The real trade exam is two parts of 60 scored questions each, 4.5 hours per part, open book, 70% to pass — and the DBPR does not round scores up. This practice test draws from 352 questions across the same eleven content areas, weighted the way the state weights them.
How the practice test works
Questions come one at a time. Pick an answer and you get instant feedback — right or wrong — plus the explanation, so you learn from every question instead of just scoring it. A running per-topic tally shows which of the eleven content areas still need work before you book a seat at Pearson VUE.
Practice by content area
You can mix all 352 questions or filter to a single area. The two exam parts split evenly, but within them the weighting is far from even, so that is where your time should go:
- Project Contracts & Contract Law — 20%: contract types, general and supplemental conditions, change orders, draws and the schedule of values, lien law, retainage and closeout. On the Contract Administration part this single area is 40% of the questions.
- Estimating & Preconstruction — 14%: take-offs, evaluating subcontractor bids, unit price versus lump sum, break-even and margin, liquidated damages.
- Safety & OSHA — 10% and Licensing, Permits & Inspections — 10%: two areas where the points are reliable once you know the material.
- Concrete & Masonry — 8%, Reading Plans & Specifications — 9%, Framing & Erection — 7%, and the rest of the Project Management part.
Aim to score 80%+ consistently before you book the real exam. The passing bar is 70% and the state does not round, so a practice average of 72% is not the margin it looks like.
Why a practice test beats re-reading on an open-book exam
Open book sounds forgiving until you are nine hours into two sittings with a shelf of references beside you. Candidates rarely fail because the material is beyond them — they fail because they were still hunting for a page number when the clock ran out. Active recall trains both halves of what the state is really testing: knowing the answer, and knowing where to confirm it fast. Our page on reference books and tabbing covers the second half.
Free versus full access
The first 5 questions are free with no account and no payment. Full access opens all 352 questions across both parts, plus the timed 60-question simulation that mirrors one exam part exactly. To learn an area in depth rather than test it, switch to the study guide, and follow the full study plan for the order to work through it in.
Start the free practice test
Take the first 5 questions right now — no account, no payment. Then unlock all 352 plus the timed simulation.