Alabama Contractor Exam Prep Courses

Frequently Asked Questions

• What’s on the Alabama Business Law exams?

  General Contractor Business and Law is a 50-question, open-book exam covering licensing, estimating and bidding, liens, financial management, payroll and taxes, personnel and labor, project management, contracts, business organization, risk management, and safety recordkeeping and environmental topics. You need 70% (35 correct answers) to pass, in 120 minutes. It’s required for every prime contractor applicant.

  Home Builder (HBLB) Business and Law is a 40-question, open-book exam covering business organization, contract management, estimating and bidding, financial management, labor laws, licensing laws, lien laws, project management, risk management, safety reporting, board rules, and tax laws. You need 70% (28 correct answers) to pass, in 120 minutes.

  Electrical Contractor Business and Law is a 40-question, open-book exam covering business organization, contracts, estimating, financial management, labor laws, licensing laws, lien laws, payroll and employment taxes, project management, risk management, and safety and environmental topics. You need 75% (30 correct answers) to pass, in 120 minutes.

• What’s on the Alabama construction contractor exams?

  Building Contractor Under Four Stories is a 90-question, open-book exam covering sitework, footings and foundation, concrete and reinforcement, metals, masonry, carpentry, roofing, general code and construction knowledge, associated trades, and OSHA safety. You need 70% (63 correct answers) to pass, in 230 minutes.

  Home Builder (HBLB) Skill is an 80-question, open-book exam covering plan reading, sitework and foundations, concrete and reinforcement, masonry, carpentry, roofing, interior and exterior finish, associated trades, and OSHA. You need 66% (about 53 correct answers) to pass, in 240 minutes.

  Roofing and Sheet Metal is a 60-question, open-book exam covering estimating and plan reading, surface preparation and planning, steep and low slope roofing including BUR and waterproofing, roofing components, and safety. You need 70% (42 correct answers) to pass, in 150 minutes.

• What’s on the Alabama NASCLA Commercial Builder Exam?

  It’s a 115-question, open-book exam covering general requirements, site construction, concrete, masonry, metals, wood, thermal and moisture protection, doors/windows/glazing, finishes, mechanical and plumbing systems, electrical systems, and procurement and contracting requirements. You need a score of 81 correct answers (about 70%) to pass, in 330 minutes.

  The exam is NASCLA accredited and is the trade exam PSI administers for Alabama’s Building Construction (Commercial) license. It’s also accepted by multiple other states, which can save you from retesting if you plan to get licensed elsewhere.

• What’s on the Alabama electrical exams (Electrical Contractor and Journeyman)?

  Electrical Contractor is a 110-question, open-book exam that combines 30 business and law questions with 80 technical questions on topics such as grounding and bonding, conductors and cables, raceways and boxes, motors, overcurrent protection, and services, feeders, and branch circuits. You need 75% to pass, in 300 minutes.

  Journeyman Electrician is an 80-question, open-book exam covering conductors and cables, grounding and bonding, raceways and boxes, motors, overcurrent protection, special occupancies, services, feeders, and branch circuits, lighting, low voltage, and safety. You need 75% (60 correct answers) to pass, in 240 minutes.

  Applicants taking the Alabama state-specific Electrical Contractor exam are tested on Business and Law within that exam. Applicants using an accepted national trade exam must meet the Board’s separate Business and Law requirement.

• What’s on the NASCLA electrical exams (Master/Unlimited and Journeyman)?

  NASCLA Master/Unlimited Electrical Contractor is an open-book exam with 110 questions, 10 of which are unscored experimental items. It covers general code requirements, wiring and protection, wiring methods and materials, general equipment use, electrical theory and principles, safety, project design and management, special occupancies, and communication systems. You need 75% to pass, in 270 minutes.

  NASCLA Journeyman Electrician, as offered through the Alabama Electrical Contractors Board, is an open-book exam with 110 questions, 10 of which are unscored experimental items. It covers wiring and protection, wiring methods and materials, general code requirements, equipment for general use, electrical theory, basic electrical safety, testing and troubleshooting, and interpreting plans and specifications. You need 75% to pass, in 300 minutes.

  Both are NASCLA accredited and are accepted by the Alabama Electrical Contractors Board in place of its state-specific trade exams.

• Does passing my exam automatically give me a license?

  No. Passing your exam satisfies only the examination portion of licensing.

  You’ll also need to submit an application to the board for your license type. General contractor applicants submit a notarized application with a $300 fee, proof of liability insurance, documented experience and references, and a financial statement showing at least $10,000 in net worth and working capital.

  Requirements differ for home builders and electrical applicants, so confirm the details with the board that issues your license.

• Are Alabama’s exams open book?

  Yes, but only the approved references, and they have to be prepared the right way.

  Alabama’s general contractor, home builder, and electrical exams are all open book, and you bring your own approved reference books. Books can be highlighted and fitted with permanent tabs, but handwritten notes, movable tabs, and sticky notes are not allowed. That’s why our reference books arrive pre-tabbed and pre-highlighted to the sections you’ll need.

• How do Alabama contractor, home builder, and electrical exams work?

  Registration and scheduling: General contractor exams, including the NASCLA Commercial Builder exam, are administered by PSI. Once the Licensing Board for General Contractors approves your application, you register with PSI at test-takers.psiexams.com/alcon. The fee is $96 per exam, or $106 for the Building Construction (Commercial) exam.

  Electrical exams are administered by ProV. Once the Electrical Contractors Board approves your application, you schedule with ProV and have 90 days to test, and the exam fee is paid to the Board. Home builder exams are also administered by ProV, at a test center or online with remote proctoring, and cost $80 each, or $130 when both are taken on the same day.

  What you can bring: All of these exams are open book. You may bring approved reference materials, but check the current candidate bulletin for exactly which editions you need and how they may be marked. Highlighting and permanent tabs are allowed, while handwritten notes and sticky notes are not.

  That’s why our reference books come pre-tabbed and pre-highlighted. They arrive exam-ready, so you can spend your exam finding answers instead of searching for them.