The Oregon Construction Contractors Exam

You cannot simply sign up with PSI. When you complete the 16-hour course, your approved training provider sends your information to PSI electronically, and PSI emails you an eligibility notice with a link to register. If no email arrives within a few days, the CCB says to contact the provider.

The one exception is a candidate who passed the NASCLA Accredited Examination for Commercial General Building Contractors. That person sends proof to the CCB, which forwards eligibility to PSI without the course.

The exam has 80 scored multiple-choice questions and a 180-minute limit, plus 8 unscored experimental questions with 20 extra minutes; the experimental items count against your time. You need 70 percent, which is 56 correct. Your score appears on screen when you finish and a report is emailed; a failing report includes a diagnostic of strengths and weaknesses.

The fee is $60 for first-time and repeat takers alike, valid for one year from payment. If you fail, the bulletin allows unlimited retests with no expiration date, paying the fee each time.

The outline assigns the largest share to Oregon law, so start there:

The only reference is The NASCLA Contractors Guide to Business, Law and Project Management, Oregon Construction Contractors, 2nd Edition. You bring your own copy, and you may bring both the English and Spanish versions. Some training providers include the manual in the course fee, and NASCLA sells it directly.

Oregon is more permissive than most states about preparation. Before the exam you may highlight, underline, index and tab the manual with removable or permanent tabs, and the bulletin says handwritten notes are also allowed. What you may not do is write, highlight or mark it during the exam, or bring loose papers; that gets you reported to the CCB. Candidates whose first language is not English may bring one word-for-word translation dictionary.

The outline is lopsided in a helpful way. Oregon law and regulations alone make up 18 of the 80 scored items, and adding contracts, hiring and managing employees, and bidding and estimating brings the total to 40, half the exam. The building-oriented areas (codes, jobsite safety, environmental factors and the exterior shell) add 16 more, and business structure, financial management and tax basics account for 12.

A sensible plan is to read the Oregon law chapters of the manual first and tab them heavily, then work the estimating and contract chapters with a calculator, and leave the four-item building topics for later passes. Because the 56-correct cut leaves room for 24 misses, you do not need every niche detail; you need the heavy areas solid and a fast way to look up the rest.

The 18 law and regulation items draw on ORS Chapter 701 and the CCB's rules. Know the endorsement categories, bond and insurance minimums, the RMI requirement, and residential contract rules such as the written-contract requirement for residential work over $2,000 in ORS 701.305. The renewal and continuing-education rules in ORS 701.063, 701.082 and 701.086 are worth knowing as well.

From the eligibility email, create a PSI account and choose a test center or remote proctoring. For a remote exam you launch within 30 minutes of your booked time, and starting more than 15 minutes late forfeits the fee. Remote candidates get one 5-minute break, but the clock keeps running.

Cancel at least two days ahead to keep your fee. At a center, arrive at least 30 minutes early with a current, signature-bearing government photo ID; a military ID is not accepted for remote testing.

Register under your legal name exactly as it appears on your ID. The bulletin accepts a state driver's license or state ID card, a U.S. passport, a U.S. military ID (test centers only) or an Alien Registration Card, each current and bearing your photo and signature. If you cannot produce one, PSI asks you to call at least three weeks before the appointment.

Phones, smart watches, handheld calculators and other electronics are prohibited; PSI supplies an online calculator. Up to 15 minutes of tutorial time before the exam does not count against your three hours, and you can return to any question and change your answer until time runs out.

ContractorPrepHQ offers Oregon exam practice to use alongside the manual: original questions written from the PSI outline and reference, a diagnostic, topic drills with explanations and timed practice exams with a readiness score, for $99 once with lifetime access and a 30-day money-back guarantee. Your eligibility to sit still comes only from finishing the 16-hour course with an approved provider.

After you pass, send the score report with your application, bond, insurance certificate and fee. You have 24 months from the test date to apply.