What Does MA-JE Stand For?

The Short Answer: What MA-JE Stands For

On this site, MA-JE stands for the Massachusetts Journeyman Electrician License Exam. It is the two-part, open-book, computer-delivered examination that an electrician must pass to earn a Massachusetts Journeyman Electrician license, formally known as Certificate B. "MA" is Massachusetts, "JE" is Journeyman Electrician, and the examination is the gateway between years of supervised field work and the right to work as a licensed journeyman in the Commonwealth.

That is the whole definition. Everything below explains what sits behind those four words: who runs the exam, how it is structured, what it covers, what it costs, and the details candidates routinely get wrong. If you want the shorter companion pieces, our pages on what MA-JE is and the meaning of MA-JE cover the same ground from different angles.

Why the Label Needs Pinning Down

Acronyms travel badly. A short letter pair can mean very different things in different industries, and a search for "MA-JE" can surface material about unrelated credentials. Nothing on this page applies to any of them. When we say MA-JE, every fact (the issuing board, the fees, the question counts, the domains) belongs to the Massachusetts Journeyman Electrician License Exam and nothing else.

You will also see the related phrasing "what does MA-JE mean" and "what is a MA-JE" across the web. Our pages on what MA-JE means and what MA-JE certification is address those variants directly.

What the Credential Actually Is

The credential is a state license, not a voluntary industry certification. In Massachusetts, a journeyman electrician is someone licensed to perform electrical work under the Massachusetts Electrical Code, working independently of direct one-to-one supervision in ways an apprentice cannot. The license class is Journeyman Electrician, Certificate B.

It helps to see where it sits relative to the rungs above and below it:

That last row is a frequent point of confusion. The journeyman exam includes licensing laws and regulations as one of its published objectives, but it is a different instrument from the master's Business and Law examination. If you are weighing the two paths, our guide on whether the MA-JE certification is worth it covers the career logic.

Who Issues It and Who Tests It

Two organizations matter, and they do different jobs:

• Massachusetts Board of State Examiners of Electricians (MA BSEE) is the licensing authority. It sets eligibility, issues the license, and governs renewal.
• PSI Services LLC is the testing provider. It handles application processing and delivers the exam at authorized Massachusetts testing centers.

Testing happens at authorized centers in Massachusetts. The candidate bulletin excludes remote and out-of-state administration, so you cannot sit the exam from home or from another state. The governing document is the MA BSEE/PSI Examination Candidate Information Bulletin, effective November 1, 2024, and it is worth reading in full before you apply. For scheduling mechanics, see our breakdown of MA-JE exam dates and deadlines.

Two Parts, One License

The exam is not a single sitting with a single clock. It is two separate parts, each with its own question count, timer, and passing threshold.

Combined, that is 110 questions and four hours of testing time, but those totals are an aggregate, not one interchangeable timer. You cannot borrow unused minutes from Part I to cover Part II. And because each part requires 70% independently, a strong Part I score does nothing to rescue a weak Part II result. Both parts must be passed within the applicable 12-month eligibility period.

For a deeper look at the scoring math, read our explainer on the MA-JE passing score.

The Nineteen Headings Behind the Name

The published scope runs across nineteen headings. These are headings across two parts, not nineteen separate exams. Part I covers Domains 1 through 13, and Part II covers Domains 14 through 19. The official question allocations are published as item counts, and we keep them as counts rather than converting them into percentage weights the Board has not published.

Part I: Trade Examination (80 questions)

Wiring Methods and Devices is the single largest Part I subject at 18 items. Services (11), General Knowledge (8), and Grounding and Bonding (7) follow. Notice how modern the list is: Photovoltaic and Energy Storage Systems together account for 10 of the 80 Part I items, which is more than Motors, Transformers, Low-Voltage Distribution, and Lighting combined. Candidates who studied only traditional power distribution can be caught short.

Part II: Applied Examination (30 questions)

Troubleshooting and Testing is the largest Part II subject with six items. With only 30 questions and a 21-correct requirement, you can miss just nine. Spread across six domains of four to six items each, a blind spot in even two areas can put the part at risk.

For a domain-by-domain walkthrough, see our complete guide to all 19 MA-JE content areas.

What You Need Before You Can Sit

The exam is only half the story. You must qualify before PSI will let you test. The prerequisites include:

• A high-school diploma or equivalent
• 600 hours of approved journeyman education
• 8,000 qualifying work hours over at least four years
• A 15-hour approved Code Update certificate
• Supporting school and employer documentation
• CORI (Criminal Offender Record Information) authorization

These are three distinct buckets, and mixing them up is a classic planning error: classroom education hours, Code Update training, and on-the-job work experience. None of them are examination timers. The 600 hours, the 15 hours, and the 8,000 hours describe what you must complete before testing; the 180 and 60 minutes describe the exam itself. Applications run through the state's individual electrical license process. Our detailed page on MA-JE requirements and eligibility walks through documentation step by step.

The Money Side, Itemized

Massachusetts splits its charges into distinct pieces, so the headline number depends on what you count.

Two details deserve emphasis. First, the $104 initial license issuance is charged separately from the $226 testing total, so budget for both. Second, retake fees depend on which part you retake, totaling $135 if you must retake both. After three unsuccessful attempts, the bulletin requires additional education before further attempts. A fuller treatment lives in our MA-JE certification cost breakdown.

Reference Materials and Two Open Questions

Because the exam is open-book, the references you bring matter as much as what you remember. Approved references include the NEC, NFPA 72, the Massachusetts amendments, and the licensing regulations. A qualifying nonprogrammable calculator is permitted. Highlighting, underlining, and permanent tabs are addressed in the bulletin.

Open-book does not mean easy. With 80 questions in 180 minutes, you have a bit over two minutes per Part I item, and that time disappears if you are hunting through an unfamiliar code book. Our difficulty guide and pass-rate analysis discuss what that means in practice.

A domain-ordered study sequence

One short, MA-JE-specific way to sequence your preparation is by item count and dependency, not by the order of the bulletin:

Our MA-JE study guide and one-page cheat sheet expand on this approach, and you can test yourself on the MA-JE practice test site.

After You Pass: Certificate B and Renewal

Passing both parts leads to initial issuance of Certificate B. The license then renews on a triennial July 31 cycle under Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 141, Section 3. Renewal also carries a continuing-education obligation under 237 CMR 17.01: 21 CE hours, made up of 15 approved code, business, and law hours plus six professional-development hours.

Licensed journeymen work for electrical contractors, in commercial and industrial maintenance, in residential and service work, and increasingly in solar and battery-storage installation. Because the license is state-issued, it is the baseline for lawful employment as a journeyman in Massachusetts. For the career side, see our pages on MA-JE jobs and the MA-JE salary guide, and you can browse the full MA-JE certification overview. Ready-made drills are available through the main practice platform.

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