Denver General Building Contractor (A) (ICC F11, 2015 IBC) Exam: A Practical Study Guide
The Denver General Building Contractor (A) (ICC F11, 2015 IBC) 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. Pearson VUE gives the exam.
The Denver General Building Contractor (A) (ICC F11, 2015 IBC) Exam at a Glance
Here's the rundown from the official bulletin:
| Questions | 90 questions |
| Time limit | 4 hours |
| Passing score | a minimum score of 70 |
| Books in the exam room | Open book |
| Exam fee | $115 |
On exam day
- Questions are four-option multiple choice with one correct answer.
Scheduling, changes and retakes
- Exams are scheduled through PearsonVUE at www.pearsonvue.com/ICC.
- Results for electronically administered examinations are available immediately after the exam is completed.
- You must wait 10 days before retaking a failed exam.
- Upon passing, contact the jurisdiction for any other requirements needed to become licensed.
Source: Denver, Colorado Contractor/Trades Examination Information Bulletin, Published June 3, 2026 (page headers read "August 19, 2025"). Check the bulletin before test day: fees and rules can change.
What the Denver General Building Contractor (A) (ICC F11, 2015 IBC) Exam Covers
The official content outline breaks the exam into 4 topics:
| Topic | Questions | Share of the exam |
|---|---|---|
| Administration General Regulations | 14 | 15% |
| Building Planning and Life Safety | 23 | 25% |
| Structural Systems | 40 | 45% |
| Building Envelope | 13 | 15% |
How to Get Ready for the Denver General Building Contractor (A) (ICC F11, 2015 IBC) 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. Check the bulletin's rules on tabs and markings before you add any.
Do the big jobs first. Structural Systems and Building Planning and Life Safety make up 70% 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 40 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 Denver General Building Contractor (A) (ICC F11, 2015 IBC) Exam
Where to get them:
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, though some lock the ones you've seen once you take a break. 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 4 hours for 90 questions, which is about 2 minutes 40 seconds per question. Before you finish, make sure nothing is left blank.
Study Tips
Take this practice exam several times. The goal is to consistently clear your exam's passing score — often around 70–75% — so passing feels routine before you walk into the real test.
Only select answers that directly respond to the question asked—not ones that merely sound correct or seem true. After choosing, verify your answer against the question to confirm you didn't misread it and that your selection genuinely addresses what was asked.
Our practice exam is specifically designed to mimic the testing conditions at all exam centers. While untimed PDF study guides might help with studying, they don’t prepare you for the challenge of managing your time during an actual test.
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.
Don't choose a word simply because it looks familiar. On difficult questions, you may not recognize several words in the answer choices—but that doesn't mean they're invented. Test writers only use real words. If you recognize the words in only one answer choice, focus on that choice and evaluate it carefully. If it's correct, great. If not, eliminate it. Every answer choice you eliminate improves your odds, even if you end up guessing among the remaining options.
Sample Denver General Building Contractor (A) (ICC F11, 2015 IBC) Questions
These come from our practice question bank, each with its answer and the reference behind it.
Sample 1 — Building Envelope
Question: An interior wall finish material is tested for flame spread and smoke development using the standard tunnel test method. What flame spread index range places the material in Class B?
- A. 201-450
- B. 26-75
- C. 76-200
- D. 0-25
Correct Answer: B
IBC 803.1.1 classifies interior wall and ceiling finish tested to ASTM E84 or UL 723 as Class A (FSI 0-25), Class B (FSI 26-75) and Class C (FSI 76-200), each with a smoke-developed index of 0-450. The 0-450 figure is the smoke-developed range, not a flame spread range.
Reference: IBC 2015 Chapter 8 — Section 803.1.1
Sample 2 — Structural Systems
Question: Wood structural panel roof sheathing must be manufactured with which type of glue?
- A. Water-resistant glue
- B. Exterior glue
- C. Type II adhesive
- D. Interior glue
Correct Answer: B
Per IBC 2304.8.2 and Section 2303.1.5, wood structural panel roof sheathing must be manufactured with exterior glue (Exposure 1 or Exterior type). Panels exposed on the underside to the outdoors are permitted to be Exposure 1 type.
Reference: IBC 2015 Section 2303.1.5
Sample 3 — Building Planning and Life Safety
Question: You are constructing a restaurant that includes a mezzanine dining level reached only by stairs. An accessible route to the mezzanine dining area is not required provided the same services and decor are furnished in the accessible area and the mezzanine contains less than what portion of the total combined dining and drinking area?
- A. 10 percent
- B. 25 percent
- C. 33 percent
- D. 20 percent
Correct Answer: B
Per IBC 2015 §1108.2.9, Exception 2, an accessible route to dining and drinking areas in a mezzanine is not required provided the mezzanine contains less than 25 percent of the total combined area for dining and drinking and the same services and decor are provided in the accessible area.
Reference: IBC 2015 Chapter 11 — Section 1108.2.9 Dining and Drinking Areas
Sample 4 — Administration General Regulations
Question: You are assembling the submittal package for a commercial permit application, consisting of construction documents, the statement of special inspections, the geotechnical report and other required data. Unless otherwise directed, how many sets must be submitted with the application?
- A. One set
- B. Three or more sets
- C. Four or more sets
- D. Two or more sets
Correct Answer: D
Per 2015 IBC Section 107.1, submittal documents consisting of construction documents, statement of special inspections, geotechnical report and other data shall be submitted in two or more sets with each permit application.
Reference: IBC 2015 Chapter 1 — Section 107.1 General (Submittal Documents)
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 Denver General Building Contractor (A) (ICC F11, 2015 IBC) 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.