- IA-ME refers to the Iowa Class A Master Electrician License Exam, administered by PSI Services LLC for the Iowa Electrical Examining Board.
- The exam has 110 total questions (100 scored, 10 unscored) across 270 minutes, and passing requires 70% on scored items.
- Wiring and Protection, Wiring Methods and Materials, and Equipment for General Use together make up 65% of scored content.
- The current bulletin lists an $87 exam fee, separate from the $375 three-year Class A license fee.
What Is IA-ME, Exactly?
IA-ME stands for the Iowa Master Electrician License Exam - specifically the Class A Master Electrician examination pathway that leads to full master-level licensure in the state of Iowa. This is distinct from Iowa's separate Residential Master examination track, which covers a narrower scope of work. When people search "IA-ME," they're almost always trying to understand the requirements, format, and content of this Class A master-level credentialing exam, and that's the exam this site and this article are built around.
If you're new to the process entirely, it helps to first understand the broader context of the credential before diving into exam mechanics - see our overview of the IA-ME Certification for the bigger picture, or jump straight to IA-ME Requirements 2026 if you already know you're eligible and just need the checklist.
Who Oversees the Exam
Licensing authority rests with the Iowa Electrical Examining Board, which operates within the Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing (DIAL). The Board sets eligibility rules, continuing-education standards, and the content reference used for testing. Actual exam delivery - scheduling, proctoring, and scoring - is handled by PSI Services LLC, a third-party testing vendor. This split matters practically: eligibility and sponsorship decisions come from DIAL, while your test date, testing center logistics, and day-of rules come from PSI.
The current PSI-hosted candidate bulletin was updated September 19, 2025, and it's the authoritative source for fees, allowed materials, and scheduling policy. Anything you read elsewhere should be checked against that bulletin.
Exam Format and Mechanics
The IA-ME Class A exam is a computer-based, multiple-choice, open-book examination. Understanding its structure before you ever sit down at a PSI testing center will save you from surprises on test day.
- Question count: 110 total questions - 100 scored plus 10 unscored (unscored items are used for item analysis and don't count against you, but you won't know which ones they are).
- Time allowed: 240 minutes for the scored portion plus an additional 30 minutes allotted for the unscored items, for a total of 270 minutes.
- Passing score: 70% of the scored items. For a full breakdown of what that means numerically, see IA-ME Passing Score 2026.
- Reference material: Testing is based on the 2023 NEC, which DIAL confirms has been the standard since January 1, 2024.
Because the code book is your only real "reference," the exam rewards candidates who can navigate the NEC quickly under time pressure rather than those who've simply memorized rules. If you want a sense of how demanding that navigation actually is in practice, read How Hard Is the IA-ME Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026.
The Eight Content Domains
The Class A master exam blueprint is organized into eight domains, each weighted by percentage of scored questions. Three domains - Wiring and Protection, Wiring Methods and Materials, and Equipment for General Use - together account for 65% of the scored exam, making them the clear priority for study time.
Domain 1: General Electrical Knowledge (10%)
Covers foundational concepts, definitions, and general code organization that underpin everything else on the exam.
- NEC structure and article navigation
- General electrical theory as applied through code
Domain 2: Wiring and Protection (25%)
The single heaviest domain. Focuses on branch circuits, feeders, overcurrent protection, grounding and bonding.
- Overcurrent protection sizing
- Grounding and bonding requirements
Domain 3: Wiring Methods and Materials (20%)
Covers conductor types, raceways, boxes, and installation methods across different occupancy types.
- Conductor and cable applications
- Box and enclosure fill calculations
Domain 4: Equipment for General Use (20%)
Switches, receptacles, motors, appliances, and general-use equipment installation rules.
- Motor circuit requirements
- Switchgear and panelboard rules
Domain 5: Special Occupancies (10%)
Hazardous locations, healthcare facilities, and other occupancy-specific code requirements.
- Classified/hazardous location rules
Domain 6: Special Equipment (5%)
Covers equipment such as signs, X-ray equipment, and other specialized installations addressed in later NEC articles.
Domain 7: Special Conditions (5%)
Emergency systems, standby power, and fire alarm circuits fall under this smaller but still testable domain.
Domain 8: Communication Systems (5%)
Low-voltage and communication circuit rules, including separation requirements from power wiring.
For a section-by-section walkthrough of what to actually study within each of these, see the IA-ME Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 8 Content Areas.
Eligibility and Sponsorship
Standard eligibility for the Class A master exam requires one year of Board-acceptable experience as a licensed Class A or Class B journeyman. There's also an examination-upgrade route available to an active Class B master electrician who wants to move up to Class A.
Before you can even schedule with PSI, you need Board sponsorship and authorization. This authorization isn't indefinite - it covers two attempts or six months, whichever comes first. If you don't test successfully within that window, you'll need to go back through the Board for renewed authorization. Additionally, a passed master exam is only valid for license application purposes if it was completed within 24 months before you submit your license application - so timing your test relative to your application matters.
Key Takeaway
Get Board sponsorship first, then schedule with PSI. Track your 24-month window from exam date to license application, and don't let your two-attempt/six-month authorization lapse before you're ready to test.
The full eligibility checklist, including documentation specifics, is covered in IA-ME Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify.
Fees, Cycles, and Renewal
Per the PSI-hosted bulletin updated September 19, 2025, the exam fee is $87. That's separate from the license fee: a full three-year Class A master license costs $375, with initial fees prorated depending on the month you're issued the license. The current licensing cycle runs 2026-2028.
| Item | Cost / Requirement |
|---|---|
| PSI Exam Fee | $87 |
| Full 3-Year Class A License | $375 (prorated by issuance month) |
| Renewal CE (full 3-year term) | 18 approved CE hours, including at least 6 NEC-specific hours |
| Renewal CE (partial/initial term) | 6 hours per year or partial year licensed |
Renewal isn't just a fee transaction - the Board requires 18 approved continuing-education hours across a full three-year term, with at least six of those hours specifically on the NEC. If your initial licensing term is shorter than three years, the requirement scales down to six hours for each year or partial year you were licensed. For a complete pricing walkthrough including how proration works, see IA-ME Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown.
Retake Rules If You Don't Pass
Iowa's retake structure escalates in stages, and it's worth planning around before you ever sit the exam:
- After two failures: a six-month wait plus completion of 12 approved continuing-education hours before you can test again.
- After four failures: the same six-month wait and 12-hour CE requirement apply again.
- After six failures: further attempts require Board approval following a formal petition, plus another six-month wait.
Also remember scheduling logistics: you must cancel or reschedule a PSI appointment at least two days before your test date, or you risk forfeiting the attempt. Given how costly repeated failures become in lost time and required CE hours, most candidates are better served preparing thoroughly using a structured IA-ME Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt rather than treating the exam as a low-stakes trial run.
Who Takes the IA-ME and Why
Candidates pursuing the Class A Master Electrician exam are typically journeyman electricians - either Class A or Class B - who've accumulated the required year of Board-acceptable experience and want to move into supervisory, contracting, or business-owner roles. Passing opens the door to pulling permits as a master, supervising crews, and in many cases running an electrical contracting business under your own license.
Because the master license sits at the top of Iowa's electrical licensing structure, it's the credential employers and contracting businesses look for when filling lead-electrician or project-oversight positions. If you're weighing whether the investment of time, fees, and CE hours pays off relative to staying at journeyman level, our analysis in Is the IA-ME Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 and the IA-ME Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis lay out the qualitative case in more depth, and IA-ME Jobs covers where master-licensed electricians typically find work in Iowa.
Preparing Around the Real Exam Blueprint
Because Wiring and Protection, Wiring Methods and Materials, and Equipment for General Use carry 65% of the scored weight, your prep schedule should mirror that weighting rather than treating all eight domains equally. A simple way to structure the final weeks before your test date is to allocate proportionally more review time to the heavy domains early, then circle back to the smaller domains (Special Equipment, Special Conditions, Communication Systems) once your NEC navigation speed on the big three is solid.
Wiring and Protection + Wiring Methods and Materials
- Drill overcurrent protection and grounding/bonding article lookups
- Practice conductor and box-fill calculations against the clock
Equipment for General Use + General Electrical Knowledge
- Work through motor and panelboard rule sets
- Reinforce NEC index and table navigation speed
Special Occupancies, Equipment, Conditions, Communication Systems
- Fast-review the smaller domains without over-investing time
- Run a full-length timed practice session at ../ to simulate the 270-minute format
Running full-length timed sessions matters because 270 minutes is a long exam, and pacing across 110 questions is its own skill separate from knowing the code. Practicing under realistic time constraints at our practice test platform helps you calibrate how much time you can actually spend per NEC lookup before you fall behind. If you haven't yet reviewed how each domain typically shows up in question form, the IA-ME Exam Domains 2026 guide is the natural next stop, and the condensed IA-ME Cheat Sheet 2026: One-Page Review of Must-Know Facts is useful for last-minute review the night before your test.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. IA-ME as covered on this site refers specifically to the Class A Master Electrician examination pathway. Iowa's Residential Master examination is a separate, narrower credential with its own scope.
There are 110 total questions - 100 scored and 10 unscored. You get 240 minutes for the scored portion plus 30 additional minutes for the unscored items, totaling 270 minutes.
Only the 2023 NEC or the 2023 NEC Handbook. You may bring a copy with advance highlighting, underlining, and permanent indexing, but handwritten notes, removable tabs, loose papers, and Ugly's Electrical References are not allowed.
After two failures, you must wait six months and complete 12 approved continuing-education hours before retesting. The same waiting period and CE requirement apply after four failures. After six failures, you need Board approval via a petition plus another six-month wait.
Yes. You must obtain Board sponsorship and authorization before scheduling with PSI. That authorization is limited to two attempts or six months, whichever comes first.