C-5 Framing and Rough Carpentry exam questions, with answers

10 practice questions for the CSLB Framing and Rough Carpentry trade exam, each with the answer, a plain explanation and the source it rests on.

From our free C-5 test · Updated 14 October 2026

These are not real exam questions. CSLB does not release its test questions or answer keys, and nobody else has them. We write our own questions from the C-5 outline and the codes, standards and references CSLB lists for the exam. Each answer names its source so you can check it.

The C-5 exam has 4 sections. The questions below are grouped by section, with the share of the exam each one carries. Read the question, pick an answer, then open “Show the answer”. The other questions of the free test, scored section by section, are in the free 25-question C-5 test.

Planning and Estimating · 17% of the exam

Project planning; blueprints, specifications and shop/field drawings; estimating; calculations.

1. The plans for a two-story CRC house show load-bearing cold-formed steel walls framed to the code's prescriptive rules. Under 2025 CRC R301.3, what is the tallest unsupported bearing wall stud height for which the code's wind and seismic provisions still apply?

  1. 10 ft
  2. 11 ft 7 in
  3. 12 ft
  4. 13 ft 7 in
Show the answer

Answer: A. 2025 CRC R301.3 item 2 limits cold-formed steel wall framing to a story height of 11 ft 7 in and an unsupported bearing wall stud height of 10 ft. 11 ft 7 in is the story height limit, not the stud height. 12 ft and 13 ft 7 in are the masonry wall limits in item 3. Taller steel walls need an engineered design.

Source: 2025 CRC R301.3, item 2, 2025 California Residential Code (Title 24, Part 2.5)

2. Your take-off for a floor calls for 36 pieces of 2x12 x 14 ft joists. Tallying board feet on nominal sizes, as softwood lumber is sold, how many board feet is the order?

  1. 84 BF
  2. 504 BF
  3. 709 BF
  4. 1,008 BF
Show the answer

Answer: D. A board foot is 1 ft x 1 ft x 1 in, so one piece is 2 x 12 x 14 / 12 = 28 BF, and 36 pieces are 1,008 BF. 84 BF comes from dividing by 144 while the length is in feet. 709 BF uses the actual 1-1/2 x 11-1/4 in size instead of nominal. 504 BF counts the thickness as 1 in.

Source: Board foot definition: 1 ft x 1 ft x 1 in, Grading Sawn Lumber: Measurement (American Hardwood Export Council)

Structural Framing · 38% of the exam

Formwork; load and span; bracing; shear and diaphragm; structural hardware; wood and metal framing.

3. Your crew is setting 2x10 floor joists on top of a dropped wood girder in a CRC house, with no hangers and no ribbon strip. Under 2025 CRC R502.6, how much bearing must each joist end get on the wood girder?

  1. 1-1/2 in
  2. 2 in
  3. 3 in
  4. 3-1/2 in
Show the answer

Answer: A. 2025 CRC R502.6 requires at least 1-1/2 in of bearing for each joist, beam or girder end on wood or metal. The 3-in figure applies to bearing on masonry or concrete. 3-1/2 in is the width of a 2x4 plate, not a code minimum, and 2 in is not a value the section uses.

Source: 2025 CRC R502.6, 2025 California Residential Code (Title 24, Part 2.5)

4. On a CRC house, two 4x8 wood structural panels of a Method WSP braced wall panel are installed vertically and meet at a vertical joint. Under 2025 CRC R602.10.4.4, how must that joint be framed and fastened?

  1. Between studs, with a 2x4 block nailed behind the joint at mid-height
  2. Over a common stud, with only one of the two panel edges fastened to it
  3. Over a common stud, with both panel edges fastened to that same stud
  4. Over 2x blocking laid flat between the studs, with both edges fastened
Show the answer

Answer: C. 2025 CRC R602.10.4.4 requires vertical joints of panel sheathing to occur over, and be fastened to, common studs, so both panel edges nail into the same stud. Blocking of 1-1/2 in or thicker is the rule for horizontal joints in braced wall panels, not vertical ones. A joint between studs or with one loose edge does not meet the section.

Source: 2025 CRC R602.10.4.4, 2025 California Residential Code (Title 24, Part 2.5)

5. The general notes for a wood-frame building say the roof sheathing acts as a diaphragm. According to APA, what does a roof diaphragm do when wind or an earthquake pushes sideways on the building?

  1. Acts like a set of columns, carrying the lateral loads straight down the rafters to the footings
  2. Acts like a deep, thin beam, collecting the lateral loads and passing them to the shear walls below
  3. Acts like a tension tie, holding the rafter tails in so that the exterior walls cannot spread apart
  4. Acts like a deep, thin beam, collecting the lateral loads and passing them up into the ridge board
Show the answer

Answer: B. APA describes a light-frame wood diaphragm, usually a roof or floor, as a flat unit that acts like a deep, thin beam, collecting lateral loads and transferring them to the shear walls below. The panels resist shear like a web, and the edge members (chords) act as flanges. The shear walls then carry the load to the foundation.

Source: APA, Shear Walls and Diaphragms (What Are Diaphragms?), APA - The Engineered Wood Association: Shear Walls and Diaphragms

General Framing · 21% of the exam

Flashing and weatherproofing; siding, roofing and flooring; doors, windows and stairs; decks, porches and gazebos; squaring and leveling; access and ventilation.

6. Where the eave of a lower shed roof meets the sidewall of a two-story CRC house, your crew will bend a metal flashing to divert water away from the wall. Under 2025 CRC R903.2.1, what is the least thickness of that corrosion-resistant metal?

  1. 0.010 in
  2. 0.013 in
  3. 0.016 in
  4. 0.019 in
Show the answer

Answer: D. 2025 CRC R903.2.1 requires a flashing to divert water away where the eave of a sloped roof meets a vertical sidewall. Where the flashing is metal, it must be corrosion resistant and at least 0.019 in thick (No. 26 galvanized sheet). The thinner values do not meet that minimum.

Source: 2025 CRC R903.2.1, 2025 California Residential Code (Title 24, Part 2.5)

7. A homeowner wants asphalt shingles on a new porch roof of a CRC house that your crew framed at a 3:12 slope. Under 2025 CRC R905.2.2, what does the code allow?

  1. Shingles with double underlayment, since the slope is between 2:12 and 4:12
  2. Shingles only over an ice barrier, since the slope is less than 4:12
  3. Shingles with single underlayment, since the slope is steeper than 2:12
  4. No shingles, since asphalt shingles need a slope of at least 4:12
Show the answer

Answer: A. 2025 CRC R905.2.2 allows asphalt shingles only on slopes of 2:12 or greater. From 2:12 up to 4:12, double underlayment is required per R905.1.1. A 3:12 porch roof may get shingles, but not over a single layer of underlayment.

Source: 2025 CRC R905.2.2, 2025 California Residential Code (Title 24, Part 2.5)

Safety · 24% of the exam

Cal/OSHA requirements; EPA and AQMD regulations; asbestos and environmental hazards; transportation and traffic control.

8. Your crew will hand-raise a 16-ft-tall framed gable wall on a second-floor deck. Under 8 CCR 1716.2, what must be installed before the wall is raised?

  1. Temporary restraints, such as floor cleats or bottom plate straps, against sliding or uplift
  2. Temporary diagonal braces nailed to the studs on both faces of the wall, set before lifting
  3. A guardrail along the deck edge on the side the wall is lifted from, set before lifting
  4. Anchor bolts or nails through the bottom plate, set before the wall is lifted off the deck
Show the answer

Answer: A. 8 CCR 1716.2(c) says that before manually raising framed walls 15 ft or more in height, temporary restraints such as cleats on the floor system or straps on the bottom plate must be installed to stop the bottom plate from sliding or lifting. It also says anchor bolts alone may not be used for that blocking or bracing.

Source: 8 CCR 1716.2(c)(1)-(2), California Code of Regulations, Title 8, Section 1716.2

9. Your crew builds a job-made ladder from the ground up to a second-floor deck as access during framing. Under 8 CCR 1629, how far must the side rails extend above the deck the ladder serves?

  1. At least 3 ft
  2. At least 3-1/2 ft
  3. At least 4 ft
  4. At least 5 ft
Show the answer

Answer: A. 8 CCR 1629(c)(3) requires the side rails of all ladders to extend at least 3 ft above the landing or level they serve, so workers have something to hold while stepping on and off. 3-1/2 ft is close to guardrail height, not the ladder rule.

Source: 8 CCR 1629(c)(3), California Code of Regulations, Title 8, Section 1629

10. Your crew builds a temporary wood guardrail along the open edge of a second-floor deck during framing. Under 8 CCR 1620, how high must the upper surface of the top rail be above the deck?

  1. 36 to 39 in
  2. 39 to 41 in
  3. 42 to 45 in
  4. 46 to 48 in
Show the answer

Answer: C. 8 CCR 1620(a)(1) requires a top rail not less than 42 in or more than 45 in high, measured from the upper surface of the top rail to the floor or platform. The midrail goes halfway between. 39 in is only the lowest point the top edge may deflect to under the 200-lb test load, not the build height.

Source: 8 CCR 1620(a)(1), California Code of Regulations, Title 8, Section 1620

Where to go from here

How the license works, from experience to fees: how to get a C-5 license. Everything about the course: the C-5 exam page.

Questions from our free C-5 test, written from CSLB License Examination Study Guide, Framing and Rough Carpentry (C-5), form 13E-5 (03-2026), for examinations scheduled on or after June 1, 2025. CSLB notes that the percentages are approximate. Reviewed 14 October 2026. Study guidance only; we are not affiliated with CSLB or PSI.

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