Arkansas Concrete - Commercial Exam

Arkansas Concrete - Commercial Exam: A Practical Study Guide

The Arkansas Concrete - Commercial exam tests the rules and the reference books behind the work. This guide lays out the job: the key facts from the official bulletin, what the exam covers, the books you need, sample questions with answers, and how to get ready. PSI gives the exam.

The Arkansas Concrete - Commercial Exam at a Glance

Here's the rundown from the official bulletin:

On exam day

• Candidates bring their own references, which may be marked before but not written in during the exam, and downloaded references must be bound.
• Highlighting and annotation done before the exam are allowed, and only permanent tabs may be used.
• Candidates will have access to an online calculator and may not bring their own calculator.
• No additional papers, loose or attached, may be brought in with the approved references.

References you may bring

• Code of Federal Regulations - 29 CFR Part 1926 (OSHA) (with latest available amendments)
• Code of Federal Regulations - 29 CFR Part 1926 Selections by PSI (with latest available amendments)
• International Building Code (2015)
• Design and Control of Concrete Mixtures (15th Ed, 2011)
• Pipe and Excavation Contracting (2011)
• The Contractor's Guide to Quality Concrete Construction (4th edition, 2018)
• Placing Reinforcing Bars, Recommended Practices (9th Edition, 2011)

Source: Arkansas Contractors Licensing Board - Concrete Commercial, 10/17/2220. Check the bulletin before test day: fees and rules can change.

What the Arkansas Concrete - Commercial Exam Covers

The official content outline breaks the exam into 6 topics:

How to Get Ready for the Arkansas Concrete - Commercial Exam

Treat your reference books like your tools. On an open-book exam you don't need every rule memorized. You need to know which book holds it and where to find it.

Buy the books the bulletin lists, in the editions it names. An older or newer edition can put the answer on a different page, or change it.

Learn your way around each book before you study anything else. The table of contents and the index are your layout.

Highlight what you look up most. The exam facts above list the bulletin's rules on tabs and markings, so follow them exactly.

Do the big jobs first. General Concrete and Layout and Excavation make up 50% of the exam.

Put in the reps with timed practice exams. The clock trains you to find answers at the pace the real exam needs: about 2 minutes 30 seconds per question.

Measure twice. When you miss a practice question, find the section in your book, read it and mark it. Keep at it until you pass practice exams consistently.

The Books for the Arkansas Concrete - Commercial Exam

The bulletin lists seven reference materials allowed in the examination center.

Where to get them:

• OSHA 29 CFR 1926
• IBC 2015
• Design and Control of Concrete Mixtures
• Pipe and Excavation Contracting
• The Contractor's Guide to Quality Concrete Construction
• Placing Reinforcing Bars, Recommended Practices

Working the Exam on Test Day

Work the exam in two passes. On the first pass, answer everything you know and bookmark the rest. Every exam lets you come back to bookmarked questions. On the second pass, go back to your bookmarks and take them one at a time.

Don't get hung up on one question. You have 75 minutes for 30 questions, which is about 2 minutes 30 seconds per question. Before you finish, make sure nothing is left blank.

Study Tips

On an open-book exam, the winners aren't the smartest people in the room — they're the fastest at finding answers. Buy the required book, practice with it open, and tab and highlight each section the first time a question sends you there. Learn the index and table of contents until you can land on any topic in seconds. That speed is what separates a pass from a fail.

Know your way around each book's index and table of contents. Open-book exams reward speed: you need to find specific items quickly.

On an open-book exam, work through every question once: answer the ones you know and skip the ones you don't. Then go back to the ones you flagged. You can bookmark questions for later review, just like on our exams — and don't sink too much time into any single question. The clock is still running.

Give yourself at least three to six weeks. Use your exam's candidate bulletin as your roadmap for what's tested, and spend your time on finding-it-fast skills over rote memorization. In practice, aim for three clean passes at 80% or higher — setting your practice bar above the real cut score gives you a comfortable margin on test day.

Practicing against a ticking clock is the best way to beat exam-clock anxiety. Use these timed tests to build your pacing, so you learn to move steadily and never burn too long on a single question. By test day, the format feels routine.

Sample Arkansas Concrete - Commercial Questions

These come from our practice question bank, each with its answer and the reference behind it.

Sample 1 — Reinforcing Steel

Question: High-early-strength cement causes concrete to attain its rated strength in approximately what fraction of the time required with ordinary cement?

• A. Three-quarters to four-fifths
• B. One-quarter to one-fifth
• C. One-half to one-third
• D. One-sixth to one-eighth

Correct Answer: C

High-early-strength cement will cause concrete to attain about the same strength in about one-half or one-third of the time required with ordinary cement.

Reference: Placing Reinforcing Bars (10th ed.), Chapter 3 — Concrete and Reinforced Concrete - Definitions

Sample 2 — OSHA Safety

Question: Employees required to handle or use flammable liquids, gases, or ______ materials shall be instructed in the safe handling and use of these materials.

• A. Corrosive
• B. Explosive
• C. Toxic
• D. Radioactive

Correct Answer: C

According to OSHA 1926 CFR 29, §1926.21(b)(5) (Page 30), employees required to handle or use flammable liquids, gases, or toxic materials shall be instructed in the safe handling and use of these materials and made aware of the specific requirements contained in subparts D, F, and other applicable subparts.

Reference: OSHA 1926 CFR 29, §1926.21(b)(5), Page 30

Sample 3 — Estimating

Question: When using a trench box in unstable soil, where should the bottom of the trench box sit relative to the pipe?

• A. At the same level as the pipe
• B. Below the pipe to protect against uplift
• C. 2 to 3 feet higher than the pipe
• D. At least 6 feet above the pipe

Correct Answer: C

According to Pipe and Excavation Contracting, the bottom of the trench box should sit higher than the pipe — 2 to 3 feet higher will usually be enough. If the box sits too low, pulling it may disturb the bedding and newly-laid pipe. If it's more than 5 feet above the pipe, the ditch will be unsafe.

Reference: Pipe and Excavation Contracting, Page 174

Sample 4 — General Concrete

Question: You are a commercial concrete contractor reviewing a proposed mixture design for an exterior parking deck in a cold climate where deicing salts will be applied. The mixture uses 3/4 in. (19.0 mm) maximum size aggregate. What is the recommended average air content for this concrete?

• A. 7 percent
• B. 4-1/2 percent
• C. 6 percent
• D. 5 percent

Correct Answer: C

According to Table 2.2 (adapted from ACI 201.2R), concrete with a 3/4 in. (19.0 mm) maximum aggregate size exposed to severe conditions (outdoor exposure in a cold climate where concrete may be in almost continuous contact with moisture before freezing, or where deicing salts will be used) requires an average air content of 6 percent. A parking deck receiving deicing salts falls under severe exposure.

Reference: Contractor's Guide to Quality Concrete Construction (4th ed.), Chapter 2 – The Concrete Mixture, Table 2.2

Why Practice Online Instead of With a PDF

A PDF is like reading about a job instead of doing it. Our practice exams are timed and on a screen, so you practice finding answers with the clock running. Each attempt draws a new set of questions from our bank, and your results break your score down by topic so you know where to put in more work.

Get Started

Take the free Arkansas Concrete - Commercial practice exam to see where you stand, then put your time into the topics that need it. For the official rules, read the exam bulletin, and see the licensing board's website.