MD-JE Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass

The Number: 49 of 70

The Maryland journeyperson electrician examination, referred to throughout this site as the MD-JE, is administered by PSI Services LLC for the Maryland State Board of Electricians. The scored core is 70 multiple-choice questions, and the passing standard is 49 correct, or 70%. That is the entire cut line: there is no separate sub-score you must clear in each domain according to the published bulletin, and no practical demonstration is part of this examination.

Two things make that number more useful than it first appears. First, 70 questions is a small enough population that every question is worth roughly 1.4 percentage points, so a handful of misses in the wrong place matters. Second, because the seven content areas are weighted by question count rather than a percentage blueprint, you can plan your study around how many points each area can actually deliver. Both ideas are developed below, and for a wider view of the exam's structure see our complete guide to all 7 MD-JE content areas.

What the 70 Questions Cover

The journeyperson table on printed page 4 of the Master and Journeyperson Electrician Qualification Information Bulletin lists seven headings. Here is how the question counts line up, along with the NEC article ranges the bulletin attaches to each heading.

Notice the shape. Domains 1 and 2 together account for 40 of the 70 questions, which is already more than half the exam. Add Domain 3's 12 and you reach 52 questions from the first three headings. The 49-correct threshold means a candidate who is strong in those three areas is within a few points of passing before touching the rest.

Domain 7 is labeled "Special Communications"

The source heading is "Special Communications," even though the NEC ranges listed under it (700-708 and 720-830) include special-conditions material such as emergency and standby systems alongside communications content. The label is preserved exactly as the bulletin prints it. Also note that the published ranges for the last domain stop at 708 and resume at 720; do not assume the gap is tested, and do not fill it in from memory of the code book.

The public issuer preparation guidance also points toward Ohm's law, electrical theory and mathematics, practical field-work knowledge and applicable local rulings. That guidance describes preparation emphasis; it does not create a practical examination or extra weighted domains. For a deeper content walkthrough, our MD-JE study guide maps study time to these headings.

The Unscored Experimental Questions

PSI permits five to ten additional unscored experimental questions on top of the 70 scored items. These are not flagged on screen, so you cannot tell which ones they are. PSI states that the time spent on them does not count against the examination time. This has two practical consequences:

• Treat every question as scored. You cannot afford to skip one because it "feels weird." An odd-feeling question may be real.
• Do not expect exactly 70 items on screen. The total you see may be higher than 70. No fixed full-item total or aggregate appointment timer is established in the sources, so you should not plan around a specific on-screen count.

210 Minutes: Pacing Against the Passing Line

The examination clock is 210 minutes for the core. Separately, PSI offers a tutorial of up to 15 minutes that does not eat into that time. If you divide 210 minutes by 70 scored questions, you get three minutes per question. Because experimental items do not consume your examination time, three minutes per scored question is a fair planning figure, but it is not an exact promise since you cannot identify which items are unscored.

The useful pacing insight comes from the passing line, not the average. You only need 49. That means you can miss 21 questions and still pass. A sensible allocation:

• Theory and math items: These often take longer because of calculation. Budget extra time but do not rework a problem more than twice.
• Code lookup items: If you cannot locate the correct article within a couple of minutes, your tabs or index habits need work. In the exam, make a reasoned choice and continue.
• Review pass: Reserve a block at the end for items you skipped, rather than burning ten minutes on a single question early.

An on-screen calculator is provided. Unlike some other states, Maryland's bulletin does not describe a personal-calculator permission, so practice with an on-screen style calculator rather than relying on a handheld device's shortcuts.

Your Code Book Is Part of the Score

The only admitted reference in the retrieved bulletin is NFPA 70, the 2020 National Electrical Code. It is not supplied; you must bring it. Because it is open-book for code questions, the passing score is partly a speed-and-navigation score. Know the rules before you arrive:

• Permitted: indexing, highlighting and underlining in the book.
• Prohibited: handwritten notes, study guides and additional papers.
• Tabs: The bulletin names Avery Swift Tabs Self-Adhesive Permanent Plastic Tabs and Redi-Tag Self-Stick Permanent Adhesive Index Tabs. Removable flags and paper-insert tabs are prohibited, and tabs that can be removed without ripping the page must be removed.

The 2020 versus 2026 NEC question

Board minutes from July 28, 2026 describe 2026 NEC examination questions as still being developed. Proposals and anticipated development dates are not the same as an effective replacement date. The supplied research also cites a rescheduled September meeting agenda dated October 2, 2026, but that agenda could not be retrieved and is not proof of adoption. Until the provider bulletin changes, study from the 2020 edition and revalidate the bulletin before you buy any different-edition materials. Our MD-JE exam dates and scheduling guide covers how to check for updates.

What One Attempt Costs You

The examination/reexamination fee is USD 65 per attempt. Payment is valid for one year and is nonrefundable and nontransferable. That means a failed attempt is a sunk USD 65, and a no-show cannot be rolled to another person. Cancellation is required at least two days in advance.

Keep the exam fee separate from the licensing fee in your budget: the USD 65 buys a test attempt only. For the full cost picture, see the MD-JE certification cost breakdown.

Logistics that can void an attempt

• Application is online-only (notice effective March 31, 2025), and prior approval is required before you can test.
• Your valid photo identification and signature must match.
• Arrive 30 minutes early.

If You Miss 49: Retake Timing

This is an area with an unresolved source conflict, and you should not rely on a single number. PSI specifies 30 days from the most recent failed attempt. The Board FAQ, however, describes 30 days before the first reapplication and 60 days for subsequent retest requests. Both statements come from official issuers, and they do not agree.

Because each attempt is USD 65 and each failure may mean a month or two of waiting, the real cost of the passing score is the delay. Preparing to clear 49 on the first sitting is cheaper than any strategy built around retaking. Our MD-JE difficulty guide explains where candidates tend to lose points.

What Published Results Do and Don't Show

Board minutes publish journeyperson results, but the numbers are inconsistent, so treat them as scattered samples, not a rate you can plan around:

Notice the problem: the June and July minutes both label their period "May" but give different results. These samples should not be silently relabeled, averaged together, or turned into a first-attempt probability. They also should not be confused with any mixed-exam inception total. What you can say is that published monthly samples in 2026 show a wide range and that passing is far from automatic. For more discussion, see our MD-JE pass rate analysis.

The takeaway for a candidate is not a precise percentage. It is that 49 of 70 is a real bar and that people do miss it.

Passing Is Not the Same as Being Licensed

Clearing 49 correct does not itself issue the license. After you pass, you apply separately to the Board and provide supporting documents within 30 days of the license application, not 30 days from the examination date. Licenses run two years from issuance. Journeyperson renewal requires five qualifying continuing-education hours during the preceding 24 months plus the USD 18.50 renewal fee. Eligible subjects include applicable NEC and local variants and relevant NFPA electrical-service standards.

Eligibility comes before the exam

Ordinary eligibility requires four years of principally providing electrical services under a Maryland-licensed master electrician or a similarly qualified government employee, with experience evidence and approval. Under COMAR 09.09.03.02, experience-route applicants on or after July 1, 2024 must have held a current Board or local apprentice license for four years during the qualifying work period.

Full prerequisites are covered in our MD-JE requirements guide. Independent preparation does not establish field competence, guarantee Board approval, or issue a license.

Building a Plan Around 49 Correct

Because the exam is 20, 20, 12, 6, 4, 2 and 6 questions, a smart plan puts study hours where the questions are. One short sequencing idea, tied to the domains:

The logic: Domains 1 and 2 are 40 questions, so mastery there creates a cushion. Domains 5 and 6 together are only 6 questions, so deep time there is poor value compared with locking in the first three headings. Our MD-JE cheat sheet condenses the high-yield facts for a final review.

When you are ready to test yourself, the MD-JE practice test site offers independently authored supplementary knowledge questions. These are not actual issuer or provider questions and not an official mock examination, so use them to find weak domains rather than to predict a score. You can also see how the full set of prep options fits together on the main practice site.

Frequently Asked Questions