Checked against primary sources 2026-09-07

The AM paper

Minnesota Master Electrician Exam: 80 Questions in St. Paul

The master paper is the same length and the same clock as the journeyworker paper. What differs is the license behind it, the money on both sides of it and the fact that Minnesota does not publish how many people sit it.

Test yourself: thirty free questions, timed

The shape of the paper

Eighty questions, five and a half hours, 70 percent to pass. Fifty six correct out of 80.

Weekly, generally every Wednesday, at 443 Lafayette Road N. in St. Paul, 8:15 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. Every examination type shares that window.

Qualifying to sit it

Minnesota Statutes 326B.33, subdivision 1 gives three routes and they are alternatives. Graduation from a four year electrical course offered by an accredited college or university. At least one year of experience as a licensed journeyworker. Or at least five years of experience in planning for, laying out, supervising and installing wiring, apparatus or equipment for electrical light, heat and power.

The DLI matrix for the third route is 60 months, and it is the only Minnesota matrix with minimums in planning, laying out and supervising, at two months each.

DLI words the first route as a degree in electrical engineering. The statute words it as a four year electrical course. If your degree sits near that line, ask DLI at 651-284-5034 before you pay the $50.

What is in the room

DLI provides the code book, in soft cover format and without tabs or other aids, along with a Laws and Rules Booklet in the department's current format. You bring a picture ID and a common desk type calculator with addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, square root and percentage functions. No other materials or electronic devices, including cell phones, are allowed in the building.

The provided book is the 2026 National Electrical Code, since the examinations moved to that edition on September 8, 2026.

What the paper covers

DLI publishes no subject outline for this examination either. The master license is defined by the addition of planning and laying out to the journeyworker scope, so the calculation and design side of the code is where we would expect the difference to show, but that is our reading rather than a published weighting.

Work the areas in the order on the exam content page and remember the code numbering moved between the 2023 and 2026 editions.

What the board reports, and does not

October 2025 minutes give a master pass rate of 72 percent with no basis label. January 2026 gives 50 percent by total exams, 63 percent by test taker, 47.8 percent as a five year average for 2021 to 2025 and 46 percent on first attempt. April 2026 gives 44.7 percent by total exams and 47 percent by test taker.

The board publishes tester counts for the journeyworker and power limited technician papers and not for this one. There is no published master tester count in either set of minutes, so the sample behind those percentages is not public.

The money on both sides

Fifty dollars for the application and examination fee, the same flat fee every license type pays. Then $88 for the license, made up of $80 plus an $8 board fee.

Renewal is $93 and the late fee is $40, which is double what a journeyworker license carries. Minnesota Statutes 326B.33, subdivision 19(a) says master licenses expire March 1 of each odd numbered year, and DLI says the last day of February of each odd numbered year.

DLI states that no continuing education is required for the first year of a master license. After that it is 16 hours with at least 12 on the National Electrical Code.

What passing unlocks

Planning and laying out, which Minnesota Statutes 326B.31, subdivision 8 keeps out of the journeyworker scope.

And a contractor license. A Class A electrical contractor needs a responsible licensed individual who holds an active master electrician license, is an owner, officer, member or W-2 employee of the business, and is not the responsible licensed individual for any other electrical contractor.

Questions people ask

How many questions is the Minnesota master electrician exam?

Eighty, the same as the Class A journeyworker paper. Five and a half hours and a 70 percent pass mark.

What qualifies me to take the master exam?

One of three things: a four year electrical course at an accredited college or university, one year holding a Minnesota journeyworker license, or five years of experience in planning for, laying out, supervising and installing electrical work.

What is the master electrician pass rate in Minnesota?

It depends on the basis. October 2025 minutes give 72 percent, January 2026 gives 50 percent by total exams and 63 percent by test taker for 2025, and April 2026 gives 44.7 percent and 47 percent for 2026 to date. No master tester count is published.

How much does the master license cost?

Fifty dollars for the examination application and $88 for the license, which is $80 plus an $8 board fee. Renewal is $93, which adds a $5 continuing education fee, with a $40 late fee.

When does a master license expire?

The statute says March 1 of each odd numbered year and DLI says the last day of February of each odd numbered year. We print both because we could not confirm which form is enforced.

Do I need the master license to run a contracting business?

A Class A electrical contractor license needs a responsible licensed individual holding an active master electrician license, so yes, somebody in the business has to hold one.

What this page cites

• DLI Licensing Examination Guide The 80 question count, the clock, the pass mark, the schedule and the room rules. source
• Minnesota Statutes 326B.33 Subdivision 1 for the three qualifying routes and subdivision 19(a) for the expiration. source
• DLI experience requirements The 60 month master matrix, with its minimums in planning, laying out and supervising. source
• Board of Electricity minutes, January 15, 2026 The 2025 master figures by total exams, by test taker, on first attempt and as a five year average. source
• CCLD licensing fee schedule The $88 new total, the $93 renewal and the $40 late fee. source
• DLI continuing education The 16 hours, the 12 hour code floor and the first year exemption for master licenses. source