An electrician moving from Oregon to Iowa asks a fair question: “My last exam was 52 questions. What am I walking into now?” The honest answer is a different exam. Iowa’s journeyman electrician paper is 80 scored questions with its own clock, its own passing line, and its own rules about which book you can bring.
So how many questions are on the contractor licensing exam? There is no single number. There is no national contractor exam. Each state sets its own, and within a state the count changes by trade and by license level. In the exams listed below, the scored trade papers run from 52 questions to 125. Business and law papers in this list run from 50 to 80.
The number that matters is the one on your exam’s current candidate bulletin. This post shows real examples, explains what the numbers tell you about how to study, and shows where to find your own.
The short version
- Every state is different. Question count, time, passing score and allowed books all vary.
- Trade and business exams are separate in many states. You may sit two papers.
- The bulletin is the authority. Your board or its testing vendor publishes a candidate information bulletin. Read the current one before you study.
- Some boards do not publish a count at all. California is the best-known example.
Trade exam examples, state by state
These figures come from our exam facts file, which records the board or vendor source for each one. Counts are scored questions. Some exams also include unscored pretest items.
Electrical
- Oregon General Journeyman Electrician: 52 questions, 3 hours, 75% to pass.
- Iowa Journeyman Electrician: 80 questions, 180 minutes, 70% to pass. Open book.
- Nevada C-2 Electrical Contractor: 80 questions, 4 hours, 70% to pass.
- Utah Master Electrician Rule and Laws: 80 questions, 240 minutes, 75% to pass. Open book.
- Oklahoma Journeyman Electrician: 100 questions, 4 hours, 70% to pass.
Plumbing
- Oregon Journeyman Plumber: 64 questions, 4 hours, 75% to pass.
- Iowa Journeyperson Plumber with Gas: 75 questions, 3 hours, 75% to pass. Open book.
- Utah Plumber Written Exam (journeyman): 100 questions, 4 hours, 70% to pass. Open book.
- Iowa Master Plumber with Gas: 125 questions, 6 hours, 75% to pass. Open book.
General building and mechanical
- Nevada B General Building: 80 questions, 3 hours, 70% to pass. Open book.
- New Mexico GB-98 General Building, Part 2: 100 questions, 310 minutes, 75% to pass.
- Alabama HAC (Heating and Air Conditioning) contractor: 115 scored questions, 5 hours, 70% to pass. Open book.
The Iowa plumbing figures can be checked directly on Kirkwood Community College’s state exam page, which administers those exams. It lists the question count, time, subject weights and allowed references for each one.
Business and law exam examples
Many states test business and law on a separate paper. These tend to be shorter.
- South Carolina Business Management and Law (commercial): 50 questions, 125 minutes. You need 35 correct to pass.
- Alabama Business and Law (general contractors): 50 questions, 120 minutes, 70% to pass.
- Oklahoma Business and Law: 50 questions, 120 minutes, 70% to pass.
- Utah Contractor Business and Law: 60 questions, 120 minutes, 70% to pass.
- Oregon CCB Construction Contractors: 80 questions, 180 minutes, 70% to pass.
Two exams that work differently
California (CSLB)
California does not publish the number of scored questions or a passing percentage for its trade or Law and Business exams. What CSLB does publish, on its Examination FAQ, is that each exam is multiple choice on a computer and you get 3-1/2 hours for each one. A failing score report shows your overall score and the number you got right. A passing report does not show a score.
If a website quotes an exact count and cut score for a California exam, ask where it came from. Our post on how CSLB exam scoring works goes through what CSLB says and does not say.
NASCLA commercial general building
The NASCLA accredited exam is accepted by several state agencies in place of their own commercial general building trade exam. PSI’s current bulletin lists 115 scored questions, a minimum passing score of 81, and 330 minutes. It is open book. See our NASCLA exam prep page for which states accept it.
What these numbers tell you about how to study
Divide the clock by the questions
Time per question is the number to plan around. A 75-question paper in 3 hours gives you more time per question than a 100-question paper in 4 hours. On an open-book exam, that time goes to finding the answer in the book. If you need longer than that to find a table, you will run short.
Open book is a speed test
Open-book exams are not easier. They are written so that knowing where to look matters as much as knowing the answer. Candidates who pass practice finding sections and tables fast, in the exact book they will bring.
Know how many you can miss
Work it out before test day. On South Carolina’s business and law paper, you need 35 of 50. That means you can miss 15. Knowing that number keeps you from burning time on one hard question.
Know which book is in the room
The code book matters as much as the count. Iowa’s plumbing exams, for example, allow the 2024 Uniform Plumbing Code and the Iowa amendment booklet. Studying a different plumbing code would mean practicing lookups in the wrong book. Kirkwood’s page also notes that questions are based on a specific edition, even though the book you bring can be any edition.
Expect separate papers
Where trade and business exams are separate, you prepare for two different tests. One rewards code lookup. The other rewards knowing state law, lien rules, contracts and business math.
How to find the count for your exam
- Start with your licensing board. Find the license you are applying for and the exam it requires.
- Find the testing vendor. PSI, Prov, Kirkwood or another provider. The board’s site usually links it.
- Download the current candidate bulletin. Check the date on it. Bulletins are updated.
- Read the exam’s table. Question count, time, passing score, and the list of allowed references.
- Check for unscored items. Some exams add pretest questions that do not count. Some add time for them, some do not.
Mistakes candidates make with exam numbers
- Using a number from another state. An exam with the same name in two states can be built very differently.
- Trusting an old bulletin. Counts, times and code editions change.
- Studying only content. On a timed open-book exam, practice the clock as well.
- Forgetting the second paper. Passing the trade exam does not finish the job where a business and law exam is also required.
Questions candidates ask
Are the practice exam counts the same as the real exam?
They should be. Practice that matches the real count and clock shows you how your pace holds up. Where a board does not publish a count, as in California, practice is built on the published time and content outline instead.
What if my state’s bulletin and a prep site disagree?
Go with the bulletin. It is the document the testing center follows.
Do all states use a percentage to pass?
No. Some list a percentage, some list the number of correct answers needed, and some publish neither. Read your bulletin for the exact wording.
Next step
Find your state and trade on our exam prep by state page. Each course is built around that exam’s published length, clock and content outline, so your practice looks like test day.