Exam Guides › Virginia

How to pass the Virginia Class A contractor exam

Two people, up to four exams, and a license class set by contract size. Here’s how a Virginia Class A Commercial Building license works and how to study for it, checked against the state’s own documents.

At a glance

The exams

Business exam counts and times are from PSI’s Virginia contractor bulletin (dated 6/5/2024). The Commercial Building numbers are from PSI’s CBC content outline (dated 3/8/2023): 80 scored questions in 160 minutes plus up to 10 unscored questions with 20 minutes added. The business portions may also include 5 to 10 unscored questions, and their time doesn’t count against you. All questions are multiple choice.

Before you apply

• Designated Employee: at least 18, a full-time employee or a member of Responsible Management, and passes the business exam portions for the license class.
• Qualified Individual, experience: at least 5 years in the classification for Class A, 3 years for Class B, or 1 year for Class C. Must be a full-time employee (30 or more hours a week, not a 1099 worker) or a member of Responsible Management.
• Technical exam: for Commercial Building, the Qualified Individual must be pre-approved by the Board and pass the CBC technical exam. Submit an Experience Verification Form.
• Net worth: Class A firms document a net worth of $45,000, Class B firms $15,000, with a financial statement, a CPA review or a CPA audit. Either class can instead post a $50,000 surety bond on the Board’s form.
• Pre-license course: the Designated Employee or a member of Responsible Management completes a Board-approved eight-hour basic business course.
• The rule most people miss: the license class is set by contract value. Bidding or working without the proper class is a Class 1 misdemeanor, with fines of up to $500 a day, and a contractor working with no license may not be able to enforce the contract.

Step by step

1. Pick your class and classificationMatch the class to your contract sizes. For commercial general contracting, choose the Commercial Building (CBC) classification.
2. Get the Qualified Individual pre-approvedSend the Experience Verification Form so the Qualified Individual can be approved for the CBC technical exam. Eligibility lasts one year, and you can retest as needed during that year.
3. Schedule the exams with PSIPSI’s fees: $40 for one business portion, $72 for two, $85 for all three, and $85 for the CBC technical exam. Cancel at least 2 days ahead to keep your fee.
4. Take the pre-license courseComplete the Board-approved basic business course. Ask the provider to send proof of completion to the Board.
5. Pass within one yearBusiness exam scores are good for 1 year. If you don’t pass every required portion within a year of your first exam, you retake the entire exam.
6. Apply to DPORSend the license application with your fee. As of the 08/01/2026 form, Class A is $439.50 and Class B is $419.50. For CBC-only licenses, the Recovery Fund fee is dropped: $414.50 for Class A and $394.50 for Class B.

The reference books

The business exam has two main references: the NASCLA Contractors Guide to Business, Law and Project Management (Virginia 11th edition) and the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code (2021). PSI says the NASCLA guide covers everything on the General and Advanced portions, and with the USBC, everything on the Virginia portion.

The Virginia portion covers Regulation of Contractors (7 questions), Board Rules and Regulations (5), Building Codes (5), the Transaction Recovery Fund (5) and Erosion and Sediment Control (2). The General portion is heaviest on Estimating and Bidding (10) and Contract Management (10).

The CBC technical exam draws on OSHA 29 CFR 1926, the International Building Code, ICC A117.1, the SJI steel joist guide, Carpentry and Building Construction, the Gypsum Construction Handbook, Placing Reinforcing Bars, The Contractor’s Guide to Quality Concrete Construction, Roofing Construction & Estimating, Modern Masonry, the SDI steel deck manual and Pipe and Excavation Contracting. The outline lists the 2018 IBC and notes the exam is based on the 2021 edition from May 1, 2025.

What you can bring: your own bound references, highlighted, underlined or indexed, with permanent tabs only. No writing in them, no loose papers, and no study guides. Downloaded references must be spiral bound, in a binder, or stapled.

A 6-week study plan

On test day

• Arrive at least 30 minutes early. If you’re late, you may not be let in and you lose your fee.
• Bring one valid, signed, government-issued photo ID with the same name you registered under.
• Bring every reference you plan to use, bound and tabbed with permanent tabs only. Remove any handwriting before test day.
• PSI gives you a writing tablet for notes at test centers. Handheld calculators are on PSI’s prohibited list, so check with PSI before you plan to use one.
• Watch the clock: 2 minutes per question on the Virginia and General portions, 2.5 on Advanced, and 2 on the CBC exam.
• Remote proctored? No breaks are allowed, so plan for it, and check your computer setup with PSI ahead of time.

Quick answers