United States
Hong KongIs the NASCLA exam open book?
Yes. The approved reference books may be brought in, tabbed with permanent index tabs and highlighted. It tests whether you can find answers quickly rather than whether you have memorized them.
Yes, and candidates consistently misjudge what that means.
What you may bring
The approved references named in the current bulletin, in the editions it specifies. Permanent index tabs are permitted and so is highlighting.
Loose notes are not permitted, and neither are books outside the list.
Why it is not easier
125 questions in 330 minutes is about 158 seconds each. A lookup in a well-tabbed book takes under a minute. The same lookup in an untabbed book takes four.
Twenty of those and you have lost more than an hour you did not have.
Candidates who pass have tabbed to provisions, know which book answers which category, and have practiced lookups against a clock. Candidates who fail usually knew the answers and could not reach them in time.
Not everything is a lookup
Plenty of questions test whether you understand a principle - which contract type carries overrun risk, what remedy an unpaid subcontractor has on public work.
No book answers those in a sentence, and searching for one wastes the time you needed elsewhere.
Compared with a closed-book exam
The NMLS mortgage exam is closed book, and preparing for it is about recall. Preparing for this one is about navigation. The difference is not marginal and it changes everything about how you study. Navigation, not recall. Time is the constraint.
Common questions
Is the NASCLA exam open book?
Yes. The approved references may be brought in, tabbed and highlighted.
Does that make it easier?
Less than candidates expect. It tests retrieval speed under a clock rather than memorization.
Can I bring notes?
No. Loose notes are not permitted and neither are unapproved books.
Do I still need to understand the material?
Yes. Many questions test principles that no book answers in a sentence.
How does preparation differ from a closed-book exam?
It is about navigation rather than recall, which changes the whole study approach.