South Carolina Grading

South Carolina Grading Exam: Step-by-Step Study Guide

Preparing for the South Carolina Grading 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.

South Carolina Grading Exam Overview

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

On exam day

• You must bring one valid, unexpired, signature-bearing photo ID (such as a state driver's license, state ID card, US passport, US military ID, US alien registration card, or Canadian government ID) matching the name you registered under.
• You should arrive at least 30 minutes before your appointment.
• The examinations are open book: candidates may bring the listed reference books, which must not be written in or contain additional loose or attached papers, and proctors inspect all books before and after the examination.
• Highlighting and underlining are allowed and only permanent tabs may be used, but books must otherwise be unmarked (not written in).
• You may bring a silent, battery-operated, non-programmable calculator without paper tape printing or an alphabetic keyboard.
• Only approved items may be taken into the examination room, and personal items such as electronic devices, writing devices, reading material, bags, food and drinks must be left in secure storage.

References you may bring

• Standard Specifications for Highway Construction (2007)
• Standard Specifications for Highway Construction Selections as of 2007 by PSI
• 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)
• Excavation and Grading Handbook (2006)
• Construction Planning, Equipment, and Methods (8th Edition)
• South Carolina 811 Excavator Manual (latest edition)

Scheduling, changes and retakes

• You may register and schedule online at https://test-takers.psiexams.com/sccon, available 24 hours a day, or by telephone with a PSI registrar at (855) 340-3701.
• Minimum qualifications must be met before registering, and the Registration Confirmation Notice issued after PSI approval is valid for 1 year or until an examination classification has been failed twice within the referenced time frame.
• You may cancel and reschedule without forfeiting your fee if your cancellation notice is received 2 days before the scheduled examination date, and voice mail or email is not an acceptable cancellation.
• If you fail to cancel in time, do not appear, arrive after the examination start time, or lack proper ID, your registration is invalid and you forfeit your examination fee.
• Your score is given immediately after the examination on screen and on a printed official report, with a diagnostic report of strengths and weaknesses if you do not pass.
• Except for Burglar and Fire Alarm, an examination may be taken only 2 times in a 12-month period and thereafter only once in six months, and a candidate who passes an exam may not take it again.
• After passing the required examinations, you submit the commercial license application with an experience affidavit documenting the required experience.

Source: Commercial Contractor Candidate Information Bulletin, Updated 8/27/2026. Check the bulletin before test day: fees and rules can change.

Topics on the South Carolina Grading Exam

Next, the content. The official content outline has 3 topics:

A Simple Plan to Prepare for the South Carolina Grading 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 3 minutes per question.

Along the way, give the most time to the biggest topics. Excavating and Grading and General Knowledge make up 88% 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 South Carolina Grading Exam

The bulletin lists the Grading reference books, including the Standard Specifications for Highway Construction, 29 CFR Part 1926 (OSHA), the Excavation and Grading Handbook, Construction Planning, Equipment, and Methods, and the South Carolina 811 Excavator Manual.

Where to get them:

• OSHA 29 CFR 1926
• Construction Planning, Equipment, and Methods
• SCDOT Std Specs 2007
• SC 811 Excavator Manual

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 2 hours for 40 questions, which is about 3 minutes 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, 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.

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 South Carolina Grading Practice Questions

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

Sample 1 — Excavating and Grading

Question: You are balancing a push-loaded scraper spread on a borrow-to-fill operation. The scraper total cycle time works out to 7.2 min and the pusher contact (load) time is 0.95 min, with backtrack loading being used. Approximately how many scrapers can one push tractor serve?

• A. 5.4 scrapers
• B. 7.6 scrapers
• C. 3.8 scrapers
• D. 4.6 scrapers

Correct Answer: D

Backtrack pusher cycle time is Tp = 1.4(Lt) + 0.25 = 1.4(0.95) + 0.25 = 1.58 min. The number of scrapers one pusher can serve is the ratio of scraper cycle time to pusher cycle time: 7.2 ÷ 1.58 = 4.6. The 0.25 min accounts for 0.15 min boost time and 0.10 min positioning for contact, while maneuver time is 40% of load time. See Construction Planning, Equipment, and Methods (9th ed.), Chapter 8, Steps 11 and 12.

Reference: Construction Planning, Equipment, and Methods (9th ed.), Pages 381-382

Sample 2 — General Knowledge

Question: On a mass excavation job you are tracking haul unit expenses to refine your operating cost rates. Tires represent approximately what portion of a haul truck's operating cost?

• A. 35%
• B. 25%
• C. 50%
• D. 15%

Correct Answer: A

Tires are about 35% of a truck's operating cost, which is why overloading — which flexes tires excessively and raises internal tire temperature — sharply increases operating expense. Tire cost includes both repair and replacement charges and is an operating cost, not an ownership cost. (Construction Planning, Equipment, and Methods, Chapter 10 — Capacities of Trucks and Hauling Equipment; see also Chapter 2 — Tires.)

Reference: Construction Planning, Equipment, and Methods (9th ed.), Chapter 10 — Capacities of Trucks and Hauling Equipment section (p. 473); Chapter 2 — Elements of Operating Cost, Tires (p. 84)

Sample 3 — Safety - Code of Federal Regulations

Question: Employees will enter a hand-dug excavation in Type B soil that is not in stable rock. Below what depth may they enter without a protective system, provided a competent person's examination of the ground gives no indication of a potential cave-in?

• A. 5 feet
• B. 6 feet
• C. 4 feet
• D. 8 feet

Correct Answer: A

Per 29 CFR 1926.652(a)(1), each employee in an excavation must be protected from cave-ins by an adequate protective system except when the excavation is made entirely in stable rock, or when it is less than 5 feet (1.52 m) deep and examination of the ground by a competent person provides no indication of a potential cave-in.

Reference: OSHA 29 CFR 1926, §1926.652(a)(1)

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 South Carolina Grading 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.