Checked against primary sources 2026-09-05

Twenty questions, answered

Michigan Electrical Exam Questions: Answered and Cited

The questions people actually type before a Michigan electrical contractor examination, answered short and cited. Where two official sources disagree, both are named. Where something isn't published, the answer says so instead of guessing.

Test yourself: thirty free questions, timed

How many questions is the Michigan electrical exam?

It depends on the class. Class I carries 140 scored questions plus 15 pretest questions, so 155 items in all. Class II carries the same 140 scored questions plus 22 pretest questions, so 162 items.

The pretest questions aren't scored and they aren't identified on the paper, so answer everything at the same pace.

Those counts come from PSI's bulletin for the Michigan electrical contractor examinations.

How long is the Michigan electrical exam?

Eight hours are allotted for both parts together. You get four hours for Part I, then a break, then four hours for Part 2.

The low voltage exams are different: four hours in a single sitting.

Eight hours on a 155 or 162 item paper is roughly three minutes an item, and a chunk of that goes on looking things up rather than on knowing them.

What score do I need to pass?

A minimum passing final scaled score of 70. PSI's bulletin sets it and Board Rule 121-3-.01 requires a minimum score of seventy on the appropriate examination.

Scaled matters. Nobody publishes how many correct answers produce a scaled 70, so don't plan around 98 out of 140.

Is the Michigan electrical exam open book?

Yes, and no. References are allowed, but only the ones on the bulletin's list, and no other reference material is permitted.

Anything you bring that isn't on the list is removed from you at check in. Additional material found inside a permitted book is confiscated.

Which books can I take in?

Seven for the electrical exams: the American Electricians' Handbook 2021, 17th edition; the NASCLA Contractors Guide to Business, Law, and Project Management for Michigan, 5th edition; the IRS Employer's Tax Guide, Circular E, 2025 or 2026; Code of Federal Regulations Title 29 Part 1926; the Michigan State Electrical 2023 National Electrical Code or the NEC Handbook; Printreading Based on 2020 NEC; and Ugly's Electrical References 2023.

You buy and bring them all. PSI supplies nothing.

Which NEC edition does the exam use?

The 2023 National Electrical Code. PSI's reference list names the Michigan State Electrical 2023 National Electrical Code, or the National Electrical Code Handbook as an alternative.

That's the same edition Michigan enforces statewide, so the exam book and the working book are one and the same.

Can I tab and highlight my code book?

Yes. References may be highlighted, underlined or tabbed with permanent tabs.

Photocopied materials and handwritten notes aren't allowed. Permanent is the word to notice on tabs, so fit a proper set rather than relying on sticky notes.

How much does the Michigan electrical exam cost?

PSI's bulletin for these exams prints no fee. It says only that exam fees aren't refundable and that a no show means a new registration and a new fee.

The board's own fee schedule covers the licensing side rather than the exam: a $30.00 application fee plus the $10 processing fee added in March 2022, and a $75.00 license fee. It prints no plain renewal row for electrical contractors.

Three official Michigan sources print different fee totals, so ask the Division for the current figure and ask PSI for the exam charge when you book.

Where can I take the Michigan electrical exam?

PSI runs Michigan sites in Duluth, Marietta, Macon and Tifton.

Those four addresses come from PSI's bulletin for the sister construction division of the same board, because the electrical bulletin lists no Michigan addresses at all and describes the sites as PSI test centers across the Southeast.

Confirm your site when you book.

How do I schedule the exam?

Board approval comes first. You apply through the GOALS portal, the board reviews it, and PSI schedules you afterwards.

Exams run by appointment Monday through Saturday. You book at PSI's Michigan contractor page on its test taker site or by phone on 855-898-0711.

You may reschedule once at no charge, at least two business days before the appointment.

What identification do I need?

Two forms at check in. One has to be current, government issued and carry your name, signature and photograph. The second has to carry your name and signature for comparison.

Temporary identification isn't accepted. If your name has changed, bring a marriage license, divorce decree or court order.

What happens if I fail?

You retake and pass. The bulletin sets no fixed waiting period between attempts, and a retake is a new registration and a new fee.

Fail twice and a Board approved review course comes before the third attempt. The bulletin cites Board Rule 121-2-.06 and the rules compilation carries the same requirement at 121-3-.03(1).

What is the Board approved review course?

A course you complete and document before a third attempt, once you've failed twice.

Neither the bulletin nor the rule names a provider, so ask the Division of Electrical Contractors what it accepts before you pay. The board's published provider list is for continuing education, which is a separate requirement.

After you submit proof of completion, another failure doesn't require another course.

When do I get my score?

In person in print at the test center, or by US mail.

PSI also sends the board an official score report, and that can take up to six weeks to arrive. Passing and holding a license are two different dates.

What is the difference between the Class I and Class II exams?

Both carry 140 scored questions and both split 30 business and law, 110 technical. The difference is inside the technical half.

Transformers go from 7 questions on Class I to 21 on Class II. Rotating equipment goes from 9 to 16. Basic circuits, controls and interior systems all come down to make room.

Class II also carries 22 pretest items against Class I's 15, so the paper is seven items longer.

Is there a separate low voltage exam?

Yes, four of them, run for a separate division of the same board. Alarm and telecommunications are 75 scored questions each, general is 50 and unrestricted is 90, with pretest items on top.

Each runs four hours and each needs a final scaled score of 70. The rule's classes are LV-A, LV-T, LV-G and LV-U, and the low voltage license is separate from the electrical contractor license.

Which NEC edition is in force in Michigan?

The 2023 National Electrical Code with Michigan Amendments, listed by the Department of Community Affairs among the mandatory state minimum standard codes.

The current amendment package took effect on January 1, 2026, and two of its items don't start until January 1, 2027.

What did the 2026 Michigan Amendments change?

They amend the 2023 code rather than adopting a new edition. The 2026 in the name is the effective year.

The packet widens GFCI protection at 210.8(A), 210.8(D) and 210.8(F), widens arc fault protection at 210.12(B), rewrites the island, peninsular and below counter receptacle rules at 210.52(C)(2) and 210.52(C)(3), exempts one and two family dwellings from the surge protective device requirement at 215.18(A), 225.42(A) and 230.67(A), and adds a townhouse definition to Article 100.

Two health care items at 517.40(A) and 517.45(F) take effect on January 1, 2027.

Will Michigan adopt the 2026 NEC?

Nothing we can find says an adoption is underway. DCA's current codes page, its January 2026 announcement and the State Codes Advisory Committee page all name the 2023 edition and no later one.

We're not putting a year on it. If Michigan does move, load calculations shift from Article 220 to Article 120 and the dwelling unit load for feeders and services drops from 3 volt-amperes per square foot to 2, which changes service sizes rather than only citations.

Are your practice questions real Michigan exam questions?

No. Every question on this site is original, and none of it came from anybody's memory of a real paper.

We're not a training provider, an approved course, a continuing education provider or an examination vendor, and nothing here is approved or endorsed by the Michigan State Board of Electrical Contractors or PSI. We're independent of both.

Our questions carry the 2026 code numbering while Michigan tests on 2023, and the practice hub names every set where that matters with the 2023 number beside it.

What this page cites

• PSI candidate information bulletin 4783, Michigan electrical contractors PSI's own bulletin for the Michigan electrical contractor examinations. Source for the item counts, the content outline, the eight hours in two parts, the scaled 70, the reference list, the marking rules, the identification rules and the review course after two failures. Read 5 September 2026. source
• PSI candidate information bulletin 4739, Michigan low voltage contractors PSI's bulletin for the Division of Low Voltage Contractors examinations. Source for the four exams, their question counts, the four hours, the scaled 70 and the reference list. Read 5 September 2026. source
• Board Rules, Department 121, State Construction Industry Licensing Board The rule set behind the Class I and Class II definitions, the four years of Primary Experience, the four low voltage classes, the minimum score of seventy and the review course after two failures. Read 5 September 2026. source
• Michigan DCA, current state minimum standard codes The page that lists the 2023 National Electrical Code with Michigan Amendments among the mandatory state minimum standard codes. Read 5 September 2026. source
• Michigan State Amendments to the National Electrical Code, 2023 Edition The amendment packet itself, effective January 1, 2026, with two health care items held to January 1, 2027. Read 5 September 2026. source
• PSI candidate information bulletin 971, Michigan construction industry The bulletin for the sister division of the same board. It is where the four Michigan PSI site addresses come from, because the electrical bulletin prints none. Read 5 September 2026. source