- GITS ME/EC is a jurisdiction-specific Florida contractor licensing exam administered by Global Independent Testing Service (GITS).
- The publicly available blueprint example is Volusia County's EAE1V Unlimited Master Electrical Contractor sheet: 100 questions, four hours, open book.
- General Theory and Chapter 4 tie as the largest blueprint areas at 16% each.
- Current GITS pricing lists $120 for a four-hour Florida exam, plus separate test-site or proctor charges.
What Is GITS ME/EC?
GITS ME/EC stands for the GITS Master Electrician and Electrical Contractor Examination, a jurisdiction-specific licensing test administered by Global Independent Testing Service (GITS) - formerly known as Gainesville Independent Testing Service - for participating Florida county and municipal licensing boards. Unlike a single national credential, GITS ME/EC exams are built per county and per license category, meaning the exact test you sit for depends entirely on where you're applying to work.
The most widely referenced public blueprint is the May 2014 Volusia County EAE1V Unlimited Master Electrical Contractor Exam Information Sheet, which lays out 100 questions delivered over four hours in an open-book format. This sheet is the closest thing to a standardized reference point for candidates trying to understand what the exam covers and how it's structured, even though your specific county's sheet may differ in details.
Who Administers the Exam
Global Independent Testing Service builds and delivers the exam content, but it does not set eligibility rules, passing standards, license validity periods, or renewal requirements. Those decisions belong to the local licensing board in the county or municipality where you're applying. GITS's role is to produce the jurisdiction-specific Exam Information Sheet (EIS) that controls scope, duration, topic weighting, and approved reference materials for that particular exam code - and to administer the test itself.
This split matters practically: two candidates in different Florida counties could both be sitting for a "GITS ME/EC" exam, yet face different question counts, different approved code editions, or different passing thresholds, because each board customizes its own EIS. If you're unsure which rules apply to you, our GITS ME/EC Requirements guide walks through how to identify your county's eligibility path before you register.
The Blueprint: 11 Content Areas
Based on the publicly available Volusia County EAE1V sheet, the exam blueprint is organized into 11 domains. Two of them - General Theory and Chapter 4 - are tied as the joint-largest areas, each carrying 16% of the exam. Understanding this weighting is the single most useful thing you can do before opening a code book.
| Domain | Weight |
|---|---|
| General Theory | 16% |
| Chapter 4 | 16% |
| Chapter 3 | 12% |
| Chapter 1 | 10% |
| Safety | 10% |
| Chapter 2 | 8% |
| Chapter 6 | 8% |
| Chapter 5 | 6% |
| Chapter 9 | 6% |
| Chapter 7 | 4% |
| Chapter 8 | 4% |
General Theory (16%)
This is the largest single domain and typically covers fundamental electrical concepts - the kind of theory that underpins every other chapter-based domain. Because it's tied for the top weight, candidates who skip it in favor of code-heavy chapters often leave points on the table.
- Expect foundational, principle-based questions rather than pure code lookups
Chapter 4 (16%)
Tied with General Theory as the joint-largest blueprint area, this domain demands fast, accurate navigation of your approved reference material. Given the open-book format, speed of lookup matters as much as memorization.
- Practice locating relevant tables and sections quickly under time pressure
Safety (10%)
A double-digit weight on its own, Safety questions tend to blend procedural knowledge with situational judgment. This domain rewards candidates who understand the "why" behind a rule, not just the rule itself.
For a complete breakdown of all 11 domains - including the smaller chapters that still add up to meaningful exam points - see our GITS ME/EC Exam Domains 2026 guide.
Key Takeaway
Because General Theory and Chapter 4 each account for 16%, together they represent nearly a third of the exam. Prioritize mastery of both before deep-diving into the smaller 4-8% chapters.
Format, Timing, and Open-Book Rules
Per the publicly posted EAE1V sheet, the exam runs 100 questions in four hours and is open book - meaning you're permitted to bring approved reference materials into the testing room rather than working from memory alone. That averages to roughly 2.4 minutes per question, which sounds generous until you factor in the time spent flipping to the correct table or section for each lookup.
GITS permits reference editions from the listed edition through current, but the specific acceptable editions are dictated by your county's EIS, not by GITS generally. This means the code book you studied from six months ago may or may not still be the approved edition on test day - always re-check before you walk in.
Because format and scope are controlled at the county level, the single most reliable source of truth is your Exam Information Sheet. Our GITS ME/EC Exam Dates guide covers how to confirm testing windows and deadlines once you've identified your county's exact exam code.
Registration, Fees, and Eligibility
Current GITS pricing lists $120 for a four-hour Florida exam. That figure covers the exam itself; test-site fees or contracted-proctor charges are additional and vary depending on where and how you sit for the test. Because GITS administers exams across multiple counties and categories, the total out-of-pocket cost can shift based on your local testing arrangement.
Eligibility - meaning who is even allowed to register for a given county's ME/EC exam - is not set by GITS. It's determined entirely by the local licensing board. That includes work experience requirements, education prerequisites, and any application paperwork that must be approved before you're cleared to schedule a test date.
For a full cost breakdown including how site and proctor fees typically stack on top of the base exam price, read our GITS ME/EC Certification Cost 2026 guide. If you're still confirming whether you meet the prerequisites for your county, the Requirements guide is the better starting point.
Who Actually Needs This Exam
GITS ME/EC exams exist because certain Florida counties and municipalities require local licensing exams as part of the pathway to becoming a licensed master electrician or electrical contractor within their jurisdiction. This is distinct from statewide licensure paths - a GITS ME/EC exam is tied to the specific board that contracted GITS to build and deliver it.
Typical candidates include:
- Working journeyman electricians pursuing a master electrician license in a specific Florida county
- Electrical contractors seeking to hold an unlimited license category, such as the EAE1V classification referenced in the Volusia County blueprint
- Business owners who need a licensed qualifier to legally bid and pull permits within a jurisdiction
Because licensing is local, "who hires for it" is really "who requires it" - general contractors, electrical contracting firms, and self-employed electricians in participating counties all need a currently licensed individual on staff or as owner to legally perform work. If you're weighing whether pursuing this path makes financial sense for your career, our ROI analysis and salary guide dig into the broader earnings picture.
How to Prepare, Domain by Domain
Because the blueprint weights are public, the smartest prep strategy is to allocate study time roughly in proportion to domain weight - with extra buffer time for the two 16% domains and the open-book navigation skill itself.
General Theory & Chapter 4
- Build a solid conceptual foundation before touching lower-weight chapters
- Practice fast lookups in your approved reference edition
Chapter 3 & Safety
- Combine these two double-digit-weight domains since both reward applied judgment over rote recall
Chapters 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
- Batch the remaining lower-weight chapters together
- Run full-length, timed practice sessions to simulate the four-hour open-book format
Spaced repetition and active recall work well for memorizing where key tables live in your reference material, but they're only useful when applied to the actual weighted domains above - not as generic flashcard drills disconnected from the blueprint. For a week-by-week study plan built specifically around this exam's structure, see our GITS ME/EC Study Guide 2026.
Once you've covered the domains, spend time on full practice exams at our practice test platform to get comfortable with the pacing of 100 questions in four hours before test day.
Common Points of Confusion
Because "ME/EC" appears in more than one testing context nationally, candidates researching online sometimes land on information that doesn't apply to Florida's GITS-administered exams. A few clarifications worth keeping in mind:
- The exam is not standardized nationwide. Scope, question count, and references are set per county via that county's Exam Information Sheet - the Volusia County EAE1V sheet is an example, not a universal blueprint.
- GITS doesn't set passing scores or renewal rules. Those come from the local licensing board. If you're trying to pin down exactly what score you need, see our Passing Score guide for how to find your board's specific threshold.
- Difficulty is relative to your county's requirements. Since scope varies, a general sense of exam difficulty is more useful than assuming one fixed pass rate applies everywhere - our difficulty guide and pass rate breakdown go deeper on this.
Frequently Asked Questions
GITS ME/EC stands for the GITS Master Electrician and Electrical Contractor Examination, administered by Global Independent Testing Service for participating Florida county and municipal licensing boards.
No. Each county or municipality has its own Exam Information Sheet controlling scope, duration, and approved references. The Volusia County EAE1V sheet is a public example, not a universal standard.
Current GITS pricing lists $120 for a four-hour Florida exam. Test-site or contracted-proctor charges are additional and vary by location.
Yes, based on the published Volusia County EAE1V sheet, the exam is open book. GITS permits reference editions from the listed edition through current, but your county's EIS determines exactly which editions are approved.
General Theory and Chapter 4 are the joint-largest domains at 16% each, based on the publicly available blueprint. Chapter 3 (12%) and Safety (10%) are the next-largest areas.
Because GITS ME/EC exams are built and administered per jurisdiction, the details in this article reflect the publicly documented Volusia County EAE1V blueprint as a representative example. Before you register or begin studying, confirm your exact exam code and pull the current Exam Information Sheet from your local board - and when you're ready to test your knowledge against the weighted domains covered here, our practice exams are built around this exact blueprint structure.