SC General Contractor study plan
SC General Contractor · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
Construction Methods, Materials, and Site Work
Classify soils by USCS and AASHTO group and select the compaction equipment and field density test suited to each group.
Sequence a clearing, grading, and storm-drainage package and name the inspection hold point that follows each step.
Match concrete admixtures (air-entraining, retarder, accelerator, water reducer) to the field or weather condition each one solves.
Compare flexible (hot-mix asphalt) and rigid (Portland cement concrete) pavement sections layer by layer and name the acceptance test used on each lift.
Your checkpoint
A 6-page sitework and materials reference sheet covering soils, concrete, asphalt, and drainage, plus a 30-question self-quiz scored at 80% or higher.
Construction Methods, Materials, and Site Work
Identify structural steel bolt, weld, and connection types and state the inspection each requires before concealment.
Differentiate platform, balloon, and advanced wood framing and trace the lateral load path from roof diaphragm to foundation.
Select masonry unit type, mortar type, and grout or reinforcement for a stated exposure and structural condition.
Explain concrete curing and cold-weather/hot-weather protection requirements and the temperature thresholds that trigger them.
Your checkpoint
Two hand-drawn wall and floor section details (wood-frame and steel-frame) with every layer, connector, and flashing labeled and checked against a published code reference.
Estimating and Plan Reading
Convert an architectural floor plan into a quantity takeoff for concrete, formwork, and reinforcing steel.
Read a grading and drainage plan and compute cut and fill volumes using the average-end-area method.
Interpret a structural plan set by reading column schedules, beam schedules, and rebar callouts correctly.
Build a unit-price estimate for a small commercial shell that includes labor, material, equipment, and overhead.
Your checkpoint
A complete takeoff and priced estimate for a 2,000 sq ft single-story building, accurate to within 10% of a published answer key.
Estimating and Plan Reading & Construction Methods, Materials, and Site Work
Calculate crew productivity rates and apply labor burden, overtime, and shift factors to a unit price.
Assemble a bid summary that carries general conditions, contingency, and markup through to a sell price.
Re-solve every item missed on the week 1-3 quizzes and record the governing rule beside each one.
Sketch plan details from memory (footing, wall section, roof-to-wall connection) and self-check them against the source set.
Your checkpoint
A timed 60-question practice exam covering Domains 3 and 4, scored at 75% or higher, with a written error log sorted by root cause.
Safety, Codes, and Regulatory Compliance
Map the OSHA 1926 subparts for fall protection, scaffolding, excavation, and cranes to the site condition each one controls.
Assemble a site-specific safety plan that names the competent persons and states the inspection intervals for each controlled hazard.
Trace the South Carolina contractor licensing pathway, including license classification, qualifying party, and renewal obligations.
Outline stormwater and erosion-control obligations under the state NPDES construction general permit, including the SWPPP contents.
Locate code compliance checkpoints for egress, fire separation, accessibility, and energy at both plan review and field inspection.
Your checkpoint
A one-page permit-and-inspection matrix listing every permit, inspection, and issuing agency for a sample project, plus a 40-question quiz scored at 80% or higher.
Contract Administration and Bidding
Assemble a bid package containing an invitation to bid, instructions to bidders, bid form, and addenda log.
Compare lump-sum, unit-price, cost-plus, and guaranteed-maximum-price delivery and state which party carries which risk in each.
Order the contract documents by precedence and resolve a conflict between a drawing and a specification clause.
Process a change order, a request for information, and a pay application through the correct approval chain.
Distinguish performance bonds from payment bonds and identify the lien waiver types exchanged at each payment.
Your checkpoint
A mock bid submitted on a completed bid form with addenda acknowledged, paired with a written scope-gap analysis memo identifying three omissions in the provided documents.
Business and Project Management
Build a 20-activity CPM schedule, identify the critical path, and calculate total and free float for each activity.
Prepare a cost-coded project budget and roll it into a monthly cash flow projection covering the full duration.
Compute break-even volume, markup versus margin, and the working-capital impact of retainage.
Draft subcontract terms covering scope, schedule, payment, insurance, and indemnity obligations.
Set up a document control and quality control log system with numbered transmittals and inspection records.
Your checkpoint
A complete project management package (CPM schedule, cost-loaded budget, and 12-month cash flow) that reconciles internally with no variances between the three documents.
Business and Project Management & Contract Administration and Bidding & Estimating and Plan Reading & Construction Methods, Materials, and Site Work & Safety, Codes, and Regulatory Compliance
Complete two full-length timed practice exams of 100 questions and score 80% or higher on each.
Re-drill every error-log entry until the same item type is answered correctly twice in a row.
Condense all quantitative content into a single formula sheet covering area, volume, productivity, markup, float, and load calculations.
Rehearse exam-day pacing at roughly 1.5 minutes per question with one flagged-item review pass.
Your checkpoint
A final practice exam score at or above 80%, a closed error log with every entry marked resolved, and a finished one-page formula sheet.
Milestones
Week 2: Domain 4 self-quiz at 80% or higher, and the materials reference sheet covers soils, concrete, steel, wood, masonry, and asphalt with no blank families.
Week 4: 60-question timed practice on Domains 3 and 4 at 75% or higher, with a takeoff and estimate that lands within 10% of the answer key.
Week 6: Completed mock bid package and contract-administration drills, plus 80% or higher on a 40-question Domain 2 quiz.
Week 8: Two full-length mock exams at 80% or higher, every error-log item resolved, and the formula sheet finalized.