ContractorPrepHQ

The South Carolina Contractor License Exam

Updated 2026-09-28

South Carolina's commercial contractor exams are given by PSI Services for the Contractor's Licensing Board. Nearly every general and mechanical contractor candidate passes the Business Management and Law for Commercial Contractors exam plus a technical exam for the license classification. This guide comes from the PSI Commercial Contractor Candidate Information Bulletin (updated August 27, 2026), the LLR licensure page and Title 40, Chapter 11 of the state code.

Unlike most states, South Carolina requires no board pre-approval to schedule. You book directly with PSI, pass, and then apply to the board with your pass sheets. Qualifying parties document their 2 years of experience on an affidavit filed with the license application after the exams, not before.

Scheduling with PSI

Register at test-takers.psiexams.com/sccon, which is open 24 hours, or call PSI; the bulletin lists (855) 340-3701, with registrars available weekdays 7:30 am to 10:00 pm and weekends 9:00 am to 5:30 pm, Eastern Time. You may not schedule more than 6 hours of testing in one day, which matters if you hope to take the law exam and a long technical exam together.

South Carolina test sites include Greenville, Columbia, North Charleston, Beaufort and Myrtle Beach, plus Charlotte, North Carolina. Cancel at least 2 days ahead to keep your fee; a missed appointment, late arrival or missing ID forfeits it.

Business Management and Law outline

The law exam has 50 questions, requires 35 correct and allows 125 minutes. The fee is $78. Its outline, listed below, is weighted toward contracts and estimating.

The single listed reference is the NASCLA Contractors Guide to Business, Law and Project Management, South Carolina Commercial Contractors, 9th Edition. Questions on South Carolina licensing rules, group limits and qualifying parties come from its state chapters and from the Contractors' Licensing Act. Section 40-11-230 requires a grade of 70 percent or better on this exam of South Carolina contracting law before anyone can be certified as a qualifying party.

  • Contracts and Agreements 12; Estimating and Bidding 10; Financial Management 7.
  • Project Management 5; Labor Laws and Employment Regulations 3; Tax Laws 3; Liens 3.
  • Business Management 2; Insurance and Bonding 2; Environmental Laws and Regulations 2; Safety Recordkeeping and Reporting 1.

Technical exam sizes and fees

Technical exams vary widely. Some common ones from the bulletin:

  • Air Conditioning: 80 questions, 56 correct, 4 hours, $64.
  • Plumber: 80 questions, 56 correct, 4 hours, $78.
  • Electrician: 80 questions, 56 correct, 5 hours, $78.
  • (Limited) Building Contractor: 80 questions, 56 correct, 5 hours, $78.
  • National Commercial Building Contractor exam (NASCLA): 115 questions, 81 correct, 330 minutes, $110.
  • Concrete and Roofing: 3 hours, $78 each; Grading: 40 questions, 28 correct, 2 hours, $64.
  • Non-Structural Renovation: 60 questions, 42 correct, 150 minutes, $64.

Alarm contractors follow a different track

Burglar and fire alarm candidates do not take the business exam. They pass a 20-question Alarm Code of Laws exam (14 correct, 1 hour, $60) plus the technical alarm exam, and PSI lets them test as often as they want. They also need the National Training School Level I course, and fire alarm candidates may submit NICET Level II certification instead.

Retake limits

Section 40-11-230 limits a candidate to two attempts at an exam in a classification in any 12-month period, and after that to one attempt every six months. The PSI bulletin applies that limit to the technical exams and says the Business Management and Law exam may be taken on an unlimited basis over 12 months. A registration confirmation is valid for one year or until you have failed a classification twice in the period. Department policy also bars anyone who passes an exam from taking the same exam again.

A failing candidate gets a diagnostic report by content area. There is no post-exam review; comments typed during the exam are the only channel PSI offers, and PSI does not answer them individually.

Open-book rules

The exams are open book, and PSI does not provide references at the site. Proctors inspect every book before and after the exam. Only permanent tabs are allowed, defined as tabs that would tear the page if removed; Post-it notes and tabs with paper inserts come out before you start. A ruler or scale is not needed.

The bulletin sets an order of authority for conflicting sources. A code, law or regulation overrides other references, a state-specific law overrides a national one, and information in the listed references overrides other sources. Technical exams in the mechanical and building trades cite the 2021 International codes with South Carolina modifications, or the 2018 South Carolina codes, along with OSHA's 29 CFR 1926.

Exam day

Arrive 30 minutes early with one valid, signature-bearing government ID that matches your registered legal first and last name. Calculators must be silent, battery operated, non-programmable and without paper tape or an alphabet keyboard. Up to ten unscored experimental questions may appear, and they count against your time. You get your score on screen and a printed result report at the site, which you will need for the board application.

Preparing

Work from the outline weights. On the law exam, contracts and estimating together make up 22 of 50 items, so learn those NASCLA chapters well. On the technical side, practice locating code sections quickly in the editions the bulletin names, not the ones on your truck. Plan the day as well: with a 6-hour daily cap, a 125-minute law exam and a 4-hour Air Conditioning exam fit together, but the law exam and a 5-hour Electrician or Limited Building exam do not.

ContractorPrepHQ provides original practice questions written from the PSI outlines and references, a diagnostic, topic drills with explanations and timed practice exams with a readiness score. South Carolina Business Management and Law prep costs $99; trade prep costs $149 and bundles the law prep. You buy once, keep lifetime access and have 30 days to ask for your money back.

Common questions

How many questions are on the South Carolina Business Management and Law exam?
Fifty, with 35 correct needed to pass and 125 minutes allowed. The PSI fee is $78.
Do I need board approval before taking the South Carolina exams?
No. LLR says there is no pre-approval to schedule PSI exams. You pass the exams first and then apply to the board with your pass sheets.
How often can I retake a failed technical exam?
Twice in any 12-month period, then once every six months, under s. 40-11-230. The PSI bulletin treats the Business Management and Law exam as unlimited over 12 months.
What calculator can I bring?
A silent, battery-operated, non-programmable calculator without paper tape printing or an alphabet keyboard.

Keep reading

Sources

General information, not legal advice. Confirm current requirements, fees and forms with the state licensing board.