, all licence levels combined. The journeyman licence is what moves you from the bottom of this range toward the top.
Electrician wages in Massachusetts, annual, by percentile
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025, Electricians (47-2111), Massachusetts. Straight-time wages, excluding overtime.
Pricing
Monthly, cancel any time. Every plan covers the Massachusetts bank and the full explanation on every question.
Base
- 457 verified Massachusetts questions, growing
- Study mode with instant feedback, and exam mode
- Full explanation on every question: rationale, why the others fail, worked solutions, amendment notes
- Practice by domain and by part
- Progress by domain and difficulty
- Bookmarks, flags and history
Pro
Recommended- Everything in Base
- Timed mock exams for Part 1 and Part II
- Pass-likelihood prediction, per part
- Exam-journey planner to your test date
- Priority question review
Prices come from the products API; the mock-only purchase is hidden for now.
Questions about the Massachusetts exam
Facts from the Board's regulations and the PSI bulletin. Something missing? Ask us.
Contact usYes. Part 1 (theory and code) is 80 questions in 180 minutes; Part II (applied) is 30 questions in 60 minutes. Each is passed separately at 70%, and you need both for the licence.
2026. Massachusetts adopted the 2026 NEC through 527 CMR 12.00, effective 24 April 2026, so the exam is written to the 2026 book. Our bank is audited to that edition, with a note wherever the 2023 numbering or wording differed.
It is the Massachusetts Electrical Code: the state's amendments to the NEC, rewriting 72 sections. Part II carries five items on it, and any Part 1 question that touches an amended section is graded on the Massachusetts text.
Yes. You bring your own paper references, and tabbing, highlighting and annotating them before the exam is allowed. Ugly's and the American Electricians' Handbook are cited as study sources but are not allowed in the room.
8,000 clock hours over at least four years under a licensed journeyman, plus 600 hours of classroom education within ten years of applying (237 CMR 13, 22.01). The application fee is $226.
Applications move from PSI to the state's eLIPSE portal. PSI keeps administering the exam itself, so the format, the references you can bring and the pass marks do not change.
Yes. The 35 Part II items on 527 CMR 12.00, 237 CMR and MGL c.141 are written from the statute text and cite the section they rest on. You can filter practice by part to drill them on their own.
Yes, for Part 1. Alarm systems (NEC Article 760 with NFPA 72) is six of the 80 items, and NFPA 72 is a listed reference for Part 1.
You keep the part you passed and retake only the one you failed. A failed part may be retaken up to six times within the year.
No. WorkUgo is independent and is not affiliated with, endorsed by or approved by the Board of State Examiners of Electricians or PSI. Our questions are original content written to reflect the exam's format and topics.
Yes. Practice, study mode, exam mode and results work in a phone browser, and sessions save where you left them, so you can answer a few questions between calls and pick up later.
457 verified questions today, 362 knowledge and 95 calculation, 165 for Part 1 and 35 for Part II, and the bank is growing. Each is checked against the code text, blind-solved, audited for the 2026 edition, and carries a worked solution when it is a calculation.