Kansas Framing Contractor Exam (ICC 846, 2015 IBC/IRC)

Kansas Framing Contractor (ICC 846, 2015 IBC/IRC) Exam Study Guide

This guide covers what you need for the Kansas Framing Contractor (ICC 846, 2015 IBC/IRC) exam: the key facts from the official bulletin, the topics it tests, the reference books, sample questions with answers, and a plan to prepare. Pearson VUE gives the exam.

Kansas Framing Contractor (ICC 846, 2015 IBC/IRC) Exam at a Glance

Here are the exam's key facts from the official bulletin:

On exam day

• The exam uses four-option multiple-choice questions with one correct answer per question.

References you may bring

• 2015 International Building Code
• 2015 International Residential Code

Scheduling, changes and retakes

• Exams are scheduled through PearsonVUE at https://www.pearsonvue.com/icc.
• Results for examinations taken electronically are available immediately after completion of the examination.
• You must wait 10 days before retaking a failed exam.
• After passing, contact the jurisdiction for any other requirements needed to become licensed.

Source: State of Kansas Contractor/Trades Examination Information Bulletin, PUBLISHED August 20, 2026 (page headers read "December 9, 2025"). Check the bulletin before test day: fees and rules can change.

What the Kansas Framing Contractor (ICC 846, 2015 IBC/IRC) Exam Covers

The official content outline has 4 topics:

How to Prepare for the Kansas Framing Contractor (ICC 846, 2015 IBC/IRC) Exam

Start with the books. This is an open-book exam, so the references on the bulletin's list are your main study tool. Get the editions the bulletin names.

Learn where things are. Read the table of contents and the index of each book until you know where every major subject lives. On test day, finding an answer fast matters more than memorizing it.

Highlight the sections you use most. Check the bulletin's rules on tabs and markings before you add any.

Spend most of your time on the biggest topics. Wall Framing and General Trade Knowledge make up 58% of the exam.

Take timed practice exams. The clock trains you to find answers at the pace the real exam needs: about 3 minutes per question.

Aim to pass more than once. One passing score can be luck. Several in a row means you're ready.

Reference Books for the Kansas Framing Contractor (ICC 846, 2015 IBC/IRC) Exam

The listed references for this open-book exam are the 2015 International Building Code and the 2015 International Residential Code.

Where to get them:

• IBC 2015
• IRC 2015

On Test Day

• Go through the whole exam first. Answer every question you know and bookmark the ones you don't. Every exam lets you come back to bookmarked questions, but some lock the questions you've seen once you take a break, so work your bookmarks before any break.
• Then go back to your bookmarks and work them out.
• Don't let one question eat your time. You have 150 minutes for 50 questions, which is about 3 minutes per question.
• Before you finish, answer anything you skipped. A blank can't earn a point.

Study Tips

Read each answer choice in order. If it seems correct, mark it as your current best. Each subsequent choice must beat your current best to replace it. Keep going until you've reviewed all choices, then verify your final selection actually answers the question.

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.

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.

Be alert to hedging words like likely, may, can, sometimes, usually, generally, and rarely—question writers use them to account for exceptions. An answer choice is often wrong simply because it allows no exceptions. Similarly, avoid choices containing absolute terms like exactly and always.

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

Sample Kansas Framing Contractor (ICC 846, 2015 IBC/IRC) Practice Questions

These questions come from our practice question bank, each with its answer and reference.

Sample 1 — Roof Framing

Question: You intend to frame a roof using the prescriptive conventional light-frame construction provisions rather than a specific engineered design. These provisions may not be used where the ground snow load exceeds which value?

• A. 45 psf
• B. 30 psf
• C. 40 psf
• D. 50 psf

Correct Answer: D

IBC 2015 Section 2308.2.3 limits the loads permitted in conventional light-frame construction, including a ground snow load that shall not exceed 50 psf (2395 N/m²). Above that, the structure must be engineered under another design method.

Reference: IBC 2015 Chapter 23 — Section 2308.2.3 (Allowable Loads)

Sample 2 — Wall Framing

Question: You are constructing a light-frame building assigned to Seismic Design Category D and the design uses stone veneer in the first story above grade plane under the code exception. In the first story, the total length of braced wall panels must be not less than what percentage of the braced wall line length?

• A. 30 percent
• B. 75 percent
• C. 45 percent
• D. 60 percent

Correct Answer: C

Per IBC 2015 Section 2308.6.10.2, Exception item 2, in Seismic Design Category D the braced wall panels in the first story shall be located at each end of the braced wall line and not more than 25 feet on center, and the total length of braced wall panels shall be not less than 45 percent of the braced wall line length (WSP bracing with at least 350 plf capacity; cripple walls not permitted).

Reference: IBC 2015 Chapter 23 — Section 2308.6.10.2

Sample 3 — General Trade Knowledge

Question: Under the residential code definitions, which of the following qualifies as an "existing building"?

• A. A building whose permit application was filed before adoption
• B. A building that has received a certificate of occupancy
• C. A building erected prior to the adoption of this code
• D. A building more than ten years old

Correct Answer: C

Per 2015 IRC Section R202, "Building, Existing" means a building erected prior to the adoption of this code, or one for which a legal building permit has been issued. A filed application (not an issued permit), building age, or possession of a certificate of occupancy are not the defining criteria.

Reference: IRC 2015 Section R202 (Building, Existing)

Sample 4 — Foundation and Floor Framing

Question: A conventionally framed floor uses solid-sawn joists whose nominal depth-to-thickness ratio exceeds 6 to 1, and only one edge of each joist is held in line. Lines of 1-inch by 3-inch bridging must be provided at intervals of not more than how much span?

• A. 16 feet
• B. 8 feet
• C. 12 feet
• D. 10 feet

Correct Answer: B

Per IBC 2015 Section 2308.4.6, floor and ceiling framing with a nominal depth-to-thickness ratio of at least 5 to 1 must have one edge held in line for the entire span; where that ratio exceeds 6 to 1, there must be one line of bridging for each 8 feet of span unless both edges of the member are held in line.

Reference: IBC 2015 Chapter 23 Wood — Section 2308.4.6 (Lateral Support)

Why Practice Online Instead of With a PDF

A PDF shows you questions. It doesn't show you the clock. Our practice exams are timed and on a screen, so you practice finding answers under time pressure, not just reading them. Each attempt draws a new set of questions from our bank, and your results break the score down by outline topic so you know what to study next.

Start Practicing

Take the free Kansas Framing Contractor (ICC 846, 2015 IBC/IRC) practice exam to see where you stand, then work through the topics that need attention. For the official rules, read the exam bulletin, and see the licensing board's website.