- Part 1 is 80 questions in 200 minutes; you need 60 correct (75%) to pass.
- Domain 1, General Knowledge and Electrical Installation Requirements, carries 13 questions - the heaviest domain.
- Initial three-part trade exam fee is $269.06; a failed-part retake is $89.69 per part.
- Bring bound copies of the 2020 NEC, 2020 New Mexico Electrical Code, and 2007 NESC - no loose papers or temporary tabs.
Exam Snapshot: The Numbers You Must Memorize
Before you touch a single practice question, lock in the core mechanics of NM-EE98 Part 1. The New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department's Construction Industries Division (CID) contracts with PSI to deliver this exam, and PSI's bulletin (revised April 3, 2026) sets the rules you'll test under. These aren't details to "get around to" - they shape how you pace the exam room.
- Format: Computer-administered, multiple choice, open book
- Questions: 80
- Time limit: 200 minutes
- Passing requirement: 75%, which is 60 correct answers
- Scope: Part 1 covers Commercial and Industrial content within the EE-98 Residential and Commercial Electrical classification
That's roughly two and a half minutes per question, but not every question deserves equal time - some are quick code lookups, others require multi-step load or box-fill calculations. If you want a fuller breakdown of how difficulty is distributed across the exam, How Hard Is the NM-EE98 Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026 walks through where candidates typically lose the most time.
Domain-by-Domain Question Allocation
PSI's bulletin publishes an exact question count per domain for Part 1. Memorizing this table changes how you study - it tells you precisely where extra review hours pay off and where you can afford lighter coverage.
| Domain | Content Area | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | General Knowledge and Electrical Installation Requirements | 13 |
| 2 | Services, Feeders, and Branch Circuits | 10 |
| 3 | Overcurrent Protection | 5 |
| 4 | Grounding and Bonding | 10 |
| 5 | Conductors and Cables | 8 |
| 6 | Raceways and Boxes | 8 |
| 7 | Hazardous Locations, Special Occupancies, and Special Equipment | 10 |
| 8 | Lighting, Signs, and General-Use Equipment | 6 |
| 9 | Motors, Transformers, and Generators | 6 |
| 10 | New Mexico State Code | 4 |
Notice that Domain 1 alone accounts for more questions than Domains 3 and 10 combined. Three domains - 2, 4, and 7 - tie for second place at 10 questions apiece, which means Services/Feeders/Branch Circuits, Grounding and Bonding, and Hazardous Locations/Special Occupancies/Special Equipment together make up more than a third of the exam. For a deep dive into what each domain actually tests - specific NEC articles, calculation types, and terminology - see NM-EE98 Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 10 Content Areas.
Domain 1: General Knowledge and Electrical Installation Requirements
The largest section blends definitions, general installation rules, and code-reading fluency. Expect questions that test whether you can locate and apply general requirements quickly under time pressure.
- Practice navigating your bound NEC/NEC Handbook by index and table of contents, not memory alone
Domain 4: Grounding and Bonding
Tied for second-highest weight at 10 questions. This domain rewards candidates who can distinguish grounding electrode conductor sizing from equipment grounding conductor sizing without hesitation.
- Drill grounding electrode system components and bonding jumper sizing tables until they're automatic
Domain 7: Hazardous Locations, Special Occupancies, and Special Equipment
Also worth 10 questions. This is dense material - classifications, special occupancy rules, and equipment-specific requirements all live here, so budget extra review time rather than cramming it late.
- Build a quick-reference list of classification criteria before exam day
Fees Cheat Sheet
Money mechanics trip up candidates as often as code questions do. Here's the full fee picture in one place so nothing catches you off guard when you register.
- Initial three-part trade exam fee: $269.06 (covers Parts 1, 2, and 3)
- Failed-part retake: $89.69 per part
- Business and Law exam: $68.88 (a separate requirement, satisfied either by exam or an approved course)
- Qualifying-party application: $30 plus a $6 certificate fee per classification
If you fail only Part 1, you're not repaying the full $269.06 - you pay the $89.69 retake fee for that part alone, which is worth knowing before you decide whether to retest immediately or hold off. For a complete cost breakdown including how these fees stack across the whole licensing path, read NM-EE98 Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown.
Key Takeaway
Passing scores remain valid for one year. If you pass Part 1 but need to retake Part 2 or Part 3, don't let that clock run out before you finish the set - check current windows on NM-EE98 Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling.
Approved References and Tabbing Rules
Part 1 is open book, but "open book" has strict boundaries. Bring the wrong materials or mark them up incorrectly and you risk losing valuable reference access mid-exam.
- Approved references: 2020 NEC or NEC Handbook, 2020 New Mexico Electrical Code, and the 2007 National Electrical Safety Code
- Allowed: highlighting, underlining, and permanent tabs
- Prohibited: handwritten notes, loose papers, and temporary tabs
- Binding requirement: all references must be bound - no ring binders full of loose sheets
Qualifying Party Facts
Passing the exam is only part of the licensing path. To sit for it as a qualifying party, CID requires proof of experience and a formal approval step before you're even scheduled.
- Experience requirement: four years, or 8,000 hours, of relevant experience
- Application paperwork: a notarized application plus experience affidavits
- Approval window: CID approval is valid for six months - you must test within that period
- Score validity: once passed, exam scores remain valid for one year
These two clocks - six months to test after approval, one year of score validity after passing - are easy to confuse. Miss the six-month window and you may need to reapply before you ever sit down at a PSI testing center. The full eligibility picture, including affidavit specifics, is covered in NM-EE98 Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify.
Once licensed, remember that contractor licenses renew every three years and require an active qualifying-party signature plus bond coverage for the renewal term. A qualifying-party certificate stays valid as long as it's attached to an active license, but it's canceled after two consecutive years unattached - so don't let a certificate sit idle if you're between jobs.
Calculator and Open-Book Rules
Part 1's open-book, multiple-choice format rewards candidates who can move fluidly between the question screen and their code books, but the tools you bring matter.
- A calculator is permitted only if it's silent, nonprinting, and nonprogrammable
- No smartphone calculators, graphing calculators, or devices with stored formulas
- All allowed references must be physically bound - verify this before test day, not in the parking lot
Because the exam is computer-administered, you also won't be flipping through a paper answer sheet - practicing the click-and-navigate rhythm ahead of time (via full-length simulations on our practice test platform) helps you avoid burning minutes on interface friction during the real 200-minute window.
One-Week Crunch Plan by Domain
If you're reviewing this cheat sheet close to your test date, sequence your remaining hours by question weight rather than by chapter order in your code book. Here's a compressed schedule built around the actual PSI allocation.
Domains 1, 2, and 4
- General Knowledge and Electrical Installation Requirements (13 questions)
- Services, Feeders, and Branch Circuits (10 questions)
- Grounding and Bonding (10 questions)
Domain 7 and Domains 5-6
- Hazardous Locations, Special Occupancies, and Special Equipment (10 questions)
- Conductors and Cables (8 questions)
- Raceways and Boxes (8 questions)
Domains 8, 9, 3, and 10
- Lighting, Signs, and General-Use Equipment (6 questions)
- Motors, Transformers, and Generators (6 questions)
- Overcurrent Protection (5 questions)
- New Mexico State Code (4 questions)
Full Simulation and Tab Check
- Run a timed 80-question mock exam under 200-minute conditions
- Confirm every permanent tab is placed and readable
- Review missed questions by domain, not randomly
This sequencing front-loads the heaviest domains while your energy is freshest, then closes with the lighter-weight domains and a full-length rehearsal. For a longer-horizon version of this plan built around multiple weeks instead of a crunch week, see NM-EE98 Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt.
Key Takeaway
Don't spread study time evenly across all 10 domains. Domains worth 4-6 questions deserve real attention but not equal hours to a domain worth 10-13.
Who This Exam Actually Serves
NM-EE98 Part 1 exists to verify that a qualifying party understands commercial and industrial electrical work well enough to take legal and technical responsibility for a licensed contracting business in New Mexico. It's not a journeyman credential and it's not continuing education - those are handled separately from this contractor-exam blueprint. Employers and licensing boards care about this exam because it directly gates who can serve as the qualifying party on a commercial/industrial electrical contractor license. If you're weighing whether pursuing this license track fits your career plans, Is the NM-EE98 Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 lays out the practical tradeoffs, and NM-EE98 Jobs covers where licensed qualifying parties typically work.
FAQ
Part 1 has 80 questions with a 200-minute time limit, per PSI's bulletin revised April 3, 2026.
You need 75%, which means answering 60 of the 80 questions correctly. See NM-EE98 Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass for more detail on how that threshold is applied.
Domain 1, General Knowledge and Electrical Installation Requirements, has 13 questions - the largest single domain on the exam.
No. Handwritten notes, loose papers, and temporary tabs are prohibited. You may highlight, underline, and use permanent tabs in your bound 2020 NEC, 2020 New Mexico Electrical Code, or 2007 NESC.
You pay a per-part retake fee of $89.69 rather than the full initial fee, and your prior passing scores on other parts (if any) remain valid for one year from when you passed them.