Massachusetts Journeyman Electrician Guide: PSI Exam & 527 CMR 12.00

Why Massachusetts Licenses Electricians on Its Own Terms

In Massachusetts, electricians are licensed by the Board of State Examiners of Electricians, which sits within the Division of Occupational Licensure. The Board issues journeyman and master licenses plus systems technician and systems contractor credentials, and it has contracted with PSI to process applications and administer the computer-based examinations. The governing law is M.G.L. Chapter 141, which defines the license classes and the supervision required around electrical work performed for hire.

The journeyman license sits between apprenticeship and master licensure: it authorizes you to install and maintain electrical systems for hire under the direction of a licensed master electrician, who holds the contracting authority. Massachusetts also keeps its borders fairly closed — it currently offers reciprocity with New Hampshire only. Electricians from any other state must apply as out-of-state applicants and have their education and experience reviewed by the Board for substantial equivalence before they are cleared to test. That makes the Massachusetts route genuinely its own: even a veteran Texas electrician starts the Bay State process from square one.

The Requirements: 600 Hours of Education + 8,000 Hours of Experience

Before you can schedule the exam, you must document three things — Board-approved education, a code-update class, and supervised field experience — all submitted online to PSI:

• 600 hours of Board-approved education. A vocational trade school program (Form 222), a public or private day/evening program (Form 223), or an approved in-house program (Form 224) all qualify. Out-of-state education is reviewed by the Board for substantial equivalence.
• 15-hour Code Update class. A Code Update course from a Board-approved provider; the completion certificate must be uploaded with your application.
• 8,000 hours of experience over at least 4 years. Work performed under a licensed Massachusetts Journeyman Electrician, documented on Employment Certification Form 272 with the supervising licensee's signature and license number. Most candidates earn the hours through a state-approved apprenticeship that pairs the classroom work with paid field time.
• Timeliness. Education and experience generally must fall within 20 years of your application, so this is not a route you can bank decades in advance.

Applications are approved for 12 months and incomplete ones are held for 180 days, so it pays to gather every form before you start. Background checks (CORI) are run on all applicants, and veterans qualify for 5 points of exam credit under the Valor Act — a real head start on the 70% passing score.

The PSI Two-Part Open-Book Exam: NEC 2026 + 527 CMR 12.00

The Massachusetts journeyman exam is open book and computer based, split into two parts that are scored independently — you must pass both to be licensed. Massachusetts adopted the NEC 2026 through the 527 CMR 12.00 Massachusetts Electrical Code, effective April 24, 2026, so both parts are taken with the current adopted code in hand:

In the testing center you may bring the current NEC (soft-bound, tabbed, with highlighting of the original text), the Massachusetts amendments in 527 CMR 12.00, NFPA 72 (National Fire Alarm and Signaling Code), the applicable Massachusetts General Laws, the Board rules in 237 CMR 11.00–23.00, and a non-programmable calculator. Handwritten margin notes and loose papers are not permitted. Because the code is in your hands, the exam rewards code navigation — knowing which chapter covers which topic and using the index well — not memorization.

How the 80 Questions of Part I Break Down

Part I tests your working knowledge of the NEC and the Massachusetts amendments across the full code. The official content outline allocates the 80 questions this way:

• Wiring Methods and Devices — 18 questions: the largest block, covering conductors, raceways, boxes, fittings, and device installation (Chapters 3–4 territory).
• Services — 11 questions: service entrances, disconnects, and service equipment per Article 230.
• General Knowledge — 8 questions: definitions, code administration, and broad electrical theory.
• Grounding and Bonding — 7 questions: Article 250 system and equipment grounding, bonding, and grounding electrode systems.
• Overcurrent Protection — 6 questions: Article 240 fuses, breakers, and their proper application.
• Alarm Systems — 6 questions: fire alarm and signaling systems tested against NFPA 72 as well as the NEC.
• Photovoltaic — 6 questions: PV system installations under Article 690.
• Special Occupancies and Equipment — 5 questions: hazardous locations and other special occupancies (Chapters 5–6).
• Motors — 4 questions: motor circuits, controllers, and protection per Article 430.
• Energy Storage Systems — 4 questions: battery and energy storage installations under Article 706.
• Low-Voltage Distribution — 2 questions: low-voltage and signaling circuits.
• Lighting — 2 questions: lighting systems, fixtures, and emergency lighting requirements.
• Transformers — 1 question: transformer installation and protection per Article 450.

Notice the pattern: Massachusetts leans hard on wiring methods, services, and grounding and bonding — roughly 45 of the 80 questions come from those three areas — while alarm systems, photovoltaic, and energy storage reflect the code topics Bay State regulators emphasize. And since NFPA 72 is an allowed reference and alarm systems carry 6 questions, you should know how to navigate the fire alarm code even if you never touch it on the job.

Part II: The Applied Portion

Part II tests your ability to work through real installation problems with the code and the Massachusetts amendments open, across 30 questions: Troubleshooting and Testing (6), Circuit Calculations and Ohm's Law (5), Electrical Schematics and Plans (5), Materials and Components (5), Massachusetts Amendments (5), and Licensing Laws and Regulations (4).

Part II is where Massachusetts-specific knowledge shows up: 9 of the 30 questions target the state amendments in 527 CMR 12.00 and the licensing law in M.G.L. Chapter 141 and 237 CMR 11.00–23.00. If you trained on the NEC alone, these are the questions that will surprise you — which is why the amendments booklet belongs in your study stack, not just your exam bag.

Application Steps: From Forms to Exam Day

1. Complete your education and hours. Finish the 600 hours of Board-approved education and the 15-hour Code Update class, and keep every certificate of completion.
2. Document your experience on Form 272. Have the licensed Massachusetts Journeyman Electrician who supervised you sign the form and record his or her license number. Gather Forms 222/223/224 for your school hours as well.
3. Apply online with PSI. Submit everything at test-takers.psiexams.com/mael — school forms, work experience form, CORI authorization, code-update certificate, and a passport-style photo. The total application and exam fee is $226 ($195 when the MA fee is waived for veterans, active military, and their spouses).
4. Wait for approval. Review typically takes up to 30 days. Your approval is valid for 12 months, and the clock starts ticking the day it lands — schedule both exam parts within that window.
5. Schedule at a PSI testing center. Centers are located in Auburn, Boston (Charlestown), Fall River, Lawrence, and West Springfield.
6. Pass both parts and pay the license fee. Once you pass Part I and Part II, pay the $104 license fee and your printed photo license is issued — often the same day.

Fail one part and you only retake that part, but the rules are strict: a minimum 24-hour wait before rescheduling, up to 6 retakes within one year of approval, and after 3 failed attempts you must complete additional learning objectives (a Board-approved prep course or a 15-hour CE class can satisfy that). After 6 failed attempts you repeat the full education requirement, and if you do not pass both parts within 12 months of approval, the application expires and you start over with both parts.

How to Prepare: Open-Book Strategy for NEC 2026 and 527 CMR

1. Build your reference stack early. Get the NEC 2026, the Massachusetts amendments (527 CMR 12.00), and NFPA 72. Tab the chapters and tables you use most, and highlight the Massachusetts amendments so they stand out — when 527 CMR 12.00 differs from the NEC, the state rule wins on the exam.
2. Learn the chapter map and the index. Know where every Part I topic lives before you open a practice question: grounding in Article 250, services in 230, wiring methods in Chapter 3, overcurrent protection in 240, motors in 430, transformers in 450.
3. Drill with the code open. Answer practice questions with the NEC beside you, verify the exact section and table, and read every explanation — especially the exceptions. Open-book exams are won on lookup speed, not recall.
4. Study the Massachusetts amendments deliberately. The 527 CMR 12.00 deviations are a scored topic in Part II and a hidden variable in Part I. Read them like a chapter, not like fine print.
5. Simulate under exam conditions. Run full-length timed sessions of Part I (80 questions, 180 minutes) and Part II (30 questions, 60 minutes) once a week in your final month to build pacing discipline.

Study with JourneymanPractice

JourneymanPractice is built for exactly this format. Our question bank covers the NEC 2026 and 527 CMR 12.00 with realistic, code-referenced questions across every scored topic on the Massachusetts blueprint — wiring methods, services, grounding and bonding, overcurrent protection, alarm systems, and the amendments — plus full 80-question simulations of Part I and timed runs of the 30-question applied portion, so nothing on exam day is a surprise.

Start with free NEC practice questions to see the format, learn to navigate the NEC 2026 chapter by chapter, and build a study routine that covers both the national code and the Massachusetts amendments before you walk into the PSI testing center. Your license is issued by the Commonwealth — but the prep is on you.