Louisiana Residential Construction

Louisiana Residential Construction Exam: Step-by-Step Study Guide

Preparing for the Louisiana Residential Construction exam is easier one step at a time. This guide starts with the key facts from the official bulletin, then covers the topics on the exam, the reference books, sample questions with answers, and a simple way to prepare. PSI gives the exam.

Louisiana Residential Construction Exam Overview

Start with the facts. Here's what the official bulletin says:

On exam day

• Answers may be based on later editions of the references except for Code books, for which only the listed edition is used, and some questions may come from trade knowledge or general industry practices.
• Highlighting, underlining and annotation done before the exam are allowed and permanent tabs may be used, but temporary tabs such as Post-It notes are not allowed and writing in references during the exam is prohibited.

References you may bring

• International Residential Code (2018 edition)
• 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
• The Contractor's Guide to Quality Concrete Construction (4th Edition, 2018)
• Modern Masonry - Brick, Block, Stone (8th edition (2015))
• Carpentry and Building Construction (2010 or 2016 (Student Edition))
• BCSI: Guide to Good Practice for Handling, Installing, Restraining, and Bracing of Metal Plate Connected Wood Trusses (2018 (Updated March 2020))
• Pipe and Excavation Contracting (2011)
• Roofing Construction & Estimating (1995)

Source: Residential Construction Examination. Check the bulletin before test day: fees and rules can change.

Topics on the Louisiana Residential Construction Exam

Next, the content. The official content outline has 8 topics:

A Simple Plan to Prepare for the Louisiana Residential Construction Exam

Step one is the books. This is an open-book exam, so the references on the bulletin's list are what you'll work from, while you study and in the exam room. Get the editions the bulletin names.

Step two is learning your way around them. Go through each book's table of contents and index until you know where the major subjects are. You don't need to memorize the books. You need to find things in them.

Step three is marking them up. Highlight the sections you use most. The exam facts above list the bulletin's rules on tabs and markings, so follow them exactly.

Step four is timed practice. Our practice exams run on a clock, so you get used to the real exam's pace: about 2 minutes 15 seconds per question.

Along the way, give the most time to the biggest topics. Estimating, Plan Reading and General Code Requirements and Carpentry make up 41% of the exam.

The last step is consistency. Keep practicing until you pass several practice exams in a row. That's the signal you're ready.

Reference Books for the Louisiana Residential Construction Exam

The references allowed in the test room are the International Residential Code (2018), either 29 CFR Part 1926 (OSHA) or the 29 CFR Part 1926 Selections by PSI (the bulletin lists these two as alternatives with "OR"), The Contractor's Guide to Quality Concrete Construction (4th Edition, 2018), Modern Masonry (8th edition, 2015), Carpentry and Building Construction (2010 or 2016 Student Edition), BCSI (2018, updated March 2020), Pipe and Excavation Contracting (2011) and Roofing Construction & Estimating (1995).

Where to get them:

• OSHA 29 CFR 1926
• Carpentry and Building Construction
• Modern Masonry
• The Contractor's Guide to Quality Concrete Construction
• Pipe and Excavation Contracting
• BCSI Wood Truss Handling & Bracing Guide
• IRC 2018
• Roofing Construction and Estimating

On Test Day

Go through the exam at a steady pace. On your first pass, answer the questions you know and bookmark the ones you don't. Every exam lets you come back to bookmarked questions.

On your second pass, return to your bookmarks one at a time. You have 3 hours for 80 questions, which is about 2 minutes 15 seconds per question, so keep moving and don't let one question hold you up. Before you finish, answer anything you skipped. A blank can't earn a point.

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, then highlight and tab it, and 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.

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 Louisiana Residential Construction Practice Questions

Here are a few questions from our practice question bank, each with its answer and reference.

Sample 1 — Concrete and Concrete Reinforcement

Question: You are a remodeling carpenter pouring a new concrete patio slab. After finishing, you notice a whitish crystalline deposit forming on the surface of the cured concrete. What is this defect called, and does it affect the concrete's structural strength?

• A. Scaling — yes, it indicates freeze/thaw damage throughout the slab
• B. Crazing — yes, it significantly weakens the concrete
• C. Efflorescence — no, it is generally a cosmetic problem that does not affect strength
• D. Chalking — yes, it means the surface mortar has failed

Correct Answer: C

Efflorescence is a whitish crystalline deposit that sometimes appears on the surface of concrete or mortar. It is caused when salts in the concrete mix with water or moisture vapor and rise to the surface. It is a cosmetic problem that generally does not affect strength or durability.

Reference: Carpentry and Building Construction, Chapter 8 — Troubleshooting Concrete section

Sample 2 — Roofing

Question: You are a remodeling carpenter replacing a gutter system on a home with a 32-foot-long fascia run. Using the minimum required slope of 1 inch per 16 feet toward the downspout, what is the total drop from the high point to the low point of the gutter?

• A. 2 inches
• B. 3 inches
• C. 4 inches
• D. 1 inch

Correct Answer: A

Metal gutters must slope at least 1 inch every 16 feet toward the downspouts (1/16 inch per foot). For a 32-foot run: 32 × 1/16 = 2 inches of total drop from the highest point to the downspout.

Reference: Carpentry and Building Construction, Section 22.4 — Installation

Sample 3 — OSHA Safety

Question: You are a residential builder and your crew is excavating a trench for a new home's water line. The trench is 7 feet deep in soil that your competent person has classified as Type A. No other protective system options are being used. What is the maximum allowable slope for this simple slope excavation?

• A. ½ horizontal to 1 vertical (63 degrees)
• B. 1 horizontal to 1 vertical (45 degrees)
• C. 1½ horizontal to 1 vertical (34 degrees)
• D. ¾ horizontal to 1 vertical (53 degrees)

Correct Answer: D

Per 29 CFR 1926, Subpart P, Appendix B, Figure B-1.1: 'All simple slope excavations 20 feet or less in depth shall have a maximum allowable slope of ¾:1.' This means ¾ horizontal to 1 vertical, which corresponds to approximately 53 degrees measured from the horizontal. Since this is a 7-foot deep trench (under 20 feet) in Type A soil using a simple slope configuration, the maximum allowable slope is ¾:1.

Reference: 29 CFR 1926, Subpart P, Appendix B, §B-1.1

Sample 4 — Associated Trades and Drywall

Question: You are a carpenter framing a one-and-a-half-story house and need to determine the building envelope for insulation purposes. The second floor has half-height walls in the attic area. How should these knee walls be treated for insulation?

• A. They require only a vapor retarder but no insulation
• B. They do not require insulation because they are interior walls
• C. They should be insulated only if the attic space will be used for storage
• D. They should be treated just as if they were exterior walls

Correct Answer: D

According to the reference material, in a one-and-a-half-story house, second floor knee walls should be treated just as if they were exterior walls. Knee walls are half-height walls often found in attics, and since they separate heated from unheated spaces, they form part of the building envelope and must be insulated.

Reference: Carpentry and Building Construction, Section 31.1 — Where to Insulate (Walls)

Practicing Online vs. With a PDF

A PDF lets you read questions at your own pace. The real exam runs on a clock. 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 show your score by topic, so you always know what to study next.

Your Next Step

Take the free Louisiana Residential Construction practice exam to see where you stand. Then study the topics that need the most attention, one at a time. For the official rules, read the exam bulletin, and see the licensing board's website.