West Virginia Contractor Licensing Exams with Prov

The Act exam has 90 questions and a three-hour limit. Its content is entirely West Virginia law, split by source:

The bulletin lists the West Virginia Contractor Licensing Act Study Guide, sold through the Prov bookstore, as the source of every Act exam question. If you already own the West Virginia Business and Law Study Guide, 6th edition, the bulletin says you may use it instead because it contains the same statutes and rules.

Reading the four sources side by side pays off. The written-contract rule and the cure statute together account for 43 of the 90 questions, so know what a written contract for services must contain and the notice steps and deadlines before a defect lawsuit, not only licensing thresholds.

Chapter 21, Article 11A applies to residential improvements and to a contractor licensed under Article 42 who contracted directly with the homeowner. When the contract is signed, the contractor must give the owner a conspicuous notice, which can sit inside the contract, explaining the contractor's right to offer to cure construction defects before the owner sues. The statute prints the wording to use in substantially that form.

That notice tells the homeowner to deliver written notice of the alleged defects at least ninety days before filing suit, and that the owner need not accept any offer to repair or pay. Article 11A also defines what counts as a construction defect, including code violations at the time of construction and failure to supervise subcontractors, and it counts time in calendar days. Expect questions that test those definitions and deadlines, not just the notice itself.

Each tested classification has its own exam and reference list, with the share of questions drawn from each book printed in the bulletin. A few examples:

Every exam is open book, though Prov does not require you to bring the references. Only the books listed in the bulletin are allowed, and older editions accepted by the previous vendor before September 2024 are refused at the door.

You may highlight and attach permanent tabs. Handwritten notes must be erased first, and removable tabs, sticky notes, inserted photocopies and photocopied books are all prohibited. Plan your tabs around the outline so you can find answers quickly; three hours goes fast when you are looking things up.

Register at provexam.com/scheduler: choose self registration, select West Virginia Contractor Licensing as the certifying body, pick your license, then choose a date, time and site and pay. Phone scheduling runs 8 a.m. to midnight Eastern, Monday through Friday, at 866-720-7768.

Every exam costs $59.95, whether it is a first attempt or a retake. Prov has West Virginia centers in Charleston, Martinsburg, Morgantown and Wheeling, accepts candidates at its centers across the country, and offers at-home testing through the Examroom remote proctoring service on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. To change or cancel without losing the fee, contact Prov at least three business days before the test.

Doors open at least 15 minutes early, and a candidate who arrives after the session has started is turned away and forfeits the fee. Bring a current government photo ID such as a driver's license, passport or military ID; you will also sign a log and be photographed.

All exams are graded against a 70 percent cut score. You get your result at the test site, at no charge, and Prov reports it to the state automatically.

There is no waiting period after a failure: you can book the next available session, as many times as needed, at the same fee. You cannot retake an exam you have passed unless the state requires it. After failing the same exam at least twice with a score within 10 points of 70 percent, you may pay for a 90-minute review that shows the questions you missed and your answers, under exam security rules.

Prov sells practice exams in its bookstore, and the bulletin's outlines tell you exactly how many questions come from each source. ContractorPrepHQ is another option for practice: original questions written from the bulletin's outlines and listed references, a diagnostic, drills with explanations and timed exams with a readiness score. Contractor Licensing Act prep is $99; trade prep is $149 and includes the Act prep, with a one-time price, lifetime access and a 30-day money-back guarantee. Whatever you use, work with the actual statute and rule text you will have in the room.