The Tennessee Contractor License Exam

Register at provexam.com/register or call Prov at (866) 720-7768; the call center runs Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to midnight Eastern. Each exam costs $53, whether it is a first attempt or a retake, paid to Prov at registration. Changes and cancellations must reach Prov at least three business days before the test date, and rescheduling is free if you meet that deadline.

The Full Mechanical Contractor (CMC) and Plumbing Contractor (CMC-A) exams need board pre-approval, requested with a form and a $50 fee. For CMC-A, the bulletin says applicants must show at least three years of plumbing experience or a degree in plumbing or mechanical engineering. Prov cannot tell you which exam you need, and the fee is not refunded if you take the wrong one, so ask the board first.

Prov lists Tennessee testing centers in Chattanooga, Greenville, Memphis, Murfreesboro and Tullahoma, and you can test at Prov sites in other states. Examroom, Prov's remote proctoring service, lets you test at home Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on your own computer with a webcam, a microphone, Chrome or Edge, and the ProvLock lockdown extension installed.

The Tennessee Contractor Business and Law exam, for new licensees, has 50 questions and a 2.5-hour limit. It covers running a construction business and the legal requirements for doing so in Tennessee. The item counts are:

Most full trade exams run 100 questions in 5 hours, including the combined BC, Residential BC-A, Electrical CE, Full Mechanical CMC and HVAC/Refrigeration CMC-C exams. The BC-A exam covers one- to four-family dwellings not exceeding three stories, and its largest areas are Carpentry (15), Estimating and Plan Reading (13), Concrete (10) and Roofing, Siding and Insulation (10). The High Voltage Electrical exam (CE-A,H) is 70 questions in 3.5 hours, and the NASCLA Commercial Building Contractor exam is 115 questions in 5 hours.

Applicants whose classification needs no trade exam still take Business and Law; Prov lists that option as Tennessee Contractor, Business and Law Only.

Every exam is open book. You may bring any older or newer version of a listed reference, but scoring follows the version the bulletin names. Prepare books only by highlighting and adding permanent tabs. Handwritten notes must be erased, and movable tabs, Post-it notes, added photocopies and photocopied books are not allowed. Study guides and practice exams are not approved references. Through January 1, 2027, the alternate book list at the end of the bulletin lets you use references carried over from the former vendor.

Bring a current government-issued photo ID; you will sign a log and be photographed. Only simple four-function calculators are allowed, and the test has one built in. Watch the break rule: the timer keeps running, and every question shown before a break is frozen, so finish your current questions before you step away. When sources conflict, statutes, rules and adopted codes outrank other references, Tennessee law outranks national codes, and the approved references outrank everything else.

Tennessee's passing standard is 73 percent, higher than the 70 percent common in neighboring states. Exams are scored immediately, results go out by email, and test-center candidates also get a printed report. A failing report shows the content areas needing work. Prov sends official scores to the board, but you still include your score report with the license application.

Retakes are unlimited with no waiting period, at $53 each, and you may register for the next available date once the score is processed. A passing candidate may not retake the exam unless the board directs it. A review of missed questions is available only after failing at least twice and scoring within 10 points of 73 percent, and costs $53. A hand-score request costs $25 and must reach Prov within 90 days of the exam.

Start with the outline counts and the listed editions. For Business and Law, estimating and contracts together make up 13 of 50 items, and the Tennessee NASCLA guide is the only listed reference, so learn where its licensing, lien and tax chapters sit. For trade exams, practice looking up code sections in the exact editions named, since Prov scores against those.

Be careful when choosing an exam prep course. The board licenses course providers and says applicants who want a preparation course must take it from a board-licensed provider on its list, so verify a provider's license before paying. Prov also sells reference books through its online bookstore, and the bulletin's six sample questions, which range from employee notice rules and cash-basis accounting to drywall nail spacing and plumbing vents, show the style to expect.

Keep the end goal in view. The bulletin stresses that passing an exam does not grant a Tennessee license; the board still reviews your application, financial statement, insurance and references. Since the board treats exam results as typically valid for two years, it makes sense to line up the CPA statement and reference letter while you study rather than after you pass.