- What the MA-ME Part 1 Exam Actually Tests
- Domain Weighting: Where to Spend Your Study Hours
- The Separate Business and Law Part II
- Eligibility, Application, and Fee Mechanics
- Open-Book Rules, Calculators, and Banned References
- The 2026 Electrical Code and Your Exam Appointment
- A Domain-Driven Study Timeline
- What Happens If You Don't Pass the First Time
- After Passing: Class A, Class B, and Renewal
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Part 1 has 90 questions, a 4-hour limit, and requires 63 correct answers (70%) to pass.
- Wiring Methods and Devices carries the heaviest weight at 15 of 90 questions - study it first.
- Business and Law Part II (50 questions, 2 hours, 70% passing) must be passed separately within 12 months of application approval.
- The initial application and exam package totals $276, plus $155 for license issuance once you pass.
What the MA-ME Part 1 Exam Actually Tests
The Massachusetts Master Electrician License Exam, administered through PSI on behalf of the Massachusetts Board of State Examiners of Electricians, is really two separate hurdles rolled into one licensing process. Part 1 is the technical examination for the Class A license: 90 questions, a 4-hour limit, computer-based, open-book, and scored against a 70% passing requirement - meaning you need 63 correct answers to move forward. If you want the full breakdown of what "hard" means in practice, our companion piece on how hard the MA-ME exam really is digs into the time pressure and reference-navigation challenges candidates report most often.
Unlike a generic multi-state electrical exam, MA-ME Part 1 is built entirely around Massachusetts-specific code application. That means every question ties back to the NEC as amended by 527 CMR 12.00, plus NFPA 72 for alarm-related content. Memorizing national code language alone will not get you to 63 correct answers - you need to know where and how Massachusetts diverges.
Domain Weighting: Where to Spend Your Study Hours
PSI's official question allocation across the 14 domains is not evenly distributed, and that unevenness should directly shape your study plan. In domain order, the allocations are: 4, 6, 11, 10, 15, 7, 1, 2, 10, 6, 2, 6, 6, and 4 questions. For a full domain-by-domain walkthrough of content and skill expectations, see the MA-ME Exam Domains Guide.
Domain 5: Wiring Methods and Devices - 15 questions
This is the single largest domain on Part 1 and deserves the most calendar time of any topic. Expect deep coverage of conductor and raceway selection, box and enclosure fill, device ratings, and installation methods as modified by the Massachusetts amendments.
- Practice cross-referencing NEC tables against 527 CMR 12.00 amendment language
- Drill box-fill and conductor-fill calculations until they're automatic
Domain 3: Services - 11 questions
Second-largest domain. Service entrance sizing, disconnect requirements, and clearance rules are tested heavily, often in scenario form rather than simple recall.
- Know service equipment location rules under the Massachusetts amendments
- Practice load calculations tied to service sizing, not just theory
Domains 4 and 9: Grounding and Bonding / Special Occupancies and Equipment - 10 questions each
These two tie for third-largest. Grounding and bonding questions test electrode systems, bonding jumper sizing, and equipment grounding conductor requirements. Special occupancies covers hazardous locations, health care facilities, and other equipment-specific rules that frequently trip up candidates who only studied residential wiring.
- Build a grounding electrode system checklist you can reproduce from memory
- Study occupancy classification tables side by side with their equipment requirements
At the opposite end, Domain 7 (Transformers) has just 1 question and Domain 11 (Lighting) has only 2. That doesn't mean skip them entirely - a single missed question can matter when you're near the 63-correct threshold - but it does mean your marginal hour is far better spent reinforcing Wiring Methods and Devices, Services, or Grounding and Bonding than chasing low-yield transformer minutiae. This kind of return-on-effort thinking is exactly what separates candidates who pass on the first attempt from those who need a retake; our MA-ME Passing Score guide breaks down how the 70% threshold interacts with domain weighting in more detail.
| Domain | Questions | Relative Priority |
|---|---|---|
| 5. Wiring Methods and Devices | 15 | Highest |
| 3. Services | 11 | High |
| 4. Grounding and Bonding | 10 | High |
| 9. Special Occupancies and Equipment | 10 | High |
| 6. Motors | 7 | Moderate |
| 2. Advanced Elec Knowledge and Elec Theory | 6 | Moderate |
| 10. Overcurrent Protection | 6 | Moderate |
| 12. Alarm Systems | 6 | Moderate |
| 13. Photovoltaic | 6 | Moderate |
| 1. State Specific Electrical Requirements | 4 | Moderate-Low |
| 14. Energy Storage Systems | 4 | Moderate-Low |
| 8. Low-Voltage Distribution | 2 | Low |
| 11. Lighting | 2 | Low |
| 7. Transformers | 1 | Low |
The Separate Business and Law Part II
Passing Part 1 is not the end of the road. Massachusetts requires a separate Business and Law examination for the Class A license: 50 questions, a 2-hour limit, and the same 70% passing requirement, which works out to 35 correct answers. Both parts must be passed within 12 months after your application is approved, so timing your two study efforts matters as much as mastering either exam individually. For a deeper look at what's actually covered on the Business and Law side, check the domains guide and the broader MA-ME Requirements overview.
Key Takeaway
Don't treat Business and Law as an afterthought you'll "cram the week before." It's a fully separate 50-question, 2-hour exam with its own 70% bar, and a retake for it costs $55 versus $80 for Part 1 - budget both study time and money accordingly.
Eligibility, Application, and Fee Mechanics
Before you can sit for either exam, you need a Massachusetts journeyman electrician license, at least one year actively engaged in electrical work as a licensed journeyman, and 150 hours of approved master-electrician education, along with required code-update and CORI documentation. Applications go through PSI online. If you're still confirming whether you meet every prerequisite, our dedicated MA-ME Requirements article walks through each qualifying pathway.
On cost, the numbers are specific and worth writing down before you start:
- Initial application and exam package: $276 total - $75 PSI processing, $80 technical exam, $55 Business and Law exam, and $66 state application charges
- Initial license issuance: an additional $155 once you pass both parts
- Retakes: $80 for Part 1 or $55 for Part II
A full cost breakdown, including how these figures compare across the licensing timeline, is available in MA-ME Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown. If you're weighing whether the investment of time and money pays off relative to journeyman-level work, the ROI analysis and salary guide are useful companion reads before you commit.
Open-Book Rules, Calculators, and Banned References
MA-ME Part 1 is open-book at approved Massachusetts testing centers, which sounds like a relief until you realize that navigating references under a 4-hour clock is its own skill. Approved reference material centers on the NEC, the Massachusetts amendments in 527 CMR 12.00, and NFPA 72. You're permitted a silent, nonprinting, nonprogramming battery-operated calculator - nothing more sophisticated.
Because the exam is open-book but time-boxed, speed of lookup matters as much as knowledge. Tab your code book by domain-relevant sections - Wiring Methods and Devices, Services, and Grounding and Bonding first, given their question weight - so you're not flipping blind during the 4-hour window.
The 2026 Electrical Code and Your Exam Appointment
Massachusetts adopted its 2026 Electrical Code on April 24, 2026, and board minutes from the May 18, 2026 meeting anticipated examination changes by November. This is a detail that trips up candidates scheduling appointments in the transition window: code adoption does not automatically mean your exam appointment is tested on the new edition on day one. Always confirm the PSI-tested edition for your specific appointment date rather than assuming the newest adopted code is already live on the exam. This is one of the most time-sensitive facts a 2026 candidate needs, and it's covered in more scheduling detail in MA-ME Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling.
A Domain-Driven Study Timeline
Generic study techniques - spaced repetition, timed practice blocks, active recall - work fine as scaffolding, but they only pay off when applied against the actual MA-ME question allocation. Here's a six-week structure built around the domain weights above rather than an arbitrary "study everything equally" approach.
Wiring Methods and Devices (Domain 5)
- Work through box-fill, conductor-fill, and device rating problems daily
- Cross-reference every NEC table against the 527 CMR 12.00 amendment for that section
Services and Overcurrent Protection (Domains 3 and 10)
- Practice service sizing and disconnect placement scenarios
- Pair overcurrent device selection with the service calculations from the same problem set
Grounding and Bonding, Special Occupancies (Domains 4 and 9)
- Build a reproducible grounding electrode system checklist
- Run through hazardous location and health care facility equipment rules
Motors, Theory, Alarm Systems, Photovoltaic (Domains 6, 2, 12, 13)
- Focus on motor overload/branch-circuit protection sizing
- Review NFPA 72 basics for alarm system questions
State-Specific Requirements, Energy Storage, Low-Voltage, Lighting, Transformers
- Cover the remaining lower-weight domains without letting them consume your calendar
- Take a full-length timed 90-question practice run
Business and Law Part II + Final Review
- Shift focus to the 50-question, 2-hour Business and Law exam content
- Re-tab your reference materials and do a final timed mixed-domain review
For a condensed, printable version of the highest-yield facts across all 14 domains, keep the MA-ME Cheat Sheet handy during your final week of review.
What Happens If You Don't Pass the First Time
Massachusetts has a structured retake policy that gets progressively stricter. After three unsuccessful attempts, you're required to complete additional board-accepted education before you can sit again. After six unsuccessful attempts, you must repeat the entire required education program from scratch. Retake fees are $80 for Part 1 and $55 for Part II - meaningful but far less than restarting your education requirement, which is exactly why first-attempt preparation pays off. If you want context on how outcomes tend to break down across attempts, see MA-ME Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows.
Key Takeaway
The financial cost of a retake ($80 or $55) is small compared to the time cost of hitting the three-attempt threshold, which triggers mandatory additional education before you can try again.
After Passing: Class A, Class B, and Renewal
Passing both parts of the MA-ME exam earns you a Class A license, which authorizes you to run an electrical business. It's worth noting that Class A is a business authorization - if you intend to continue hands-on personal electrical work, a Class B journeyman license is what's actually required for that activity. Many candidates studying for this exam are already licensed journeymen looking to run their own shop, hire crews, or take on larger contracts; our MA-ME Jobs overview covers what kinds of roles and business paths typically follow licensure.
Once licensed, renewal follows a three-year cycle ending July 31, costs $117, and requires 21 continuing-education hours - 15 hours of mandatory code, business, law, and related instruction plus 6 hours of professional development. Building continuing-education habits early, even before your first renewal cycle, keeps you from scrambling later. If you're earlier in the process and still deciding on a training path, the MA-ME Training resource and our practice test platform can help you structure both initial exam prep and ongoing education planning in one place.
Whether you're brand new to the credential or just confirming terminology, resources like What Is MA-ME? and MA-ME Certification are useful starting points, and our home practice test hub lets you drill domain-specific questions matched to the exact 90-question allocation described above.
Frequently Asked Questions
Part 1 has 90 questions with a 4-hour time limit. You need 70%, or 63 correct answers, to pass.
No. Business and Law is a separate 50-question, 2-hour exam with its own 70% (35 correct) passing requirement. Both parts must be passed within 12 months after your application is approved.
No. Both are explicitly prohibited at the testing center. Approved materials center on the NEC, the Massachusetts amendments in 527 CMR 12.00, and NFPA 72, along with a silent, nonprinting, nonprogramming battery-operated calculator.
After three unsuccessful attempts, you must complete additional board-accepted education before retesting. After six unsuccessful attempts, you must repeat the full required education program. Retakes cost $80 for Part 1 or $55 for Part II.
A Class A license, earned by passing both exam parts, authorizes you to run an electrical business. Personal hands-on electrical work still requires holding a Class B journeyman license.