1.1 Nevada Contractor Exams: CMS and Class B Trade Exam Format, Outline & References

How the Nevada Class B License Exams Work

A Nevada Class B General Building license requires the qualified individual to pass two separate PSI exams. The first is the Contractor Management Survey (CMS), the business and law exam that every classification takes. The second is the B General Building trade exam. The Nevada State Contractors Board (NSCB) decides eligibility first. Only after the Board accepts the application does PSI send the Candidate Eligibility letter and the Candidate Information Bulletin (CIB) that lets you schedule. Applicants also submit fingerprints for a state and national criminal history check.

The facts below come from PSI's Nevada contractor CIB (updated March 25, 2026). PSI and the Board can change these details, so re-check the current bulletin at test-takers.psiexams.com/nvcon before you schedule.

The Two Exam Portions at a Glance

Margin math: On the CMS you can miss at most $60 - 45 = 15$ questions. On the trade exam you can miss at most $80 - 56 = 24$. The time budget is 2 minutes per CMS question ($120 \div 60$) and 2.25 minutes per trade question ($180 \div 80$). Open-book exams punish slow lookups, so practise finding tables quickly.

CMS Content Outline (60 Items)

B General Building Content Outline (80 Items)

Three subjects (Concrete, Metals, and Plan Reading and Estimating) make up $36$ of the $80$ trade items, or $45\%$. On the CMS, Financial Management and Licensing together are $22$ of $60$ items, about $37\%$. Spend study time in proportion.

References: Allowed vs. Used to Write Questions

The trade exam's reference list has two parts:

• Allowed in the exam room: the 2018 IBC, ACI 318 (2011 or 2014 edition), and ACI 530/530.1 (2011 or 2013 edition, the masonry code and specification now published as TMS 402/602).
• Used to write questions but not allowed in the room: 29 CFR Part 1926 (OSHA construction standards); SJI Technical Digest No. 9 on joist handling and erection; Pipe and Excavation Contracting; the USG Gypsum Construction Handbook (7th edition); the Nevada One Call marking guidelines and law; the PTI Level 1 unbonded post-tensioning field course; Modern Masonry; and the ACI/ASCC Contractor's Guide to Quality Concrete Construction. These facts must be in your head.

Two rules shape how you prepare. First, code questions are based only on the code edition listed. A question is written to the 2018 IBC even if your city has adopted a newer edition. Second, where a code or law conflicts with another reference, the code, law, or regulation prevails.

Reference-Book Rules on Exam Day

• Books may be highlighted, underlined, and indexed before the exam with permanent tabs only. Remove sticky notes before the exam starts.
• Nothing may be written in the books before or during the exam. A candidate caught writing or highlighting during the exam has the references confiscated and is reported.
• No loose or attached papers may be brought in with the references.

Scheduling, Fees, and Retakes

• Fees: $95 for one exam portion, or $140 for two portions when the second is the CMS. Two trade exams cost $95 each. Fees are not refundable or transferable and expire with your eligibility.
• Cancelling: Cancel at least 2 days before the appointment to keep the fee (for a Monday exam, by the previous Saturday). A voicemail does not count. Missing the exam, arriving late, or lacking proper ID forfeits the fee.
• Exam day: Arrive 30 minutes early with one valid, government-issued photo ID whose name matches your registration exactly. An optional tutorial of up to 15 minutes does not count against exam time.
• Scores: Results appear immediately. A passing candidate gets a score report; a failing candidate gets a diagnostic report of strengths and weaknesses by subject.
• Retakes: Wait 2 weeks after a failed attempt before retesting that portion. After a third failure, the application becomes void and you must re-apply to the Board.
• Spanish: The CMS is offered in Spanish on request. The B General Building trade exam does not appear on PSI's Spanish list.

A Study Plan That Matches the Outline

1. Tab the IBC first. Mark Chapter 3 (occupancy), Chapter 5 (height and area), Chapter 6 (construction types), Chapter 10 (egress), Chapter 17 (special inspection), Chapter 18 (soils), Chapter 19 (concrete), Chapter 21 (masonry), Chapter 22 (steel), Chapter 23 (wood), Chapter 25 (gypsum and plaster), and Chapter 33 (safeguards during construction).
2. Memorize what you cannot look up: OSHA Subparts M, P, Q, and R numbers, joist erection rules, post-tensioning field practice, gypsum finish levels, masonry practice, and Nevada One Call deadlines.
3. Drill the CMS manual for the Nevada-specific numbers (license limits, bonds, recovery fund, lien deadlines, prompt-pay days, taxes, and labor law). Each later chapter of this guide follows the CMS outline.
4. Time yourself on mixed practice sets at 2 minutes per question, and review every miss against the reference you would use in the exam room.

If you qualify for a waiver of the trade exam (for example, the NASCLA or reciprocity routes in Section 1.3), you still must pass the CMS.