The Florida contractor exams are open book. That does not make them easy.
TL;DR: The Florida contractor exams are open book, so you pass by finding answers fast in the approved reference books, and our test prep drills that skill. The Essential Test Prep covers all three exams for $650, the Business and Finance prep costs $400 and the Ratio Problems guide costs $100, compared with $795 to $1,195 for a typical prep course. General, Building and Residential Contractor candidates all sit Business and Finance, Contract Administration and Project Management.
You pass by finding the right answer in the approved books, fast, and that is a skill you can practice before you sit down. Our test prep drills exactly that, for a fraction of what a Florida contractor exam prep course charges. Here is how your Florida contractor exam prep options compare.
Table of contents
- Which prep to buy
- What is inside the prep
- Prep compared with a course
- Which exams you prep for
- How to choose
- What prep cannot do
- Frequently asked questions
- Key takeaways
- Sources
Which Florida contractor test prep should you buy?
| Test prep | Best for | What it covers | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essential Test Prep | The full General Contractor license | All three Division 1 exams (Business & Finance, Contract Administration, Project Management), a full practice exam for each | $650 |
| Comprehensive Test Prep | Just Business & Finance | Full B&F practice exam, strategies, and navigation drills for the four approved books | $400 |
| Ratio Problems | The math questions only | Finding and solving the ratio problems on the B&F exam using the books you bring in | $100 |
| B&F Combo | Books + prep in one | The Business & Finance reference books together with the B&F test prep | $600 |
| Prep + Books Bundle | Everything, one purchase | All three exams of prep plus every approved reference book | $1,750 |
What is inside the prep (and how it maps to a course)
A prep course sells lectures. For an open-book exam, what actually passes you is knowing where to look. Our prep covers the same ground a course does, aimed at the open-book test:
| What our prep gives you | The course feature it replaces |
|---|---|
| Full practice exam with answer locations | the course’s simulated exams |
| Book-navigation drills, one set per approved book | the “lookup system” schools charge for |
| Math and financial-ratio walkthroughs | math and accounting tutorials |
| Answer-location sheets (where the answers hide) | highlight sheets |
| Email and phone support | instructor support |
Compare Florida contractor prep with a prep course
| A prep course | Our test prep | |
|---|---|---|
| Format | Lectures and webinars | Practice exams + book navigation |
| Books included | No | Yes, in the bundles |
| Built for an open-book test | Sometimes | Yes, specifically |
| Price | $795 to $1,195 | From $100 |
Ready to start? The Essential Test Prep covers all three exams, or browse all test prep options.
What the Florida general contractor exam costs, compared
These prices come from each company’s own website and were checked on 15 October 2026. Each is the lowest price shown that day, and prices change, so check the seller before you buy. A school that teaches live is a different product from a self-paced course, so read the format before you read the price.
The approved books on their own
| Seller | General Contractor book set | Note |
|---|---|---|
| AAA Construction School | $1,443.50 | Books only |
| License to Pass General Contractor books bundle | $1,450 | The approved reference books, sold new |
| 1ContractorsPrep.com | $1,635 | Complete exam books |
| PassFlExam.com | $1,785 | Sale price; regular price $1,998 |
| Palm School | $1,949 | Complete set of reference books |
| Contractor Book Warehouse | $2,059 | List price |
Books and prep together
Most people need both. Bought as one order, the License to Pass bundle costs less than the same books and an online course bought separately from AAA Construction School or PassFlExam.com, and less than every school package we found that includes the books.
| Option | Books plus prep for the General Contractor exam | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| License to Pass Prep and Books Bundle | $1,750 | All the approved books plus Essential Test Prep: self-paced practice for all three exams |
| AAA Construction School, books and online course bought separately | $2,092.50 | $1,443.50 for the books plus $649 for six months of online prep |
| PassFlExam.com, books and 1-year online course bought separately | $2,180 | $1,785 for the books plus $395 for the course |
| Palm School Essential bundle | $2,775 | Books with a year of online practice materials |
| Gold Coast Schools Confidence Path | $2,799 | Course with the books, using their published code price |
| MyContractorExam.com Online Package | $2,999 | Online video modules, quizzes, practice exams and the books |
| Contractors Institute Full Bundle | $3,052.52 | Online prep portal with the books, tax included |
Test prep and courses on their own
| Course or prep | Price | Format |
|---|---|---|
| PassFlExam.com online course | $395 | Sale price for 1 year, self-paced online |
| License to Pass Essential Test Prep | $650 | Self-paced practice exams for all three exams with answer keys and step by step explanations |
| AAA Construction School online course | $649 | Six months of online access |
| MyContractorExam.com Power course | $795 | Online, self-paced |
| Gold Coast Schools Essentials Path | $1,049 to $1,199 | Course in class, livestream or on demand; the page shows two price states |
| Contractors Institute Full Exam Prep | $1,195 | Online portal for all three exams |
| Cam Tech School complete course | $2,195 | Live classes and a home study course for one year |
The cheapest online course we found is $395, which is $255 less than our Essential Test Prep. Ours is practice built around finding the answers in the books, and it is not live teaching. If you want a teacher in the room or on a livestream, a school such as Gold Coast, Palm or Cam Tech fits you better, and costs more.
Which exams you actually have to prep for
Prep only makes sense once you know how many exams you are sitting, because that decides what you need to buy. Every certified contractor in Florida sits Business and Finance. What comes after it depends on the license.
| License | Exams you sit | Questions | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Contractor (CGC) | Business and Finance, Contract Administration, Project Management | 120 + 60 + 60 | 6.5 + 4.5 + 4.5 hrs |
| Building Contractor (CBC) | Business and Finance, Contract Administration, Project Management | 120 + 50 + 50 | 6.5 + 4.5 + 4.5 hrs |
| Residential Contractor (CRC) | Business and Finance, Contract Administration, Project Management | 120 + 45 + 45 | 6.5 + 4.5 + 4.5 hrs |
Add the General Contractor row up and it is 240 scored questions across 15.5 hours of testing. That is the thing people underestimate. It is not a memory test, it is an endurance test with a lookup problem attached.
How to choose your Florida contractor exam prep
Three questions settle it, in this order.
1. How many parts are left? If all three are ahead of you, the Essential Test Prep covers the set. If Business and Finance is the only one left, the Comprehensive Test Prep is the one exam done properly. Buying the three-exam prep for one exam is wasted money, and we would rather say so.
2. Do you already own the books? Prep without the approved references is half a plan, because the exam is open book and the answers live in those volumes. If your shelf is empty, the Prep and Books Bundle puts both in one purchase. If you already have the current editions, buy prep on its own.
3. Is it the math that worries you? The financial ratio questions sink more Business and Finance candidates than any other topic. The Ratio Problems guide is a low-cost add-on aimed at exactly that, and it is the cheapest way to find out whether the rest of the exam is your real problem.
What test prep cannot do for you
Nobody sells you the questions. There is no official practice test for the Florida exams and the real questions are not published anywhere, so treat any site claiming to have them as a warning sign. What prep can do is give you the format, the timing, and the habit of finding an answer under pressure.
It also cannot do the practice for you. The most valuable hour before exam day is spent finding answers in the volumes you carry in, using each book’s table of contents and index, and that is on you. Our prep shows you where the answers sit; you still have to practice finding them.
Frequently asked questions
Key takeaways
- The Florida contractor exams are open book, so passing depends on finding answers quickly in the approved reference books.
- General, Building and Residential Contractor candidates all sit Business and Finance, Contract Administration and Project Management.
- The General Contractor exams add up to 240 scored questions across 15.5 hours of testing, and you pass each part at 70%.
- Our test prep runs from $100 for the Ratio Problems guide to $650 for all three exams, while a typical prep course costs $795 to $1,195.
- Nobody can sell you the real exam questions, and you still have to practice finding answers in your own books before exam day.
Sources
- DBPR/CILB Construction Licensure Examinations Candidate Information Booklet: the three Division I exams, question counts, time limits and the 70% passing score, not rounded.
- DBPR construction examinations reference list: the approved books that may be brought to the test center.
- Florida DBPR Construction Industry FAQ: the open-book rule, the 70% pass mark and retaking only the parts you failed.