General Building (B) · Trade exam
What is on the CSLB General Building (B) exam?
Checked 19 October 2026 against CSLB study guide 13E-B (03-2026), PSI’s General Building bulletin, CSLB reports and Board packets, and the 2025 California codes · Written by the License Ladder team · Reviewed by AJ Sokol, Co-Founder
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The CSLB General Building (B) exam tests five sections, each with an approximate weight CSLB publishes: Core Trades 30%, Framing and Structural Components 20%, Finish Trades 20%, Planning and Estimating 15% and Safety 15%, per CSLB’s outline for exams from January 1, 2025. It is multiple choice and closed book, and CSLB gives you 3½ hours. CSLB does not publish how many questions are on each exam. CSLB does not publish a passing score. Checked 19 October 2026.
What are the five sections of the CSLB General Building exam?
The CSLB General Building (B) exam has five sections. Core Trades is the biggest, at 30%. Framing and Structural Components and Finish Trades are 20% each, and Planning and Estimating and Safety are 15% each. This is the outline in CSLB’s study guide 13E-B (03-2026), for exams scheduled on or after January 1, 2025. CSLB says the weights are approximate.
| Section | Weight | Topics CSLB lists |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Planning and Estimating | 15% | Scope of work and code compliance; design and construction error identification; shop drawings, plans, and specifications; field inspection performance; coordination of project; cost estimation for materials, equipment, and labor |
| 2. Framing and Structural Components | 20% | Subfloor and wall framing; roof framing; seismic hardware requirements and installation; siding and stucco; decks and stairs |
| 3. Core Trades | 30% | Plumbing; electrical; HVAC; concrete; earthwork and surveying; insulation, acoustical, and weatherproofing; roofing |
| 4. Finish Trades | 20% | Painting, staining, coating, and interior wall covering; tile and stone; floor covering; cabinetry and millwork; plaster, drywall, and ceilings; windows, skylights, and doors; landscaping |
| 5. Safety | 15% | Personnel safety; transportation and traffic control; environmental safety |
Three building sections carry 70%
Framing and Structural Components, Core Trades and Finish Trades add up to 70% of the exam by CSLB’s weights. Planning and Estimating and Safety make up the other 30%. Core Trades alone, at 30%, is the largest single section.
Every section is on the exam
CSLB marks its weights approximate, so read 30% as bigger than 15%, not as an exact count of questions. Every section is tested, and CSLB says there is no penalty for guessing, so an answer always beats a blank.
Sources: CSLB, General Building (B) study guide 13E-B (03-2026); PSI, General Building (B) candidate bulletin, which prints the same sections and weights. The 70% and 30% totals are our arithmetic on CSLB’s weights. Checked 19 October 2026.
How long is the General Building exam, and how many questions are on it?
CSLB gives you 3½ hours to complete the General Building (B) exam, which you take on a computer at a PSI test center. CSLB does not publish how many questions are on each exam. Neither CSLB’s General Building study guide nor PSI’s General Building bulletin states a count, as of 19 October 2026.
| Item | What the source says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Time | 3½ hours for the exam | CSLB Examinations FAQ |
| Tutorial | Up to 15 minutes before you start, not counted against your time | PSI bulletin |
| Format | On a computer; multiple choice, four choices per question, one best answer; one question on screen at a time, with the minutes remaining shown at the top | CSLB study guide; PSI bulletin |
| Number of questions | Not published | CSLB study guide and FAQ; PSI bulletin |
| Books and notes | None: a closed-book exam, with no reference materials | CSLB study guide |
| Math and calculator | Some questions require math. A calculator is provided; personal calculators are not allowed in the testing room | CSLB study guide; CSLB Examinations FAQ |
| Guessing | No penalty, so answer every question | CSLB study guide |
| Fee | $51.43 per registration, paid to PSI, first try or retake | PSI bulletin |
| Where | PSI’s 20 California test centers or Wilsonville, Oregon; no online option | PSI bulletin; CSLB Examinations FAQ |
CSLB’s guide says: “Plenty of time is provided to answer all examination questions.” Read each question and all four choices before you answer, because each question is written to have one best answer.
Sources: CSLB, Examinations FAQ; CSLB study guide 13E-B (03-2026); PSI, General Building (B) candidate bulletin. Checked 19 October 2026.
How is the General Building exam scored, and what happens if you fail?
You get a printed pass or fail report for the General Building (B) exam before you leave the PSI test center. 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.
Who sets the passing score
CSLB says state law requires it to update every license exam at least every five to seven years. In each update, subject matter experts review and write the questions and determine the passing score, and CSLB says its questions are written and reviewed by licensed contractors who are actively working in the trade.
What a failing report shows
Your overall score, the number of questions you answered correctly, and a breakdown by section of how many you got right and wrong, so you can see how you did in each of the five sections. CSLB does not release the test questions or answer keys for review.
If you fail
You can retake the exam after 21 calendar days, inside your 18-month application window, and you pay PSI again each time ($51.43 per registration as of 19 October 2026). If you passed Law and Business, you retake only General Building: CSLB says results are good for five years. The full retake rules.
How many pass
In fiscal year 2022/23, the most recent year for which CSLB has published an overall pass rate for each exam, 44% of 7,243 General Building candidates passed. That is CSLB’s overall rate for all languages, not a first-attempt rate.
Sources: CSLB, Get Licensed to Build (2025 edition); CSLB, Examinations FAQ; CSLB, Board meeting packet, September 2026 (how exams are developed); CSLB study guide 13E-B (03-2026); CSLB, Sunset Review Report (pass rate); PSI, General Building (B) candidate bulletin. Checked 19 October 2026.
Did CSLB change the General Building exam in 2025?
Yes. CSLB’s current General Building (B) outline covers exams scheduled on or after January 1, 2025, and it changed four of the five weights: Safety rose from 12% to 15% and Finish Trades from 19% to 20%, while Planning and Estimating fell from 17% to 15% and Framing and Structural Components from 22% to 20%. Core Trades stayed at 30%.
| Section | Exams from February 6, 2020 | Exams from January 1, 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Planning and Estimating | 17% | 15% |
| Framing and Structural Components | 22% | 20% |
| Core Trades | 30% | 30% |
| Finish Trades | 19% | 20% |
| Safety | 12% | 15% |
Two Framing topics changed
The 2020 guide listed “seismic and load requirements” and “decks” under Framing and Structural Components. The 2025 guide lists “seismic hardware requirements and installation” and “decks and stairs.” The other four sections list the same topics in both guides.
Why the outline changed
CSLB says state law requires it to update each license exam at least every five to seven years. An update starts with an occupational analysis, built from interviews with licensed contractors and a large online survey, that sets what the exam tests and in what proportion. CSLB completed one for General Building in 2024 and lists a new General Building exam, and a new Spanish version, among the exams it completed in 2025.
Sources: CSLB study guide 13E-B (03-2026); CSLB’s previous General Building study guide, for exams from February 6, 2020 (CSLB’s file as saved by the Internet Archive); CSLB, 2024 Accomplishments and Activities Report; CSLB, 2025 Accomplishments and Activities Report; CSLB, Board meeting packet, September 2026. Checked 19 October 2026.
Which General Building topics carry the most weight?
Core Trades does. At 30%, it is the biggest section in CSLB’s General Building (B) outline, and CSLB publishes no weights below the section level. So License Ladder rated each of the 153 topics in its General Building deck from 1 to 5, by how many of its practice questions cover the topic. Core Trades leads there too: 27 of its 48 topics are rated 4 or 5.
| CSLB section (weight) | Topics in our deck | Average rating | Topics rated 4 or 5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Planning and Estimating (15%) | 18 | 2.9 | 6 |
| Framing and Structural Components (20%) | 21 | 3.4 | 9 |
| Core Trades (30%) | 48 | 3.5 | 27 |
| Finish Trades (20%) | 27 | 3.4 | 14 |
| Safety (15%) | 39 | 2.6 | 10 |
| All five sections | 153 | 3.2 | 66 (43%) |
| Rating | Label | Practice questions on the topic | Topics |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Highest | 15 or more | 15 |
| 4 | Very high | 10 to 14 | 51 |
| 3 | High | 7 to 9 | 43 |
| 2 | Medium | 5 to 6 | 31 |
| 1 | Occasional | 1 to 4 | 13 |
The 15 topics rated 5 of 5, by CSLB section: Planning and Estimating 1, Framing and Structural Components 4, Core Trades 6, Finish Trades 4, Safety none.
- Ceiling heights, room sizes and attic access (Planning and Estimating)
- Headers, beams and cantilevers (Framing)
- Rafter types, cuts and sizing (Framing)
- Anchor bolts and hold-downs (Framing)
- Three-coat stucco application and assembly (Framing)
- Service entrance, cable support and terminations (Core Trades)
- Ohm’s law, Watt’s law and meter safety (Core Trades)
- Placing and finishing fresh concrete (Core Trades)
- Rebar sizes, cover and placement (Core Trades)
- Site preparation, fill and excavation (Core Trades)
- Roofing materials and minimum slopes (Core Trades)
- Tile adhesives, substrates and cure times (Finish Trades)
- Hardwood flooring: types, acclimation and slab methods (Finish Trades)
- Drywall hanging and fastening (Finish Trades)
- Egress windows and safety glazing (Finish Trades)
How to read it. The ratings show where License Ladder’s practice questions concentrate, not how often CSLB asks about a topic; CSLB weights only the five sections. Safety shows why both views matter: it has the second-most topics in our deck (39) and the lowest average rating (2.6), and CSLB weights it at 15%.
Sources: License Ladder’s own analysis of its General Building deck, first published in our exam guide and recomputed for this page from the deck’s master file; section weights from CSLB study guide 13E-B (03-2026). Checked 19 October 2026.
What do General Building exam questions look like?
They are multiple choice, with four choices and one best answer, and some need math, per CSLB’s General Building study guide. To try questions in that format, take the free General B practice test below: questions from License Ladder’s practice bank, spread across CSLB’s sections, each explained. In the License Ladder app, you work practice questions like these plus timed mock exams.
Free General B practice test
Questions from License Ladder’s General Building practice bank, spread across CSLB’s sections, every answer explained, and a performance report at the end. No login, no email. Take the free General B practice test.
CSLB says all of its exam questions are written and reviewed by licensed contractors who are actively working in the trade. For Law and Business, take the free Law and Business practice test.
Sources: CSLB study guide 13E-B (03-2026) (format and who writes the questions). Checked 19 October 2026.
Who takes the General Building exam, and where?
The qualifier on a B General Building license application takes it. The qualifier also takes CSLB’s Law and Business exam, unless a waiver applies. You take the General Building (B) exam in person at one of PSI’s 20 test centers in California or at Wilsonville, Oregon. There is no online option. The exam is also offered in Spanish.
Who needs a B license
B is California’s most common license classification: CSLB counted 131,137 B licenses in December 2025. Business and Professions Code section 7057 ties it to work on structures that need at least two unrelated building trades. The qualifier needs four years of journey-level experience in the class within the last ten, and owner-builder experience counts only toward B. What counts as experience.
When you can skip the trade exam
If you passed the General Building trade exam within the last five years, you do not take it again. CSLB can also waive it through reciprocity if you held a license that CSLB’s reciprocal list matches to B, in good standing for the previous five years; from Louisiana, Mississippi or North Carolina, the list also requires a passed commercial building exam (NASCLA’s, or for Mississippi, its own). From any state, CSLB can waive it if you qualified an equivalent general building license in good standing for five years and passed the NASCLA Commercial General Builders exam. Law and Business still applies unless you passed it within five years. In 2025, 45 candidates across all classifications received a reciprocity trade exam waiver. The five reciprocity states.
Where you take it
The General Building exam is in person only, like every CSLB qualifying exam. PSI’s General Building bulletin lists its 20 California test centers plus Wilsonville, Oregon. As of May 1, 2026, CSLB offered eight trade exams at PSI centers across the country, and General Building was not one of them, so plan to test in California or Oregon. What happens on exam day.
In Spanish
General Building is one of CSLB’s 10 exams offered in Spanish, with the same content, format and exam plan as the English version and an on-screen option to see each question in English. PSI gave 2,244 Spanish General Building exams from August 2025 to July 2026. If you ask for a translator, CSLB requires the Spanish version instead. Taking CSLB exams in Spanish.
B or B-2?
The Residential Remodeling (B-2) exam is a different test, with six sections, including Job Site Preparation and Exterior Remodeling, and no Spanish version. Which license fits your work.
Sources: CSLB, 2025 Accomplishments and Activities Report (license count, waivers); Business and Professions Code section 7057; CSLB, Application for Original Contractor License, 13A-1 (rev. 01/2026); CSLB, Qualifying Experience for the Examination; CSLB, My Original Exam Application Was Accepted; CSLB, General Information on Reciprocity; CSLB, Reciprocity Requirements; CSLB, Reciprocal Classifications List; PSI, General Building (B) candidate bulletin; CSLB, Examinations FAQ; CSLB, Preparing for the Exam (13P-104); CSLB, Board meeting packet, September 2026 (trade exams offered nationwide, Spanish exam counts); CSLB, B-2 study guide 13E-B2 (03-2026). Checked 19 October 2026.
How should you prepare for the General Building exam?
With License Ladder, used as directed. Law & Business is $99; add General Building for $50 more ($149 total) and you get the printed 177-card General Building (B) deck, the 142-card Law & Business deck, digital study guides and one year of the app. Study 20 minutes a day and work the app’s practice questions and timed mock exams until your readiness score turns green; then take the exam.
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Study the cards 20 minutes a day
The General Building deck’s 153 topics are grouped under all five sections of CSLB’s outline, and the Law & Business deck covers the other exam every B candidate takes: 319 printed cards in all, with digital study guides alongside.
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Practice in the app
Work the app’s practice questions and timed mock exams; the free General B practice test draws on the same practice bank. When a topic isn’t clear, ask the AI Exam Coach in the online system.
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Take the exam when you’re green
The app gives you a readiness score; when it turns green, you’re ready to pass. Reaching green is also the first condition of our pass guarantee: take the exam within 12 months of purchase, and if you don’t pass, send the official result within 60 days and we refund the purchase.
See it first: the free demo has 15 cards. Enter your name and email to access the free demo. No credit card. License Ladder is one payment, no subscription. For the other exam: Law and Business, its seven sections and their weights.
Sources: License Ladder’s how it works, sample cards and guarantee terms, and the 153-topic analysis in our exam guide. Checked 19 October 2026.
Questions people ask about the CSLB General Building exam
Study for both exams with License Ladder
Law & Business is $99; add General Building for $50 more ($149 total). With both, you get the printed General Building (B) deck, 177 cards, and the Law & Business deck, 142 cards, plus digital study guides and one year of the app, with the AI Exam Coach in the online system. Use License Ladder as directed until your readiness score turns green. One payment, no subscription.
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Where every fact on this page comes from
We read each source below in October 2026 and re-checked the General Building documents on 19 October 2026.
CSLB study guides: General Building (B) study guide, 13E-B (03-2026) · The same guide in Spanish, Construcción General (B) · Previous General Building guide, for exams from February 6, 2020 (archived copy of CSLB's file) · Residential Remodeling (B-2) study guide, 13E-B2 (03-2026)
CSLB pages, forms and publications: Examinations FAQ · Get Licensed to Build (2025 edition) · Application for Original Contractor License, 13A-1 (rev. 01/2026) · Qualifying Experience for the Examination · My Original Exam Application Was Accepted · General Information on Reciprocity · Reciprocity Requirements · Reciprocal Classifications List · Preparing for the Exam, 13P-104
CSLB reports and Board packets: 2025 Accomplishments and Activities Report · 2024 Accomplishments and Activities Report · Board meeting packet, September 2026 · Sunset Review Report (December 2023)
PSI: CSLB Licensing Examination Information Guide: General Building (B)
Laws, regulations and codes: Business and Professions Code section 7057 · Business and Professions Code section 123
License Ladder: The 153-topic General Building analysis, in our exam guide · Free General Building practice test
What we looked for and did not find, as of 19 October 2026: a question count or a passing score for the General Building exam in CSLB’s study guide, Examinations FAQ or Get Licensed to Build guide, or in PSI’s General Building bulletin; an overall General Building pass rate newer than fiscal year 2022/23 (CSLB’s 2025 report gives before-and-after rates for the Spanish version only); and any CSLB figure for how long candidates study.
License Ladder is independent study material, not affiliated with or endorsed by CSLB or PSI.