Part of Texas Electrician Exams: every Texas license step and exam in one place.
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Short answer: You need at least two years as a licensed Journeyman Electrician and 12,000 hours under a Texas Master Electrician, plus a $45 TDLR application. The PSI exam has two parts on the 2026 NEC: 75 NEC Knowledge questions in 150 minutes and 33 Calculations questions in 170 minutes, 70% on each. The fee is $78.
In detail: To take the Texas Master Electrician exam, you must have held a Journeyman Electrician license for at least two years and have 12,000 hours of on-the-job training under a Texas Master Electrician. You mail a $45 application to TDLR. The PSI exam has two parts on the 2026 NEC: NEC Knowledge with 75 questions in 150 minutes, and Calculations with 33 questions in 170 minutes. You need 70% on each part. The fee is $78, and a retake is $78. In fiscal year 2025, only 22.21% of NEC attempts and 19.08% of Calculations attempts passed.
Last checked October 1, 2026 against the TDLR Master Electrician page, the PSI candidate information bulletin for TDLR electricians (updated September 15, 2026) and TDLR exam statistics.
Who qualifies
- Two years as a Journeyman Electrician. Journeyman Industrial Electrician experience does not count toward a Master license.
- 12,000 hours of on-the-job training under the supervision of a Texas-licensed Master Electrician, each period verified on an Experience Verification Form signed by that master.
- If you hold or held a municipal or regional master electrician license, you may verify your own hours for the years you held it.
- Apply by mail with the Master Electrician License Application and a $45 non-refundable fee. The license is valid for one year and renewed annually.
Which Master condition sets your date: check it in the license timeline.
Exam format
| Item | Texas Master Electrician exam |
|---|---|
| Part 1 | NEC Knowledge: 75 questions (5 unscored), 150 minutes |
| Part 2 | Calculations: 33 questions (3 unscored), 170 minutes |
| Passing score | 70% on each part |
| Code edition | 2026 NEC, from September 1, 2026 |
| Fee | $78 for both parts; $78 retake for one or both parts |
| Time | Unused time in one part does not carry over |
The Master exam uses the same book rules as the Journeyman exam: a soft-bound NEC, publisher tabs only, no handbook, no marking during the exam. See NEC code book tabs for the Texas exam.
Where the points are
In TDLR’s May 12, 2026 staff report, the Master Calculations part has 30 scored points. Electrical services and service equipment (8) and motors and generators (6) together make up almost half. The Master NEC Knowledge part has 70 scored points across the same subject areas as the Journeyman exam. Compared with the Journeyman exam, the Master exam goes deeper into services, feeders and motors, and gives you more time per question: about 2 minutes per question on Part 1 and about 5.2 minutes per question on Part 2.
Pass rates
| Exam part | Attempts | Passed | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Master NEC Knowledge | 3,472 | 771 | 22.21% |
| Master Calculations | 3,946 | 753 | 19.08% |
Source: TDLR fiscal year 2025 electrician exam statistics. That year, Master Calculations had a lower pass rate than either Journeyman part. The year before (fiscal year 2024), Master Calculations passed 19.96% of 3,487 attempts and Master NEC Knowledge 26.01% of 2,934, so the Master exam has stayed at roughly one pass in four or five attempts. More periods: Texas electrician exam pass rates.
Counting from the first day as an apprentice, the hour requirements alone add up to at least 6 years of full-time work before you can apply. See the Texas electrician timeline.
How to prepare
- Treat calculations as the main project: services, feeders and motors first.
- Re-learn your book for the 2026 edition. If you passed the Journeyman exam on the 2023 NEC, many locations moved. Load calculations were reorganized from Article 220 into a new Article 120.
- Practice the real timing: 75 questions in 150 minutes, then 33 in 170 minutes, scored separately.
- If you fail, use the area breakdown on the score report to pick your next study topics before you pay the $78 retake.
We are building a Texas Master practice set in the same two-part format. For now, the free Texas Journeyman practice (20 questions, no sign-up) is a quick way to check how well you know the 2026 book.
After the Master license
With a Master license you can be the Master Electrician of record for an electrical contractor, including your own business. See the Texas electrical contractor license.
Next step on the Texas ladder
You are here: Master exam. Next: Contractor license. A contractor business needs a Master Electrician of record.
Also useful: Continuing education · All Texas electrician exams
Free first: try 20 Texas Journeyman questions, no sign-up.
Texas license ladder
Exam prep
FAQ
How many hours do you need for a master electrician license in Texas?
12,000 hours of on-the-job training under a Texas-licensed Master Electrician, plus at least two years holding a Journeyman Electrician license.
How many questions are on the Texas Master Electrician exam?
108 in total: 75 in the NEC Knowledge part (5 unscored) and 33 in the Calculations part (3 unscored).
How long is the Texas Master Electrician exam?
150 minutes for NEC Knowledge and 170 minutes for Calculations, 5 hours 20 minutes in total, timed separately.
What is the pass rate for the Texas Master Electrician exam?
In TDLR fiscal year 2025, 22.21% of NEC Knowledge attempts and 19.08% of Calculations attempts passed.
Does Journeyman Industrial experience count toward a Texas Master license?
No. TDLR states that Journeyman Industrial Electrician experience may not be used to qualify for a Master Electrician license.
Practice on the 2026 NEC
20 free practice questions on the 2026 NEC, no sign-up.
Start 20 free questions All Texas electrician exams in one placeSources
- TDLR: Apply for a New Master Electrician License, read October 1, 2026
- PSI candidate information bulletin for TDLR electricians, updated September 15, 2026, read October 1, 2026
- TDLR fiscal year 2025 electrician exam statistics, read October 1, 2026
- TDLR fiscal year 2024 electrician exam statistics, read October 2, 2026
- TDLR staff reports, May 12, 2026, read October 1, 2026
- NFPA 70, National Electrical Code: code development page (the exams use the 2026 edition), read October 3, 2026
- TDLR Active License Search: look up a Texas electrician license, read October 3, 2026
- Texas Open Data Portal: TDLR All Licenses dataset, read October 3, 2026
