NASCLA Accredited Examination: States, Format, and Retakes

The NASCLA Accredited Exam is a standardized test for commercial general building contractors that about 20 state licensing jurisdictions accept in place of their own trade exam. Pass it once and you can send your score to any participating state board instead of sitting for a separate trade test in each one. The exam itself has no experience or education prerequisites, so anyone can apply, but every state still imposes its own license requirements on top of the score.

Which States Accept the Score

The following jurisdictions currently accept the exam as part of their commercial general building contractor licensing process: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Several states have more than one participating board. Alabama has separate boards for home builders and general contractors, and South Carolina has both a general contractors licensing board and a residential builders commission, each accepting the exam independently.¹

Most boards use the score for commercial building classifications, though some also recognize it for residential or limited general building categories. A few boards limit the exam’s applicability to certain project sizes or dollar thresholds. The participating-state list is updated periodically as new agencies adopt the exam, so check the current roster before you build a multi-state plan around it.¹

Format, Content, and Passing Score

The exam has 115 multiple-choice questions across 12 subject areas, with a five-hour time limit and a 70% passing threshold. It is computer-based and open-book. You get a preliminary score report at the testing center as soon as you finish.

Question counts by subject area are:²

General Requirements — 25 questions on project management, scheduling, estimating, safety, and financial management
Site Construction — 15 questions on earthwork, excavation, and site preparation
Concrete — 6 questions
Masonry — 4 questions
Metals — 6 questions on structural steel and related assemblies
Wood — 5 questions on framing and wood trusses
Thermal and Moisture Protection — 5 questions on roofing, insulation, and waterproofing
Doors, Windows, and Glazing — 4 questions
Finishes — 5 questions on interior wall, floor, and ceiling systems
Mechanical and Plumbing Systems — 6 questions
Electrical Systems — 3 questions
Procurement and Contracting Requirements — 31 questions on contracts, bonds, insurance, and business law, the largest section

Open-book is less forgiving than it sounds. Five hours divided across 115 questions is roughly two and a half minutes each, so knowing where to find an answer in your references matters more than memorizing code sections.

Required Reference Books

You must bring a specific set of 24 reference books to the testing center. The list includes the International Building Code (2024 edition), OSHA construction safety regulations under 29 CFR Part 1926, technical manuals for concrete, masonry, carpentry, roofing, structural steel, wood trusses, gypsum systems, and post-tensioning, references on construction project management, commercial construction principles, stormwater pollution prevention, accessibility standards, and the NASCLA Contractors Guide to Business, Law and Project Management.²

Each book must be the exact edition listed in the current Candidate Information Bulletin, and it must be a physical copy. Digital versions, photocopies, and reproductions are prohibited. A full set typically runs several hundred dollars. Used copies are fine if they are the correct edition; wrong editions can lead you to wrong answers because sections and page numbers shift between versions.

How to Apply and What It Costs

There are no experience or education prerequisites to sit for the exam. Anyone can apply.³ The practical consequence is that you can take and pass the exam before you meet any particular state’s experience threshold, locking in a score you can use later.

Registration goes through the NASCLA National Examination Database at ned.nascla.org. You submit an application with a $65 fee.⁴ Once approved, PSI Services, the testing vendor, emails you a candidate ID and a scheduling link for any PSI center that offers the exam. PSI charges a separate sitting fee at the time you book. From the date your application is approved, you have one year to use up to three attempts.

Rules at the Testing Center

Arrive at least 30 minutes before your scheduled time with a valid government-issued photo ID. Staff verify identity and inspect every reference book you bring. Permanent tabs and highlighting are allowed. Handwritten notes, sticky notes with writing, and loose-leaf papers inside or between pages are not. A proctor who finds prohibited materials can turn you away or invalidate your results.

If You Don’t Pass

You get three attempts within your one-year eligibility window. If you use all three or the year expires first, you have to wait for the eligibility period to end and then reapply as a returning applicant using your original candidate ID. No extensions or extra attempts are granted.² Each retake also means another PSI sitting fee.

Using Your Score After You Pass

Once you pass, your score goes into the NASCLA National Examination Database permanently. The score itself does not expire.²

To send it to a state board, you log into the database, purchase a transcript for $45 per state, and the system delivers it electronically.⁴ Each transcript stays available to that state agency for two years. If you have not been licensed in that state by then, you need to repurchase the transcript before the board can process your application. The score stays valid; the delivery expires.² Some states may require a more recent score for certain exam waivers, so verify your target state’s rules rather than assuming an older passing score qualifies without conditions.

What the Exam Does Not Do

Passing covers the trade-knowledge portion of licensure. It does not replace the rest of what a state board requires before issuing a license, and nearly every participating board requires a separate state-specific law and business exam on top of the NASCLA score. Depending on the jurisdiction and license classification, you can also expect some combination of these:

Documented construction experience, often verified through employer affidavits, project lists, or tax records, with the required number of years varying by state and classification
Commercial general liability insurance, with minimum limits set by the state
A contractor surety bond, with the required amount set by the state and classification
Audited or reviewed financial statements showing minimum net worth or working capital, which in some states also determine the maximum project size you can bid
Criminal background disclosure, sometimes with fingerprinting and sometimes through self-disclosure with court documentation
State application and license-issuance fees, which vary by jurisdiction and classification

Budget for these on top of the exam. The trade portion is portable; everything else resets at each state line.

1
National Association of State Contractors Licensing Agencies. NASCLA Commercial Exam – Participating State Agencies
2
NASCLA. NASCLA Accredited Examination for Commercial General Building Contractors Handbook
3
National Association of State Contractors Licensing Agencies. NASCLA Accredited Examinations FAQ
4
National Association of State Contractors Licensing Agencies. Apply For NASCLA Exams