An electrician in Henderson books two exams with PSI: the C-2 Electrical trade exam and the Contractor Management Survey. They spend six weeks in the code book and one evening skimming business notes, on the theory that the survey is a formality. They pass the C-2. They miss the survey by a few questions. Its pass mark is 75 percent, and its biggest section is financial management.
Here is the plain answer. Every Nevada contractor license needs the qualified individual to pass the Contractor Management Survey (CMS), plus the trade exam for the classification. PSI gives both for the Nevada State Contractors Board. The CMS is 60 scored questions in 120 minutes, and you need 45 correct. It is open book, with one allowed reference: the Construction Business and Law Manual for Nevada.
The trade exams are open book too, each with its own code list. Most need 70 percent.
The figures below come from PSI’s two Nevada contractor candidate information bulletins, both updated March 25, 2026 and read today: the B classification bulletin and the C classification bulletin.
The exams at a glance
- Contractor Management Survey: 60 scored items, 120 minutes, 45 correct (75 percent). Plus 3 non-scored items with 6 minutes added for them.
- B General Building: 80 questions, 3 hours, 56 correct.
- C-2 Electrical: 80 questions, 4 hours, 56 correct.
- C-1 Plumbing and Heating: 120 questions, 5 hours, 84 correct.
- C-21 Refrigeration and Air Conditioning: 85 questions, 3 hours, 60 correct.
The two bulletins cover many more classifications, including the subclassifications like C-2a and C-21a, each with its own count and clock. Check yours before you plan.
The Management Survey
This is the exam every qualified individual takes, whatever the trade. It is the one people underestimate, for two reasons. It has the highest pass mark, 75 percent instead of 70. And most of it has nothing to do with the work they do every day.
The bulletin’s content outline:
- Financial Management: 12 items.
- Licensing: 10.
- Estimating and Bidding: 7.
- Contracts: 6.
- Tax Laws, Labor Laws, Environmental and Safety: 5 each.
- Risk Management: 4.
- Lien Law, Project Management: 3 each.
Financial management and licensing together are 22 of the 60. A tradesperson who has never read a balance sheet or worked out overhead starts the biggest section cold.
With 45 needed, you can miss 15. That sounds like room until you notice it is a quarter of the exam, not three in ten.
Open book, but only one book
The CMS allows the Construction Business and Law Manual for Nevada and nothing else. You bring your own copy. You may highlight, underline and add permanent tabs before the exam. You may not write in it, and loose papers are confiscated.
That makes the manual’s layout part of the exam. 120 minutes for 60 questions is 2 minutes each. You do not have time to read a chapter to find one answer. Know where the lien rules, the license categories and the financial ratios sit before you walk in.
Our Nevada Business and Law (CMS) exam prep follows this outline.
The trade exams
B General Building
80 questions in 3 hours, 56 correct. The biggest blocks are Concrete, Metals, and Plan Reading and Estimating, at 12 questions each. Thermal and Moisture Protection is 9.
Allowed in the center: the 2018 International Building Code, ACI 318 (2011 or 2014) and ACI 530/530.1 (2011 or 2013). Several other books on the reference list were used to write questions but are not allowed in the room, including OSHA 1926 and the gypsum handbook. See our Nevada B General Building exam prep.
C-2 Electrical
80 questions in 4 hours, 56 correct. Allowed: the 2017 National Electrical Code or the 2017 NEC Handbook, and NFPA 72. Ugly’s Electrical References and OSHA 1926 are listed as not allowed in the center.
The outline is wide, with no block bigger than 8 questions. Safety Information and Conductors and Cables are 8 each. Transmission Lines is 5, which surprises inside wiremen. See our Nevada C-2 Electrical exam prep.
C-1 Plumbing and Heating
120 questions in 5 hours, 84 correct. This is a big scope: plumbing, gas, hydronics, boilers, fire sprinklers and more. Drain, Waste and Vents is the biggest block at 10. Allowed: the 2018 Uniform Plumbing Code and Uniform Mechanical Code, NFPA 54, NFPA 58 and NFPA 13.
C-21 Refrigeration and Air Conditioning
85 questions in 3 hours, 60 correct. Fuel Systems is the biggest block at 10, then Refrigerants and Refrigeration at 7. Allowed: the 2018 Uniform Mechanical Code and NFPA 54 only.
Check the classification before you study
Nevada splits several trades into a full classification and narrower subclassifications. Each one has its own exam, and they are not interchangeable. Studying for the wrong one is an expensive way to learn the difference.
- B or B-2. The B-2 Residential and Small Commercial license covers structures no more than three stories above ground and one below. Its exam is also 80 questions in 3 hours with 56 to pass, but the outline is different: Carpentry is the biggest block at 12, Safety rises to 10, and Metals drops to 5.
- C-2 or C-2a. The C-2a Electrical Wiring license covers wiring on existing structures. Its exam is 60 questions in 2.5 hours, with 42 to pass.
- C-21 or C-21a. The C-21a Refrigeration license covers equipment that controls air temperatures below 50 degrees, such as refrigerated rooms. Its exam is 50 questions in 2 hours, with 35 to pass.
- C-21 or C-21d. The C-21d maintenance license covers repair and replacement of parts on existing systems. Its exam is 60 questions in 2 hours, with 42 to pass.
The scope paragraph at the top of each bulletin section is the quickest test. If the work you plan to do is not in that paragraph, you are looking at the wrong exam.
Rules for the books you bring
- Allowed: highlighting, underlining and permanent tabs, done before the exam.
- Not allowed: writing in the book, sticky notes or other temporary tabs, and loose or attached papers.
- Calculator: silent, non-printing and non-programmable.
- Code questions: follow the edition the bulletin lists.
When a code or law conflicts with another reference, the bulletin says the code, law or regulation wins, and the question is based on it.
Experimental items, retakes and the third fail
- Experimental items on trade exams: one to ten unscored questions may be added. They are not marked, and on trade exams they count against your time. The CMS is different: its 3 non-scored items come with 6 extra minutes.
- After a fail: wait 2 weeks before retaking that portion.
- The third fail: your application becomes void and you reapply with the Contractors Board.
- Results: on screen at the end. A fail comes with a diagnostic report by section.
- Spanish: the CMS and several trade exams, including C-2 Electrical, are offered in Spanish.
The third-fail rule is the real stake. Two misses on the CMS and the next attempt carries your whole application.
How to prepare
- Give the CMS real study time. It has its own book and the highest pass line.
- Tab the Nevada manual by the outline. Financial management and licensing first.
- Buy the listed code editions. 2017 NEC, 2018 UPC and UMC, 2018 IBC, as your exam requires.
- Practice to the clock. 2 minutes per question on the CMS, 3 on the C-2.
- Book both exams together if it suits you. The bulletin offers a two-portion fee when the second exam is the CMS.
Questions candidates ask
Is the Nevada Management Survey closed book?
No. The current bulletin says it is open book, with the Construction Business and Law Manual for Nevada as the only allowed reference.
Does a NASCLA exam replace the CMS?
Check with the Contractors Board before you rely on it. The CMS is listed as a separate exam for every Nevada classification.
Where do these numbers come from?
From the two PSI bulletins linked above. Our page on how we source our exam facts explains how we check them.
Next step
Find your classification on our Nevada exam prep page, and start the CMS early.