What score do you need to pass the CSLB exam?
CSLB does not publish a fixed passing score. The percentage needed varies by exam, and the board sets it when it builds each exam. Here is everything CSLB and PSI do publish about scoring.
The passing score
CSLB’s licensing booklet answers the question directly: the percentage needed to pass varies for each exam, and an applicant can ask CSLB about it. The passing score is set by subject matter experts during the “item bank development” phase of building each exam, which CSLB repeats every five to seven years. So there is no single number that applies to every exam or every version.
Any website that gives you a firm pass mark such as “70%” for the CSLB exams is not quoting CSLB. We do not give one either.
Sources: CSLB, Get Licensed to Build, Q14; CSLB Board Meeting Packet, 11 December 2025, “Examination Development”, pp. 176–177.
What CSLB and PSI do publish
| Time | 3½ hours for each exam |
| Tutorial | up to 15 minutes before the exam, not counted in your exam time |
| Question type | multiple choice, four choices, one best answer |
| Guessing | no penalty: answer every question |
| Calculator | provided on screen; you may not bring your own |
| Unscored questions | each exam includes “pretest” questions that are not counted in your score |
| Number of questions | not published for Law and Business or for B |
| Results | printed score report at the test center, the same day |
Sources: CSLB Examinations FAQ; PSI candidate bulletins for Law and Business and General Building (B); CSLB 2023 Sunset Review Report, p. 102 (pretest questions).
What your score report shows
- If you pass, the report says you passed. It does not show your score. A pass report is not a license: CSLB mails you a Bond and Fee letter with the next steps.
- If you fail, the report shows your overall score, including the number of questions you answered correctly, and a breakdown by section of how many you got right and wrong. Those sections are the ones in the official study guide, so the report tells you exactly where to study before you rebook.
- You cannot review the questions or the answer key afterward, and results are not given over the phone.
We found no CSLB or PSI publication that describes a “scaled score” for these exams, so we do not claim one.
How many questions?
CSLB publishes the sections and their approximate weights for each exam, but not a fixed number of questions, and exams are revised over time. PSI’s bulletin says “plenty of time is provided” to answer every question. Plan around the weights and the 3½-hour limit.
For practice we use 115 questions in 3½ hours for both of our timed mock exams. That is our practice format, chosen to hold the real time limit; it is not an official question count.
So what should you aim for?
Since nobody outside CSLB knows the cut score for your exam version, aim well above a coin flip in every section, not just overall. A strong overall score can hide one weak section, and the failing report will show it. In our course, the “ready to book” signal asks for at least 80% in every section and three full timed mocks with the last one at 80% or more. That is our own bar, not CSLB’s.
Common questions
What is the passing score for the CSLB Law and Business exam?
CSLB does not publish one. Its booklet says the percentage needed to pass varies for each exam and that applicants can ask CSLB.
Is it 70%?
Not according to anything CSLB or PSI publishes. Treat any fixed number as a guess.
How many questions are on the exam?
CSLB does not publish a fixed count for Law and Business or B. You get 3½ hours for each exam.
Will I see my score if I pass?
No. A passing report only says you passed. A failing report shows your overall score and your results by section.
Are some questions not scored?
Yes. CSLB says each exam contains “pretest” questions being tried out for future use, and they are not included in the final score. You cannot tell which ones they are, so answer everything.
Last reviewed 1 October 2026 against Get Licensed to Build, the CSLB Examinations FAQ, PSI’s CSLB candidate bulletins for Law and Business and B, the CSLB 2023 Sunset Review Report and the CSLB Board Meeting Packet of 11 December 2025. Not affiliated with CSLB or PSI.