United States
Hong KongThe NASCLA exam explained
The NASCLA Accredited Examination for Commercial General Building Contractors is an open-book exam of 125 questions, 115 of them scored, over 330 minutes. You need 81 correct of the 115 to pass, and 17 states accept the result.
One examination, accepted by 17 states in place of their own commercial general building trade exam. That is the whole proposition and it is a good one.
Before it existed, a contractor working across state lines sat a separate trade exam in each state.
What you actually sit
- Questions
- 125 administered, 115 of them scored
- Time
- 330 minutes
- Pass mark
- 81 correct of 115, which is 70 percent
- Format
- Open book, at a PSI test center
- Fee
- USD 130 to PSI, plus a USD 65 NASCLA application fee
Five and a half hours. It is one of the longest examinations you are likely to sit.
The ten questions that do not count
PSI administers 125 questions and scores 115. The other ten are experimental items being trialled for future forms.
You cannot identify them. They are scattered at random and look exactly like the rest.
The pass mark is 81 of the 115 scored questions. Since you cannot tell which ten are free, there is no sensible strategy other than treating every question as scored.
Open book, and that changes everything
You bring the approved reference books into the room. Around 24 of them appear on the list, and they may be tabbed with permanent index tabs and highlighted.
This is not the relief it first sounds like. An open-book exam with five and a half hours and 125 questions is a test of whether you can find things, and candidates who arrive without a working index run out of time.
What it gets you
The trade examination requirement in participating states. It does not license you anywhere by itself - each state adds its own experience, financial and bonding requirements on top.
Your result sits in the NASCLA National Examination Database and can be sent to any participating state agency.
Common questions
What is the NASCLA exam?
An open-book examination for commercial general building contractors, accepted by 17 states in place of their own trade exam.
How many questions are on it?
125 are administered and 115 are scored. The other ten are unscored experimental items.
What is the pass mark?
81 correct of the 115 scored questions, which PSI states as 70 percent.
Is it really open book?
Yes. The approved reference books may be brought in, tabbed and highlighted.
Does passing license me?
No. It satisfies the trade exam requirement. Each state adds experience, financial and bonding requirements of its own.