Checked against primary sources 2026-09-07
Thirty days, then start again
Minnesota Electrician Exam Retake Rules: 30 Days and $50
Minnesota's retake rule is two sentences long and both of them cost you something. The wait runs from notification rather than from the exam, and the second attempt is a fresh application rather than a rebooking.
Test yourself: thirty free questions, timed
On this page
The rule, quoted
From the Licensing Examination Guide:
Applicants who fail any examination may submit an application to retake the examination 30 days after notification that they failed their examination.
Applicants that fail to appear for a rescheduled examination as well as applicants that fail their examination must submit a new application and examination fee before being approved for examination or reexamination.
There is no published limit on the number of attempts and no published escalating wait.
Where the 30 days start
From notification, not from the examination. Results are e-mailed generally within two weeks of the examination, so the practical gap between one attempt and being able to apply again is longer than 30 days.
Then the application has to be approved before a date exists, because the guide says no one may schedule an examination date until the department approves the application. Add that to the weekly Wednesday sitting and a realistic gap between attempts is measured in months rather than weeks.
What it costs
A new application and examination fee. That is $50, the same flat fee that covers every license type, and the application form says the paid application fee is not refundable.
The fee schedule prints the same $50 in the exam column for Class A master, Class A journeyworker, maintenance electrician, power limited technician, Class B installer, satellite installer and lineman.
So two attempts at a journeyworker license cost $100 in examination fees before the $48 license fee.
The retake rule reaches reciprocity too
DLI's reciprocity conditions open with this one: the applicant must not have failed the same or greater class of license examination in Minnesota.
So a failed Minnesota examination closes the reciprocity door for that class. Somebody moving here with an out of state license should check the reciprocity route before sitting a Minnesota paper on spec.
Sitting again after September 8, 2026
If your first attempt was before September 8, 2026, your second is on a different book. DLI states that electrical licensing exams transitioned to the 2026 National Electrical Code beginning that date.
The guide also dates the current examination question format, degree of difficulty and length of examination to September 8, 2026, and does not say what changed. We cover that open question on its own page rather than guessing.
Practically, treat a retake after that date as a new paper on a new edition. Check what moved between the two books before you rely on a number you memorized last year.
Using the thirty days
A failed paper is data. You know the clock, you know how the unmarked book felt, and you know which lookups took too long.
Sit the diagnostic to rank your weak areas, then work the worst two in the topic sets with a clean book. Time the lookups with the article drill, because on an 80 question paper across five and a half hours you have about four minutes a question.
The published pass rates are worth reading before you assume a failure is unusual. The board's own figures for the journeyworker paper have run as low as 32 percent on a first attempt basis.
Questions people ask
How soon can I retake the Minnesota electrician exam?
You may submit an application to retake it 30 days after notification that you failed. Results are emailed generally within two weeks of the examination, so the wait runs from the notification rather than from the exam day.
Do I have to pay again to retake the exam?
Yes. The guide says applicants who fail must submit a new application and examination fee before being approved for reexamination. That fee is $50.
How many times can I take the Minnesota electrician exam?
The Licensing Examination Guide publishes no limit on attempts and no escalating wait. Each attempt needs a new application and a new $50 fee.
Does failing affect reciprocity?
Yes. The first of DLI's nine reciprocity conditions is that the applicant must not have failed the same or greater class of license examination in Minnesota.
Will my retake be on the same code edition?
If your first attempt was before September 8, 2026, no. DLI moved the examinations to the 2026 National Electrical Code on that date.
What score do I need?
Seventy percent, on every Minnesota electrical examination. On an 80 question paper that is 56 correct and on a 25 question paper it is 18.
Thirty free questions, timed, with the working shown
Every miss comes back with the arithmetic worked out and the code section named, so you learn the trap and not just the answer. No account.
All questions here are original. They are not actual exam questions, and no question bank can promise you a pass.
What this page cites
- DLI Licensing Examination Guide The 30 day rule, the new application requirement, the two week results and the 70 percent pass mark. source
- DLI personal exam application The $50 fee and the statement that the paid application fee is not refundable. source
- DLI electrical license reciprocity The condition that blocks reciprocity after a failed Minnesota examination of the same or greater class. source
- DLI electrical codes and standards The September 8, 2026 examination transition to the 2026 National Electrical Code. source
- Board of Electricity minutes, January 15, 2026 The first attempt pass rates, including 32 percent for the journeyworker paper in 2025. source
The 2023 to 2026 section crosswalk maps every section that moved, both directions, $29 once.