GA General Contractor common mistakes
GA General Contractor · Understand the traps and how to avoid them.
On lien and payment questions the candidate picks the answer that feels commercially fair - e.g., a 'reasonable time' or 60-day lien window - instead of reproducing Georgia's statutory sequence of Notice to Contractor, Claim of Lien, and the deadline to file suit to foreclose.
Most prep material is national in scope, so state-specific deadlines get skimmed as trivia rather than learned as a sequence; the candidate substitutes general fairness logic for the statute under exam pressure.
What to do instead
Build one memory card from the OCGA lien article listing, in order, each step, who is served, and the day count for each, plus the separate rules for subcontractors versus suppliers; drill by reproducing the whole sequence from a blank page until it comes out unprompted.
When a question describes a field condition that differs from the drawings, the candidate answers based on who was technically correct rather than on whether the contractor gave written notice within the contract's stated period, so the 'right' answer loses on procedure.
Contract administration questions are read as technical disputes; candidates underweight the notice, documentation, and time-bar clauses that actually decide entitlement.
What to do instead
Before reading the answer choices, restate to yourself the contract's notice requirement and deadline and eliminate any option that assumes entitlement without timely written notice, a documented directive, or a reserved claim.
Treats Standard Proctor (ASTM D698) and Modified Proctor (ASTM D1557) densities as interchangeable and applies one blanket '95% compaction' note to building pad fill, utility trench backfill, and subgrade under pavement.
Both appear as simple percentages on drawings and both are called 'compaction,' so the test method designation and the different energy levels get skimmed past.
What to do instead
Always write the full designation next to the percentage (e.g., '95% of ASTM D1557 maximum dry density') and, on every compaction question, first identify which curve the specification cites and what is being backfilled before choosing a lift thickness or acceptance criterion.
Approves form removal and post-tension stressing based on elapsed calendar days rather than on strength verified by field-cured cylinders or maturity readings.
Cure-time tables are easy to memorize and feel definitive, so the candidate defaults to 'seven days' instead of the performance requirement that the concrete be strong enough to carry its own weight and construction loads.
What to do instead
Answer these questions from the performance rule first - enough strength to resist damage and support loads, verified by field-cured specimens or maturity - and only then apply the ACI 347 table values as minimums for the member type described.
Selects mortar by 'stronger is better' and specifies Type M for every application, including veneer and situations needing a more flexible, lower-modulus mortar.
Compressive strength is the one mortar property candidates reliably remember, so strength becomes the only selection criterion; bond and deformation compatibility with softer masonry units are forgotten.
What to do instead
Study mortar by application rather than by strength ranking - high-stress and severe-weather exposure, general exposed use, and interior or non-load-bearing veneer - and note that matching the mortar to the unit's modulus and to bond requirements drives the choice.
Applies the notching and boring limits for solid-sawn lumber to engineered I-joists and LVLs, or places a notch in a location prohibited for the sawn joist being described.
One set of 'notch and hole' rules is memorized as universal and then reused for every wood member, even though engineered members are governed by the manufacturer's hole chart, not the code table.
What to do instead
On each framing question, first name the member - solid sawn, glued-laminated, LVL, or prefabricated I-joist - then apply that member's governing rules; for any prefabricated member, the correct answer comes from the manufacturer's published hole and notch schedule.
Sets flashing laps against the direction of water flow, or assigns a low-slope membrane or shingle product to a slope it is not rated for, such as shingles on a very low slope without the required underlayment enhancement.
Slope and lap rules are learned as isolated numbers, and the candidate visualizes the detail from the wrong side - laps are often drawn from the top down, which reverses the correct shingle-over-underlayment, upper-over-lower sequence.
What to do instead
For every roofing question, decide two things first: what is the roof slope, and which direction does water run. Then apply laps so upper courses always shed over lower ones, and check the product's minimum slope and the extra underlayment required at steep-to-low transitions.
Installs vapor retarders on the cold side, or adds a retarder on both faces of an assembly, and then picks an answer that seals the assembly from both directions.
Retarders and barriers are used as synonyms in casual construction talk, so the candidate treats 'more is better' and loses track of which face is the warm, condensing side.
What to do instead
For each assembly, identify the climate and the warm side before answering, place a single vapor retarder on the warm side with air sealing at penetrations, and reject any option that creates a double vapor barrier or traps moisture between two impermeable layers.
Sizes an egress door's clear width from the nominal leaf size and forgets that the required clear opening is measured with the door open at 90 degrees, between the face of the stop and the face of the leaf.
The plan label '3'-0" door' is what the candidate pictures, and the reduction from stops, hinges, and door thickness is a field detail that never appears on a drawing.
What to do instead
Memorize that required egress clear width is a measured dimension of the open doorway, not the nominal size, and on every door question check swing direction for the occupancy and confirm clear width after subtracting stop and leaf.
Applies a single fall-protection height trigger to every hazard, so the candidate uses the general walking-working-surface threshold for scaffold work or for an excavation, and omits the protective-system trigger for trenches.
One number gets memorized early and reused as a universal rule, while the distinct triggers for scaffolds, ladders, and excavation protective systems are studied as separate chapters and never reconciled.
What to do instead
Build a single comparison sheet listing each hazard - walking-working surfaces, scaffolds, excavations, steel erection - beside its specific trigger height and required control, and answer each safety item by naming the hazard first, then the trigger that belongs to it.