MI General Contractor study plan

Map the Michigan Residential Code (MRC) chapter structure to the seven exam domains and mark which chapters feed Domains 1, 4, 5, and 6.

Read the MRC chapters on building planning (egress, ceiling height, light/ventilation, room dimensions) and write a one-line rule summary for each requirement you encounter.

Locate the Michigan-specific amendments to the IRC base code and list at least eight that change residential practice versus the model code.

Build a personal code index (chapter, section number, plain-English rule) that you will keep adding to all eight weeks.

Work through MRC chapters on foundations and footings, converting each prescriptive table into a quick lookup note for footing width, depth, and reinforcement.

Cross-reference Domain 1 egress and stair requirements with the framing chapters so you can recall stair geometry, headroom, and guard rules without notes.

Solve at least 15 practice calculations on footing size, frost depth, and concrete volume by hand, then recheck them against the code tables.

Draft a one-page cheat sheet of the ten code numbers you forget most often (rise/run, guard height, handrail height, egress opening, etc.).

Sequence a residential foundation build from excavation through backfill and write the inspection checkpoints the local building department will look for at each stage.

Explain in writing how soil bearing capacity, frost-protected shallow foundations, and drainage detailing change footing design for Michigan freeze conditions.

Practice identifying concrete defects (honeycomb, cold joints, scaling, efflorescence, shrinkage cracks) and write the likely cause and corrective action for each.

Review MRC requirements for foundation drainage, dampproofing/waterproofing, and anchor bolt placement, and turn them into a field checklist.

Read the MRC wall-framing, floor-framing, and ceiling/roof-framing chapters and record prescriptive spans, notch and hole limits, and bearing requirements in your index.

Draw a labeled framing plan for a simple two-story house showing headers, jack/trimmer studs, blocking, and lateral bracing locations.

Work through at least 12 practice items on floor joist sizing, cantilevers, and beam spans using the code tables, showing your table lookup path.

Summarize the load path from roof to footing in one paragraph you can recite, naming each transfer point.

Outline Michigan licensing law for residential builders: licensure thresholds, the residential builder and maintenance/alteration license classes, and what work requires a licensed contractor.

Summarize the contract and consumer-protection obligations that show up on exams, including written contract contents, right-to-cancel, deposit limits, and lien notice requirements.

Build a takeoff for one small project (a garage slab or a simple addition) covering excavation, concrete, framing lumber, sheathing, roofing, and insulation with waste factors.

Produce a simple critical-path schedule for that same project in a spreadsheet or on paper, identifying the inspection-driven predecessors.

Practice reading a full plan set: identify plan, elevation, section, and detail sheets and extract at least 20 dimensions or specifications from them without a legend.

Explain roof framing and waterproofing assemblies in writing: underlayment, ice dam protection, flashing at valleys and sidewalls, and venting.

Summarize MRC insulation and energy-envelope requirements for Michigan climate zone, including ceiling, wall, and slab R-values and air-sealing details.

Reconcile a material takeoff against a plan set to find at least three deliberate errors or omissions you plant in your own practice drawings.

List the jobsite safety obligations that fall on a residential contractor: fall protection thresholds, scaffold and ladder rules, excavation cave-in protection, and housekeeping.

Summarize lead-safe renovation rules (RRP applicability, containment, cleaning verification) and asbestos handling limits for a contractor who is not a abatement specialist.

Draft the business-management items an exam will test: estimating markup versus margin, change orders, retainage, workers' compensation, and recordkeeping.

Write a 10-question self-quiz on licensing and safety law and score yourself, then re-study every item you missed.

Take two full-length timed practice exams and record your percentage by domain to find remaining weak areas.

Re-study only the two lowest-scoring domains using your code index, and rewrite any index entry you could not recall under time pressure.

Drill 30 rapid-recall items on code numbers, licensing thresholds, and safety limits until you can answer in under 30 seconds each.

Finalize a one-page pre-exam review sheet you will read the morning of the test.