Georgia General Contractor licensing requires more than passing NASCLA. General Contractor and Limited Tier applicants must also satisfy Georgia's licensing requirements and the separate Georgia Business & Law examination requirement.
Georgia General Contractor Exam Overview
Georgia uses the NASCLA Accredited Examination for Commercial General Building Contractors as the trade examination for General Contractor and General Contractor Limited Tier licensing paths.
Candidates must also complete the separate Georgia Business & Law examination. That means successful contractor exam prep should treat this as a two-exam licensing process instead of one generic test.
NASCLA Trade Exam: 115 scored questions, 330 minutes and 81 correct answers required.
Georgia Business & Law: 50 questions, 120 minutes and 35 correct answers required.
Format: open-book PSI testing using approved references.
Georgia General Contractor Exam Structure
Prepare for both required components of the Georgia licensing path.
| Exam | Scored Questions | Time | Passing Requirement |
|---|---|---|---|
| NASCLA Commercial General Building | 115 | 330 minutes | 81 correct / approximately 70% |
| Georgia Business & Law | 50 | 120 minutes | 35 correct / 70% |
| Combined Scored Questions | 165 | 450 minutes across separate exams | Each exam must be passed separately |
Licensing Authority
Georgia State Licensing Board for Residential and General Contractors
Trade Exam
NASCLA Accredited Examination for Commercial General Building Contractors
State Exam
Georgia Business & Law
Testing Provider
PSI
NASCLA Exam
115 scored questions | 330 minutes
Business & Law
50 questions | 120 minutes
General Contractor Net Worth
Minimum $150,000 affirmation
Limited Tier Net Worth
Minimum $25,000 affirmation
Limited Tier Contract Limit
Maximum $1,000,000 contract amount
General Liability
Minimum $500,000 per occurrence
What Is on the NASCLA General Contractor Exam?
The NASCLA examination covers commercial construction from project planning and contracts through sitework, structural systems, building envelope, finishes and MEP systems.
Largest category: Procurement and Contracting Requirements with 31 questions.
Second-largest category: General Requirements with 25 questions.
Site Construction: 15 questions.
The remaining questions cover concrete, masonry, metals, wood, thermal and moisture protection, doors and glazing, finishes, mechanical/plumbing systems and electrical systems.
NASCLA Commercial General Building Exam Weighting
Each bar is scaled against the 31-question Procurement and Contracting Requirements category.
Procurement and Contracting Requirements
31 questions
General Requirements
25 questions
Site Construction
15 questions
Concrete
6 questions
Metals
6 questions
Mechanical and Plumbing Systems
6 questions
Wood
5 questions
Thermal and Moisture Protection
5 questions
Finishes
5 questions
Masonry
4 questions
Doors, Windows and Glazing
4 questions
Electrical Systems
3 questions
Georgia Business & Law Exam Weighting
Do not make the mistake of preparing only for the NASCLA trade exam.
Estimating and Bidding
7 questions
Business Organization and Financial Management
7 questions
Project Management and Lien Law
6 questions
Contracts
6 questions
Licensing Requirements
5 questions
Tax Laws
5 questions
Labor Laws
5 questions
Environmental and Safety
5 questions
Risk Management
4 questions
Georgia General Contractor Licensing Requirements
Georgia provides more than one education-and-experience route. Candidates should match their education and construction history to the current Board rules rather than assuming everyone must use the same four-year experience pathway.
General Contractor
- Meet an approved education and experience pathway
- Demonstrate qualifying construction experience
- Minimum $150,000 net worth affirmation
- Minimum $500,000 general liability insurance
- Workers' compensation when required by Georgia law
- Pass NASCLA and Georgia Business & Law requirements
General Contractor Limited Tier
- Meet applicable education and experience requirements
- Minimum $25,000 net worth affirmation
- Minimum $500,000 general liability insurance
- Workers' compensation when required
- Maximum $1,000,000 contract amount
- Pass required contractor examinations
How to Prepare for an Open-Book NASCLA Exam
Open book does not mean easy. The NASCLA reference library is large, and the real skill is knowing which book contains the answer and finding it before the clock becomes your least favorite subcontractor.
Do This
- Organize every approved NASCLA reference
- Use permanent tabs where permitted
- Highlight major formulas and tables
- Learn which book controls each subject
- Practice reference-specific quizzes
- Time every lookup drill
- Complete full 330-minute simulations
Avoid This
- Trying to memorize the entire book library
- Using temporary Post-it-style tabs
- Waiting until exam day to learn the indexes
- Ignoring procurement and contracting
- Studying NASCLA but skipping Business & Law
- Spending ten minutes on one lookup
- Ignoring plans, diagrams and construction documents
Georgia General Contractor Licensing Roadmap
Move from eligibility through NASCLA, Georgia Business & Law and final licensing.
1
Choose your contractor classification
Determine whether unrestricted General Contractor or General Contractor Limited Tier matches your business plans.
2
Verify education and experience
Match your degree, college training and construction experience to one of Georgia's qualifying pathways.
3
Meet financial and insurance requirements
Prepare required net-worth affirmation, liability insurance and workers' compensation documentation.
4
Prepare for the NASCLA trade exam
Study the 12 commercial construction subject areas and build fast open-book navigation skills.
5
Prepare for Georgia Business & Law
Review licensing, estimating, finance, taxes, labor, lien law, contracts, risk and safety.
6
Complete timed practice exams
Practice both examinations under their actual time limits.
7
Complete Georgia licensing
Passing NASCLA alone is not a contractor license. Complete all remaining Georgia Board requirements before contracting.
Six-Week Georgia General Contractor Exam Prep Plan
Week 1
Reference Library
- Organize NASCLA books
- Apply permanent tabs
- Learn indexes
- Take a diagnostic exam
Week 2
Contracts & General Requirements
- Procurement
- Contracts
- General requirements
- Project documents
Week 3
Site & Structure
- Site construction
- Concrete
- Masonry
- Metals and wood
Week 4
Building Systems
- Building envelope
- Doors and glazing
- Finishes
- MEP systems
Week 5
Georgia Business & Law
- Estimating
- Financial management
- Contracts and lien law
- Taxes, labor and safety
Week 6
Timed Simulation
- 330-minute NASCLA practice
- 120-minute Business & Law practice
- Slow-lookup review
- Final reference check
Georgia General Contractor Exam Prep Options
NASCLA Online Exam Prep
Commercial Trade Exam Prep
- 115-question exam blueprint
- Commercial construction topics
- Open-book navigation
- Timed practice strategy
- Reference-library preparation
Georgia Business & Law Prep
State-Specific Contractor Prep
- Licensing requirements
- Estimating and bidding
- Financial management
- Contracts and lien law
- Risk and safety
Complete NASCLA Reference Prep
Book Navigation + Contractor Prep
- Approved reference organization
- Permanent tab preparation
- Construction-reference familiarity
- Find-and-confirm practice
- Full exam workflow
NASCLA Is the Trade Exam, Not the Contractor License
Passing the NASCLA Commercial General Building exam is an important part of the Georgia General Contractor licensing pathway, but it does not automatically create a Georgia contractor license.
· Complete the NASCLA trade examination.
· Pass Georgia Business & Law.
· Meet Georgia education and experience requirements.
· Meet financial and insurance requirements.
· Complete final Board licensing requirements before contracting.
Georgia General Contractor Exam Prep FAQ
Georgia General Contractor Exam Basics
Georgia General Contractor and General Contractor Limited Tier
applicants use the NASCLA Commercial General Building exam for
the trade examination and must also satisfy the Georgia
Business & Law examination requirement.
The current NASCLA Commercial General Building exam contains
115 scored questions. Current testing information also
identifies unscored pretest questions.
Candidates receive 330 minutes, or five and one-half hours.
Candidates need at least 81 correct answers out of
115 scored questions.
The Georgia Business & Law exam contains 50 questions.
Candidates receive 120 minutes.
Candidates need 35 correct answers out of 50,
which is 70 percent.
Open-Book Exam Prep
Yes. The NASCLA Commercial General Building exam is open book,
but only approved references that meet PSI rules may be used.
Yes. Effective exam prep should include learning the approved
reference layout so you can locate answers quickly.
Current PSI rules permit permanent tabs in approved references.
Temporary Post-it-style tabs are not permitted.
Procurement and Contracting Requirements is the largest
current category with 31 scored questions.
General Requirements accounts for 25 scored questions.
Georgia Licensing Requirements
Georgia has multiple education-and-experience pathways.
One route uses at least four years of qualifying construction
experience. Certain construction-related degree holders may
qualify through a degree plus required practical experience.
The unrestricted Georgia General Contractor classification
requires affirmation of at least $150,000 in net worth.
General Contractor Limited Tier applicants must affirm
at least $25,000 in net worth.
The current Limited Tier classification limits individual
contract amounts to no more than $1,000,000.
Georgia currently requires at least $500,000
in general liability insurance per occurrence.
No. NASCLA satisfies the trade-examination component.
You must still meet Georgia licensing, Business & Law,
experience, financial, insurance and application requirements.
Board-approved candidates are currently allowed three exam
sittings within a one-year period. Candidates who do not pass
within those sittings must follow Georgia's reapplication rules.
Georgia General Contractor NASCLA Exam Prep Video
Prepare for the Georgia General Contractor Exams
Build NASCLA reference-navigation speed, commercial construction knowledge, estimating ability, Business & Law understanding, contract knowledge and timed testing endurance for the Georgia General Contractor licensing process.
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