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How to pass the Florida Certified General Contractor exam

Three open-book exams, a long reference list, and an experience rule most people miss. Here’s how the Florida certified license works and how to study for it — checked against the state’s own documents.

At a glance

The exams

Question counts are from DBPR’s candidate information booklet; exam times are from the 2024 registration instructions. All questions are multiple choice. The exam can include a few unscored “pilot” questions, and you get extra time for them. Building and Residential contractors take their own versions of the two trade parts.

Before you apply

• Age and character: 18 or older and of good moral character.
• Experience — 4 years total: at least 4 years in the trade with at least 1 year as a foreman. College credit can replace up to 3 of those years (you still need the foreman year), and a building construction, architecture or civil engineering degree plus 1 year of experience also qualifies.
• It must be commercial experience: for General and Building, experience must be commercial construction covering at least four of these: foundations or slabs over 20,000 sq ft, masonry walls, steel erection, elevated slabs, column erection, formwork for structural reinforced concrete.
• The rule most people miss: Certified General Contractor applicants need at least 1 year of experience on structures four stories or taller. Without it, you qualify for Building Contractor instead.
• Financial responsibility: a credit report showing a FICO score of 660 or higher (or a 14-hour financial responsibility course if you’re below 660), and no unsatisfied judgments or liens.
• Insurance: general liability of at least $300,000 and property damage of $50,000 for General and Building contractors, plus workers’ compensation.

Step by step

1. Check your experience against the ruleBefore you pay for anything, make sure your experience is commercial, covers four of the six listed areas, and includes a year on a four-story-plus building. If not, consider Certified Building Contractor.
2. Register with Professional TestingApply online at floridaexam.com and pay the $135 registration fee. Registration has to be done before Pearson VUE will let you schedule.
3. Schedule each part with Pearson VUEPearson VUE collects its own fees: $80 for Business & Finance and $40 each for Contract Administration and Project Management.
4. Buy and prepare the reference booksGet the editions on the current year’s reference list. Highlight and underline, add permanent tabs, and black out any handwritten notes before test day.
5. Pass all three parts within four yearsIf you fail a part, you can retake it — computer-based exams are offered again 21 days after your previous attempt. Fees are non-refundable.
6. Apply for your license with DBPRWith passing scores, apply for certification with the CILB: proof of experience, credit report, insurance and workers’ comp.

The reference books

Florida publishes a new reference list every year, and the answers are based on the editions on that list. For 2026, the Contract Administration and Project Management list includes the 2023 Florida Building Code books (Building, Residential, Existing Building, Energy Conservation and Accessibility), OSHA 29 CFR Part 1926, Principles and Practices of Commercial Construction (11th ed.), the Contractors Manual, AIA documents A201, A401 and A701, Energy Efficient Building Construction in Florida, and the BCSI truss guide.

The Business & Finance list for 2026 is shorter: Florida Statutes Chapter 455, Builder’s Guide to Accounting, the Contractors Manual (with Circular E), and AIA A201, A401 and A701.

Watch the edition changes: the 2025 edition of the Contractors Manual replaces the 2021 edition for Business & Finance starting February 1, 2026, and for the trade parts starting July 1, 2026. The 2025 BCSI guide takes over on July 1, 2026.

What you can bring: one original copy of each listed book, bound. Highlighting and underlining are fine. Post-it flags and handwritten notes are not, and you can’t mark your books during the exam. Always download the current list from DBPR before you buy.

A 6-week study plan

On test day

• Bring every book on the list, bound, with permanent tabs only. Remove or black out any handwritten notes ahead of time.
• Do a first pass answering everything you know cold, then go back to look up the rest. Every question counts the same.
• Answer every question — unanswered questions are wrong. Flag the ones you want to revisit.
• Watch the clock: roughly 3 minutes per question on Business & Finance and 4.5 minutes on the trade parts.
• Calculators must be silent, hand-held, battery-operated, non-printing and without a letter keypad. Solar calculators aren’t recommended.
• English isn’t your first language? Florida allows word-for-word translation dictionaries — check the candidate booklet for what’s allowed.

Quick answers