Passing score · Question count · Exam rules

What score do you need to pass the CSLB exam, and how many questions are on it?

Checked 20 October 2026 against CSLB's Examinations FAQ, its study guides 13E-LAW and 13E-B (03-2026), Get Licensed to Build, its 2023 Sunset Review Report and September 2026 Board packet, and PSI's candidate bulletins · Written by the License Ladder team · Reviewed by AJ Sokol, Co-Founder

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CSLB doesn't publish a passing score, and its exam guides give no question count. Its Get Licensed to Build guide says the percentage needed to pass “varies for each exam,” and none of the nine CSLB and PSI documents we checked on October 20, 2026 states a question count. CSLB does publish this: the Law and Business and trade exams are multiple choice, closed book and 3½ hours each, in person at PSI, with unscored “pretest” questions.

Get Law & Business · $99$99 Try License Ladder for Free Try License Ladder for Free How many questions?
NonePassing scores or question counts in CSLB's exam guides
3½ hrsFor each exam, plus PSI's tutorial of up to 15 minutes
21 daysBetween attempts, with no limit on the number of attempts
18 monthsTo pass, counted from the day CSLB accepts your application

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The pass mark

What score do you need to pass the CSLB exam?

CSLB does not publish a passing score. Its Get Licensed to Build guide says the percentage needed to pass “varies for each exam.” A passing report only tells you that you passed; a failing report shows your score and how many questions you got right.

Why the number changes from exam to exam

CSLB sets the pass mark when it builds each exam's question bank. Its September 2026 Board packet says workshops with subject matter experts write and review the questions and “determine the passing score.”

A 2020 fee study by CPS HR Consulting, which CSLB attached to its 2023 Sunset Review Report, spells out the step: exam staff “set pass point for newly updated item bank” in a workshop with subject matter experts, then analyze the results statistically “to set the final pass point for the bank.”

Law and Business is being rebuilt

The current Law and Business outline covers exams scheduled on or after December 1, 2021. As of July 31, 2026, CSLB listed Law and Business in item bank development, the phase where new questions are written and the passing score is set. CSLB's packet gives no release date for the new exam.

How to get your exam's number

Ask CSLB. Its Get Licensed to Build guide says “the applicant can inquire with CSLB regarding the percentage needed to pass the exam.” PSI's bulletin sends questions about exam content to CSLB, and CSLB says exam results are confidential and never given over the telephone.

What a CSLB score report shows (checked 20 October 2026)
On the reportIf you passIf you fail
When you get itPrinted, before you leave the PSI test centerPrinted, before you leave the PSI test center
Your overall scoreNot shownShown, with the number of questions you answered correctly
Each sectionNot shownHow many questions you answered correctly and incorrectly in each section
The questions and answer keyNot available for reviewNot available for review
What comes nextA Bond and Fee letter from CSLB in the mail; the report is not a licenseA retake after 21 calendar days, inside your 18-month window

A percentage you see on another website did not come from CSLB's exam guides. As of 20 October 2026, no fixed percentage appears in CSLB's study guides, its Examinations FAQ, Get Licensed to Build or PSI's candidate bulletins. Why the figures online disagree: how hard the CSLB exam is.

Sources: CSLB, Get Licensed to Build (2025 edition, licensing examinations); CSLB, Examinations FAQ; CSLB, Board packet, September 2026 (examination development); CSLB, 2023 Sunset Review Report (2020 fee study, exam development tasks); CSLB, Law and Business study guide 13E-LAW (03-2026); PSI, Law and Business candidate bulletin. Checked 20 October 2026.

The question count

How many questions are on the CSLB Law and Business exam?

CSLB's exam guides don't say how many questions are on each exam, Law and Business included. They give each exam's sections and approximate weights instead, and CSLB gives you 3½ hours per exam. None of the nine CSLB and PSI documents we checked on 20 October 2026 states a count.

Where we looked for a question count on 20 October 2026, and what each source says instead
SourceCount given?What it says instead
CSLB, Examinations FAQNo“All exams are taken on a computer and consist of multiple-choice questions.”
CSLB, Law and Business study guide, 13E-LAW (03-2026)NoSeven sections with approximate weights, and “Plenty of time is provided to answer all examination questions.”
CSLB, General Building study guide, 13E-B (03-2026)NoFive sections with approximate weights
CSLB, C-20 HVAC study guide, 13E-20 (01-2026)NoFour sections, for exams scheduled on or after April 1, 2026
CSLB, Get Licensed to Build (2025 edition)No3½ hours per exam; the percentage needed to pass “varies for each exam”
CSLB, Preparing for the Exam, 13P-104 (03/2026)No“All exams are multiple choice.” Some questions may refer to a diagram or drawing.
PSI, Law and Business candidate bulletinNoOne question on the screen at a time, with the minutes remaining at the top
PSI, General Building (B) candidate bulletinNoFour choices per question, written to have one BEST answer
PSI, Electrical (C-10) candidate bulletinNoThe same test strategy: no penalty for guessing, plenty of time

Not every question counts

CSLB's 2023 Sunset Review Report says each exam contains “pretest” questions that CSLB is trying out for future exams. “These questions are not included in the final score.” CSLB uses them to catch questions that are too confusing before they ever count.

So even the number of questions on your screen is not the number that is scored. CSLB does not say how many pretest questions an exam has. There is no penalty for guessing, so answer every question.

Your set of questions may not match the next candidate's, either. CSLB's September 2026 Board packet says each exam's outline “serves as a blueprint for constructing examination versions/forms,” and the 2020 fee study that CSLB attached to its 2023 Sunset Review Report lists creating “new exam versions/forms as needed” among exam staff tasks. What stays the same is the outline: for Law and Business, seven sections, from Contract Requirements and Execution at 21% to Public Works at 5%. All seven sections and their weights.

Sources: the nine documents in the table, each read in full on 20 October 2026; CSLB, 2023 Sunset Review Report (pretest questions; 2020 fee study); CSLB, Board packet, September 2026 (exam versions). Checked 20 October 2026.

Open book?

Is the CSLB exam open book, and is a calculator provided?

No books, but you get a calculator. CSLB's study guides call each exam “a closed-book examination.” They say “no reference materials may be used” and “a calculator will be provided.” You can't bring your own calculator. CSLB lists calculators, notes and textbooks among the items you can't take into the testing room.

Four choices, one best answer

Every Law and Business and trade exam question is multiple choice with four choices, “written to provide only one BEST answer.” Some questions require math, and some may refer to a diagram or drawing. Pencils, scratch paper, calculators and scale rulers are provided at the test center on request.

No penalty for guessing

CSLB's guides say there is no penalty for guessing, and that if you are unsure, “it is better to answer the question than to leave the question blank.” PSI's bulletins say the same.

What you see on the screen

PSI shows one question at a time, with the minutes remaining at the top of the screen. Its tutorial, up to 15 minutes, does not count against your 3½ hours, and it ends with sample questions to practice on. If a proctor calls you out to the lobby, PSI suspends the exam and keeps your remaining time.

You can comment on a question

CSLB's Get Licensed to Build guide says you “may type a comment about a question during the exam at any time before it is scored.” After the exam, you can email exams@cslb.ca.gov for an Examination Appeals Form; CSLB says it replies by mail in two to four weeks.

Bring nothing to study from: notes, reading materials, textbooks and personal calculators stay out of the testing room. ID rules, check-in and the full list: CSLB exam day at PSI.

Sources: CSLB study guides 13E-LAW and 13E-B (03-2026); CSLB, Examinations FAQ; CSLB, My Original Exam Application was Accepted; CSLB, Get Licensed to Build; PSI, Law and Business candidate bulletin. Checked 20 October 2026.

Where you test

Can you take the CSLB exam online?

No. CSLB's Examinations FAQ says your qualifying exam “must be taken in person” at a PSI location. That means one of 20 test centers in California or the one in Wilsonville, Oregon, where you test on a computer. Law and Business is also given at PSI sites in other states. General Building (B) and Electrical (C-10) are not.

Where each CSLB exam is given (checked 20 October 2026)
ExamIn CaliforniaOutside California
Law and Business20 PSI test centers22 PSI sites in other states, Wilsonville, Oregon included
General Building (B)20 PSI test centersWilsonville, Oregon only
Electrical (C-10)20 PSI test centersWilsonville, Oregon only
Other trade exams20 PSI test centersSome also at PSI sites in other states; check your trade's PSI bulletin

CSLB's own pages disagree here. Its Examinations FAQ still says all trade exams must be completed in California or Oregon, while its 2026 Preparing for the Exam handout says “a few trade exams” are available in other states. CSLB's September 2026 Board packet says 8 trade exams were offered nationwide as of May 1, 2026, and PSI's candidate bulletins, checked 20 October 2026, list out-of-state sites for a partly different set of trades. Check your trade's PSI bulletin before you book. CSLB says PSI's centers test from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday, except on major holidays. Testing from another state: licensing from outside California.

Online is where you practice. Try the free Law and Business practice test or the free General Building practice test, or take the free CSLB practice test.

Sources: CSLB, Examinations FAQ; CSLB, Preparing for the Exam, 13P-104 (03/2026); PSI candidate bulletins for Law and Business, General Building (B) and Electrical (C-10); CSLB, Board packet, September 2026 (trade exams offered nationwide). Checked 20 October 2026.

Retakes

How many times can you take the CSLB exam?

As many times as you need, within 18 months of CSLB accepting your application. CSLB's 2026 Preparing for the Exam handout says you may take the exam “an unlimited number of times.” You wait 21 calendar days between attempts. Each attempt is a new $51.43 registration with PSI (October 2026). After 18 months, the application is void and you apply again with new fees.

  1. 1

    Read your failing report

    It shows your overall score, the number of questions you answered correctly and how you did in each section. The questions themselves are not available for review.

  2. 2

    Wait 21 calendar days

    You can retake the exam after 21 calendar days, as long as you are not past your 18-month void date.

  3. 3

    Pay PSI and book again

    Each attempt is its own registration: $51.43 to PSI as of October 2026, first attempt or retake. You book it through your PSI account or by phone.

  4. 4

    Watch the last three weeks

    If you test within three weeks of your void date, that attempt is your last on that application.

  5. 5

    Keep the exam you passed

    Passed one exam and failed the other? CSLB says results are good for five years, so you retake only the one you failed.

Unlimited attempts add up. CSLB's 2023 Sunset Review Report says “there is not a limit on how many times an examination can be taken.” In fiscal year 2022/23, 44% of the candidates who failed were on a second or later attempt, and some had failed eight attempts. That year, 37% of retake attempts passed. The rules for a retake: retaking the CSLB exam.

Sources: CSLB, Preparing for the Exam, 13P-104 (03/2026); CSLB, Examinations FAQ; PSI, Law and Business candidate bulletin; CSLB, My Original Exam Application was Accepted; CSLB, 2023 Sunset Review Report. Checked 20 October 2026.

With no number to aim at

How do you prepare when CSLB publishes no passing score?

Use License Ladder as directed. Study the printed cards and digital guides, and work the app's practice questions and timed mock exams until your readiness score turns green; then take the exam. With no published pass mark to aim for, green is your signal: when your readiness score turns green, you're ready to pass.

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Product details: how License Ladder works and the guarantee terms. Prices as of 20 October 2026.

FAQ

Questions people ask about the CSLB passing score and exam format

CSLB does not publish one. Its Get Licensed to Build guide says the percentage needed to pass the CSLB Law and Business exam, like any CSLB exam, “varies for each exam,” and that you can ask CSLB for it (checked October 2026). A new Law and Business question bank is in the works: as of July 31, 2026, CSLB listed the exam in item bank development, the phase where the passing score is set.

CSLB publishes no passing score for any CSLB trade exam, from General Building (B) to Electrical (C-10). A 2020 fee study by CPS HR Consulting, which CSLB attached to its 2023 Sunset Review Report, describes the method. It says exam staff set a “pass point” for each newly updated item bank in a workshop with subject matter experts, then analyze the results statistically to set the final one. CSLB updates every exam at least every five to seven years, so the pass mark can change (checked October 2026).

Yes, by asking CSLB. Its Get Licensed to Build guide says “the applicant can inquire with CSLB regarding the percentage needed to pass the exam as it varies for each exam” (checked October 2026). PSI's candidate bulletin handles scheduling and sends questions about exam content or licensing to CSLB. No passing percentage appears in CSLB's study guides, its Examinations FAQ or PSI's bulletins.

No. A passing CSLB score report says you passed, but it does not show your score. CSLB's Get Licensed to Build guide says people who pass “are not given detailed information about their score.” Only a failing report shows the score. It lists the number of questions you got right and how you did in each section, per CSLB's Examinations FAQ (checked October 2026). Either way, you get the printed result before you leave PSI.

No. CSLB's 2023 Sunset Review Report says each CSLB exam has “pretest” questions that CSLB is trying out for future exams. “These questions are not included in the final score.” CSLB uses them to catch confusing questions before they count. CSLB does not say how many an exam has. There is no penalty for guessing, so answer every question on the CSLB exam.

No CSLB trade exam study guide states a question count. Each gives the exam's sections and approximate weights instead: the General Building (B) guide, 13E-B (03-2026), lists five sections, and the C-20 HVAC guide, 13E-20 (01-2026), lists four for exams on or after April 1, 2026 (checked October 2026). Every CSLB trade exam gets 3½ hours, and some of its questions are unscored pretest questions.

Twenty. CSLB's Asbestos Open Book Exam booklet (13P-015, March 2019) has 11 multiple-choice questions and 9 true-or-false questions, numbered 1 through 20. Every applicant for a first license completes it and turns it in with the bond and fee. It does not certify you to do asbestos work, and it is separate from the C-22 Asbestos Abatement and asbestos certification exams. CSLB's 2023 Sunset Review Report says it is the one CSLB exam that is not closed book (checked October 2026). When to turn it in.

Not always. CSLB's September 2026 Board packet says each exam's outline is “a blueprint for constructing examination versions/forms.” A 2020 fee study by CPS HR Consulting, attached to CSLB's 2023 Sunset Review Report, lists creating “new exam versions/forms as needed” among exam staff tasks. Neither says how many versions a CSLB exam has or which one you will get. Versions are built from the same exam outline, whose sections and weights CSLB's study guides list.

No. CSLB's Law and Business study guide, 13E-LAW (03-2026), says “there is no penalty for guessing,” and that if you are unsure about a particular question, “it is better to answer the question than to leave the question blank” (checked October 2026). PSI's candidate bulletins and CSLB's trade study guides say the same. Every question on the CSLB Law and Business and trade exams has four choices, written to have one best answer.

No. PSI's candidate bulletin says the time you spend on its on-screen tutorial, “up to 15 minutes, DOES NOT count” as exam time, and sample questions after it let you practice answering and reviewing answers. Then the CSLB exam clock starts: 3½ hours per exam, per CSLB's Examinations FAQ (checked October 2026). PSI shows the minutes remaining at the top of the screen.

On a computer. CSLB's Examinations FAQ says its qualifying exams are taken on a computer, in person at PSI. You use a mouse and keyboard, and you see one question at a time. Many trade exams include drawings. CSLB is moving them from printed booklets onto the screen. As of July 2026, 16 exams no longer needed physical booklets, General Building (B) among them, per CSLB's September 2026 Board packet.

The one the PSI test center gives you; CSLB does not describe it. CSLB's study guides say only that “a calculator will be provided,” and its application steps say pencils, scratch paper, calculators and scale rulers are provided on request. Neither CSLB nor PSI names the model or its functions (checked October 20, 2026). Personal calculators are not allowed in the CSLB testing room.

Yes, during the exam. CSLB's Get Licensed to Build guide says you “may type a comment about a question during the exam at any time before it is scored.” After the CSLB exam, you can't see the questions again. CSLB's Examinations FAQ says test questions and answer keys are not available for review. You can still ask CSLB for an Examination Appeals Form (checked October 2026).

Email exams@cslb.ca.gov and ask for an Examination Appeals Form. Include your name and application number, per CSLB's Examinations FAQ. Fill in the form with as much detail as you can. CSLB says it answers by mail in two to four weeks (checked October 2026). Was the problem technical, during a CSLB exam? Send your name, application fee number and what happened to the same address. CSLB asks you to allow five to seven days.

There is no fixed number; the calendar sets it. CSLB's Preparing for the Exam handout (2026) says you may take the CSLB exam an unlimited number of times within 18 months, waiting 21 calendar days after each attempt. Count back from your void date: an attempt in the last three weeks is your last on that application. CSLB can extend a void date by up to 90 days for a documented medical emergency or another circumstance beyond your control.

A large share. CSLB's 2023 Sunset Review Report says that in fiscal year 2022/23, 44% of the candidates who failed a CSLB exam were taking it a second or later time, and some had failed eight attempts. That year, 37% of retake attempts passed. CSLB says these repeat failures pull its overall pass rate down. To make your first attempt count, use License Ladder as directed until your readiness score turns green.

Five years. CSLB's application steps say “examination results are good for five years.” Pass Law and Business or the trade exam and fail the other, and you retake only the one you failed, as long as you do it within five years. The 18-month window still applies to each CSLB application. After it ends, you apply again with new fees, and the exam you passed still counts (checked October 2026).

Monday through Saturday. CSLB's Examinations FAQ says PSI's test centers are open for testing from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday, except on major holidays (checked October 2026). You book each CSLB exam yourself with PSI once CSLB refers you for testing, and you can take Law and Business and the trade exam on the same day or on different days.

Know when you're ready

Study the printed cards and digital guides, and work the app's practice questions and timed mock exams until your readiness score turns green. When it turns green, you're ready to pass. License Ladder for Law & Business is $99: one payment, no subscription.

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Sources

Where every fact on this page comes from

We read every source below in full on 20 October 2026. If anything here differs from what CSLB says when you read it, go by CSLB.

CSLB pages: Examinations Frequently Asked Questions · Step 5: My Original Exam Application was Accepted

CSLB study guides, guides and handouts: Law and Business study guide, 13E-LAW (03-2026) · General Building (B) study guide, 13E-B (03-2026) · C-20 HVAC study guide, 13E-20 (01-2026) · Get Licensed to Build (2025 edition) · Preparing for the Exam, 13P-104 (03/2026) · Asbestos: A Contractor's Guide and Open Book Examination, 13P-015

CSLB reports and Board packets: 2023 Sunset Review Report (pretest questions, repeat attempts, 2020 fee study) · Board meeting packet, September 2026 (testing program update)

PSI candidate bulletins: Law and Business · General Building (B) · Electrical (C-10)

We looked for a passing percentage and a question count for the Law and Business, General Building (B), C-10 and C-20 exams in CSLB's study guides, Examinations FAQ, Get Licensed to Build and Preparing for the Exam handout, and in PSI's candidate bulletins, and found neither. None of the sources above says how many pretest questions an exam carries or how many versions of an exam are in use.

License Ladder is independent study material, not affiliated with or endorsed by CSLB or PSI.

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