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CSLB trade exam · B – General Building
Pass the California general building contractor exam.
Practice for CSLB's B – General Building trade exam with original questions weighted like the official outline, each with a plain-language explanation and the code or source behind the answer. In English and Spanish.
25 questions. No sign-up. A score for each of the five exam sections.
Your B license takes two exams
The B exam tests your trade. CSLB also requires the Law & Business exam from almost every applicant, and you have 18 months from the day your application is accepted to pass both. Prepare for them together.
B – General Building
Planning and estimating, framing, the core and finish trades, and site safety.
Both exams on one pass: $99 instead of $118. One payment, the pass guarantee on each exam, and both courses in English and Spanish.
See the two-exam passWhat the B exam covers
CSLB's study guide splits the General Building exam into five sections. We weight practice the same way, so the 30% on the core trades gets 30% of your time.
- Closed book: no reference materials in the room
- Multiple choice, four answers, one best answer
- Some questions need math; a calculator is provided
- questions
- to finish, as for every CSLB exam
- Offered in English and Spanish
- Taken at a PSI center in California or Oregon
Five sections: planning and estimating, framing and structural components, core trades, finish trades, and safety.
Sources: CSLB License Examination Study Guide, General Building (B), 13E-B (03-2026), and CSLB Examination FAQ.
Free guide: the B exam explained · a two- or four-week study plan · estimating math, worked through · one page per section: planning, framing, core trades, finish trades, safety.
How we get you ready for it
Built for contractors who know the work and need the exam to stop being the thing between them and the license.
Practice one section at a time
All five sections, each with its share of the exam next to it. Strong on framing and shaky on finish trades? Put your hours where they change your score.
Every answer shows its source
A plain-language explanation and the code section or reference it comes from, so you learn the rule, not just the letter.
Estimating math, step by step
Areas, volumes and material and labor estimates worked through the way you would do them with the test-center calculator.
Timed mock exams and a readiness score
Full mocks weighted like the real exam, a queue of every question you missed, and a clear signal for when you are ready to book.
Study on your phone between jobs, in English or Spanish, and install it on your home screen. Everything a pass includes.
Pay once, for one exam or both
One payment, no subscription, no auto-renewal. Access opens the moment the payment clears.
Three months of full access: enough for most people to prepare and sit the exam.
Six months of access plus three study extras, listed on each card.
Best value
Law & Business + General Building
Both exams
Everything a B applicant has to pass
$99$139 one time
$118 separately · save $19$178 separately · save $39
- Both exam courses on one pass
- One payment, one sign-in
- Pass guarantee on each exam
180 days adds, for each exam
- Study plan built from your exam date
- Key numbers sheet: L&B deadlines and fees, B measurements and spans
- Search across the question bank
- 6 months of access, room for a retake
One exam
General Building
If you have already passed Law & Business
$59$89 one time
- questions, each with its source
- All 5 official sections, weighted like the CSLB outline
- 300 flashcards, timed practice exams and estimating math
180 days adds
- Study plan built from your exam date
- Key numbers sheet: measurements, spans and clearances
- Search across the question bank
- 6 months of access, room for a retake
Only need Law & Business? It is $59 on its own. Refunds: full refund within 14 days if you have used no more than 50 questions and not started a timed mock exam. See our Refund Policy.
Pass guarantee on every exam: if you study with us and don't pass, we extend your access for free until your next attempt. The first 30 days take one click in your dashboard — no paperwork. How it works.
Questions about the B exam
Something else? Email support@cacontractorexam.com and we reply within 2 business days.
Do I also need the Law & Business exam?
Almost certainly. CSLB requires the Law and Business exam from almost every applicant in addition to the trade exam, and you have 18 months from the day your application is accepted to pass both. How the whole process works.
What does a B – General Building license let me do?
A general building contractor's main business is structures that need at least two unrelated building trades or crafts. You may take a framing or carpentry job on its own; any other prime contract must involve at least two unrelated trades besides framing and carpentry, unless you also hold that trade's license or subcontract it to a licensed contractor. Fire protection systems and well drilling need their own license or a licensed subcontractor. Source: B&P Code §7057.
What is the format of the B exam?
A closed-book, computer-based, multiple-choice exam at a PSI test center, with four choices per question and one best answer. Some questions need math, and a calculator is provided. There is no penalty for guessing, so answer every question. CSLB gives 3½ hours for each exam. The B exam, explained.
Can I take the B exam in Spanish?
Yes. B – General Building is one of the ten CSLB exams offered in Spanish. Our practice material is in both languages, and you can switch whenever you like. Taking the exams in Spanish.
Where can I take it?
Trade exams, including B, are given only at PSI test centers in California and in Wilsonville, Oregon. The Law and Business exam can also be taken in several other states.
What if I fail?
You can retake it after 21 calendar days, as long as you are inside your 18 months. If you studied with us, our pass guarantee extends your access for free until your next attempt. What happens after a fail.
Are these the real exam questions?
No. CSLB does not release its questions, and anyone claiming to sell them should be avoided. Our questions are original, written from the official outline and the codes and references CSLB lists for the exam.
How ready are you for the B exam?
25 questions across the five sections, about 15 minutes, no sign-up.