The Arkansas Contractor License Exam

Register online at test-takers.psiexams.com/arconst, choosing _AR Business and Law Examination (Onsite - Test Center), or call PSI at (855) 257-1620, weekdays 6:00 am to 7:00 pm and weekends 8:00 am to 4:30 pm Central. Create your PSI account with the exact name on the photo ID you will bring. The board's applications list the fee as $84 per exam; it is not refundable or transferable, and the bulletin says it stays valid for one year from payment.

The board's instructions say testing runs Monday through Saturday at most sites. PSI's Arkansas centers include Bentonville, Fayetteville, Fort Smith, Harrison, Little Rock, Magnolia, North Little Rock, Pine Bluff and Searcy, and you can test at PSI sites in other states. To change a booking without losing the fee, notify PSI 2 days before the appointment.

The exam has 50 questions, needs 35 correct (70 percent) and allows 120 minutes. The Arkansas-specific areas carry real weight:

Only one reference is allowed: the NASCLA Contractors Guide to Business, Law and Project Management, Arkansas 8th Edition. The board's instructions say you will be tested only from the Arkansas edition of that guide, and they list NASCLA's phone number for ordering. Bring it yourself; PSI does not supply it.

Arkansas is slightly more permissive than its neighbors about preparation. Before the exam you may highlight, underline, annotate and index the book. During the exam you may not write, highlight, underline or tab in it, and anyone caught doing so is reported to the board. Only permanent tabs, defined as tabs that would tear the page if removed, are allowed. A reference downloaded from the internet must be bound, by spiral binding or in a hole-punched binder.

PSI's Arkansas account lists 44 trade exams alongside Business and Law, many offered in separate commercial and residential versions. Examples include Residential Builder, Residential Remodeler, Concrete, Masonry, Roofing/Roof Decks, Wood Framing, Heavy Construction, Highway, Railroad, Airport, Municipal and Utility, Water and Sewer Lines, and the NASCLA Commercial Builders exam. The bulletin links a content outline for each. The board decides which, if any, your classification requires, so confirm before you pay for a trade exam.

HVAC/R candidates should note that their exam is not in this list. The State HVAC/R Board, a separate part of the Department of Labor and Licensing, pre-approves its own candidates and uses Prov.

Arrive 30 minutes early with one valid, unexpired, signature-bearing government photo ID. You may not bring a calculator; the exam provides an online one, along with a sheet of scratch paper and a pencil that you return at the end. Outerwear such as open sweaters, hoodies, vests and jackets is not permitted in the testing room. Acceptable IDs include a state driver's license or identification card, a U.S. passport, a U.S. military ID or an alien registration card. Candidates approved for ADA accommodations must book by phone with a PSI registrar, and if weather closes a site, PSI reschedules at no extra charge.

A tutorial of up to 15 minutes comes first and does not count against your time. Arkansas's bulletin also says that up to ten unscored experimental questions may appear and that the time spent on them does not count against exam time, which differs from several nearby states. You can go back and change answers while time remains.

PSI gives your score immediately after the exam. Retakes are unlimited until you pass, but you cannot book a new appointment on the same day as a failed attempt. The bulletin's example: a candidate who fails on a Wednesday can call Thursday and retest as soon as Friday, if space allows. Each attempt is a new $84 registration. If you need another copy of a score report later, PSI accepts duplicate requests by email after the exam, and the board's instructions describe the business exam as multiple choice.

Getting the score to the board is your job. The board's instructions ask you to fax or mail the passing score, warning that asking PSI to send it can take several weeks and delay your license. A license can be approved but not released without it, unless the same entity already holds a license or registration with the board.

Nine of the 50 questions come from Arkansas contractor rules, and four more from Arkansas lien law, so the state chapters of the NASCLA guide deserve extra time. Tab the rules, lien and insurance sections with permanent tabs, then practice answering at the real pace of roughly two minutes per question.

ContractorPrepHQ's Arkansas Business and Law prep supports that practice with original questions written from the PSI outline and the Arkansas NASCLA guide, a diagnostic, topic drills with explanations and timed practice exams with a readiness score. It costs $99 once, with lifetime access and a 30-day money-back guarantee.