Checked against primary sources 2026-09-07

The PL paper

Minnesota Power Limited Technician Exam: 80 Questions, PL

The power limited technician paper is the same length as the master and journeyworker papers, sat on the same clock, for a license with the shortest experience requirement on the electrical ladder.

Test yourself: thirty free questions, timed

The shape of the paper

Eighty questions. The Licensing Examination Guide gives the power limited technician examination its own sentence and its own count, and it matches the master and journeyworker papers.

Five and a half hours, about four minutes a question, and 70 percent to pass. Held weekly, generally every Wednesday, in St. Paul, 8:15 a.m. to 1:45 p.m.

Qualifying to sit it

Minnesota Statutes 326B.33, subdivision 7 asks for at least 36 months of experience or a four year degree. The DLI matrix reads 36 months with at least 12 in wiring for and installing technology circuits.

Every category on that matrix is worded for technology circuits, so general wiring time does not fill it. Line work and installing elevators credit nothing at all here.

School credit is worded differently on this license than on any other: up to 12 months or 2,000 hours for a two year post high school electrical course or other technical training approved by the board.

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 book is the National Electrical Code. The National Electrical Safety Code is used only for the lineman examination.

What the license is defined around

DLI publishes no subject outline for this paper, so the scope in the statute is the best guide available. Minnesota Statutes 326B.31, subdivision 29 defines technology circuits or systems as class 2, class 3 or class 4 circuits or systems for remote control, signaling, control, alarm and audio signal, isolated from circuits or systems other than class 2, class 3 or class 4 by a demarcation.

Subdivision 25 gives the licensee the right to install, alter, repair, plan, lay out and supervise that work, so planning and laying out are inside this license in a way they are not inside the journeyworker license.

The Laws and Rules Booklet is supplied here as on every other paper, and Minnesota Statutes chapter 326B and Minnesota Rules chapter 3800 are free to read beforehand.

What the board reports

October 2025 minutes give 68 percent with no basis label. January 2026 gives 51 percent by total exams, 63 percent by test taker from 177 testers, 43.7 percent as a five year average and 42 percent on first attempt. April 2026 gives 52.2 percent by total exams and 58 percent by test taker from 74 testers.

The board counted 3,927 active power limited technicians in April 2026, alongside 5,496 registered unlicensed power limited technicians.

As with every rate on this site, the basis matters more than the number. The pass rates page sets them side by side.

After you pass

The license fee is $48 and renewal is $53, the same as the journeyworker license. The elicense entry gives the term as two years, expiring on the anniversary date of initial issue.

Continuing education is 16 hours, and the split is the reverse of the electrician licenses: at least 4 hours on the National Electrical Code with the remainder on the statutes and rules. Minnesota Statutes 326B.33, subdivision 7 puts the 16 hour total into the statute itself.

A business doing this work needs the technology systems contractor license, whose responsible licensed individual may be a licensed power limited technician or a licensed master electrician.

Questions people ask

How many questions is the Minnesota power limited technician exam?

Eighty, the same as the master and journeyworker papers. Five and a half hours and a 70 percent pass mark.

How much experience does the PL exam need behind it?

Thirty six months, with at least 12 in wiring for and installing technology circuits, or a four year degree under Minnesota Statutes 326B.33, subdivision 7.

Is the PL exam on the NEC?

Yes. The National Electrical Safety Code is used only for the lineman examination, so every other Minnesota electrical paper including this one is on the National Electrical Code.

What is the PL pass rate in Minnesota?

It depends on the basis. April 2026 minutes give 52.2 percent by total exams and 58 percent by test taker from 74 testers. January 2026 gives 51 percent, 63 percent from 177 testers, a 43.7 percent five year average and 42 percent on first attempt.

What does the PL license cost?

Fifty dollars for the examination application and $48 for the license, with renewal at $53. The same figures as the journeyworker, maintenance, installer and satellite licenses.

How much continuing education does a PL need?

Sixteen hours, with at least 4 on the National Electrical Code and the remainder on the statutes and rules. That is the reverse of the electrician split.

What this page cites

• DLI Licensing Examination Guide The 80 question count for the power limited technician examination, the clock, the pass mark and the room rules. source
• Minnesota Statutes 326B.31 Subdivision 25 for the scope and subdivision 29 for the definition of technology circuits or systems. source
• Minnesota Statutes 326B.33 Subdivision 7 for the 36 months, the degree alternative and the 16 hour continuing education requirement. source
• DLI experience requirements The 36 month matrix, every row worded for technology circuits. source
• Board of Electricity minutes, April 14, 2026 The 2026 pass rates, the 74 tester count and the active license counts. source
• Minnesota Rules 3800.3602 The four hour code floor for power limited technicians inside the 16 hour total. source