The advice and suggestions listed below are based on our ten plus years of doing exam requirement research. It is primarily designed for the first-time licensee so you can skip over sections that you have already done.
If you take the time to read this page, it may solve a lot of problems you may find with third party companies that state licensing agencies have contracted to deal with people applying for their trade license.
You can skip this section if you already understand why this is true. Some people are under the false belief that they can do their study and interaction with licensing agencies from their phone. This is false. All licensing agencies and exam providers expect you to have a device for displaying a “letter format” document that they use (and print) in their offices.
If you don't have a desktop or laptop computer, most public libraries (even in small towns) have access to several work stations that you can use for free. Just plan ahead. You may have to wait in a queue.
TIP: if you're planning on using a “public access” computer, you probably won't be able to plug in a USB flash drive into the computer. Those ports on the computer are usually disabled or blocked because of Windows virus fears.
Before you go to the library, have the login (user name & password) to your email website with you, including your login page URL (example: mail.google.com). This will allow you to email links and documents to yourself, then access later at home.
Tablets can generally display a letter-sized document that is readable. You will have to learn how to download a file called a “ZIP” archive, then open the archive and move the files out of the archive to a different folder on the device where you can find them. Generally, PDF files are viewable using your web browser but you may have to make a file association in your settings.
You can find help with this process by searching YouTube “how to” videos. Try searching for “extract zip files on” andriod or ipad.
Occastionally we get students asking "how do I get my license?" We do not get directly involved in that process. If you need that type of help, you'll need to find a different provider of those services.
These are providers usually have a web site and a physical office.with a web site
There are services offered by other organization that collect all of your required information that stae licensing agency needs to start your licensing application process. For a fee, they will sumit your application and keep you informed of the status of your paperwork.
Note that when you use a third party provider, you are exposing your information to be sold to the highest bidder looking to sell you email or phone number and sold to third party advertisers without your permission. Be sure to read your agreement and privacy policy with the third party
Introducion:
What is the key to passing a state licensing exam? Since most exams are “OPEN BOOK”, meaning that you have direct access to the source material used to write questions during the exam; knowing how the code book is organized is a good place to start. If you know how to find the answers quickly and efficiently, you should be able to get through the first pass of the exam, allowing you more time to go back and do the more detailed calculations or searching.
Knowing how to use the subject index (shown in the exam bulletin) and how to navigate to the right section of the code will be a tremendous time saving tool.
Most code books are written by attorneys and are very hard to follow. The text is designed to have multiple meanings.
Please see our web page about “How We Write Questions” for an example of multiple meanings in questions.
The question most frequently asked by construction contractors is “How do I begin the process of preparing for my license exam?” We have researched the process ourselves and have compiled the necessary steps to you get started below:
Once you have navigated to our web site and located the specific state and trade you are studying for, at the top of each trade page in the section titled “Apply for the License”, the name of the licencing agency and contact information will be shown. We recommend calling the licensing agency to verify the name of the exam provider they are currently using.
We provide the name of exam providers on our trade pages. Oftentimes, in small towns or remote areas, building departments may deal with licensing locally and use the national standard exams provided by ICC (International Code Council).
Sometimes licensing and exam scheduling is handled by a state licensing agancy. In this case, the licensing agency deals with all aspects of the licensing process including: processing your application, notifying you of receiving your application, when your application was accepted and sending you an authorization letter you can take with you to the exam location.
In other ceses, licensing is handled by a third party contractor administrator (processor) like PSI, Prometric, Pearson VUE and others. In this case, applications are are processed online after setting up an account on their web site.
Most state and local licensing agencies require that you submit an initial application form.
Normally, this is a necessary step before you contact the exam provider to schedule your exam date. Most forms ask about your work history related to the license you‘re intending to obtain. Be prepared to provide some form of legal evidence of your work history (obtained from your employer). This may simply be a letter on company letterhead, signed by your supervisor or it may be a formal legal statment submitted as an affidavit and notarized.
Don't make assumptions about exactly what the licensing agency wants and the format they prefer. Otherwise, you may be wasting a lot of time collecting information that is not needed or is determined to be unacceptable.
Begin your preparation with the most current copy of the exam bulletin and use the content outline for your specific examination as the basis for your study.
Most bulletins can be found at one of the following exam provider links:
Bulletins will usually give you the following information:
Before you make any plans to take an exam, add up all the costs so you are prepared to pay the required amounts. Here is a short list of expenses you might incur:
Read the license application carefully and ask a lot of questions. It’s best to visit the licensing office in person rather than trying to get someone on the phone. Most government offices have phone systems with endless computer prompts that don't allow you to talk to an actual person.
Make sure you know ALL of the licensing requirements before you pay any fees or make commitments of money, time or equipment purchases. The information printed on the application may not be inclusive.
Do not assume you can just “wing it” and not buy books. You CAN NOT use our study materials without having the actual books recommended in the exam bulletin. The exception to this would be in jurisdictions where the book titles are “suggested” (like Louisiana). We prefer printed versions because generally, you can take the printed books into an exam. Electronic versions can not be taken into an exam and often make you view on one computer or tablet at a time.
Some exam administrators provide copies of the required books. If you take the time to read your bulletin carefully, you can save yourself a lot of energy by lugging books into the exam.
REMINDER: If you make any alterations (handwritten notes, highlighting) to your code books, generally, you can not take them into an exam location, even if they are “allowed”.
Most exam bulletins contain a complete list of references needed to study for your exam. The investment in these materials is an invaluable resource both for exam preparation and in your future contracting business.
Reference books are generally available from Amazon, At Home Prep, and Technical Bookstores such as: Community College or Construction Specialty Bookstores. Most of these bookstores will have some, but generally not all of the titles needed for your exam.
Unfortunately, some reference standards are only available from propietary organizations like; ASME, ANSI, UL, NRCA, SMACNA and others which only give discounts for “members”. These books have very limited distribution so that these organiztions can keep the price inflated (usually in the $300 to $500 range). Many “general builders” will have memberships in these organizations. If you are upgrading or adding to your licensing, check with your employer first before you buy books since you may get them paid for or discounted.
As free copies of statutes and other codes become available, we try to post links on our web site. Some of these codes are diffuctlt to find such as federal compliance standards (EPA, FAA, USGS). Oftentimes, links in the exam bulletin go to missing web pages.
Don't expect to cram for your exam by ordering our materials the weekend before your exam date. Allow plenty of study time to acquaint yourself with the material. Would you hire a contractor to work for you who only studied your building plans a couple of days beforehand? We’re saying this is a bad habit to start your career.
Our experience has shown that exam candidates who take advantage of high-quality, third-party study materials greatly increase their chances of passing their exam on the first try.
For example, if you are taking an NEC-based electrical exam, the exam bulletin may list only the reference books used for writing exam questions, but if you purchase a key word index such as “Tom Henry’s Key Word Index” or “Ferm's Fast Finder”, it will assist you in finding answers in your references book much faster. Many of our trade pages list these supplemental references and offer links to where you may purchase them.
Putting information in writing will increase your chances of remembering it. Discuss any new terms or concepts with your business associates as often as possible. This will test your understanding and reinforce your learning. Your studies will be most effective if you study frequently. Your potential for learning tends to decline if you study for any longer than an hour at a time.
Each exam administrator (PSI, Prometric, ProV, ICC, etc.) has their own rules which effect the use of reference books in an exam. Failing to read the CIB with regard to book restrictions could result in your having to re-schedule your exam and pay the exam fees again.
If the exam is OPEN BOOK, and the administrator supplies code books at the exam location, the bulletin will advise you to NOT bring your own copies of reference books. If the administrator does not supply code books, the books you bring will be searched for notes and other items listed in the exam bulletin. If they are found, your books will be confiscated.
The recommended study method for an OPEN BOOK exam is to focus on learning how to FIND the answers to questions vs. memorizing answers. This is the primary method we use in preparing our study materials. In the case of electrical exams, you will want to learn the calculations for performing by learning which table to use and the steps to follow to arrive at the correct answer.
Most electrical exams are OPEN BOOK because most people need to access the charts and tables in the back of the National Electrical Code (NEC). This does not mean you will be allowed to bring your own copy of the NEC into the exam area.
If you bring your books or notes to a CLOSED BOOK exam, they will be confiscated.
Some states, like Louisiana, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, design their own exams and schedule them at their own facilities. Unfortunately, many of these states do not provide lists of reference materials on their web sites. When references are provided, they are sometimes non-standardized and difficult to find. Calling the licensing agency for exact books may be required. The licensing agency may require to pay a application fee before they send you a package of information that lists you required reference books.
Information that will be useful in finding your own books would be:
Many states use their own proprietary statute codes that can only be found through legislative web pages and PDF files. We have done much of that research for you by providing links to those files and code sections located on our license trade pages.
Unfortunately, when a exam provider like PSI lists a state code section in their bulletin, they almost always exclude the proper legal citing of the subsection of the code that they specifically used to create exam questions.
If the link in the bulletin takes you to a web page, the text is generally not printable unless you cut and paste from your browser (Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari, Goggle Chrome) into a word processor program. This is not possible from a phone.
Your other option would be to find a link to an area on the government licensing agency's web site where they sell copies of the printed code section(s) that apply to your license.
In the case of landing on a legislative web page, you may find page after page of code that does not apply to your license. You will have to look at the list of subjects shown on our web page (or in the exam bulletin) and do a search in the code to find the sections that may have been used to write questions for your exam. Most of the time, we have researched these and give you the specific (numbered) code sections that apply to your license exam.
Unfortunately, statutes are not as easy to acquire in printed format. The best way to find the statute that’s used to write your exam questions is to locate the licensing agency's web site and look for links to “Law and Rules” or “Laws Regulating (your trade)”. You may be able to find a link that allows you to download a section of the code as a PDF file or you or you might be able to obtain the entire code section as one PDF.
In other cases, you may have to order the code sections in printed format from the licensing agency or the Attorney General's office.
TIP: If you live near a college that has a law school, you may be able to hire a student to help you research and explain the codes. Most legal code is written in a language that only attorneys can understand. Definitions of words in the legal industry are not the same as in common English, so soliciting the help of a law student may be beneficial.
Updated: 10/15/24
ICC City-County License Exams
Alabama •
Alaska •
Arizona •
Arkansas •
Colorado •
Connecticut •
District of Columbia •
Florida •
Georgia •
Hawaii •
Idaho •
Indiana •
Iowa •
Kansas •
Kentucky •
Louisiana •
Maine •
Maryland •
Massachusetts •
Michigan •
Minnesota •
Mississippi •
Missouri •
Montana •
Nebraska •
Nevada •
New Hampshire •
New Jersey •
New Mexico •
North Carolina •
Ohio •
Oklahoma •
Oregon •
Pennsylvania •
South Carolina •
South Dakota •
Tennessee •
Texas •
Utah •
Vermont •
Virginia •
Washington •
West Virginia •
Wyoming
