NM-EE98 Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows

Why "Pass Rate" Is the Wrong First Question

Anyone searching for an NM-EE98 pass rate is really asking a different question: how likely am I to pass, and what should I do about it? Neither the New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department's Construction Industries Division (CID) nor PSI, the testing provider, publishes a public pass-rate percentage for Part 1, Commercial and Industrial, of the EE-98 Residential and Commercial Electrical classification. There is no leaked statistic to cite, and any article that gives you a specific percentage for this exam is guessing.

What CID and PSI do publish is more useful than a single number: the exact question count, time allowed, passing threshold, and the official domain allocation for all 80 questions. That structural data tells you exactly where the difficulty is concentrated and lets you build a realistic estimate of your own readiness - which is the whole point of asking about a pass rate in the first place. For a deeper breakdown of how difficult candidates find each domain, see How Hard Is the NM-EE98 Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026.

The Passing Score Formula PSI Actually Publishes

The PSI candidate information bulletin, revised April 3, 2026, spells out the scoring mechanics for Part 1 in plain terms: 80 questions, 200 minutes, and a 75% passing requirement, which works out to 60 correct answers. That is the entire scoring formula - there is no curve, no weighted subscore, and no partial credit described in the bulletin. Every question counts the same toward your final tally.

This matters for how you interpret your own progress on practice material. If you are scoring in the low 60s to mid-60s percent range on full-length practice sets, you are close but not yet at the 75% bar - the gap between "close" and "passing" on an 80-question exam is only a handful of questions, but it is a real gap. For the exact number breakdown and how it compares across all three parts of the trade exam, see NM-EE98 Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass.

Notice that the ratio of minutes to questions is nearly identical across all three parts - about 2.5 minutes per question. That consistency tells you PSI designed Part 1 to be answerable within a predictable pace, not as a speed trap. Falling behind pace on the first 20 questions is usually a preparation issue, not a time-allowance issue.

Domain Weighting: Where Points Are Won and Lost

The official question allocation across the 10 domains is the closest thing to a real "difficulty map" this exam has. Domains 1, 2, and 7 together account for 31 of the 80 questions - nearly 40% of the entire exam.

For a full walkthrough of what each domain actually tests - not just the question counts - see NM-EE98 Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 10 Content Areas.

Exam Format Factors That Shape Outcomes

Beyond content knowledge, several format details in the PSI bulletin directly influence whether a well-prepared candidate actually passes:

• Open-book, but restricted: You may bring the 2020 NEC or NEC Handbook, the 2020 New Mexico Electrical Code, and the 2007 National Electrical Safety Code - but references must be bound, and handwritten notes, loose papers, and temporary tabs are prohibited. Highlighting, underlining, and permanent tabs are allowed.
• Calculator restrictions: only a silent, nonprinting, nonprogrammable calculator is permitted - bring the wrong device and you may not be able to use it.
• Computer-administered, multiple choice: there is no written or oral component to Part 1.

A candidate who shows up with a spiral-bound NEC full of loose sticky notes can lose real time getting reference materials approved at check-in, or lose access to notes they were counting on. This is a preventable, non-content reason to underperform relative to actual knowledge - and it is exactly the kind of detail a generic "electrical exam" study article won't warn you about.

Retake Fees and Validity Windows

The financial and time mechanics around a failed attempt matter as much as content prep, because they shape how much margin for error you actually have:

• The initial three-part trade exam fee (covering Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3) is $269.06.
• A failed-part retake costs $89.69 per part - so failing Part 1 alone means paying $89.69 to sit for it again, not the full three-part fee.
• Business and Law is a separate examination, priced at $68.88, and is not covered by the trade-exam fee.
• Passing scores remain valid for one year. If you pass Part 1 but need time to pass Parts 2 and 3, that clock is running.
• Qualifying-party application approval lasts six months - you need to be scheduled and tested within that window.

These numbers make a strong practical case against treating your first attempt casually. A rushed attempt that fails costs money and, more importantly, consumes part of the finite approval and validity windows CID has built into the process. For the full fee breakdown across the qualifying-party application, exam fees, and licensing, see NM-EE98 Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown.

Who Is Sitting for Part 1 - and Why It Matters

Part 1 is one piece of the broader path toward full EE-98 trade qualification, which also requires Part 2 Residential and Part 3 Specialties unless CID grants an approved exemption. Most candidates sitting for Part 1 fall into a few groups:

• Qualifying-party applicants with four years (8,000 hours) of relevant experience, moving through notarized application and experience affidavits toward CID approval to test.
• NASCLA-waiver holders whose CID-approved waiver removes the trade-exam requirement only - they still must satisfy experience documentation and the separate Business and Law exam.
• Contractors adding or renewing the EE-98 classification on an existing or new license, where the qualifying-party certificate must stay attached to an active license to remain valid.

Because the audience skews toward people already working in commercial and industrial electrical trades, the exam assumes field familiarity and tests application of code rather than pure definitions. That has direct implications for how you prepare - someone with years of commercial installation experience will likely find Domains 2, 5, and 6 more intuitive than someone whose background leans residential, and should budget study time accordingly. The full eligibility path, including affidavit requirements, is laid out in NM-EE98 Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify.

Turning the Data Into a Study Plan

Rather than guessing at a pass rate, use the domain allocation table above to build a study sequence weighted by actual question count, not by which topics feel most comfortable.

This isn't generic exam advice repackaged - it's a sequence driven directly by the official question allocation, so your time investment tracks the actual scoring weight of each domain. For a structured walkthrough of study techniques mapped to this same blueprint, see NM-EE98 Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt, and run full-length simulations on our practice test platform before test day to calibrate your pacing under the same 200-minute limit you'll face at the PSI test center.

If you want a fast-reference version of the code sections, calculations, and terminology most likely to appear across all 10 domains, bookmark the NM-EE98 Cheat Sheet 2026: One-Page Review of Must-Know Facts for your final review pass.

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