Comparisons

Prep courses, reference packages, and the state exams people weigh this one against.

NASCLA or a state trade examThe NASCLA exam is accepted in seventeen states and is broader. A state trade exam covers one state and may be narrower and cheaper to prepare for. So…
The trade exam and the business and law examThe NASCLA exam is a trade examination on construction practice, safety and contracting. A state business and law exam covers that state's licensing l…
Prep courses comparedPrep offerings fall into live seminars, self-paced courses and question banks. They solve different problems, and the one worth buying depends on whet…
Book packages comparedPackages bundle the approved references into one purchase. The convenience is real and the risk is edition drift, so the approved list in the current …
Seminar versus self-studyA seminar delivers structure and an orientation to the references in a compressed period. Self-study delivers the index you retrieve from. For an open…
Buying versus borrowing the booksBorrowed books cannot be tabbed and highlighted the way yours can, and tabbing is the preparation. Borrowing saves money on the largest cost and remov…
Used books and old editionsSecond hand references are fine provided the edition matches the current approved list. An edition that has been superseded is not admitted, and codes…
Free versus paid prepThe bulletin, the OSHA standards and the state agency pages are free and definitive. Paid prep buys structure, blueprint-weighted practice and a full-…
What a good practice question looks likeA good question for an open-book exam requires a lookup, cites the reference and section in its explanation, and uses distractors that represent real …
Tabbing servicesA tabbing service saves hours of physical work and delivers a sensible structure. It does not give you the memory of having placed the tab, which is w…