Iowa Master Electrician - Highlighted and Tabbed Book Package

Prepare for the Iowa Master Electrician Examination with a focused highlighted and tabbed book package built around the primary electrical code reference used on the current state examination. This package includes the 2023 National Electrical Code Handbook and Ugly's Electrical References to support code navigation, electrical calculations, formulas, conductor information, grounding and bonding, wiring methods, equipment, special occupancies, and other subjects tested at the master electrician level.

The Iowa Master Electrician examination is administered by PSI for the Iowa Electrical Examining Board. The current examination is based on the 2023 National Electrical Code and covers general electrical knowledge, wiring and protection, wiring methods and materials, equipment for general use, special occupancies, special equipment, special conditions, and communication systems.

This package is prepared with highlighting and permanent tabs to make the National Electrical Code Handbook easier to navigate while studying and during the examination. PSI permits the approved NEC reference to be highlighted, underlined, and indexed before the examination and permits permanent tabs that would tear the page if removed.

Please allow up to 15 business days for highlighted and tabbed book package orders.

The package also includes Ugly's Electrical References as a study resource for formulas, calculations, electrical theory, voltage drop, conductor information, motors, transformers, grounding, and other practical electrical subjects. Ugly's Electrical References is valuable for preparation, but it is not permitted inside the Iowa Master Electrician examination center under the current PSI reference rules.

Because the examination permits the 2023 NEC or 2023 NEC Handbook in the testing room, candidates should make code-navigation practice a major part of their preparation. Knowing the general location of common requirements before testing can reduce search time and leave more time for calculations and complex code applications.

What You Get

• National Electrical Code Handbook, 2023 – Highlighted and Tabbed
  Prepared to support faster navigation of the primary code reference allowed for the Iowa Master Electrician examination.
• Ugly's Electrical References
  A practical study reference for electrical formulas, calculations, conductor information, voltage drop, motors, transformers, grounding, and other commonly used electrical information. This reference is for study and is not currently allowed in the PSI examination center.

Please allow up to 15 business days for tabbed and highlighted book package orders.

Exam Details

The current Iowa Master Electrician Examination contains 100 scored questions with 240 minutes allocated to the scored portion. Candidates must answer at least 70% correctly to pass.

The examination also contains 10 non-scored questions. PSI provides an additional 30 minutes for these non-scored items. The non-scored questions are used for examination-development purposes and do not affect the candidate's final score.

The current Master Electrician examination content outline is:

• General Electrical Knowledge – 10%
• Wiring and Protection – 25%
• Wiring Methods and Materials – 20%
• Equipment for General Use – 20%
• Special Occupancies – 10%
• Special Equipment – 5%
• Special Conditions – 5%
• Communication Systems – 5%

Wiring and Protection is the largest examination category at 25%. Candidates should be prepared to work with branch circuits, feeders, services, overcurrent protection, grounding and bonding, load calculations, conductor sizing, and related NEC requirements.

Wiring Methods and Materials and Equipment for General Use each account for 20% of the examination. Together with Wiring and Protection, these three categories represent most of the scored test and should receive substantial preparation time.

Open Book Test

The Iowa Master Electrician examination is an open book test, but only specifically approved references are allowed.

For the Master Electrician examination, PSI currently permits candidates to bring either the NFPA 70 National Electrical Code, 2023 Edition or the NFPA 70 National Electrical Code Handbook, 2023. This package includes the 2023 NEC Handbook.

The approved code reference may be highlighted, underlined, and indexed before the examination. PSI also allows permanent tabs. A permanent tab is defined as a tab that would tear the page if removed.

Temporary tabs, such as removable Post-it-style tabs, are not permitted. Candidates may not add loose papers to the approved reference, and writing in the reference is prohibited under PSI's current examination rules.

Ugly's Electrical References is not allowed in the examination center. It should be used during preparation to strengthen calculation skills and electrical theory, but candidates should practice transitioning those skills to the permitted NEC Handbook before testing.

The highlighted and tabbed NEC Handbook can be especially helpful for preparing a repeatable search method. Candidates should know which NEC article or chapter is likely to contain an answer before beginning a detailed lookup.

Licensing Steps

Iowa electrical licensing is overseen by the Iowa Electrical Examining Board within the Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing.

1. Hold the appropriate journeyman electrician license. A Class A Master Electrician applicant normally progresses from journeyman-level licensure.
2. Complete the required journeyman experience. The standard Class A Master Electrician pathway requires at least one year of experience as a licensed journeyman electrician.
3. Submit the required license application and testing sponsorship request. Iowa requires state approval before a candidate schedules the Master Electrician examination.
4. Receive authorization to test. Once approved by the Electrical Examining Board, the applicant receives authorization to schedule with PSI.
5. Prepare for the 2023 NEC-based examination. Review all eight examination categories and practice calculations, code navigation, and application of NEC requirements.
6. Prepare the permitted reference correctly. Use highlighting, underlining, indexing, and permanent tabs before the examination in accordance with PSI's current reference rules.
7. Schedule and take the PSI Master Electrician examination. The scored portion contains 100 questions and allows 240 minutes.
8. Earn a score of at least 70%. Passing the Board-approved examination is required for the standard Class A Master Electrician pathway.
9. Complete the licensing process with the Iowa Electrical Examining Board. After passing, follow the Board's requirements for issuance of the applicable license.

State Requirements

Iowa recognizes multiple electrical license classifications, including Class A Master Electrician, Class B Master Electrician, Residential Master Electrician, Class A Journeyman Electrician, Class B Journeyman Electrician, Residential Electrician, Apprentice Electrician, and other specialized classifications.

For the standard Class A Master Electrician pathway, current Iowa administrative rules require an applicant to have completed one year of experience as a licensed journeyman electrician and to pass a Board-approved supervised Master Electrician examination with a score of 70 or higher.

The passing examination result must fall within the timeframe established by the Iowa Electrical Examining Board for a new license application.

Iowa also provides other pathways for certain existing Class B Master Electricians and qualifying applicants using reciprocity or other provisions established in state law and administrative rules.

Before taking the examination, applicants must obtain sponsorship from the Iowa Electrical Examining Board. Candidates submit the applicable license application and testing sponsorship request, receive Board authorization, and then schedule the examination through PSI.

Iowa currently uses the 2023 National Electrical Code as the statewide electrical standard. Effective June 2, 2026, Iowa legislation also changed the state's electrical-code framework by removing the previous administrative-rule amendments and returning statewide installations to the 2023 NEC subject to provisions enacted in state law.

Reference Books

• National Electrical Code Handbook, 2023
  The primary code reference included in this package and an approved reference for use during the current Iowa Master Electrician examination. The NEC Handbook contains the full 2023 National Electrical Code along with explanatory material that can help candidates understand and apply electrical requirements involving wiring, protection, grounding, equipment, occupancies, and systems.
• Ugly's Electrical References
  A compact electrical study reference covering formulas, Ohm's law, voltage drop, conductor properties, grounding, motors, transformers, conversions, electrical mathematics, and practical field information. It is useful during study but is not permitted inside the current Iowa Master Electrician examination center.

Test Information and Study Materials

Wiring and Protection accounts for 25% of the examination. Review branch circuits, feeders, services, grounding and bonding, overcurrent protection, conductor ampacity, load calculations, service equipment, and protection requirements.

Grounding and bonding deserve focused attention. Candidates should understand grounding electrode systems, equipment grounding conductors, bonding jumpers, service bonding, separately derived systems, sizing rules, and the relationship among different grounding and bonding components.

Wiring Methods and Materials represents 20%. Study raceways, cables, boxes, fittings, conductor installations, fill requirements, support, protection from physical damage, and permitted applications in different locations.

Equipment for General Use also represents 20%. Review motors, transformers, generators, appliances, luminaires, receptacles, switches, capacitors, heating equipment, and other commonly installed electrical equipment.

General Electrical Knowledge accounts for 10%. Candidates should be comfortable with electrical terminology, theory, calculations, conductor characteristics, voltage, current, resistance, power, and other foundational concepts needed to interpret code questions.

Special Occupancies accounts for another 10%. Review hazardous locations, commercial garages, healthcare facilities, assembly occupancies, agricultural buildings, and other installations with specialized electrical requirements.

Special Equipment contributes 5%. These questions may require familiarity with equipment-specific NEC provisions and installations that fall outside ordinary branch-circuit applications.

Special Conditions accounts for 5%. Candidates should review emergency systems, legally required standby systems, optional standby systems, energy-storage systems, interconnected power-production sources, and other applicable subjects.

Communication Systems accounts for the final 5%. Review communications circuits, network-powered broadband systems, radio and television equipment, and other low-voltage communications provisions covered by the NEC.

The highlighted and tabbed NEC Handbook should be used actively during study. Rather than simply reading articles from beginning to end, practice locating answers based on keywords, article numbers, tables, definitions, and index entries.

For calculation-heavy topics, use Ugly's Electrical References to reinforce formulas and electrical relationships, then practice solving similar problems without relying on Ugly's because it cannot be brought into the examination center.

Timed practice is useful because the scored portion provides 240 minutes for 100 questions. Candidates average approximately 2.4 minutes per scored question, making efficient code navigation important.

When a practice question is missed, determine whether the issue was a calculation error, misunderstanding of the NEC, use of the wrong article, failure to recognize an exception, or slow reference navigation. That diagnosis can make future study more productive.

The preparation process should also include practice with the exact tabbing system used in the highlighted and tabbed book. Repeated use helps candidates associate particular subjects with familiar sections of the NEC Handbook.

How 1 Exam Prep Helps You Reach Your Goal

1 Exam Prep supports Iowa Master Electrician candidates through organized study guidance, electrician-focused review, practice-oriented preparation, electrical calculations, and open-book reference-navigation strategies.

The Iowa Master Electrician Highlighted and Tabbed Book Package gives candidates a prepared 2023 National Electrical Code Handbook designed to make major code sections easier to locate during study and during the examination.

The included Ugly's Electrical References supports preparation involving formulas, calculations, voltage drop, conductor information, motors, transformers, grounding, and other practical electrical subjects. Candidates can use it to build calculation confidence before transferring those skills to examination-style practice.

1 Exam Prep encourages candidates to organize preparation according to the published PSI examination percentages. Additional time can be directed toward Wiring and Protection, Wiring Methods and Materials, and Equipment for General Use while maintaining coverage of all eight content categories.

Reference navigation is especially important for this examination because the 2023 NEC Handbook is permitted in the testing center. Practicing with the highlighted and tabbed reference can help candidates build a consistent approach to finding code information under timed conditions.

The goal is to strengthen electrical knowledge, improve calculations, develop faster NEC navigation, and provide a more organized preparation structure for the Iowa Master Electrician examination.

How many questions are on the Iowa Master Electrician exam?

The examination contains 100 scored questions plus 10 non-scored questions used for examination development.

How much time is allowed?

PSI provides 240 minutes for the 100 scored questions and an additional 30 minutes for the 10 non-scored questions.

What score is required to pass?

Candidates must answer at least 70% of the scored questions correctly.

Is the Iowa Master Electrician exam open book?

Yes. The Iowa Master Electrician examination is an open book test. Candidates may bring the approved 2023 NEC or 2023 NEC Handbook into the examination center.

Can the NEC Handbook be highlighted and tabbed?

Yes. PSI currently permits the approved reference to be highlighted, underlined, and indexed before testing. Permanent tabs are permitted, while removable temporary tabs are prohibited.

Can Ugly's Electrical References be taken into the exam?

No. Ugly's Electrical References is not allowed in the examination center under the current PSI reference list. It is included in this package as a study and calculation resource.

Which NEC edition is used?

The current Iowa Master Electrician examination uses the 2023 National Electrical Code.

What is the largest examination category?

Wiring and Protection is the largest category at 25% of the scored examination.

How much experience is required for an Iowa Class A Master Electrician license?

The standard pathway requires one year of experience as a licensed journeyman electrician in addition to passing the approved Master Electrician examination.

Do I need Iowa approval before scheduling the exam?

Yes. Applicants must complete the applicable licensing and testing sponsorship process with the Iowa Electrical Examining Board before scheduling the examination through PSI.

How long does the highlighted and tabbed package take to process?

Please allow up to 15 business days for tabbed and highlighted book package orders.

Why use the Iowa Master Electrician Highlighted and Tabbed Book Package?

The package combines a prepared 2023 NEC Handbook for open-book code navigation with Ugly's Electrical References for calculation and electrical-theory study, helping candidates organize preparation around the current Iowa Master Electrician examination.