NM-EE98 Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt

What the NM-EE98 Part 1 Exam Actually Tests

The New Mexico EE-98 Electrical Contractor Exam is administered through PSI on behalf of the New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department's Construction Industries Division (CID). Part 1 focuses specifically on Commercial and Industrial electrical work under the EE-98 Residential and Commercial classification. It is one of three trade exams a qualifying party must eventually pass - Part 2 covers Residential and Part 3 covers Specialties - unless CID has granted an approved exemption or a NASCLA waiver applies to the trade-exam portion.

According to the PSI bulletin revised April 3, 2026, Part 1 consists of 80 multiple-choice questions delivered by computer, with 200 minutes allotted and a 75% passing requirement, meaning 60 correct answers. This is an open-book exam, so the challenge isn't memorizing code text from scratch - it's knowing exactly where to find the right table, exception, or definition fast enough to answer 80 questions without running out of time.

Domain-by-Domain Breakdown

Part 1's 80 questions are distributed across ten official domains. Knowing the exact allocation lets you weight your study hours instead of spreading them evenly, which is a common mistake among first-time candidates.

Registration, Fees, and Eligibility Mechanics

Before you can sit for Part 1, you need approval as a qualifying party. That means demonstrating four years (8,000 hours) of relevant experience, submitting a notarized application with experience affidavits, and receiving CID approval before you're allowed to schedule a test. Approval lasts six months, so don't apply months before you're ready to sit - the clock starts running immediately.

The fee structure is straightforward but easy to misjudge if you're comparing it to unrelated credentials:

• Qualifying-party application: $30, plus a $6 certificate fee per classification
• Initial three-part trade exam (Parts 1, 2, and 3 combined): $269.06
• Failed-part retake: $89.69 per part
• Business and Law examination (separate requirement): $68.88

Passing scores remain valid for one year, which matters if you pass Part 1 but need more time before attempting Part 2 or Part 3. For a full breakdown of every fee scenario, including retake math, see the complete pricing breakdown. If you're still confirming whether you meet the experience and documentation thresholds, the eligibility and prerequisites guide walks through the qualifying-party paperwork in detail.

Approved References and Open-Book Rules

Part 1 is open book, but the rules about what counts as an acceptable reference are strict and worth internalizing well before test day. Approved references are:

• The 2020 NEC or NEC Handbook
• The 2020 New Mexico Electrical Code
• The 2007 National Electrical Safety Code

All references must be bound. Highlighting, underlining, and permanent tabs are permitted, so building a well-tabbed code book during your prep is one of the highest-leverage things you can do. Handwritten notes, loose papers, and temporary tabs are prohibited and will be confiscated at check-in. A silent, nonprinting, nonprogrammable calculator is also allowed, which matters heavily for Domain 2's load calculations and Domain 5's ampacity derating problems.

Question Format and Timing Strategy

All 80 questions are computer-administered multiple choice. With 200 minutes total, that's roughly 2.5 minutes per question - but because it's open book, several questions will take longer as you locate the right table or exception. Budget your time in blocks that match domain weight rather than dividing evenly.

A practical pacing approach:

1. Answer every question you're confident about first, flagging anything requiring a code lookup
2. Return to flagged questions and use your tabbed references to confirm rather than guess
3. Reserve the final 20-30 minutes strictly for double-checking calculation-heavy Domain 2, 5, and 9 answers

Because passing requires 60 of 80 correct, you have some margin for error - but not much across ten domains, several of which (Overcurrent Protection, New Mexico State Code) have very few questions to absorb a mistake. If you want a realistic sense of how demanding this pacing actually is in practice, read the full difficulty guide before you schedule your test date.

A Week-by-Week Study Timeline

Generic study techniques only help if they're mapped to Part 1's actual domain weights. Here's a sequence that front-loads the highest-value domains first.

Part 1 vs. Part 2 vs. Part 3

Understanding how Part 1 fits alongside the other two trade exams helps you plan your overall path to full EE-98 qualification.

Notice that Part 1's ratio of questions to minutes is consistent with Parts 2 and 3 - roughly 2.5 minutes per question across the board. That consistency is worth knowing if you're pacing yourself across all three exams in the same testing window, since fatigue management matters as much as content knowledge on a long testing day.

Common Mistakes That Sink First-Time Candidates

• Treating all ten domains equally. Spending the same number of study hours on Domain 3 (5 questions) as Domain 1 (13 questions) wastes time you don't have.
• Bringing unbound or loose-leaf notes. PSI proctors enforce the bound-reference rule strictly; arrive with a properly tabbed, bound 2020 NEC, 2020 New Mexico Electrical Code, and 2007 NESC.
• Letting qualifying-party approval expire. Approval lasts six months - schedule your test date before that window closes.
• Ignoring Domain 10. Only 4 questions cover New Mexico State Code specifically, but skipping it entirely risks points that are easy to secure with focused review.
• Underestimating calculation time. Domain 2 and Domain 9 questions often take longer than average because they require multi-step math even with a calculator.

For a deeper look at exactly how the passing threshold works and what margin you actually have across the 80 questions, see the passing score breakdown. And if you haven't locked in your test date yet, check testing windows and scheduling deadlines so your six-month approval window doesn't lapse.

Frequently Asked Questions