Tennessee Commercial (BC-B) Contractor Examination

A commercial floor plan is drawn at a scale of 1/8 inch = 1 foot 0 inches. A corridor measures 4-1/2 inches long on the drawing. What is the actual corridor length?

• A18 feet 0 inches
• B27 feet 0 inches
• C36 feet 0 inches
• D54 feet 0 inches

On a commercial project specified with CSI MasterFormat, which division covers cast-in-place concrete, reinforcement, and formwork?

• ADivision 02 Existing Conditions
• BDivision 03 Concrete
• CDivision 04 Masonry
• DDivision 05 Metals

A steel takeoff lists 18 W21x44 beams at 32 feet each and 12 W12x58 columns at 16 feet each. Ignoring connections, base plates, and waste, the structural steel tonnage is closest to which value?

• A12.7 tons
• B18.2 tons
• C22.6 tons
• D36.5 tons

A 100-foot by 80-foot commercial floor slab is 5 inches thick. Allow 7 percent waste. How many cubic yards of ready-mixed concrete should be ordered?

• A99 cubic yards
• B123 cubic yards
• C132 cubic yards
• D148 cubic yards

Why do commercial estimators add a waste factor to a neat quantity takeoff?

• ATo cover cutting loss, over-excavation, spillage, and placement waste that the neat geome…
• BTo convert cubic feet directly into cubic yards
• CTo replace the need to read addenda and alternates
• DTo increase the bid so the contractor can omit a site visit

An 8-inch CMU wall is 8 feet high and 40 feet long with no openings. Using 8-inch by 16-inch face units (1.125 units per square foot) and no waste, how many block are required?

• A320 units
• B360 units
• C400 units
• D480 units

A restaurant dining room has 2,700 square feet of net area used with tables and chairs. The commercial kitchen is 600 square feet gross. Using 2021 IBC Table 1004.5 (unconcentrated assembly 15 net; commercial kitchens 200 gross), what is the design occupant load?

• A135 occupants
• B154 occupants
• C180 occupants
• D183 occupants

A continuous footing is 2 feet wide, 12 inches thick, and 120 feet long. How many square feet of vertical side formwork are required if the footing is formed on both sides and the top is left open?

• A240 square feet
• B360 square feet
• C480 square feet
• D120 square feet

A utility trench is 3 feet wide, 4 feet deep, and 90 feet long. Ignoring slope, spoil swell, and bedding, the neat excavation volume is closest to which value?

• A27 cubic yards
• B33 cubic yards
• C40 cubic yards
• D48 cubic yards

Which drawing view is the most reliable source for taking off foundation wall height, footing thickness, and slab elevation together?

• AThe reflected ceiling plan
• BA building or wall section
• CThe door schedule
• DThe electrical one-line diagram

A brick veneer wall is 20 feet long and 10 feet high with no openings. Using 7 modular bricks per square foot and no waste, how many bricks are required?

• A1,400 bricks
• B1,000 bricks
• C2,000 bricks
• D700 bricks

A concrete bid item is 240 cubic yards at USD 185 per cubic yard, including placement. What is the extended amount?

• AUSD 4,440
• BUSD 22,200
• CUSD 44,400
• DUSD 444,000

During bidding, the architect issues a written change to the drawings that all bidders must use. What is that document?

• AA change order
• BAn addendum
• CA request for information (RFI)
• DAn application for payment

A roof framing takeoff lists 30 W16x26 beams, each 28 feet long. Ignoring connections and waste, the steel weight is closest to which tonnage?

• A8.4 tons
• B10.9 tons
• C13.1 tons
• D21.8 tons

Finish grade is elevation 102.40 at a building corner and 100.00 at a catch basin 80 feet away. What is the slope of that run?

• A3 percent
• B2 percent
• C1.5 percent
• D5 percent

Under the 2021 IBC, a multi-story office building used for professional and service-type transactions is classified as which occupancy group?

• AGroup A-3
• BGroup B
• CGroup M
• DGroup R-1

A one-story building used for the display and sale of merchandise accessible to the public is which 2021 IBC occupancy group?

• AGroup B
• BGroup F-1
• CGroup M
• DGroup S-1

A small tenant space is used for assembly purposes with a calculated occupant load of 40 persons. Under 2021 IBC Section 303.1.1, how is that space classified?

• AGroup B
• BGroup A-2
• CGroup A-3
• DGroup E

Per 2021 IBC Table 1004.5, what occupant load factor is used for ordinary business areas?

• A50 gross square feet per occupant
• B100 gross square feet per occupant
• C120 gross square feet per occupant
• D150 gross square feet per occupant

A single-tenant office floor has 18,000 gross square feet of business area and no other functions. Using 2021 IBC Table 1004.5, what is the design occupant load?

• A90 occupants
• B120 occupants
• C180 occupants
• D360 occupants

A Group B office building of Type II-B construction is not sprinklered. Per 2021 IBC Table 504.4, what is the maximum allowable number of stories above grade plane?

• A2 stories
• B4 stories
• C3 stories
• D5 stories

A six-unit apartment building with permanent occupants is which 2021 IBC residential group?

• AGroup R-1
• BGroup R-2
• CGroup R-3
• DGroup R-4

A mixed-use floor has 6,000 square feet of office (business), 3,600 square feet of retail sales (mercantile), and 900 square feet of stock room. Using 2021 IBC Table 1004.5 factors of 150, 60, and 300 gross, what is the combined occupant load?

• A103 occupants
• B90 occupants
• C145 occupants
• D70 occupants

Per 2021 IBC Table 1006.2.1, a Group B space must have two exits or exit-access doorways when its design occupant load exceeds which number, assuming common-path distance is otherwise acceptable?

• A10 occupants
• B29 occupants
• C49 occupants
• D99 occupants

A new Group A-2 restaurant dining room has 3,600 square feet of net area with tables and chairs (factor 15 net). The fire area is 4,800 square feet on the level of exit discharge. Under 2021 IBC Section 903.2.1.2, is an automatic sprinkler system required, and why?

• ANo, because the fire area is less than 5,000 square feet
• BYes, because the occupant load is 240, which is 100 or more
• CYes, but only because every Group A occupancy must be sprinklered regardless of size
• DNo, because restaurants are Group B if they serve food

Per 2021 IBC Table 1017.2, what is the maximum exit-access travel distance for a Group B occupancy in a building sprinklered throughout with an NFPA 13 system?

• A150 feet
• B200 feet
• C250 feet
• D300 feet

Which statement correctly describes Type I construction compared with Type V construction in the 2021 IBC?

• AType I is noncombustible building elements; Type V allows combustible (typically wood) bu…
• BType I is limited to one story; Type V is unlimited in height
• CType I requires masonry walls; Type V requires steel frames
• DType I and Type V have identical fire-resistance and material requirements

Per 2021 IBC Section 1804.4, the ground immediately adjacent to a foundation must be sloped away from the building at not less than which slope for a minimum of 10 feet?

• A1 percent (about 1-1/4 inches in 10 feet)
• B5 percent (6 inches in 10 feet)
• C10 percent (12 inches in 10 feet)
• D2 percent (about 2-1/2 inches in 10 feet)

Before excavating a commercial site, what is the contractor's first utility-protection step?

• AAssume unmarked areas contain no utilities
• BProbe with a steel bar until a pipe is felt
• CNotify the one-call utility-locate service and wait for marks before digging
• DStart with a large excavator and stop only if a line is hit

Per 2021 IBC Table 1806.2, what is the presumptive vertical foundation bearing pressure for clay, sandy clay, silty clay, and silt when a geotechnical report is not used?

• A1,500 pounds per square foot
• B2,000 pounds per square foot
• C3,000 pounds per square foot
• D4,000 pounds per square foot

Structural fill under a commercial floor slab is placed in lifts and compacted. What is the field purpose of a nuclear-density or sand-cone test on that fill?

• ATo measure the slump of the concrete that will be placed later
• BTo confirm in-place dry density and moisture against the specified Proctor value
• CTo replace the need for a proof-roll of the subgrade
• DTo determine the frost depth for the footing

A building pad 100 feet by 60 feet must be cut an average of 3.0 feet. Ignoring swell, shrinkage, and side slopes, the neat cut volume is closest to which value?

• A200 cubic yards
• B400 cubic yards
• C556 cubic yards
• D667 cubic yards

Per ACI 318 specified cover for cast-in-place nonprestressed members, what is the minimum concrete cover for reinforcement in concrete cast against and permanently in contact with earth?

• A3/4 inch
• B1-1/2 inches
• C3 inches
• D2 inches

A spread footing that supports a single column is best described as which foundation type?

• AA continuous wall footing
• BAn isolated (pad) footing
• CA drilled pier (caisson)
• DA mat (raft) foundation

Per 2021 IBC Section 1809.5, except where otherwise permitted, the bottom of a shallow foundation shall be:

• ABelow the frost line of the locality, on undisturbed soil or approved fill
• BAt finished grade so the footing can act as a grade beam only
• CAlways 12 inches below grade regardless of climate
• DAbove the frost line if the concrete is 4,000 psi

A keyed joint is formed in the top of a wall footing before the foundation wall is poured. What is the primary structural purpose of that keyway?

• ATo provide a decorative reveal at the grade line
• BTo reduce the required concrete cover on the footing bars
• CTo create a construction joint that transfers shear between wall and footing
• DTo replace the need for vertical dowels into the wall

A continuous footing is 2 feet 0 inches wide, 12 inches thick, and 180 feet long. Ignoring waste, how many cubic yards of concrete are required?

• A10.0 cubic yards
• B13.3 cubic yards
• C20.0 cubic yards
• D26.7 cubic yards

Vertical dowels are left projecting from a wall footing into a cast-in-place foundation wall. What is their primary purpose?

• ATo act as grade stakes for the finish floor elevation
• BTo hold the formwork together without ties
• CTo provide tensile continuity so the wall and footing act together
• DTo replace horizontal footing reinforcement

A commercial slab schedule specifies welded wire reinforcement designated 6 x 6 - W2.9 x W2.9. What does that designation describe?

• ALongitudinal and transverse wires spaced 6 inches apart each way, each wire having a cros…
• BWires of 6 gauge diameter spaced 2.9 inches apart each way
• CA sheet 6 feet by 6 feet weighing 2.9 pounds
• DDeformed bars 6/8 inch in diameter spaced 2.9 inches on center

A footing is cast against undisturbed soil. Per ACI 318, the specified cover to the bottom bars is:

• A1-1/2 inches
• B3 inches
• C3/4 inch
• D2 inches

Epoxy-coated reinforcing bars conforming to ASTM A775 are specified for a commercial parking structure primarily to:

• ARaise the bar's yield strength above Grade 60
• BEliminate the need for concrete cover over the steel
• CProvide a barrier against chloride-induced corrosion in concrete exposed to deicing salts
• DAllow the bars to be field welded without a qualified welding procedure

A slump test on fresh concrete is primarily a measure of which property?

• AConsistency (workability) of the fresh mix
• B28-day compressive strength
• CAir content of the hardened concrete
• DModulus of elasticity

For a cast-in-place interior slab not exposed to weather, ACI 318 specified cover for No. 11 and smaller bars is:

• A3 inches
• B2 inches
• C1-1/2 inches
• D3/4 inch

A 50-foot by 70-foot slab is 6 inches thick. A connected 10-inch-thick foundation wall is 10 feet high and 200 feet long. Ignoring openings and waste, the combined concrete volume is closest to which value?

• A65 cubic yards
• B127 cubic yards
• C148 cubic yards
• D175 cubic yards

Per ACI 318, specified cover to the primary reinforcement, ties, stirrups, or spirals in a cast-in-place interior beam or column not exposed to weather is:

• A3/4 inch
• B1 inch
• C1-1/2 inches
• D3 inches