South Carolina Commercial General Building Contractor (NASCLA) Exam Prep

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Business & Law is 75% off with this classification. Add it only if you want it, for the same term: $24.75 for 30 days, $32.25 for 60 days, $42.25 for 90 days.

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South Carolina Commercial General Building Contractor (NASCLA) exam at a glance

The South Carolina Commercial General Building Contractor (NASCLA) exam has 115 questions and a time limit of 5 hours 30 minutes. That works out to about 2.9 minutes per question. This South Carolina license also requires the state’s separate Business & Law exam. Figures are from the licensing board’s published exam information.

Questions115
Time5 hours 30 minutes

Confirm question count, time, open-book rules, and passing score on the live board bulletin before you sit. We do not guarantee a passing result. Source: PSI SC Commercial Contractor CIB updated 2026-08-27: NASCLA commercial general building 115 Q / 81 correct / 330 min; fee line 5.5 hours / $110. IBC 2021 or 2024. B&L is a separate paper.. How we source exam facts

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What’s included

18,000+ word study guide

Worked calculations, code-section breakdowns, exam traps, a key-terms glossary and a 30/60/90-day plan.

4 full-length practice exams

Original questions weighted to match the topic mix of the real exam.

460 practice questions

Every one with a written explanation and the code section behind the answer.

Same study guide and four exams on every term. You are choosing how long you can log in.

Instant accessSecure checkoutBuilt on current codes
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What this prep covers

  1. About the South Carolina Commercial General Building Contractor license
  2. How South Carolina licensing works
  3. How the building code and your reference books are organized
  4. Project management, scheduling, and estimating
  5. Sitework, foundations, and concrete
  6. Framing, structure, and the envelope
  7. Means of egress, fire and life safety, and accessibility
  8. Business, law, and safety
  9. Insurance, bonding, and financial management
  10. Worked calculations
  11. Sample exam questions, solved
  12. Common mistakes and exam traps
  13. Key references and tables to tab
  14. Glossary of must-know terms
  15. Your 30 / 60 / 90 day study plan
  16. Exam-day strategy

South Carolina Commercial General Building Contractor (NASCLA) licensing, explained

About the South Carolina Commercial General Building Contractor license

South Carolina licenses general contractors through the South Carolina Contractor's Licensing Board. The Commercial General Building Contractor authorizes commercial and heavy construction. A general contractor enters into the prime contract, pulls the building permit, and is responsible for the whole project — scheduling and coordinating the subcontractors and trades, means and methods, jobsite safety, and delivering work that passes inspection and meets the contract.

Your technical exam is built on the International Building Code (IBC) The PSI bulletin updated August 27, 2026 allows the 2021 or 2024 International Building Code for code questions. Know these scope facts cold: the license is held by the qualifying individual/entity; most work requires a permit and inspections at defined milestones (footing, foundation, framing, rough trades, insulation, final); you must work within the classification and monetary limits you hold; and unlicensed or out-of-scope contracting is a violation that can void contracts, forfeit the right to collect payment, and carry penalties.

How South Carolina licensing works

  • Experience: documented years running or supervising construction projects, usually verified by references or a qualifying party (a state requirement; the NASCLA exam itself has no experience prerequisite to sit).
  • Financial responsibility: South Carolina ties your license's monetary work limit to a Group (One through Five). For General Contractors, Group One requires a net worth of $20,000 (or working capital of $10,000), scaling up to Group Five at a net worth of $350,000 (or working capital of $250,000) — S.C. Code §40-11-260. You may substitute a surety bond in the same amount as the required net worth instead of showing the financial statement (§40-11-262). General-liability and workers' comp insurance are also required. Confirm your target group's exact thresholds with the Board before applying.
  • Application: the NASCLA exam is open to anyone who registers; the experience verification, financial statements, and entity documents are submitted to the state when you apply for the actual license.
  • Exam format and vendor: both exams are delivered by PSI. The trade exam (NASCLA Accredited Examination for Commercial General Building Contractors) is open-book, 115 scored questions, 5.5-hour (330-minute) time limit; you pass by answering 81 of 115 correctly (about 70 percent). The separate SC Business Management and Law for Commercial Contractors exam is open-book, 50 questions; you pass by answering 35 of 50 correctly (70 percent). Both exams must be passed to qualify for the license. Confirm current question counts, time limits, and cut scores on the PSI candidate information bulletin.
  • Renewal: licenses renew on a fixed cycle and usually require continuing education and keeping the bond and insurance current.

This is the opening of the full study guide. The complete guide continues into code navigation, worked calculations and solved exam questions.

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Common questions about this exam

How many questions are on the South Carolina Commercial General Building Contractor (NASCLA) exam?

The South Carolina Commercial General Building Contractor (NASCLA) exam has 115 questions and a time limit of 5 hours 30 minutes, about 2.9 minutes per question. Check the current board bulletin before you book.

Do I also need the Business & Law exam in South Carolina?

Yes. This South Carolina license also requires the state’s separate Business & Law exam. That exam has 50 questions, 2 hours 5 minutes. South Carolina Business & Law prep is 75% off when you add it to this classification for the same term.

How much practice does this prep include?

It includes 4 full-length practice exams and 460 practice questions in total. Every question has a written explanation naming the code section the answer comes from.

How long is the study guide?

The South Carolina Commercial General Building Contractor (NASCLA) guide runs to roughly 18,561 words in 16 sections, starting with “About the South Carolina Commercial General Building Contractor license” and ending with “Exam-day strategy”.

How long do I get access?

Choose 30, 60 or 90 days at checkout. Your days do not start at checkout: they begin the first time you open the course (or 14 days after purchase, whichever comes first). Access works on any device, and you can retake every practice exam as often as you like. Days remaining are shown in your dashboard and you can extend at any time.

Is this an official South Carolina Commercial General Building Contractor (NASCLA) exam?

No. This is independent preparation material. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by any state licensing board or exam vendor, and it does not contain real exam questions. Always confirm current requirements with your licensing board.

About this prep

This prep is built specifically for the South Carolina Commercial General Building Contractor (NASCLA) examination and includes a 18,000+-word study guide written for this exam, 4 full-length practice exams and 460 practice questions, each with a written explanation.

How access works

You are paying for access length (30, 60, or 90 days). The study guide and four timed exams are the same on every term. Your days start the first time you open the course, not at checkout (or 14 days after purchase, whichever comes first), and access works on any device for that term.

Not affiliated with or endorsed by any state licensing board or exam vendor. For exam-preparation purposes only.