Virginia Portion
Not publishedof exam
General Portion
Not publishedof exam
Advanced Portion
Not publishedof exam
Quick Facts
- License Owner
- Business entity
- Class A
- Virginia + General + Advanced
- Class B
- Virginia + General
- Class C
- No DE business portions
- Virginia Portion
- 24 items; 18 pass; 48 min
- General Portion
- 50 items; 35 pass; 100 min
- Advanced Portion
- 24 items; 17 pass; 60 min
- Books
- All portions open book
- PSI Fees
- 1:$40 | 2:$72 | 3:$85
- Score Life
- One year
- Retest
- Possibly within two business days
- Prelicense Course
- Eight hours; all classes
Portion Path
A=VGA | B=VG | C=no DE
V: VirginiaG: GeneralA: AdvancedC: specialty path remains
Class vs Work Designation
Class
- Monetary authority
- A, B, or C
- Project and volume limits
Designation
- Work scope
- Classification or specialty
- Needs Qualified Individual
Money authority vs work scope
Exam Route Picker
- Class A Designated Employee→Virginia + General + Advanced(Three business portions)
- Class B Designated Employee→Virginia + General(Two business portions)
- Class C firm→No DE business portions(QI rules still apply)
- Adding work designation→Name Qualified Individual(Check prerequisite)
- Specialty requires exam→Use specialty CIB(Separate examination path)
- Trade requires credential→Verify QI license(Exam may not substitute)
- Role remains unclear→Ask DPOR(Board decides eligibility)
- Using NASCLA material→Treat as reference(Not automatic exam waiver)
Virginia Licensing Map
- Class A project
- $150,000 or more
- Class A volume
- $1,000,000+ per 12 months
- Class B project
- $30,000 to under $150,000
- Class B volume
- $250,000 to under $1,000,000
- Class C project
- Over $1,000; under $30,000
- Class C volume
- Under $250,000 per 12 months
- Class A finances
- $45,000 equity or $50,000 bond
- Class B finances
- $15,000 equity or $50,000 bond
- Class C equity
- No stated minimum
- Project value
- Fair market value
- Contract price
- Prima facie value evidence
- Special exception
- Irrigation and wells need licensure
License Has Two Parts
Class = Cash | Designation = Scope
Class: project valueClass: rolling volumeDesignation: work typeQI: each designation
DE vs QI
Designated Employee
- Class A/B firms
- Business portions
- One licensing role
Qualified Individual
- Every designation
- Experience required
- Technical prerequisite
Business exam vs work qualification
License Class Picker
- Project at least $150,000→Class A(Single-project trigger)
- Volume at least $1,000,000→Class A(Rolling 12 months)
- Project $30,000 to <$150,000→Class B(Check annual trigger)
- Volume $250,000 to <$1,000,000→Class B(Rolling 12 months)
- Project >$1,000 to <$30,000→Class C(Keep volume below $250,000)
- Volume below $250,000→Check Class C(Project cap still applies)
- Landscape irrigation or well→Contractor license(Value exception)
- Work type selected→Add designation(Class does not grant scope)
License Role Map
- Firm
- Holds contractor license
- License class
- Controls monetary authority
- Classification or specialty
- Controls permitted work scope
- Designated Employee
- Passes A/B business portions
- Qualified Individual
- Qualifies each work designation
- Responsible Management
- Business controlling principals
- DE relationship
- RM member or full-time employee
- QI relationship
- RM member or full-time employee
- Full-time employee
- At least 30 weekly hours
- Class A QI
- Five years specialty experience
- Class B QI
- Three years specialty experience
- Class C QI
- One year specialty experience
- Class C DE
- Not required
Virginia Portion Outline
- Contractor regulation
- 7 of 24 items
- Board regulations
- 5 of 24 items
- Building codes
- 5 of 24 items
- Recovery Fund
- 5 of 24 items
- Erosion control
- 2 of 24 items
Open-Book Controls
- Exam format
- All portions open book
- References
- Candidate brings own books
- Study guides
- Not permitted
- Loose papers
- Not permitted
- Downloaded reference
- Bind or staple it
- Tabs
- Permanent only
- Preparation
- Highlight, underline, index
- Handwritten notes
- Not permitted
- Conflicting sources
- Virginia law overrides national
- Code questions
- Use bulletin-listed edition
- Experimental items
- Five to ten unscored
Bid Build
Direct + Indirect + Overhead + Profit
Direct: job traceableIndirect: project supportOverhead: company operationsProfit: business return
Markup vs Margin
Markup
- Profit divided cost
- Uses cost base
- Price increases cost
Margin
- Profit divided sales
- Uses sales base
- Price divides by complement
Same profit, different denominator
Contract Action Picker
- Requirement unclear→RFI(Request clarification)
- Bid documents change→Addendum(Before contract)
- Price, time, scope changes→Change order(After contract)
- Offering project price→Bid(State assumptions)
- Setting legal duties→Contract(Define scope)
- Proposing product→Submittal(Show compliance)
- Tracking incomplete work→Punch list(Assign corrections)
- Finishing project→Closeout package(Deliver final records)
General Portion Outline
- Business organization
- 2 of 50 items
- Estimating and bidding
- 10 of 50 items
- Contract management
- 10 of 50 items
- Project management
- 7 of 50 items
- Risk management
- 3 of 50 items
- Safety
- 5 of 50 items
- Labor laws
- 3 of 50 items
- Financial management
- 5 of 50 items
- Federal and state taxes
- 4 of 50 items
- Lien laws
- 1 of 50 items
Four Risk Responses
Avoid | Transfer | Mitigate | Accept
Avoid: remove exposureTransfer: shift exposureMitigate: reduce exposureAccept: monitor residual
Bid vs Performance Bond
Bid bond
- Before award
- Supports bid commitment
- Protects owner
Performance bond
- After award
- Supports completion
- Protects obligee
Bid promise vs completion promise
Estimate Builder
- Need material quantity→Perform takeoff(Apply waste separately)
- Need labor cost→Hours × loaded rate(Include labor burden)
- Need equipment cost→Time × rate(Separate operating costs)
- Need subcontract cost→Normalize quotes(Compare exclusions)
- Need direct cost→Sum project costs(Trace to job)
- Need overhead recovery→Apply allocation(Use consistent base)
- Targeting markup→Cost × (1 + markup)(Markup uses cost)
- Targeting margin→Cost / (1 - margin)(Margin uses sales)
- Known uncertainty exists→Add contingency(Document basis)
- Bid seems unusually low→Audit scope(Find omissions)
Contract Documents
- Invitation to bid
- Solicits contractor proposals
- Bid
- Price and performance offer
- Contract
- Enforceable project agreement
- Scope of work
- Defines included obligations
- Addendum
- Changes bidding documents
- Change order
- Modifies signed contract
- RFI
- Requests missing clarification
- Submittal
- Shows proposed product compliance
- Daily report
- Records work and conditions
- Punch list
- Tracks remaining corrections
- Closeout
- Delivers final project records
- Retainage
- Payment withheld until conditions
CGL vs Workers' Compensation
CGL
- Third-party claims
- Injury and property
- Subject to exclusions
Workers' compensation
- Employee injuries
- Job-related exposure
- Statutory system
Public claim vs employee injury
Schedule Control Picker
- Work depends on sequence→Network logic(Link predecessors)
- Need controlling duration→Critical path(Longest path)
- Noncritical work slips→Check total float(Protect successor dates)
- Progress differs from plan→Schedule update(Enter actuals)
- Crews need near-term detail→Lookahead schedule(Plan constraints)
- Change affects completion→Time-impact analysis(Model schedule effect)
- Information blocks work→RFI log(Escalate aging items)
- Approval blocks procurement→Submittal log(Track required dates)
Estimating Math
- Bid price
- Costs + overhead + profit
- Direct cost
- Traceable project expense
- Indirect cost
- Supports project execution
- Overhead
- Business operating expense
- Unit cost
- Total cost / units
- Productivity
- Output / labor-hours
- Labor cost
- Hours × loaded rate
- Equipment cost
- Time × equipment rate
- Waste quantity
- Net quantity × waste rate
- Markup percentage
- Profit / cost × 100
- Margin percentage
- Profit / sales × 100
- Margin price
- Cost / (1 - margin)
- Break-even sales
- Fixed costs / contribution ratio
- Contingency
- Allowance for identified uncertainty
Addendum vs Change Order
Addendum
- Before contract
- Changes bid documents
- Affects all bidders
Change order
- After contract
- Changes price, time, scope
- Becomes contract document
Pre-award vs post-award change
Project Controls
- Activity
- Scheduled work component
- Duration
- Planned activity time
- Predecessor
- Required earlier activity
- Critical path
- Longest controlling path
- Total float
- Allowable noncritical delay
- Baseline
- Approved comparison plan
- Schedule update
- Adds actual progress
- Lookahead
- Near-term detailed plan
- Submittal log
- Tracks approval workflow
- RFI log
- Tracks unresolved questions
- Change log
- Tracks cost and time
- Quality control
- Verifies specified results
Risk and Insurance Map
- CGL
- Third-party injury and property
- Workers' compensation
- Employee job injuries
- Builder's risk
- Work under construction
- Commercial auto
- Covered vehicle losses
- Professional liability
- Design errors and omissions
- Bid bond
- Supports bid commitment
- Performance bond
- Supports completion obligation
- Payment bond
- Supports downstream payment
- Indemnity
- Allocates contractual loss
- Additional insured
- Extends policy protection
- Insurance certificate
- Evidence; not policy coverage
- Deductible
- Insured retains first loss
Safety Controls
- Fall protection
- Generally begins at six feet
- Competent person
- Identifies and corrects hazards
- Qualified person
- Has recognized technical expertise
- JHA
- Breaks tasks into hazards
- Hierarchy of controls
- Eliminate before using PPE
- PPE
- Last protective layer
- SDS
- Chemical hazard information
- Lockout/tagout
- Controls hazardous energy
- Excavation inspection
- Competent person checks conditions
- Housekeeping
- Clears paths and debris
- Emergency plan
- Defines roles, routes, contacts
Accounting Equation
Assets = Liabilities + Equity
Assets: resourcesLiabilities: obligationsEquity: residual interestBalance both sides
General vs Advanced
General
- Class A and B
- 50 scored items
- Broad project business
Advanced
- Class A only
- 24 scored items
- Deeper business controls
Shared core vs Class A depth
Risk Control Picker
- Risk outweighs reward→Avoid(Decline exposure)
- Another party controls risk→Transfer(Contract or insurance)
- Risk can be reduced→Mitigate(Add controls)
- Residual risk is tolerable→Accept(Fund and monitor)
- Third party suffers loss→Check CGL(Read exclusions)
- Employee suffers job injury→Workers' compensation(Employment exposure)
- Work is physically damaged→Builder's risk(Course-of-construction exposure)
- Design service causes loss→Professional liability(Errors and omissions)
- Owner needs completion security→Performance bond(Surety obligation)
- Downstream payment needs security→Payment bond(Surety obligation)
Advanced Portion Outline
- Estimating and bidding
- 1 of 24 items
- Contract management
- 4 of 24 items
- Project management
- 1 of 24 items
- Risk management
- 2 of 24 items
- Safety
- 2 of 24 items
- Labor laws
- 4 of 24 items
- Financial management
- 5 of 24 items
- Federal and state taxes
- 4 of 24 items
- Lien laws
- 1 of 24 items
Lien Sequence
License | Record | Notify | Enforce
License: proper classRecord: memorandumNotify: required partiesEnforce: timely suit
Lien Perfection vs Enforcement
Perfection
- Record memorandum
- Give required notice
- Meet recording deadline
Enforcement
- File lawsuit
- Meet suit deadline
- Prove valid claim
Create lien vs pursue remedy
Labor and Tax Map
- Form W-4
- Employee withholding instructions
- Form W-2
- Reports employee wages
- Form 1099-NEC
- Reports nonemployee compensation
- Form 941
- Quarterly employment tax return
- Form 940
- Annual FUTA return
- Form I-9
- Employment authorization record
- EIN
- Federal business tax identifier
- Payroll taxes
- Withhold, deposit, report
- Worker status
- Facts control classification
- FLSA
- Federal wage-hour rules
- Tax records
- Support returns and deductions
Employee vs Independent Contractor
Employee
- Employer controls work
- W-2 reporting
- Payroll withholding
Independent contractor
- Runs independent business
- 1099-NEC may apply
- Facts still control
Relationship facts beat labels
Financial Ratios
- Working capital
- Current assets - current liabilities
- Current ratio
- Current assets / current liabilities
- Quick ratio
- Liquid assets / current liabilities
- Debt-to-equity
- Total liabilities / equity
- Gross profit
- Sales - direct costs
- Gross margin
- Gross profit / sales
- Net profit
- Revenue - all expenses
- Return on assets
- Net income / total assets
- Cash flow
- Cash inflows - cash outflows
- Accounts receivable
- Customers owe the firm
- Accounts payable
- Firm owes vendors
- Depreciation
- Allocates asset cost
- Balance sheet
- Assets = liabilities + equity
Cash Flow vs Profit
Cash flow
- Tracks cash movement
- Timing matters
- Funds current obligations
Profit
- Revenue less expenses
- Accruals may apply
- Not available cash
Liquidity vs earnings
Mechanics' Lien Timing
- Lien eligibility
- Requires proper license and class
- Record deadline
- Last-work month-end plus 90 days
- Outer deadline
- Completion plus 90 days
- Included sums
- Generally 150-day lookback
- Record location
- Local clerk's office
- General contractor notice
- Mail memorandum copy to owner
- Subcontractor notice
- Notify owner in writing
- Enforcement limit
- Six months after recording
- Completion alternative
- 60 days; whichever ends later
- Perfection
- Record and notify correctly
- Enforcement
- File suit timely
Common Traps
Class vs Scope
Class controls dollars ≠ Designation controls work
DE vs QI
DE passes business portions ≠ QI qualifies work designation
Open Book vs Easy
Books provide answers ≠ Indexing provides speed
Markup vs Margin
Markup divides by cost ≠ Margin divides by sales
Bid vs Performance Bond
Bid supports offer ≠ Performance supports completion
Lien Filing vs Lawsuit
Recording perfects lien ≠ Suit enforces lien
Firm vs Individual
Firm holds contractor license ≠ People fill required roles
Volume vs Calendar Year
Statute uses 12 months ≠ Not stated as calendar year
Virginia vs General Portion
Virginia tests state rules ≠ General tests business core
NASCLA Guide vs Exam
Guide is listed reference ≠ Accredited exam is separate
Certificate vs Policy
Certificate shows evidence ≠ Policy controls coverage
Profit vs Cash
Profit measures earnings ≠ Cash pays obligations
Last Minute
- 1.Choose class and designation separately
- 2.Class A: Virginia + General + Advanced
- 3.Class B: Virginia + General
- 4.Class C: no DE portions
- 5.Virginia: 24 items; 18 pass
- 6.General: 50 items; 35 pass
- 7.Advanced: 24 items; 17 pass
- 8.Virginia time: 48 minutes
- 9.General time: 100 minutes
- 10.Advanced time: 60 minutes
- 11.All portions are open book
- 12.Bring bulletin-listed references
- 13.Use permanent tabs only
- 14.Do not bring handwritten notes
- 15.Virginia law overrides national sources
- 16.Scores remain valid one year
- 17.Retest possibly within two business days
- 18.A project ≥$150,000; volume ≥$1,000,000
- 19.B project $30,000–<$150,000
- 20.B volume $250,000–<$1,000,000
- 21.C project >$1,000–<$30,000
- 22.C volume below $250,000
- 23.QI experience: A5 / B3 / C1
- 24.Markup uses cost; margin uses sales
- 25.Record liens before both deadlines
- 26.Separate perfection from enforcement
- 27.Verify worker status using facts
Prep on RocketCert
Online course on MometrixSame family resources
Explore More General Contractor License
Continue into nearby exams from the same family. Each card keeps practice questions, study guides, flashcards, videos, and articles in one place.
More From This Family
Videos and articles for deeper review.
VideoFree General Contractor Practice Test by State 2026: 3,300+ QuestionsThis examVideoFree General Contractor Practice Test by State 2026: 3,300+ QuestionsVideoFree General Contractor Practice Test by State 2026: 3,300+ QuestionsVideoFree General Contractor Practice Test by State 2026: 3,300+ QuestionsArticleFree General Contractor Practice Test by State 2026: 3,300+ Questions24 min read