The 1 Package: All-Inclusive Mississippi Underground Utilities Contractor Exam, Licensing & Business Setup Solution

Prepare for the Mississippi Underground Utilities contractor licensing process with one coordinated solution that combines exam preparation, professionally highlighted and permanently tabbed rental books, licensing application support, and essential business setup services. The 1 Package is designed for contractors and qualifying individuals who want an organized path from technical study through application preparation and professional business formation.

This all-inclusive package supports preparation for the Mississippi Underground Utilities trade examination and the Mississippi Law and Business Management examination. It includes references covering OSHA construction safety, ductile iron pipe, concrete pipe and box culvert installation, excavation, Mississippi underground utility regulations, gas transmission and distribution piping, pipe welding, and contractor business management.

Every included rental book is professionally highlighted and permanently tabbed. The highlighting directs attention to useful safety requirements, installation practices, excavation procedures, pipeline standards, welding information, utility-location rules, and contractor business topics. Permanent tabs create visible navigation points that support organized study and more efficient reference use during an authorized open-book examination.

The Mississippi Underground Utilities specialty classification involves water, sewer, and gas pipeline installation, along with excavation, grading, and paving. Its scope also includes directional drilling, auger boring, jacking and boring, trenchless technologies, wet and dry taps, grouting, and slip lining.

Total Rental Cost: $1,995

Refundable Book Deposit: $450

Total Due: $2,445 — All-Inclusive, No Hidden Fees!

The $450 deposit is refundable when the rental books are returned in similar condition within one year. Books should be returned with their covers, pages, bindings, professional highlighting, and permanent tabs intact. Missing pages, removed tabs, unauthorized writing, water damage, or excessive wear may affect the return condition.

Please allow up to 15 business days for The 1 Package book orders.

Exam Details

The Mississippi Underground Utilities contractor examination is administered by PSI after the Mississippi State Board of Contractors establishes the candidate’s eligibility. Applicants must complete the appropriate contractor license application and receive examination authorization before scheduling a testing appointment.

The Underground Utilities examination contains 50 questions. Candidates receive 2 hours to complete the test and must earn a minimum score of 70 percent to pass.

The official examination content outline includes the following subject areas:

• Safety—Code of Federal Regulations: 6 questions involving OSHA construction requirements, excavation safety, protective systems, personal protective equipment, equipment, tools, material handling, and common jobsite hazards.
• General Knowledge: 4 questions addressing underground utility construction methods, pipeline materials, tools, terminology, field practices, project coordination, and related trade knowledge.
• Concrete Pipe Installation: 9 questions covering concrete pipe and box culvert handling, foundations, bedding, placement, joining, alignment, backfilling, compaction, inspection, and installation practices.
• Ductile Iron Pipe Installation: 9 questions involving unloading, storage, trench preparation, bedding, joining, fittings, restraints, testing, backfilling, and recommended installation procedures.
• Excavating and Grading: 7 questions addressing soils, trenches, slopes, shoring, excavation equipment, elevations, grading, dewatering, backfill, compaction, and safe operations.
• Welding: 4 questions involving pipe preparation, joint alignment, welding positions, electrodes, root passes, filler passes, finishing procedures, and safe welding practices.
• Underground Utilities—Gas: 8 questions covering gas transmission and distribution piping, materials, joining, construction, testing, inspection, operation, and safety requirements.
• Mississippi One-Call: 3 questions addressing excavation notices, utility-location responsibilities, marking, damage prevention, and requirements for work near underground utility facilities.

Concrete pipe and ductile iron pipe installation together account for 18 of the exam’s 50 questions. Gas utility work, excavation, and OSHA safety also represent significant portions of the examination. Candidates should prepare across the complete outline rather than relying on experience in only one type of pipeline construction.

The examination may include questions developed from the listed references as well as questions based on trade knowledge and general industry practices. Candidates should understand construction procedures and safety principles instead of depending entirely on locating every answer in a book.

Mississippi contractor applicants are also assigned the Law and Business Management examination as required by the Board. The included NASCLA Mississippi guide and course preparation support that separate part of the contractor licensing process.

Open Book Test

The Mississippi Underground Utilities contractor examination is an open-book test. Candidates may bring the authorized references into the examination center, subject to PSI’s current rules for approved materials.

References may be highlighted, underlined, and indexed before the examination. Permanent tabs are permitted. Temporary tabs, removable notes, loose papers, and unauthorized attached materials are not allowed. Candidates may not write in the books during the examination session.

The rental books included with The 1 Package arrive professionally highlighted and permanently tabbed. This preparation helps organize a multi-book reference set covering OSHA safety, ductile iron pipe, concrete pipe, excavation, Mississippi utility-location rules, gas piping, pipe welding, and contractor business management.

Open-book testing still requires technical preparation and effective time management. With 50 questions and two hours, candidates have an average of approximately two minutes and twenty-four seconds for each question. Searching randomly through eight books can consume valuable examination time.

Candidates should practice identifying the subject before opening a reference. A trench-safety question may require 29 CFR Part 1926. A question involving bedding, joints, or backfill for ductile iron pipe may lead to the DIPRA guide. Concrete pipe and box culvert questions may require the American Concrete Pipe Association installation reference.

Questions involving excavation methods, equipment, grading, production, or estimating may lead to Pipe and Excavation Contracting. Gas-pipeline questions may require ASME B31.8, while welding questions may lead to Pipe Welding Procedures. Mississippi excavation-notification questions may require Chapter 13.

Use the permanent tabs together with each book’s table of contents, index, section headings, diagrams, tables, and technical terminology. Repeated navigation practice can help candidates recognize the correct reference and locate information more efficiently.

Licensing Steps

1. Review the Underground Utilities classification. Confirm that it matches the water, sewer, gas pipeline, excavation, grading, paving, boring, trenchless, tapping, grouting, and slip-lining work the business intends to perform.
2. Select the appropriate application. Complete the Mississippi contractor application that applies to the planned work and business structure.
3. Designate the qualifying individual. Identify the person who will complete the examinations assigned to the contractor applicant.
4. Gather supporting documentation. Prepare the business, ownership, qualifying-party, experience, insurance, and other materials required by the Mississippi State Board of Contractors.
5. Submit the application. Send the completed application and required supporting documents to the Board for review.
6. Respond to application requests. Provide missing documents, corrections, explanations, or additional information requested during the review process.
7. Receive examination eligibility. The Board determines which examinations apply and sends the qualifying individual’s eligibility information to PSI.
8. Receive PSI confirmation. Wait for the eligibility notice and scheduling instructions before registering for an examination appointment.
9. Prepare with the course and rental books. Use the one-year course access, highlighted references, permanent tabs, and practice-oriented study materials to review the assigned subjects.
10. Take the required examinations. Bring acceptable identification and the authorized references while following PSI’s testing-center procedures.
11. Complete the remaining licensing requirements. Passing the examinations is one part of the process. The Board must approve the complete application before issuing a license.
12. Establish the business entity. Use the included service to form an LLC or corporation for the contracting business.
13. Obtain the EIN. Use the included EIN filing service to obtain the company’s federal tax identification number.

State Requirements

The Mississippi State Board of Contractors regulates commercial contractors, residential contractors, roofers, and specialty classifications. Underground Utilities is a tested specialty classification under heavy construction.

The classification involves water, sewer, and gas pipeline installation, along with excavation, grading, and paving. Its scope also includes directional drilling, auger boring, jacking and boring, trenchless technologies, wet and dry taps, grouting, and slip lining.

Applicants must submit the appropriate contractor license application before testing. The Board reviews the requested classification, business information, qualifying-party details, experience, insurance, and supporting documentation before establishing examination eligibility.

Each contractor applicant must designate a qualifying individual. The qualifying individual completes the examinations assigned to the company and must maintain the relationship with the licensed business required by the Board. Documentation may be required to establish ownership, officer status, employment, or another accepted relationship.

PSI administers the examinations, but the Mississippi State Board of Contractors retains authority over applicant eligibility, classification approval, examination assignments, qualifications, and license issuance.

Passing the Underground Utilities examination does not independently issue a contractor license. Applicants must satisfy all applicable application, business, qualifying-party, experience, insurance, examination, and Board-review requirements.

After licensing, contractors must work within the scope of the classification issued by the Board and maintain current business and qualifying-party information. Underground work may also require compliance with utility-owner standards, project specifications, excavation-notification laws, safety regulations, and local permitting requirements.

Reference Books

• Included Rental Book: NASCLA Contractor’s Guide to Business, Law and Project Management, Mississippi, 6th Edition
  This Mississippi-specific guide supports preparation for the Law and Business Management examination. It addresses business organization, licensing, contracts, project management, financial practices, employment responsibilities, risk management, safety, and contractor operations.
• Included Rental Book: Code of Federal Regulations—29 CFR Part 1926 (OSHA), with Latest Available Amendments
  This federal construction-safety reference covers excavation, trench protection, personal protective equipment, tools, ladders, equipment, material handling, cranes, rigging, welding, and other jobsite requirements relevant to underground utility work.
• Included Rental Book: DIPRA Installation Guide for Ductile Iron Pipe, 2024
  This Ductile Iron Pipe Research Association guide addresses unloading, storage, trench preparation, bedding, pipe placement, joints, fittings, restraints, backfilling, testing, inspection, and recommended ductile iron pipe installation practices.
• Included Rental Book: Concrete Pipe and Box Culvert Installation, 2019
  This installation guide covers concrete pipe and box culvert handling, foundations, bedding, placement, joints, alignment, lift holes, backfilling, compaction, inspection, and construction practices.
• Included Rental Book: Pipe and Excavation Contracting, Dave Roberts, 2011
  This field-oriented reference covers excavation planning, equipment, trenching, grading, pipe installation, production, estimating, jobsite organization, backfill, compaction, dewatering, and practical underground construction methods.
• Included Rental Book: State of Mississippi Regulation of Excavation, Chapter 13—Regulation of Excavations Near Underground Utility Facilities
  This Mississippi regulation addresses excavation notices, utility-location responsibilities, marking, damage prevention, emergency work, excavator duties, operator responsibilities, and work near underground utility facilities.
• Included Rental Book: ASME Code for Pressure Piping—B31.8 Gas Transmission and Distribution Piping Systems, 2018
  This code addresses materials, design, construction, welding, assembly, inspection, testing, operation, and maintenance requirements for gas transmission and distribution piping systems.
• Included Rental Book: Pipe Welding Procedures, 2003
  This specialized welding reference covers pipe preparation, alignment, joint design, welding positions, electrodes, root passes, filler passes, cover passes, technique, troubleshooting, and procedures used to produce sound pipe welds.

Every included rental book is professionally highlighted and permanently tabbed. The books must be returned in similar condition within one year for the $450 deposit to be refunded.

Exam Room Approved Books

The following highlighted and permanently tabbed technical references are included for the Mississippi Underground Utilities trade examination:

• Code of Federal Regulations—29 CFR Part 1926 (OSHA), with Latest Available Amendments
• DIPRA Installation Guide for Ductile Iron Pipe, 2024
• Concrete Pipe and Box Culvert Installation, 2019
• Pipe and Excavation Contracting, Dave Roberts, 2011
• State of Mississippi Regulation of Excavation, Chapter 13
• ASME B31.8 Gas Transmission and Distribution Piping Systems, 2018
• Pipe Welding Procedures, 2003

The NASCLA Contractor’s Guide to Business, Law and Project Management, Mississippi, 6th Edition is included for the Mississippi Law and Business Management examination.

Candidates should bring only the books authorized for the examination scheduled that day. References may be inspected before testing begins. Loose papers, removable notes, temporary tabs, and unauthorized inserts are not permitted.

Test Information and Study Materials

Build your preparation around the eight official content areas. Give substantial attention to ductile iron pipe and concrete pipe installation, which together represent the largest portion of the trade exam.

Use the DIPRA guide to review trench preparation, bedding, handling, joining, fittings, restraints, testing, and backfill. Use the concrete pipe guide to study foundations, placement, alignment, joints, box culverts, compaction, and inspection.

Use 29 CFR Part 1926 to study trench safety, protective systems, access and egress, spoil placement, equipment hazards, personal protective equipment, material handling, and welding safety. Connect the regulations to practical underground utility operations.

Use Pipe and Excavation Contracting for excavation methods, equipment selection, grading, production, dewatering, pipe installation, backfilling, and compaction. Use Chapter 13 to review Mississippi excavation-notification and utility-location responsibilities.

Use ASME B31.8 to prepare for gas transmission and distribution piping questions. Use Pipe Welding Procedures to review pipe preparation, alignment, positions, passes, electrodes, welding variables, and common procedural problems.

Complete practice questions under timed conditions. Identify the subject before selecting a book, and review missed questions to determine whether the difficulty involved technical knowledge, code interpretation, reference selection, or time management.

How 1 Exam Prep Helps You Reach Your Goal

1 Exam Prep supports Mississippi Underground Utilities candidates through organized study guidance, trade-focused review, practice-oriented preparation, and reference-navigation training. The package combines exam resources, licensing support, and business setup services in one coordinated solution.

The professionally highlighted and permanently tabbed books reduce the setup work normally required before open-book study begins. Candidates can start preparing with visible navigation points for OSHA safety, ductile iron pipe, concrete pipe, excavation, Mississippi One-Call requirements, gas piping, welding, and contractor business law.

The one-year course structure helps divide the material into manageable areas and provides time to revisit difficult topics. Practice-oriented preparation helps candidates apply technical information, interpret requirements, and build an effective open-book testing strategy.

Application Service helps organize the Mississippi contractor licensing paperwork process. Business formation assistance, EIN filing, and contractor compliance guidance connect exam preparation with the administrative steps involved in establishing a professional underground utilities contracting business.

No course or package guarantees a passing examination score, licensing approval, or business outcome. The 1 Package provides organized preparation, professionally prepared rental references, application support, and business services designed around the Mississippi Underground Utilities licensing process.

FAQ Section

What is included in The 1 Package?

The package includes eight highlighted and permanently tabbed rental books, one year of course access, trade and business-law preparation, Application Service, LLC or corporation formation assistance, EIN filing, and contractor compliance guidance.

What is the total rental cost?

The rental package costs $1,995. A $450 refundable book deposit brings the total due to $2,445.

How does the refundable deposit work?

The $450 deposit is refundable when the rental books are returned in similar condition within one year.

Are the books highlighted and tabbed?

Yes. Every included rental book is professionally highlighted and permanently tabbed for organized study and efficient open-book navigation.

How long will the book order take?

Please allow up to 15 business days for The 1 Package book orders.

How long is the course available?

The package includes 1 year of course access.

Is the Underground Utilities exam open book?

Yes. Candidates may use authorized references during the examination, subject to PSI’s current testing-center rules.

How many questions are on the examination?

The examination contains 50 questions. Candidates receive two hours and must earn a minimum score of 70 percent.

Does the package include Mississippi business and law preparation?

Yes. The NASCLA Mississippi 6th Edition guide and course access support preparation for the Mississippi Law and Business Management examination.

Is Application Service included?

Yes. Application Service is included to help organize and prepare the Mississippi contractor licensing application.

Does the package include business formation and EIN filing?

Yes. The package includes LLC or corporation formation assistance, EIN filing with the IRS, and contractor compliance guidance.

Does purchasing The 1 Package guarantee a contractor license?

No. Licensing approval is determined by the Mississippi State Board of Contractors. Applicants must satisfy all applicable application, examination, documentation, qualification, and licensing requirements.