Exam Day at PSI: Rules, Materials & What to Expect
Key Takeaways
- Candidates schedule the CSL exam through PSI (test-takers.psiexams.com/macon) at test centers across Massachusetts and pay a $75 exam fee to PSI for the Unrestricted or Restricted exam (or $65 for a Specialty exam), plus a $23 application fee.
- The Unrestricted exam is 75 questions in 4 hours (about 3.2 minutes per question); the Restricted (One- and Two-Family) exam is 60 questions in the same 4 hours (about 4 minutes per question); Specialty exams vary by trade (30-50 questions in 120-180 minutes); all require a 70% passing score.
- PSI does not supply the open-book reference materials — candidates must bring their own copies, and calculator/electronic-device and book-markup policies should be verified directly with PSI before test day since testing-center rules can change.
- PSI may mix in 4 to 7 unscored experimental questions that are not identified to the candidate, so every question should be treated as if it counts.
- A skip-and-return pacing strategy — capping lengthy lookups, flagging uncertain questions, and returning to them after finishing what you know — protects your time budget against the 4-hour clock.
Exam Day at PSI: Rules, Materials & What to Expect
Quick Answer: The Massachusetts CSL exam is administered by PSI at test centers across the state, scheduled through test-takers.psiexams.com/macon, for a $75 exam fee for the Unrestricted or Restricted exam (or $65 for a Specialty exam) paid to PSI, plus a $23 application fee. The Unrestricted exam is 75 questions in 4 hours (240 minutes); the Restricted (One- and Two-Family) exam is 60 questions in the same 4 hours; Specialty exams vary by trade (30-50 questions in 120-180 minutes); all require 70% to pass. Because it's open book, exam-day success depends as much on pacing strategy as on knowledge — bring your own reference materials, budget your lookup time, and use a skip-and-return approach for anything that takes too long to find.
Scheduling Your Exam Through PSI
The Massachusetts Board of Building Regulations and Standards (BBRS) uses PSI as its testing vendor for the Construction Supervisor License exam. You schedule your appointment through PSI's Massachusetts contractor portal (test-takers.psiexams.com/macon) and sit for the exam at a PSI test center located in Massachusetts. When you schedule, you'll choose the exam that matches the license category you're pursuing — the Unrestricted exam (75 questions, 4 hours/240 minutes), the Restricted (One- and Two-Family) exam (60 questions, 4 hours/240 minutes), or a Specialty exam (30-50 questions, 120-180 minutes) — all with a 70% passing score. You pay a $75 exam fee to PSI for the Unrestricted or Restricted exam (or $65 for a Specialty exam), plus a $23 application fee.
What to Bring on Exam Day
Because the exam is open book, what you bring matters as much as what you know. At minimum, plan to bring:
| Item | Notes |
|---|---|
| Valid photo ID | Required for check-in and identity verification |
| Your own copies of the reference materials | 2021 IBC, 2021 IRC, 780 CMR, 521 CMR, 225 CMR, 2021 IECC, OSHA 1926 — PSI does not supply these |
| Payment method for the exam fee | Confirm accepted payment methods with PSI in advance if the fee is not already paid during scheduling |
| Calculator (if permitted) | Verify the current calculator/electronic-device policy directly with PSI before test day, since testing-center device rules can change |
Since your reference books are your own copies, forgetting one means you are missing that material for the entire exam — there is no borrowing or sharing at the test center. Pack all seven volumes the night before, along with your tabbed index, and double-check nothing was left out of your bag.
A note on markup: many open-book exams allow some form of highlighting, underlining, or tabbing in your own books, but exactly what is and isn't permitted can vary and can change over time. Confirm the current rules on book markup directly with PSI before test day rather than assuming last year's rules still apply.
The Pacing Math
Know your numbers before you sit down:
| Exam Type | Questions | Time Limit | Approx. Time per Question |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unrestricted | 75 | 4 hours (240 minutes) | ~3.2 minutes |
| Restricted (One- and Two-Family) | 60 | 4 hours (240 minutes) | ~4.0 minutes |
| Specialty (varies) | 30-50 | 2-3 hours (120-180 min) | ~3.4-4 minutes |
All require a 70% passing score. PSI may also include 4 to 7 additional, unscored experimental questions mixed into the exam to test future content — these are not identified to you as a candidate and do not count against your exam time. Since you cannot tell a scored question from an experimental one, the only sound approach is to treat every question on the exam as if it counts.
Skip-and-Return: Pacing Strategy for an Open-Book Format
The biggest pacing risk on an open-book exam isn't running out of knowledge — it's burning too much time hunting through a code book for one stubborn table while the clock keeps running on the rest of the exam. Use a skip-and-return approach:
- Answer what you know immediately. If a question is in your "know it cold" bucket, don't waste time flipping pages to confirm it — answer it and move on.
- Cap your lookup attempts. If a question needs a lookup, give yourself a reasonable, self-imposed limit (for example, roughly the average time you've budgeted per question) to find it using your tabs and index.
- Flag and move on. If you haven't found the answer within your self-imposed limit, mark the question and continue to the next one rather than getting stuck.
- Return with remaining time. After finishing the questions you can answer quickly, go back to your flagged questions with whatever time is left, when you can afford a longer, more careful lookup.
This approach protects you from the single most common way candidates run out of time on an open-book exam: spending many minutes chasing one table early on and having no time left for the last several questions.
What to Expect at the Test Center
Plan to arrive with enough time to complete check-in comfortably rather than rushing in at the last minute — exact arrival windows and check-in procedures can be confirmed on your PSI appointment confirmation. Check-in typically involves verifying your photo ID against your registration before you're seated and given testing instructions. Once the clock starts, work through the exam using the pacing strategy above, and use any time remaining after your first full pass to revisit flagged questions and review your answers before submitting.
A candidate is taking the CSL Unrestricted exam (75 questions, 240-minute / 4-hour limit). Roughly how much time does she have per question if she paces evenly across the whole exam?
Which of these is the most effective way to handle a question that requires digging through a lengthy code table you can't locate quickly?
PSI test centers administering the CSL exam may include 4 to 7 additional questions beyond the scored total. What is the best way to treat these unscored questions during the exam?
Put these exam-day steps in the order a CSL candidate should generally follow when heading to a PSI test center.
Arrange the items in the correct order