Difficulty and preparation time

Why an open-book exam still fails people, and what actually separates a pass from a fail.

Is the NASCLA exam hard?It is hard navigationally rather than intellectually. The material is trade knowledge most contractors have, and the difficulty is locating the right …
Why people fail an open-book examThey run out of time. The causes are untabbed books, not knowing which book answers which category, no first-pass strategy, and underestimating the bu…
Running out of timeTime runs out when lookups take minutes instead of seconds. The fixes are tabbing, knowing which book answers which category, and a two-pass strategy …
The hardest categoriesProcurement and Contracting at 31 questions and General Requirements at 25 are the hardest for most candidates, because they are the office and safety…
How many hours to studyBetween 60 and 120 hours for most candidates, spread over six to sixteen weeks. Roughly a third goes into buying, tabbing and learning the reference b…
Signs you are ready to sitTwo timed mocks above 90 of 125, lookups under a minute, the category-to-book map from memory, no category below 60 percent, and stamina proven across…
Sitting it with field experience onlyField experience covers the trade categories well, which is 44 questions across nine categories. It covers Procurement and Contracting at 31 questions…
Retaking the examYou have up to three attempts inside a twelve-month window at USD 130 each. The score report breaks performance down by category, and the first questi…
Sitting it as an English learnerThe examination is in English and the reading load is substantial across 125 questions and two dozen references. Open book helps with terminology, and…