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Checked against primary sources 2026-09-07

Five exams, two channels

Wisconsin Electrician Exam: Format, Fee and Booking

Wisconsin runs five electrician examinations and sells seats through two channels, and the channel you pick inside your application cannot be changed afterwards. Everything below is what DSPS and Pearson VUE publish, including the things they do not publish.

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On this page
  1. The five exams
  2. Two channels, and the choice is permanent
  3. How you get to an exam at all
  4. Format and pass mark
  5. What it costs, with the conflict named
  6. What you carry into the room
  7. The code edition question, right now
  8. Where you sit it
  9. If you do not pass
  10. Questions people ask
  11. What this page cites

The five exams

Five electrician credentials carry an examination: journeyman, residential journeyman, industrial journeyman, master and residential master. The registered electrician enrollment, the apprentice registration, the registered master registration and the electrical contractor license carry none.

All five share the same published parameters. Open book, a passing score of 70 percent, four hours of seat time on the Pearson VUE fee schedule, and up to four reference items in the room.

Two more electrical examinations exist for inspection credentials: Commercial Electrical Inspector, four hours, and UDC Electrical Inspector, three hours. We did not research their qualification routes.

Two channels, and the choice is permanent

DSPS runs its own sittings and also sells seats through Pearson VUE. Its announcement reads: "The Department of Safety and Professional Services (DSPS) has partnered with computer-based testing company Pearson to offer trades exams at more locations across the state."

Then the sentence to read twice: "Once you select Pearson Exam location as your testing option, you will not be able to revert to a DSPS exam location." The Pearson VUE trades exam FAQ says the same thing in its own words.

Electrician exams are available through either channel. The DSPS page restricts a list of other credentials to Pearson centers only, and electrician exams are not on that list.

How you get to an exam at all

The application comes first. DSPS: "To schedule an examination, applicants must have an open application in LicensE." Eligible candidates then select the Pearson exam location inside that application.

For a DSPS sitting there is a deadline in the rule. SPS 305.09 requires the application to be "received by the department at least 30 calendar days prior to the day" of the examination.

Retakes go through the same system. The Pearson VUE FAQ says: "You must request an exam retake in your LicensE account. Log into your LicensE account, go to 'My Applications' click on the 'Actions' tab and you'll see 'Schedule Exam' in the dropdown menu."

Format and pass mark

SPS 305.09 sets the standard: "A grade of 70% or greater in each part of a license, certification or registration examination shall be considered a passing grade."

All five electrician exam pages print the same sentence: "The exam is open book, and the passing score is 70%."

DSPS does not publish a question count. No DSPS page, DSPS PDF or Pearson VUE handbook we read states how many questions any Wisconsin electrician exam has. Figures circulate for journeyman and master, they are consistent across independent secondary sources, and no official source states either, so treat them as unpublished rather than as facts.

What it costs, with the conflict named

Table 305.02 sets a $35 application fee and a $30 state examination fee. The Pearson VUE fee schedule prints $95.00 for every electrician examination under a column headed "Total Candidate Fee Payable to Pearson VUE (USD)."

DSPS's news release announcing the partnership says candidates registering with Pearson "will pay a small administration fee to the testing service in addition to the state trades exam fee." One document calls the $95 a total and the other says the Pearson charge sits on top of the state fee.

We print both and no all-in number. The exam cost page lays out each source.

What you carry into the room

Wisconsin allows more than a code book. The exam pages allow one binder holding Wis. Admin. Code SPS 305, Wis. Admin. Code SPS 316 and printed notes; a National Electrical Code book or handbook; and up to two printed bound reference books.

Loose papers, removable tabs, sticky notes and paperclips are not allowed, and the permitted materials PDF adds that "Practice or previous exams do not qualify as notes and are not allowed." Highlighters are permitted for plumbing exams only, so an electrician candidate cannot bring one.

The book rules page quotes the whole list, including the place where DSPS's own pages disagree about whether it is three items or four.

The code edition question, right now

This is the thing to settle before you book. Today, September 7, 2026, every DSPS electrician exam page names the 2017 National Electrical Code as the book allowed in the room, and the permitted materials PDF stamped June 2025 says the same.

DSPS said on September 3, 2026 that it "expects exam updates to be completed by October 1." The trade press reports the change as happening on October 1. Those two wordings are not identical, and the edition page prints both without pretending to resolve them.

Meanwhile the field moved first. SPS 316 went to the 2023 National Electrical Code on September 1, 2026, so for the month of September the code on site is newer than the code on the paper. That gap has its own page.

Where you sit it

DSPS names six Pearson VUE cities in Wisconsin: Eau Claire, Madison, Brookfield, Kenosha, Ashwaubenon and Milwaukee. Its 2023 news release says the partnership added 54 testing sites in the state, made up of six Pearson VUE owned centers and 48 centers at third party sites, on top of five DSPS locations, with "no reduction in state-run exam slots."

DSPS's own 2026 sittings run at Pewaukee, Appleton, Weston, Deforest and Eau Claire. The test day page has the addresses, the dates and the identification rules.

If you do not pass

SPS 305.09 lets an applicant who fails part of a multi-part examination retake "only those parts failed," unless a year goes by, in which case all parts have to be retaken and passed.

No mandatory waiting period between attempts appears in SPS 305.09 or on any DSPS electrician exam page we read. The retakes page covers the rest, including the no-show rule and the $15 examination review fee.

Questions people ask

How long is the Wisconsin electrician exam?

The Pearson VUE fee schedule gives four hours of seat time to every electrician examination, and three hours to the UDC electrical inspector exam.

How many questions is the Wisconsin journeyman electrician exam?

DSPS does not publish a question count. No DSPS page, DSPS PDF or Pearson VUE handbook we read states one for any Wisconsin electrician exam.

Is the Wisconsin electrician exam open book?

Yes. All five electrician exam pages say the exam is open book and the passing score is 70 percent, and you may carry up to four reference items into the room.

Can I switch from Pearson VUE back to a DSPS exam location?

No. DSPS says that once you select the Pearson exam location as your testing option you will not be able to revert to a DSPS exam location.

How do I schedule a Wisconsin trades exam?

You need an open application in LicensE first, then you select the exam location inside that application. Retakes are requested through the Actions tab on the application in LicensE.

What does the Wisconsin electrician exam cost?

Table 305.02 sets a $30 state examination fee alongside a $35 application fee. Pearson VUE publishes $95.00 per electrician exam, and DSPS has separately said the Pearson fee is charged in addition to the state fee.

Which NEC edition is on the exam?

The DSPS exam pages still name the 2017 edition as of September 7, 2026. DSPS expects exam updates to be completed by October 1, 2026, and the trade press reports the change as starting on October 1.

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What this page cites

If your book is the other edition

The 2023 to 2026 section crosswalk maps every section that moved, both directions, $29 once.

NEC and National Electrical Code are registered trademarks of the National Fire Protection Association.

Trojan Digital Marketing is an independent company. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by NFPA, the Department of Safety and Professional Services, Pearson VUE, or any licensing authority, school or union.

The Wisconsin examinations are open book, and the allowance is a generous one: the code book or handbook, one binder holding SPS 305, SPS 316 and printed notes, and up to two bound reference books. The DSPS exam pages still name the 2017 National Electrical Code, DSPS expects its exam updates to be completed by 1 October 2026, and the trade press reports the questions changing from that date. The field code, SPS 316, went to the 2023 edition on 1 September 2026, so for one month the book you work to and the book you test on are different.

All practice questions are original. They are not actual exam questions.

Built and maintained by Jeff Clerisier, Trojan Digital Marketing.

Every rule here is cited to the section it comes from, and corrections are logged in public with the date. This is study material rather than electrical advice, and it does not replace your own code book or your inspector.

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