VA Contractor Business Exams
Contractor Business Exam
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ExploreAbout this exam
The Contractor Business Examination is the business-and-law test in Virginia's two-part contractor licensing exam sequence. The Board for Contractors licenses firms that build, remove, repair, or improve facilities on property owned by others, and every contractor license has two components: the class (A, B, or C), which sets the monetary value of contracts and projects a firm may perform, and the classification or specialty, which sets the type of work allowed. PSI is the Board's exam vendor, and it publishes separate Candidate Information Bulletins for the Contractor Business Exam, taken by the Designated Employee, and the Contractor Specialty Exam, taken by the Qualified Individual. The business exam covers business organization and financial management; Virginia contracting statutes, regulations, and licensing requirements; bidding, estimating, and contract management; and project management, jobsite safety, and risk control. Prepare from the current statutes and regulations the Board cites, and understand the required eight-hour pre-license education course is a separate requirement from the Class A and Class B exams, not a substitute for them. Successful completion of the examination is required before you apply for licensure, and there is no application deadline.
What you'll study
About VA Contractor Business Exams preparation
Who actually sits for the Contractor Business Exam?
The Designated Employee. PSI publishes two separate Candidate Information Bulletins: the Contractor Business Exam CIB, identified as the exam taken by the DE, and the Contractor Specialty Exam CIB, taken by the Qualified Individual. Confirm which portion your application requires before you schedule.
Do I take the exam before or after I apply for a license?
Before. The Board states that successful completion of the examination is required before applying for licensure. There is also no application deadline, so the exam result is effectively your gate into the application process rather than something you complete afterward.
Does the eight-hour pre-license course replace the exam?
No. Pre-license education is required for all new contractor licenses and is a separate requirement from the Class A and Class B examinations. The course is a basic business course covering relevant regulations, statutes, and requirements, and it is not specific to any classification or specialty. A Board-approved advanced contractor class also satisfies it.
Who has to complete the pre-license education in my company?
For Class A and Class B applicants, a member of responsible management or the designated employee must complete it. For Class C applicants, a member of responsible management must complete it. Plan the class around the same person who will sit the business exam so the two requirements are tracked together.
What does the exam cost and who do I pay?
Exam fees are paid directly to PSI, not to the Board: $40 for one portion of the exam, $72 for two portions, and $85 for three portions. The QI specialty exam is $85. Fees and scheduling are handled entirely through PSI at (855) 340-3910.
How often and where can I test?
PSI offers the exam daily, which typically means Monday through Friday. Test sites listed by the Board are Charlottesville, Richmond, Roanoke, Vienna, and Virginia Beach in Virginia, plus Johnson City, Tennessee and Salisbury, Maryland. Contact PSI for specific appointments and site availability.
Is there a deadline to apply, and how long is my result good for?
The Board lists no application deadline. The source materials do not state a validity period for exam results, a passing score, or a waiting period between attempts, so confirm those specifics with PSI or Board staff rather than relying on a secondhand figure.
What is the difference between the business exam and the specialty exam?
The business exam is the designated employee's business-and-law portion. The specialty exam is the qualified individual's trade-specific portion, and the Board notes a written exam requirement for certain contractor qualified individuals, with the Virginia Building and Fire Regulations used as references on several examinations.
What should I study first if I have limited time?
Start with Virginia contracting statutes and Board for Contractors regulations, since licensing, class limits, and specialty rules frame everything else. Then work through business organization and financial management, bidding and estimating, and project management and jobsite safety. Read the current PSI bulletin for your exam before finalizing your study plan.
What trips candidates up most often?
Treating the pre-license course as exam preparation. The Board explicitly calls it a separate requirement, and the course is general rather than specialty-specific. Candidates also prepare from outdated fee and scheduling assumptions instead of the current PSI bulletin and the Board's posted exam information.