Free Practice
Running out of time is the number one reason people fail, so this general contractor practice test runs on a clock: 20 Business & Finance questions in 65 minutes, the same pace as the real exam, or a five-question sampler if you're short on time. You can flag and jump like the real test, and it ends with a breakdown of exactly where you're weak. It's free. Just enter your email to start and I'll send your score breakdown when you finish.
Below the timed test you'll find free sample questions for all three parts of the Florida general contractor exam (Business & Finance, Contract Administration, and Project Management), each with the answer and where it comes from.
Curious how hard the real thing is? Read how hard the Florida GC exam is.
After the practice exam
It's the longest part of the exam, and it's the one I'm building a course around after passing it. Better to find your weak spots here than at the testing center.
On this page: What's on the exam · Business & Finance · Contract Administration · Project Management · FAQ
To get a certified general contractor license in Florida, you pass three separate exams. All three are open-book and computer-based, and Pearson VUE gives them for the state. Every question is multiple choice with four answers, and you need 70% on each exam to pass. Scores aren't rounded up.
| Exam | Scored questions | Time | What it covers (share of questions) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business & Finance | 120 | 6.5 hours | Accounting functions 32% · Administrative duties 26% · Government regulations 15% · Establishing the business 11% · Trade operations 10% · Human resources 6% |
| Contract Administration | 60 | 4.5 hours | Project contracts 40% · Preconstruction activities 27% · Licenses, permits and approvals 20% · Construction procedures and operations 13% |
| Project Management | 60 | 4.5 hours | Construction methods, materials, tools and equipment 63% · Safety 20% · Reading plans and specifications 17% |
Source: the Florida DBPR Candidate Information Booklet (effective July 2024) and DBPR's content outline for each exam. Percentages can shift by up to 3 points either way. An exam can also include a few unscored pilot questions, with extra time added for them.
Going for a building (CBC) or residential (CRC) license instead? You take the same Business & Finance exam. Your Contract Administration and Project Management exams are shorter: 50 questions each for building and 45 each for residential, with 4.5 hours for each exam.
Business & Finance is the longest of the three exams (120 questions in 6.5 hours), and about a third of it is accounting. The timed test at the top of this page is Business & Finance. For more, take the free Florida Business & Finance practice test or work through 8 more Business & Finance practice questions with worked answers.
Your estimated cost on a job is $80,000 and you add a 25% markup. What is your gross profit margin on the selling price?
Answer: B, 20%. A 25% markup on $80,000 is $20,000, so the selling price is $100,000. Margin is profit divided by selling price: $20,000 ÷ $100,000 = 20%. Markup is figured on cost and margin on price, which is why the two numbers differ.
Reference: Builder's Guide to Accounting (markup and margin).
A contractor's balance sheet shows current assets of $150,000, current liabilities of $100,000 and total liabilities of $220,000. What is the current ratio?
Answer: C, 1.5. Current ratio = current assets ÷ current liabilities = $150,000 ÷ $100,000 = 1.5. Total liabilities aren't part of this ratio.
Reference: Builder's Guide to Accounting (financial ratios).
Current assets are $240,000 and current liabilities are $160,000. What is the company's working capital?
Answer: A, $80,000. Working capital = current assets − current liabilities = $240,000 − $160,000. (1.5 is the current ratio, which is a different measure.)
Reference: Builder's Guide to Accounting (working capital).
Under Florida's Construction Lien Law, a claim of lien must be recorded no later than how many days after the final furnishing of labor, services or materials?
Answer: C, 90 days. Florida Statutes §713.08(5) allows the claim of lien to be recorded during the work or afterward, but not later than 90 days after final furnishing. Don't confuse this with the 45-day Notice to Owner deadline.
Reference: Florida Statutes §713.08(5).
Contract Administration is 60 questions in 4.5 hours. Project contracts make up 40% of it, so the AIA documents (A201, A401 and A701) do a lot of the work. Preconstruction activities (27%), licenses, permits and approvals (20%), and construction procedures and operations (13%) make up the rest. Try these four with your books open.
Under AIA A201–2017, after the Architect receives the Contractor's Application for Payment, how long does the Architect have to issue a Certificate for Payment (or give written reasons for withholding it)?
Answer: A, 7 days. A201–2017 §9.4.1 gives the Architect seven days after receiving the Application for Payment to certify it in full, certify part of it with written reasons, or withhold certification.
Reference: AIA A201–2017, §9.4.1.
Under AIA A201–2017, a Construction Change Directive must be signed by:
Answer: B, the Owner and Architect. A Construction Change Directive (§7.3.1) is prepared by the Architect and signed by the Owner and Architect. It orders a change before the Contractor agrees on price or time. A Change Order (§7.2.1) is signed by all three.
Reference: AIA A201–2017, §7.2.1 and §7.3.1.
Your estimated cost for a project is $450,000. You want a 10% profit on the selling price, not on cost. What should you bid?
Answer: B, $500,000. When profit is a percentage of selling price, divide cost by (1 − margin): $450,000 ÷ 0.90 = $500,000. Check: $50,000 profit ÷ $500,000 = 10%. Answer A ($495,000) adds 10% to cost, which is only a 9.1% margin.
A contract sets liquidated damages at $750 per calendar day. The project reaches substantial completion 14 days after the contract completion date, and there are no approved time extensions. How much can the owner assess under that clause?
Answer: C, $10,500. 14 days × $750 = $10,500. Liquidated damages are a pre-agreed daily amount, so the owner doesn't have to prove actual losses. Approved time extensions would reduce the number of days.
Project Management is 60 questions in 4.5 hours. Nearly two-thirds of it covers construction methods, materials, tools and equipment. Safety (OSHA 29 CFR 1926) is 20%, and reading plans and specifications is 17%. Expect math: areas, volumes and quantities.
Under OSHA's excavation standard, workers in an excavation must be protected from cave-ins by a protective system once the excavation reaches what depth (unless it's entirely in stable rock)?
Answer: B, 5 feet. 29 CFR 1926.652(a)(1) requires a protective system unless the excavation is entirely in stable rock, or it's less than 5 feet deep and a competent person finds no sign of a potential cave-in.
Reference: OSHA 29 CFR 1926, Subpart P.
In a trench 4 feet or more deep, a ladder, stairway or ramp must be placed so that workers have no more than how many feet of lateral travel to reach it?
Answer: B, 25 feet. 29 CFR 1926.651(c)(2) requires a safe means of egress in trench excavations 4 feet or deeper, placed so that no more than 25 feet of lateral travel is needed.
Reference: OSHA 29 CFR 1926, Subpart P.
A portable ladder used to reach an upper landing must have its side rails extend at least how far above the landing?
Answer: C, 3 feet. 29 CFR 1926.1053(b)(1) calls for at least 3 feet above the upper landing. If the ladder isn't long enough for that, it must be secured at the top and a grab rail provided.
Reference: OSHA 29 CFR 1926, Subpart X.
A slab on grade measures 40 feet by 60 feet and is 4 inches thick. How many cubic yards of concrete does it take, before waste?
Answer: A, about 29.6 cubic yards. 40 × 60 × (4 ÷ 12) = 800 cubic feet, and 800 ÷ 27 = 29.63 cubic yards. Answer C is the cubic feet. Answer B uses a 1-foot thickness instead of 4 inches (40 × 60 × 1 ÷ 27).
Yes. There's no charge. You enter your email to start, and I send your score breakdown to that address when you finish. The sample questions on this page don't need an email at all.
There are three exams. Business & Finance has 120 scored questions in 6.5 hours. Contract Administration and Project Management each have 60 scored questions in 4.5 hours. That's 240 scored questions in all. An exam can also include a few unscored pilot questions, with extra time added for them.
70% on each exam. Scores aren't rounded up, and you have to pass all three exams to be licensed as a certified general contractor.
Yes. You can bring the references on DBPR's reference list for that exam, one copy of each. Books must be bound. Highlighting and underlining are allowed, but handwritten notes and moveable tabs like Post-it flags are not. The full lists are in what books you need for the Florida GC exam.
The timed test on this page covers Business & Finance. For Contract Administration, use the sample Contract Administration questions above. They follow DBPR's outline for that exam: preconstruction, project contracts, licenses and permits, and construction procedures.
Yes. The timed test at the top of this page is Business & Finance, and there's a dedicated free Florida Business & Finance practice test.
No. The practice test runs online so it can time and score you. You can read the sample questions on this page for free or print them from your browser.
Pearson VUE schedules, gives and scores the computer-based exams for the Florida DBPR. You get your official result report at the test center as soon as you finish.
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