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Paths · Exam prep

Contractor License, Start to Finish

Getting licensed is a package: understanding your state's machinery, passing the business and law exam, and assembling qualification, insurance and bonding. This path runs the licensing mechanics first, then the business and law syllabus the exam actually tests.

21 steps

Goal credential: General Contractor License

How licensing works

  1. 1How Contractor Licensing Actually Works
  2. 2The Business and Law Exam
  3. 3License Classifications and Monetary Limits
  4. 4Contractor License Requirements by State
  5. 5The NASCLA Exam: One Test, Many States
  6. 6Qualifying Parties and Qualifiers

Estimating and pricing, the exam's business core

  1. 7Reading Plans and Specifications
  2. 8Quantity Takeoff
  3. 9Labor Costing and Burden
  4. 10Overhead, Markup and Margin

Contracts

  1. 11Construction Contract Fundamentals
  2. 12Contract Types: Fixed, Cost-Plus, T&M, GMP
  3. 13Contract Clauses That Matter
  4. 14Subcontract Agreements

The law that bites

  1. 15Mechanics Liens
  2. 16Lien Deadlines and Preliminary Notices
  3. 17Prompt Payment Laws
  4. 18Unlicensed Work: Penalties and Enforcement
  5. 19OSHA Duties as an Employer
  6. 20Permits and Inspections

Exam day

  1. 21Where to Take the Contractor Exams