The Georgia Contractor License Exam

Register at test-takers.psiexams.com/gacont or by phone at (855) 744-0314. Online registration runs 24 hours a day; phone registrars work 7:30 am to 10:00 pm on weekdays and 9:00 am to 5:30 pm on weekends, Eastern Time. If seats are open, you can book as late as the day before, up to 7:00 pm Eastern.

Georgia test centers listed in the bulletin are in Duluth and Marietta in the Atlanta area, Macon and Tifton, and PSI centers in other states can be requested. Cancel at least 2 days ahead to keep your fee; a missed appointment, late arrival or wrong ID forfeits it.

All four Georgia exams require 70 percent. The bulletin gives these formats:

The Business and Law exam's 50 questions break down as Licensing Requirements 5, Estimating and Bidding 7, Business Organization and Financial Management 7, Tax Laws 5, Labor Laws 5, Project Management and Lien Law 6, Contracts 6, Risk Management 4, and Environmental and Safety 5. The single allowed reference is the Georgia-NASCLA Contractors Guide to Business, Law and Project Management, 3rd Edition, published for the board.

This is the exam every candidate shares, and you only pass it once. The bulletin says a pass meets the Business and Law requirement for all other residential and general contractor licenses, so someone who later moves from Residential Basic to a commercial category does not sit for it again.

Residential Basic covers Sitework, Footings and Foundation 8; Concrete and Concrete Reinforcement 8; Masonry 5; Carpentry 16; Roofing 8; General Code and Construction Knowledge 18; Associated Trades 10; and OSHA Safety 7. Its allowed references are the 2018 International Residential Code, 29 CFR Part 1926 (or PSI's selections), Carpentry and Building Construction by Feirer, BCSI for wood trusses, the ACI Contractor's Guide to Quality Concrete Construction, Modern Masonry, Pipe and Excavation Contracting, the 2015 International Energy Conservation Code and the Georgia State Amendments published by the Department of Community Affairs.

Residential Light Commercial adds a Metals area and goes deeper: Sitework 8, Concrete 8, Metals 5, Masonry 6, Carpentry 16, Roofing 10, General Code and Construction Knowledge 20, Associated Trades 10 and OSHA Safety 7. Its list adds the 2018 International Building Code, the Georgia Accessibility Code, the USG Gypsum Construction Handbook, SJI Technical Digest No. 9 on steel joists and the SDI Manual of Construction with Steel Deck. PSI grades code questions against the listed code edition only, so bringing a newer or older code book can cost points.

Both general contractor categories use the NASCLA-accredited exam for commercial general building contractors. Its 115 items are weighted heavily toward Procurement and Contracting Requirements (31) and General Requirements (25), followed by Site Construction 15, Concrete 6, Metals 6, Mechanical and Plumbing Systems 6, Wood 5, Thermal and Moisture Protection 5, Finishes 5, Masonry 4, Doors, Windows and Glazing 4, and Electrical Systems 3. The reference list is long, including the 2021 or 2024 IBC, ACI 318, OSHA's construction standards and several project management texts.

A pass is recorded in NASCLA's National Examination Database, which lets you send transcripts to other jurisdictions that accept the exam for their trade portion. You still take each state's own business and law exam.

All Georgia contractor exams are open book. References may be highlighted, underlined and indexed with permanent tabs, but must otherwise be unmarked, with no loose or attached papers; Post-it style tabs must come off before the exam starts. PSI does not supply references at the test center. A silent, nonprinting, non-programmable calculator is allowed.

Arrive 30 minutes early with one current government-issued ID bearing your name, photo and signature. Each exam may include one to ten unscored experimental items, roughly 10 percent of the total, and they count against your time. Your score appears on screen when you finish, and a failing result comes with a diagnostic report showing strengths and weaknesses.

The retake rules are where the two official sources differ, so plan with care. The PSI bulletin says you have 1 year from the exam approval letter to pass both exams, that you only retake the one you failed, that the first approval allows 2 attempts, and that after failing twice you must wait at least 1 year after the last exam, citing O.C.G.A. 43-41-6(g), with only 1 attempt in the next eligibility period. The board's FAQ says an approved candidate is allowed 3 exam sittings within one year and must wait one year from the application date to reapply after that. Ask the board which limit applies to you before a retake.

PSI's own sample questions show the style: who is responsible for protective equipment, minimum fixture clearances, root removal depth under a building and masonry veneer air space. Answers are expected to come from the listed books, so practice finding code sections fast. For Business and Law, learn the layout of the Georgia-NASCLA guide chapter by chapter.

ContractorPrepHQ supports that practice with original questions built from the PSI outlines and references, a diagnostic, topic drills that explain each answer and timed practice exams with a readiness score. Georgia Business and Law prep is $99; the Residential Basic and Residential Light Commercial trade preps are $149 and include Business and Law. You pay once, keep lifetime access and have a 30-day money-back guarantee, and passing still depends on you.