0.1 Official Exam Facts, Content Outlines & Approved References

0.1 Official Exam Facts, Content Outlines & Approved References

The Georgia General Contractor credential is not earned through one 100-question test. The current Georgia PSI Candidate Information Bulletin, updated April 28, 2025 and still published by PSI, requires candidates for both the unlimited General Contractor and General Contractor Limited Tier classifications to pass two separate examinations after the General Contractor Division approves the application. Treat them as separate testing events with separate fees, reference lists, score reports, and time budgets.

Current testing facts

Together, the two scored outlines contain 165 questions and 450 minutes. Do not combine the scores: a strong NASCLA result cannot offset a failed Business and Law result. PSI may include approximately 1 to 10 experimental questions, generally not more than about ten percent of an examination. Experimental questions are not identified or scored, but they count against the clock. Answer every item and use the published scored counts only for study allocation.

Georgia Business and Law outline

The official 50-item allocation is exact: Licensing, 5; Estimating and Bidding, 7; Business Organization and Financial Management, 7; Tax Laws, 5; Labor Laws, 5; Project Management and Lien Law, 6; Contracts, 6; Risk Management, 4; and Environmental and Safety Laws, 5. These counts show why a candidate cannot prepare only from licensing statutes. Estimating, business finance, project administration, liens, and contracts together dominate the state examination.

NASCLA Commercial General Building outline

The official 115-item allocation is: General Requirements, 25; Site Construction, 15; Concrete, 6; Masonry, 4; Metals, 6; Wood, 5; Thermal and Moisture Protection, 5; Doors, Windows, and Glazing, 4; Finishes, 5; Mechanical and Plumbing Systems, 6; Electrical Systems, 3; and Procurement and Contracting Requirements, 31. Procurement and Contracting plus General Requirements account for 56 scored items. Site work is the third-largest area. The remaining construction divisions are individually smaller but collectively material, so skipping a four- or five-item division is a poor risk decision.

Approval, attempts, and score reporting

Apply through the Georgia Secretary of State licensing process and wait for written Board approval before attempting to schedule. PSI states that the approval is valid for one year and both required examinations must be passed within that approval period. The first approval permits two attempts. A candidate requesting a third or later attempt must wait at least one calendar year after the last examination and submit a new application with the required fees. Use the current approval letter if its instructions differ from an older FAQ or prep provider.

PSI reports the result after testing. A failing report is diagnostic evidence: rebuild the weak content area and the reference index before rescheduling. Because the test is open book, a failure usually reflects knowledge, navigation, or time management rather than lack of access to text.

Test-day controls

Register and schedule with PSI online or by telephone after approval. The current bulletin requires cancellation or rescheduling at least two days before the appointment to avoid forfeiting the fee. Arrive about 30 minutes early with one current government-issued identification bearing a photograph and signature. Candidate-supplied approved books may be highlighted, underlined, indexed, and fitted with permanent tabs. Temporary tabs, sticky notes, Post-it notes, loose papers, writing in the testing room, and unapproved references are prohibited. Only a silent, nonprinting, nonprogrammable calculator is allowed.

The candidate—not PSI—supplies the permitted references. Verify the edition alternatives against the current bulletin before buying or tabbing books. The Business and Law exam permits the Georgia-NASCLA Contractors Guide to Business, Law and Project Management, Third Edition. The NASCLA bulletin publishes a longer technical list and allows specified edition alternatives for several titles, including 2021 or 2024 IBC and ACI 318-14 or ACI 318-19 (2022). The approved-reference list is an admission list, not a claim that every current Georgia field code uses the same edition.

Edition-control checkpoint

Before registration, compare the title page and edition of every book with the current PSI list. Several NASCLA references have alternatives, but an edition not listed is not made admissible merely because it is newer. Conversely, the books admitted to the examination do not freeze Georgia field requirements. Record the date you checked the bulletin and recheck after any reschedule.