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

The Number: 70% on a 60-Question Exam

The Montana Journeyman Electrician License Exam (MT-JE) is a computer-based, multiple-choice written exam administered by PSI Services LLC for the Montana State Electrical Board. You get 60 questions and 180 minutes. The passing score is 70%.

That single number is the answer most candidates are searching for, but the details around it matter just as much: which version of the rules governs your exam, what you are allowed to bring into the testing room, and what happens if you fall short. This article covers all of it, built from the Board's current candidate bulletin and administrative rules rather than from recycled forum posts.

What 70% Means in Real Questions

With 60 questions on the exam, a 70% threshold translates to 42 correct answers. That means you can miss 18 questions and still pass. Treat that as a planning tool, not a target: the goal in practice is to be consistently well above 42 so that a few unfamiliar items on exam day do not sink you.

A few practical consequences of the math:

• You do not need perfection. Eighteen misses is a meaningful cushion, so do not burn time agonizing over one stubborn calculation.
• Time is generous but not unlimited. 180 minutes for 60 questions averages three minutes per question, which is workable even for Code-lookup items if you know where to find things.
• Flagging and returning is a strategy. Answer what you know first, then spend leftover time on the slow lookups.

The Board does not publish per-question weights or a scoring curve in the materials reviewed here, so the safest assumption is simple: every correct answer counts equally toward the 42 you need.

Why You Still See 75% Online (and Why It's Outdated)

If you have researched this exam for more than five minutes, you have probably seen two different passing scores. Here is the resolution.

The older 2022 bulletin states a 75% journeyman pass mark and restricts references to factory markings only. The newer 2024 bulletin and the amended administrative rule both set the journeyman pass mark at 70% and allow you to prepare your books with your own notes, highlighting, underlining and tabs, provided that work is done before the exam.

Where does 75% still apply? It remains the pass mark for the master electrician exam. Some third-party sites blend the two together, which is how stale numbers keep circulating. If a prep source tells you the journeyman exam needs 75% or that you cannot tab your Code book, it is working from outdated material.

What the Exam Actually Covers

The Board's bulletin publishes two high-level content headings for the journeyman exam. It does not publish percentage weights or per-heading question counts, and the two-heading list is not an exhaustive sub-objective blueprint. Anyone quoting precise domain percentages for the Montana exam is inventing them.

Two scope notes worth knowing. First, the Board's master-only Major Load Calculations content is excluded from the journeyman exam, so do not spend weeks on it. Second, state law requires that examination coverage include Board rules and applicable Title 37 laws; that requirement comes from Montana Code Annotated section 37-68-305, so expect Montana-specific legal context to be fair game. For a fuller walkthrough of both headings, read the complete guide to the MT-JE exam domains.

Printreading, grounding and bonding, and calculation drills are editorial study priorities, not separately published official domains. They are good places to focus because they sit squarely inside the two official headings, but they are our recommendation, not a Board-issued blueprint.

Open-Book Rules That Affect Your Score

The MT-JE is an open-book exam, and your references can materially affect whether you reach 42 correct answers. Permitted references are:

• The 2020 National Electrical Code
• Montana Building Codes Amendments
• David L. Hittinger's Printreading, based on the 2020 NEC

Under the current bulletin, you may add your own notes, highlighting, underlining and tabs to these books before the exam. During the exam itself, the rules are strict: no loose or attached additional papers, and no writing in your references. An on-screen calculator is available, or you may bring a compliant calculator that is silent, battery-operated and nonprogrammable.

A lookup-heavy exam rewards candidates who know the book's structure rather than its contents word for word. Practice finding answers under a timer using realistic items on our MT-JE practice tests, and build your tab system around the questions you slow down on.

If You Miss the Mark: Retake Rules

Falling short of 70% is not the end of the road, and Montana's retake structure is relatively forgiving at the start.

1. After a first failure: there is no waiting period. You may retake as soon as you can pay the fee again and schedule a seat.
2. After a second failure: you must complete an approved eight-hour code seminar before a third attempt. The seminar must be completed after the first failure.

Remember the clocks that run alongside retakes: Board examination eligibility lasts one year, and the paid examination fee also lasts one year. Plan your attempts inside that window so you do not have to restart the approval process or repay.

Eligibility and Fees Before You Can Score Anything

You cannot simply book a seat and test. You need Board approval first, and on exam day you must present your admission letter and photo identification. PSI testing centers are available nationwide, which helps candidates who live far from Montana's population centers.

Under Montana Code Annotated section 37-68-305, eligibility routes include:

• An approved apprenticeship or a substantially equivalent electrical program
• 8,000 legally obtained practical hours
• 20,000 electrical-maintenance hours with employer certification, including at least 8,000 practical hours

One restriction catches people off guard: the statute expressly excludes experience from an uncompleted apprenticeship from its definition of legally obtained practical experience. If you left an apprenticeship early, those hours may not count toward the 8,000. Where an older application summary differs from the statute, the newer statute governs. The Journeyman Electrician Application (revised July 22, 2024) covers documentation and the reciprocity and substantial-equivalency procedures. Our certification cost breakdown and requirements guide go deeper on both topics, and you can plan timing with the exam dates and scheduling guide.

A Domain-Based Study Sequence

Because the exam is open-book and lookup-driven, the most effective preparation builds speed with your references and fluency with calculations. Here is one four-week sequence tied to the two official headings.

Why Code first? Because a well-tabbed book accelerates every other week, and Code-lookup skill is what separates comfortable passes from close calls. For a longer, more detailed plan, see our MT-JE study guide, and keep the one-page cheat sheet handy for last-week review.

After You Pass: Licensing and Renewal

Clearing 70% is the major hurdle, but the license carries ongoing obligations. Montana licenses renew on July 15 in even-numbered years. Renewal requires 16 continuing-education hours, including at least eight code hours. For the 2026 renewal cycle, the Board applies a 50% fee abatement; note that this relates to renewal, not the exam fee.

If you are weighing whether the investment pays off, the salary guide and the ROI analysis explore that question. Specific salary amounts were not verified for this article, so evaluate earnings claims against current local job postings rather than treating any single figure as a promise.

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