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To become an electrician in New Mexico, you must first obtain a license. Licenses are issued by the Construction Industries and Manufactured Housing Division (CID) of the New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department. However, to obtain your EE-98 residential/commercial electrical license, you must meet certain requirements.

Licensing Requirements

The first step is to complete a minimum of four years or 8,000 hours of experience. From there, you must become an approved qualifying party before submitting your signed and completed application. You are also required to pass state trade and other exams.

What to Know about State Exams

To become a residential/commercial electrical contractor, you must pass the business law exam and three trade exams: the EE-98 (commercial and industrial) exam part 1, the EE-98 (residential) exam part 2, and the EE-98 (specialties) exam part 3.

As of 2023, applicants who’ve held a license in another state for at least one year can take the NASCLA electrical exam in place of state trade exams (Parts 1, 2, and 3). However, you must still take the business law exam.

EE-98 (Commercial and Industrial) Exam Part 1

This open-book test contains 100 questions pertaining to topics like:

• General electrical knowledge 
• Requirements for electrical installation
• Branch Circuits, services, and feeders
• Protection from overcurrents
• Grounding and bonding
• Cables and conductors
• Boxes and raceways
• Hazardous locations
• Lighting and general use equipment
• Signage
• Special occupancies and corresponding equipment
• Generators, motors, and transformers
• New Mexico state code

You have 200 minutes to complete the test and must answer at least 60 questions correctly to pass.

EE-98 (Residential) Exam Part 2

This exam is also open-book and consists of 40 questions covering topics like:

• General electrical knowledge 
• Requirements for electrical installations
• Branch circuits
• Protection from overcurrents
• Services and feeders
• Bonding and grounding
• Cables and conductors
• Boxes and raceways
• Special occupancies
• Specialized equipment, such as pools
• Lighting
• New Mexico state codes

You have 100 minutes to complete this test. To pass, you must answer a minimum of 30 questions correctly.

EE-98 (Specialties) Exam Part 3

This open-book exam features 50 questions on the following topics:

• Low voltage circumstances, including alarms
• Outline lighting and electrical signage
• Cathodic protection
• Lightning protection systems
• Computer systems
• Telephone systems
• Sound and communication devices

You have 135 minutes to complete this assessment and must answer 38 or more questions correctly to pass.

Business Law Exam

In addition to trade tests, you must pass the business law exam, another open-book test. It includes 50 questions covering topics like:

• General licensing requirements
• Estimate and bid creation
• Basic business organization and finances
• Tax and labor laws
• Lien laws
• Project management
• Contract coordination
• Risk management
• Environmental safety
• Estimating and Bidding

You have 130 minutes to complete the exam. To pass, you must answer a minimum of 38 questions correctly.

Are you interested in a proven exam prep program that gives you the best chance of passing state tests and obtaining your Electrical License in New Mexico? If so, RocketCert has exactly what you need. Contact us today to learn more.