- GAEC Cost Overview: What You're Actually Paying For
- The $110 Licensure-by-Examination Application Fee
- Exam Format and What It Means for Your Budget
- Documentation, Affidavits, and Background Check Costs
- Study Materials and Preparation Costs
- Renewal and Continuing Education Costs
- Full Cost Breakdown at a Glance
- Hidden Costs: Retakes, Review Courses, and Time
- Budgeting Your Path to Licensure
- Frequently Asked Questions
- The licensure-by-examination application fee is $110, filed with the Georgia State Board of Electrical Contractors.
- The Class II Unrestricted exam has 140 scored questions plus 22 unscored beta items across two 4-hour parts.
- A scaled score of 70 is required to pass; two failures trigger a mandatory Board-approved review course.
- Licenses renew by June 30 of even-numbered years, with 8 CE hours reported through CE Broker each cycle.
GAEC Cost Overview: What You're Actually Paying For
When people search for the price tag on the Georgia Electrical Contractor License Exam (Class II Unrestricted), they usually expect one number. In reality, the total cost of becoming a licensed Class II Unrestricted electrical contractor in Georgia is made up of several distinct pieces: the state application fee, PSI's exam-day logistics, the documentation you must gather to prove eligibility, your study materials, and - after you're licensed - ongoing continuing-education obligations. None of these pieces are optional, and skipping preparation for any of them usually just moves the cost further down the road in the form of a retake or a delayed license.
This breakdown sticks strictly to figures tied to the Georgia Electrical Contractor License Exam (Class II Unrestricted) as governed by the Georgia State Board of Electrical Contractors, part of the Georgia Construction Industry Licensing Board, with exam delivery handled by PSI. If you're still mapping out whether this credential fits your career goals, it's worth reading GAEC Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify alongside this cost guide, since eligibility gaps often translate directly into extra spending on documentation or delayed applications.
The $110 Licensure-by-Examination Application Fee
The current fee to apply for licensure by examination is $110. This fee is paid when you submit your application to the Georgia State Board of Electrical Contractors and covers the Board's review of your eligibility file - not just a seat at the testing center. That distinction matters: the $110 is tied to the administrative review of your experience documentation, affidavits, identity verification, and background check, not simply "buying a test."
Because the fee is attached to the application rather than to unlimited attempts, it pays to get your paperwork right the first time. A rejected or incomplete application doesn't just cost you time - it can mean resubmitting fees and documentation before you're even scheduled to sit for the exam through PSI.
Key Takeaway
Treat the $110 application fee as a one-shot investment. Complete every documentation requirement before submitting rather than filing early and patching gaps later.
Exam Format and What It Means for Your Budget
The Class II Unrestricted exam is delivered as a computer-based test with 140 scored multiple-choice questions plus 22 unscored beta questions, split into two separate 4-hour parts. That's a full day of testing, and it has real budget implications beyond the application fee:
- Travel and time off work: Two four-hour sessions typically mean blocking out most of a day near a PSI test center.
- Approved reference materials: The exam is open book using only approved references. Permanent tabs, highlighting, and underlining are allowed, but handwritten notes are prohibited, and only a silent nonprogrammable calculator is permitted. Assembling a compliant, well-organized reference set is a real cost of preparation.
- One-year approval window: Once approved, your eligibility to sit for the exam is valid for one year. If you let that window lapse without testing, you may be looking at reapplying and paying fees again.
Passing requires a final scaled score of 70. If you're unsure how that scaled score is calculated or what it actually takes to clear it, GAEC Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass walks through the scoring mechanics in more depth.
Domain 9: Install and Maintain Interior Electrical Systems (16.43%)
This is the single largest domain on the exam, so it deserves the largest share of your study budget and time - whether that means extra reference tabs, targeted practice questions, or additional study sessions.
- Wiring methods and materials for interior installations
- Overcurrent protection and conductor sizing in occupied spaces
- Maintenance and troubleshooting of installed interior systems
Documentation, Affidavits, and Background Check Costs
A significant, often underestimated cost of pursuing the Georgia Electrical Contractor License Exam (Class II Unrestricted) is assembling your eligibility file. The application requires:
- Work-experience documentation covering your electrical career history
- Affidavits or references verifying that experience
- Identity and lawful-presence documents
- A completed background check
Under the licensing law effective July 1, 2026, the standard experience path requires four years of full-time electrical experience, including at least two years installing, altering, or repairing three-phase systems. Education pathways and U.S. Department of Labor-approved apprenticeship routes are also available, and each has its own documentation trail. Gathering notarized affidavits, employer references, and certified copies of records isn't free - factor in time and any notary or records-request fees when you plan your timeline.
For a full walkthrough of which experience path fits your background, see GAEC Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify.
Study Materials and Preparation Costs
Beyond state fees, the largest controllable cost in this process is preparation. The Class II Unrestricted exam spans ten distinct content domains, from legal compliance topics to hands-on technical areas like transformers and rotating equipment. Under-preparing for a heavily weighted domain is the most expensive mistake candidates make, because it often leads directly to a second (or third) attempt - and eventually a mandatory review course.
Reasonable preparation costs typically include:
- A structured study guide covering all ten domains
- Domain-specific practice questions that mirror the exam's multiple-choice format
- A condensed reference sheet for quick review in the final weeks
If you haven't yet built a study plan, start with GAEC Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt and pair it with GAEC Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 10 Content Areas to see exactly how much time each domain deserves relative to its weight. A quick-reference companion like GAEC Cheat Sheet 2026: One-Page Review of Must-Know Facts can also reduce the number of hours you spend re-reading full references close to exam day. You can also run through realistic practice questions on the main practice test platform to gauge readiness before you commit to a testing date.
Renewal and Continuing Education Costs
Passing the exam and paying the application fee isn't the end of the financial commitment. Licenses renew by June 30 of even-numbered years, and each renewal cycle requires 8 hours of continuing education, reported through CE Broker. Budget for:
- Renewal fees at each two-year cycle
- CE course fees to satisfy the 8-hour requirement
- Time to log and confirm CE completion through CE Broker before the deadline
Missing a renewal deadline or CE requirement can create administrative costs far larger than the CE course itself, so this recurring line item deserves a spot in your long-term budget, not just your initial exam budget.
Full Cost Breakdown at a Glance
| Cost Component | What It Covers | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Application Fee | $110 licensure-by-examination review by the Board | One-time (per application) |
| Documentation Assembly | Affidavits, references, ID and lawful-presence documents, background check | One-time before approval |
| Study Materials | Study guide, domain guide, practice questions, cheat sheet | One-time, self-selected |
| Exam Day | Two 4-hour sessions (140 scored + 22 unscored questions) administered by PSI | Per approved attempt (valid 1 year) |
| Review Course | Mandatory after two failed attempts | Conditional |
| Continuing Education | 8 CE hours reported via CE Broker | Every renewal cycle (by June 30, even years) |
Hidden Costs: Retakes, Review Courses, and Time
The single biggest "hidden cost" of this exam isn't a fee at all - it's a failed attempt. After two failures, candidates are required to complete a Board-approved review course before testing again. That course carries its own cost and time commitment, on top of whatever fees apply to rescheduling the exam itself.
This is exactly why understanding exam difficulty matters before you schedule a test date. If you're weighing how much runway to give yourself, How Hard Is the GAEC Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026 and GAEC Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows both offer useful context for setting realistic expectations before you spend money on a testing slot.
Other indirect costs worth planning around:
- Lost wages from taking a full day off for two four-hour exam sessions
- Reprinting or reorganizing approved reference materials if your first set isn't exam-day compliant
- Delayed project or contract opportunities while your license application is still pending
Key Takeaway
Budget for one solid attempt rather than planning around a retake. The review-course requirement after two failures makes preparation the cheapest part of this entire process.
Budgeting Your Path to Licensure
Spreading your costs across a realistic timeline helps avoid last-minute spending on rush documentation requests or crammed review courses.
Documentation Gathering
- Request employer references and affidavits
- Confirm identity and lawful-presence documents are current
- Submit to background check process
Application Submission
- File licensure-by-examination application with the $110 fee
- Confirm three-phase experience hours meet the two-year minimum
Domain-Weighted Study
- Prioritize Domain 9 (16.43%), Domain 8 (15%), and Domain 10 (15%)
- Build and tab your approved reference set
- Practice with timed question sets on the practice test site
Exam Readiness
- Review the cheat sheet for quick recall
- Confirm PSI test center scheduling within your one-year approval window
For deeper detail on exact testing windows and how far in advance you should schedule, see GAEC Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling.
Frequently Asked Questions
The current licensure-by-examination application fee is $110, paid to the Georgia State Board of Electrical Contractors as part of your eligibility review.
The $110 fee covers the application and eligibility review process. The exam itself, administered by PSI, consists of two 4-hour parts with 140 scored questions plus 22 unscored beta questions.
After two failed attempts, you are required to complete a Board-approved review course before you can attempt the exam again, which adds both time and cost to your path to licensure.
Yes. Licenses renew by June 30 of even-numbered years, and each cycle requires 8 hours of continuing education reported through CE Broker, which carries its own course costs.
Exam approval is valid for one year. If you don't test within that window, you may need to reapply and pay fees again, so schedule your PSI test date early.
Understanding every line item in the cost of the Georgia Electrical Contractor License Exam (Class II Unrestricted) - from the $110 application fee to recurring CE requirements - puts you in a far stronger position to budget realistically. If you want to see how this investment compares against the career upside, Is the GAEC Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 is a natural next read.