- What Is the GAEC Certification?
- Who Governs and Administers the Exam
- Exam Format and Question Style
- The 10 GAEC Exam Domains
- Eligibility and Application Requirements
- Fees and Registration Mechanics
- Passing Score and Retake Policy
- Building a Domain-Weighted Study Plan
- Who Hires Class II Unrestricted Contractors
- Maintaining Your License After Certification
- Frequently Asked Questions
- The Class II Unrestricted exam has 140 scored questions plus 22 unscored beta items, split into two 4-hour parts.
- Passing requires a scaled score of 70; approval to sit for the exam lasts one year.
- Install and Maintain Interior Electrical Systems is the heaviest domain at 16.43% of the exam.
- The licensing law effective July 1, 2026 requires four years of full-time experience, including two years on three-phase systems.
What Is the GAEC Certification?
The Georgia Electrical Contractor License Exam (Class II Unrestricted) - commonly shortened to GAEC in the context of this site - is the licensing exam that qualifies electricians to work as unrestricted electrical contractors in Georgia. Unlike a Class II Restricted license, which limits scope of work, the Class II Unrestricted credential allows a licensee to perform the full range of electrical contracting work covered under Georgia law, without the scope limitations attached to restricted classifications.
If you're still mapping out exactly what this credential covers and how it differs from related licenses, our companion piece on GAEC eligibility and prerequisites is a useful starting point before you dive into exam content.
Who Governs and Administers the Exam
The Georgia State Board of Electrical Contractors oversees this license, operating within the broader Georgia Construction Industry Licensing Board. Day-to-day exam delivery - scheduling, testing centers, and score reporting - is handled by PSI, the third-party testing administrator. Understanding this two-tier structure matters because your application paperwork goes through the Board, while your exam-day logistics go through PSI.
Exam Format and Question Style
The Class II Unrestricted exam is computer-based and structured in two parts, each allotted four hours. In total, candidates answer 140 scored multiple-choice questions, along with 22 unscored beta questions mixed in to help the Board evaluate future exam items. You won't know which questions are beta versus scored, so every question deserves full attention.
This is an open-book exam, but "open book" here means something specific: only approved references are allowed. You may use permanent tabs, highlighting, and underlining in those references, but handwritten notes are prohibited. A silent, nonprogrammable calculator is permitted for load calculations, transformer sizing, and circuit math. Because the reference rules are strict and specific, many candidates find that understanding how to navigate their approved code book quickly is just as important as knowing the material itself - a theme we expand on in our breakdown of what makes the exam genuinely difficult.
Key Takeaway
Practice navigating your approved reference material under timed conditions before exam day - tab placement and quick lookups can save critical minutes across two 4-hour sessions.
The 10 GAEC Exam Domains
The exam blueprint is organized into ten domains, each weighted differently. Knowing these weights lets you prioritize study time where it actually pays off on test day. For a full breakdown of every domain with sub-topics, see our complete guide to all 10 content areas.
Domain 9: Install and Maintain Interior Electrical Systems (16.43%)
This is the single largest domain and covers the practical wiring methods, circuit installation, and interior system maintenance work that forms the core of day-to-day contracting.
- Highest-weighted domain - prioritize this in your study schedule
Domain 8: Install, Size, and Maintain Transformers (15%)
Transformer sizing, connections, and maintenance procedures make up a substantial share of the exam. Calculation-heavy questions in this domain benefit from calculator fluency.
Domain 10: Special Equipment, Conditions, and Locations (15%)
Covers hazardous locations, specialized equipment installations, and non-standard environmental conditions requiring specific code compliance.
Domain 7: Install and Maintain D-C and A-C Rotating Equipment (11.43%)
Motor and generator installation, maintenance, and troubleshooting concepts fall here.
| Domain | Weight |
|---|---|
| Install and Maintain Interior Electrical Systems | 16.43% |
| Install, Size, and Maintain Transformers | 15% |
| Special Equipment, Conditions, and Locations | 15% |
| Install and Maintain D-C and A-C Rotating Equipment | 11.43% |
| Install and Maintain Electrical Controls and Devices | 10.71% |
| Maintain Basic Electrical Circuits | 10% |
| Comply with Laws | 7.14% |
| Comply with Regulations | 6.43% |
| Comply with Administrative Requirements | 4.29% |
| Plan and Organize Work | 3.57% |
Eligibility and Application Requirements
Under the licensing law effective July 1, 2026, the standard experience path requires four years of full-time electrical experience, with at least two of those years specifically involving the installation, alteration, or repair of three-phase systems. Candidates who don't follow the standard experience route can qualify through education-based pathways or through a U.S. Department of Labor-approved apprenticeship.
Beyond raw experience, the application itself requires several categories of documentation:
- Work-experience documentation detailing your electrical history
- Affidavits or professional references verifying that experience
- Identity and lawful-presence documents
- A background check
Because these requirements changed with the 2026 licensing law, it's worth reviewing the details closely before you assume your prior experience qualifies. Our dedicated page on GAEC eligibility, prerequisites, and how to qualify walks through each pathway in more depth.
Fees and Registration Mechanics
The current licensure-by-examination application fee is $110. This fee covers the application review process; scheduling logistics through PSI are handled separately once your application is approved. Once approved to test, that approval is valid for one year, so candidates should plan their study timeline with that window in mind rather than delaying indefinitely.
If you want to see how this fee fits into the full financial picture - references, study materials, and potential retake costs - check out our detailed breakdown at GAEC Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown.
Passing Score and Retake Policy
To pass, candidates need a final scaled score of 70. This is a scaled score, not a raw percentage, meaning the Board adjusts for question difficulty across the 140 scored items. There's no way to know your raw percentage in advance, which is why consistent performance across all domains - rather than cramming a few high-weight topics - is the more reliable strategy.
Candidates who fail twice are required to complete a Board-approved review course before attempting the exam again. This makes early preparation more valuable than treating the exam as a low-stakes first attempt. For the exact mechanics of how scoring works, see GAEC Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass.
Building a Domain-Weighted Study Plan
Because the exam blueprint assigns specific weights to each domain, an efficient study plan mirrors those weights rather than treating all ten domains equally. Spend the most time on Install and Maintain Interior Electrical Systems, Install/Size/Maintain Transformers, and Special Equipment, Conditions, and Locations, since together they represent nearly half the scored questions.
High-Weight Domains
- Interior Electrical Systems (16.43%)
- Transformers (15%)
- Special Equipment, Conditions, and Locations (15%)
Mid-Weight Domains
- D-C and A-C Rotating Equipment (11.43%)
- Electrical Controls and Devices (10.71%)
- Basic Electrical Circuits (10%)
Laws, Regulations, and Administration
- Comply with Laws (7.14%)
- Comply with Regulations (6.43%)
- Comply with Administrative Requirements (4.29%)
- Plan and Organize Work (3.57%)
Full-Length Review
- Timed practice covering both 4-hour parts
- Reference-navigation drills with approved materials
For a more granular, step-by-step version of this approach, our GAEC Study Guide 2026 lays out a full first-attempt strategy, and you can run realistic timed sessions on our practice test platform to simulate both exam parts back to back.
Who Hires Class II Unrestricted Contractors
Holding an unrestricted Class II license opens up broader contracting opportunities than a restricted classification. Electrical contracting firms, commercial construction companies, industrial facilities, and independent contracting operations across Georgia typically look for this unrestricted credential specifically because it removes scope limitations on the type of electrical work that can legally be performed and billed under a business license.
Because three-phase system experience is a required component of the standard eligibility path, employers in industrial and commercial settings - where three-phase equipment is common - particularly value candidates who've already logged that hands-on time before testing. If you're weighing whether pursuing this license is worth the time and application investment, our analysis at Is the GAEC Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 covers the practical tradeoffs, and our GAEC Salary Guide 2026 looks at earnings considerations tied to holding this license.
Maintaining Your License After Certification
Passing the exam and being licensed is not a one-time event. Georgia Class II Unrestricted licenses renew by June 30 of even-numbered years, and each renewal cycle requires completing 8 continuing-education hours. Those hours must be reported through CE Broker, the state's continuing-education tracking system. Missing this reporting step - even if you completed the actual coursework - can create renewal problems, so build a habit of logging CE hours as you complete them rather than waiting until the deadline approaches.
Key Takeaway
Mark your calendar for the June 30 even-year renewal deadline now, and log CE hours into CE Broker as you complete each course, not in a last-minute batch.
Frequently Asked Questions
The exam contains 140 scored multiple-choice questions plus 22 unscored beta questions, for a total of 162 questions delivered across two 4-hour parts.
You need a final scaled score of 70. This is a scaled result, not a raw percentage of questions answered correctly.
No. The exam is open book using only approved references. You can use permanent tabs, highlighting, and underlining in those references, but handwritten notes are prohibited. A silent, nonprogrammable calculator is allowed.
After two failed attempts, you're required to complete a Board-approved review course before you can sit for the exam again.
Once approved to test, that approval remains valid for one year, so plan your study and scheduling timeline within that window.
Whether you're just starting to research what this license involves or you're deep into domain-by-domain review, working through timed practice sets on our practice test platform alongside the domain guides above is the most direct way to prepare for both the format and content of the Class II Unrestricted exam.