Every Washington electrical exam in one table
Washington licenses electricians by specialty, and every specialty has its own exam blueprint. The figures below come from the Examination Content Outlines in the official candidate information bulletin published for Washington L&I by PSI, the exam administrator. Per the bulletin, examinations are based on the current Revised Code of Washington (RCW) 19.28, Washington Administrative Code (WAC) 296-46B, and the National Electrical Code, and all examinations are open book. Each certificate sits its own combination of sections, and the totals differ more than most candidates expect.
Questions, time, and fees by specialty and certificate
| Specialty | Certificate | Sections (time / questions) | Total questions | Total hours | Minutes per question | PSI exam fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 General | Master Electrician | NEC & Theory 4h / 80q · WA Codes 1h / 20q · Major Load Calc 2h / 10q | 110 | 7 | 3.8 | $105 |
| 01 General | Administrator | NEC & Theory 4h / 65q · WA Codes 1h / 17q · Major Load Calc 2h / 10q | 92 | 7 | 4.6 | $105 |
| 01 General | Electrician | NEC & Theory 3h / 60q · WA Codes 1h / 17q | 77 | 4 | 3.1 | $75 |
| 02 Residential | Master Electrician | NEC & Theory 3h / 60q · WA Codes 1h / 20q · Major Load Calc 2h / 10q | 90 | 6 | 4.0 | $95 |
| 02 Residential | Administrator | NEC & Theory 3h / 44q · WA Codes 1h / 17q · Major Load Calc 2h / 10q | 71 | 6 | 5.1 | $95 |
| 02 Residential | Electrician | NEC & Theory 2h / 40q · WA Codes 1h / 17q | 57 | 3 | 3.2 | $65 |
| 03 Pump and Irrigation | Master Electrician | NEC & Theory 3h / 50q · WA Codes 1h / 20q | 70 | 4 | 3.4 | $75 |
| 03 Pump and Irrigation | Administrator | NEC & Theory 2h / 40q · WA Codes 1h / 17q | 57 | 3 | 3.2 | $65 |
| 03 Pump and Irrigation | Electrician | NEC & Theory 2h / 34q · WA Codes 1h / 17q | 51 | 3 | 3.5 | $65 |
| 03A Domestic Pump | Master Electrician | NEC & Theory 3h / 34q · WA Codes 1h / 20q | 54 | 4 | 4.4 | $75 |
| 03A Domestic Pump | Administrator | NEC & Theory 2h / 30q · WA Codes 1h / 17q | 47 | 3 | 3.8 | $65 |
| 03A Domestic Pump | Electrician | NEC & Theory 1h / 20q · WA Codes 1h / 17q | 37 | 2 | 3.2 | $55 |
| 04 Signs | Master Electrician | NEC & Theory 3h / 40q · WA Codes 1h / 20q | 60 | 4 | 4.0 | $75 |
| 04 Signs | Administrator | NEC & Theory 3h / 34q · WA Codes 1h / 17q | 51 | 4 | 4.7 | $75 |
| 04 Signs | Electrician | NEC & Theory 2h / 30q · WA Codes 1h / 17q | 47 | 3 | 3.8 | $65 |
| 06 Limited Energy | Master Electrician | NEC & Theory 2h / 50q · WA Codes 1h / 20q | 70 | 3 | 2.6 | $65 |
| 06 Limited Energy | Administrator | NEC & Theory 2h / 44q · WA Codes 1h / 17q | 61 | 3 | 3.0 | $65 |
| 06 Limited Energy | Electrician | NEC & Theory 2h / 34q · WA Codes 1h / 17q | 51 | 3 | 3.5 | $65 |
| 06A HVAC/R | Master Electrician | NEC & Theory 3h / 50q · WA Codes 1h / 20q | 70 | 4 | 3.4 | $75 |
| 06A HVAC/R | Administrator | NEC & Theory 2h / 40q · WA Codes 1h / 17q | 57 | 3 | 3.2 | $65 |
| 06A HVAC/R | Electrician | NEC & Theory 2h / 34q · WA Codes 1h / 17q | 51 | 3 | 3.5 | $65 |
| 06B HVAC/R Restricted | Master Electrician | NEC & Theory 2h / 34q · WA Codes 1h / 20q | 54 | 3 | 3.3 | $65 |
| 06B HVAC/R Restricted | Administrator | NEC & Theory 2h / 30q · WA Codes 1h / 17q | 47 | 3 | 3.8 | $65 |
| 06B HVAC/R Restricted | Electrician | NEC & Theory 1h / 20q · WA Codes 1h / 17q | 37 | 2 | 3.2 | $55 |
| 07 Nonresidential Maintenance | Master Electrician | NEC & Theory 3h / 54q · WA Codes 1h / 20q | 74 | 4 | 3.2 | $75 |
| 07 Nonresidential Maintenance | Administrator | NEC & Theory 3h / 50q · WA Codes 1h / 17q | 67 | 4 | 3.6 | $75 |
| 07 Nonresidential Maintenance | Electrician | NEC & Theory 2h / 40q · WA Codes 1h / 17q | 57 | 3 | 3.2 | $65 |
| 07A Nonresidential Lighting Maintenance and Retrofit | Master Electrician | NEC & Theory 1h / 20q · WA Codes 1h / 20q | 40 | 2 | 3.0 | $55 |
| 07A Nonresidential Lighting Maintenance and Retrofit | Administrator | NEC & Theory 1h / 17q · WA Codes 1h / 17q | 34 | 2 | 3.5 | $55 |
| 07A Nonresidential Lighting Maintenance and Retrofit | Electrician | NEC & Theory 1h / 17q · WA Codes 1h / 17q | 34 | 2 | 3.5 | $55 |
| 07B Residential Maintenance | Master Electrician | NEC & Theory 2h / 34q · WA Codes 1h / 20q | 54 | 3 | 3.3 | $65 |
| 07B Residential Maintenance | Administrator | NEC & Theory 2h / 30q · WA Codes 1h / 17q | 47 | 3 | 3.8 | $65 |
| 07B Residential Maintenance | Electrician | NEC & Theory 1h / 20q · WA Codes 1h / 17q | 37 | 2 | 3.2 | $55 |
| 07C Nonresidential Maintenance Restricted | Master Electrician | NEC & Theory 2h / 40q · WA Codes 1h / 20q | 60 | 3 | 3.0 | $65 |
| 07C Nonresidential Maintenance Restricted | Administrator | NEC & Theory 2h / 30q · WA Codes 1h / 17q | 47 | 3 | 3.8 | $65 |
| 07C Nonresidential Maintenance Restricted | Electrician | NEC & Theory 2h / 24q · WA Codes 1h / 17q | 41 | 3 | 4.4 | $65 |
| 07D Appliance Repair | Master Electrician | NEC & Theory 2h / 30q · WA Codes 1h / 20q | 50 | 3 | 3.6 | $65 |
| 07D Appliance Repair | Administrator | NEC & Theory 2h / 24q · WA Codes 1h / 17q | 41 | 3 | 4.4 | $65 |
| 07D Appliance Repair | Electrician | NEC & Theory 1h / 20q · WA Codes 1h / 17q | 37 | 2 | 3.2 | $55 |
| 07E Equipment Repair | Master Electrician | NEC & Theory 2h / 34q · WA Codes 1h / 20q | 54 | 3 | 3.3 | $65 |
| 07E Equipment Repair | Administrator | NEC & Theory 2h / 30q · WA Codes 1h / 17q | 47 | 3 | 3.8 | $65 |
| 07E Equipment Repair | Electrician | NEC & Theory 1h / 30q · WA Codes 1h / 17q | 47 | 2 | 2.6 | $55 |
| 09 Telecommunications | Administrator | NEC & Theory 2h / 30q · WA Codes 1h / 17q | 47 | 3 | 3.8 | $65 |
| 10 Door, Gate and Similar Systems | Master Electrician | NEC & Theory 2h / 34q · WA Codes 1h / 20q | 54 | 3 | 3.3 | $65 |
| 10 Door, Gate and Similar Systems | Administrator | NEC & Theory 2h / 30q · WA Codes 1h / 17q | 47 | 3 | 3.8 | $65 |
| 10 Door, Gate and Similar Systems | Electrician | NEC & Theory 2h / 30q · WA Codes 1h / 17q | 47 | 3 | 3.8 | $65 |
The number of questions in any individual knowledge area is approximate, per the bulletin. Section figures are the published per-section allocations.
Reading the table
Time pressure varies widely. The tightest exams by minutes per question are the three 07A Nonresidential Lighting certificates at 2 minutes per question. The roomiest are the 01 General Master Electrician and Administrator exams at 7 minutes per question across three sections.
The WA Codes section is nearly constant across specialties, 20 questions in one hour for Master Electrician and 17 in one hour for Administrator and Electrician certificates. The NEC & Theory section is where the specialties differ. Only the 01 General and 02 Residential exams add the Major Load Calculations section, and only for Master Electrician and Administrator certificates.
Fees follow the bulletin’s schedule, which runs from $45 for a one hour exam to $105 for seven hours. Multi-section exams like these are billed at a flat rate for the combined time, retesting an individual section within a year is billed per hour instead, and the bulletin notes that registration fees are not refundable or transferable.
Practice tests for every specialty in this table are on the Washington page, and each product page carries this same exam data for its specialty. A free sample test shows the question format.
Source and method
Figures were transcribed from the Examination Content Outline tables in the Washington electrical candidate information bulletin (PDF) and re-verified against the live bulletin on July 28, 2026, with every time allocation and question total matching. Confirm current figures there before scheduling, since blueprints change when Washington adopts new code editions.