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One must take the California State License Board's Business and Law Exam to obtain a contractor's license. The Board makes an assessment of the application before ascertaining whether one needs to undertake the exam or not. The exam consists of two sections, each taking about two and one-half hours to complete. One section has almost 100 multiple-choice questions on law and business. The subject matter, and the percent each counts toward the exam, are as follows: Business Practices-14 percent; Bid Preparation-18 percent; Contracts-15 percent; Contract Operations-19 percent; Safety-8 percent; Labor-13 percent; and Legal-13 percent. The other aspect of the exam encompasses topics on the exclusive trade one requests for. The CSLB generally makes study guides available. The guides contain information about the topics on the exam, and the emphasis on each topic. They also give details about other subjects one should study before taking the exam. In order to be eligible for the California contractor's license exam one must have four years of experience in the relevant trade within the last ten years. This experience can be related to engaging in or overseeing the trade. The state will recognize self-employed experience, even if it was in California devoid of a license. If one does not have four years of experience, time spent in college or trade school can account for three of those four years. The tests are mostly multiple-choice. There is no need for writing elaborately. The law test in essence comprises about 125 questions. The trade exams differ in length based on one's trade classification. On an average, there are 80 to 125 questions on the trade exams. The test is times, but normally the state provides adequate time for aspiring candidates to finish the examinations. |