South Carolina - Wood Frame Structures

How to Pass the South Carolina - Wood Frame Structures Exam

You don't have to guess how to prepare for the South Carolina - Wood Frame Structures exam. This guide lays it out: the key facts from the official bulletin, the topics on the test, the books you need, sample questions with answers, and a study plan you can follow. PSI gives the exam.

South Carolina - Wood Frame Structures Exam Basics

Here's what the official bulletin says about the exam:

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

• 2021 International Building Code with SC modifications; or the 2018 South Carolina Building Code (2021 / 2018)
• 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
• Carpentry and Building Construction (2016 (Student Edition))
• BCSI: Guide to Good Practice for Handling, Installing, Restraining, and Bracing of Metal Plate Connected Wood Trusses (2018 (Updated March 2020))
• 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.

What's on the South Carolina - Wood Frame Structures Exam

The official content outline splits the exam into 6 topics:

Your South Carolina - Wood Frame Structures Study Plan

Your books are your best friend on this exam. It's open book, so the references on the bulletin's list are what you'll use on test day. Get your own copies in the editions the bulletin names.

Get to know them early. Spend time with each book's table of contents and index until you can find any major subject quickly. On an open-book exam, finding answers fast is the skill that counts.

Make the books yours. Highlight the sections you keep coming back to. The exam facts above list the bulletin's rules on tabs and markings, so follow them exactly.

Put your energy where the points are. Carpentry - Rough and Concrete make up 50% of the exam, so start there.

Practice with the clock running. Our timed practice exams help you build the pace the real exam needs: about 3 minutes 36 seconds per question. Every attempt is another rep.

Keep going until you pass practice exams consistently. One good score is a great start. A few passing scores in a row is how you know you're ready.

Books You'll Need for the South Carolina - Wood Frame Structures Exam

The bulletin lists the Wood Frame Structures reference books.

Where to get them:

• OSHA 29 CFR 1926
• Carpentry and Building Construction
• BCSI Wood Truss Handling & Bracing Guide
• SC 811 Excavator Manual
• SC Building Code 2021

Test Day Tips

Start with a quick pass through the whole exam. Answer every question you're sure about and bookmark the rest. Every exam lets you return to bookmarked questions, so nothing is lost by moving on.

Then come back to your bookmarks and work through them one at a time. Keep an eye on the clock: you have 3 hours for 50 questions, which is about 3 minutes 36 seconds per question. Before you finish, make sure every question has an answer. 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.

Try These South Carolina - Wood Frame Structures Practice Questions

Give these a try. They come from our practice question bank, each with its answer and reference.

Sample 1 — Roofing

Question: What is the minimum weight per square foot required for cold-rolled copper used in metal-sheet roof covering systems?

• A. 20 oz./sq. ft.
• B. 16 oz./sq. ft.
• C. 12 oz./sq. ft.
• D. 14 oz./sq. ft.

Correct Answer: B

Per Table 1507.4.3(1), cold-rolled copper for metal-sheet roof covering systems shall comply with ASTM B370 at a minimum of 16 oz./sq. ft. The 12 oz./sq. ft. weight applies to preformed metal shingle systems and high-yield copper, not standard metal-sheet roof covering systems.

Reference: SC Building Code 2021, Table 1507.4.3(1)

Sample 2 — Carpentry - Manufactured Trusses

Question: On a conventional light-frame building, bearing studs are spaced at 24 inches on center, the wall is capped with double 2 × 4 top plates, and the roof trusses they support are spaced at 24 inches on center. Unless a third top plate is installed, each truss must bear within what distance of a stud beneath it?

• A. 1 inch
• B. 12 inches
• C. 3 inches
• D. 5 inches

Correct Answer: D

Per SC Building Code 2021, Section 2308.5.3.2, where bearing studs are spaced at 24-inch intervals, top plates are less than two 2-inch by 6-inch or two 3-inch by 4-inch members, and the floor joists, floor trusses or roof trusses they support are spaced at more than 16-inch intervals, such trusses shall bear within 5 inches of the studs beneath or a third plate shall be installed.

Reference: SC Building Code 2021, Section 2308.5.3.2

Sample 3 — Safety

Question: Your framing crew runs pneumatic nailers and a powder-actuated tool inside a partially enclosed wood-frame shell, producing sharp noise peaks rather than steady sound. Under OSHA construction health standards, employee exposure to impulsive or impact noise should not exceed what peak sound pressure level?

• A. 160 dB
• B. 115 dB
• C. 140 dB
• D. 130 dB

Correct Answer: C

Per 29 CFR 1926.52(e), exposure to impulsive or impact noise should not exceed 140 dB peak sound pressure level. The 115 dB figure is the lowest-duration entry of the continuous-noise table (1/4 hour or less), not the impulse limit.

Reference: OSHA 29 CFR 1926, §1926.52(e)

Sample 4 — Carpentry - Rough

Question: You are a carpentry contractor preparing a bid for a single-story house that is 20 feet wide and 40 feet long. You need to provide a rough cost estimate for the floor joist lumber. According to the estimating method for material costs, what is the first step in developing this rough estimate?

• A. Multiply the number of joists by the cost per joist
• B. Find the area of the floor by multiplying the length times the width
• C. Divide the total floor area by the joist spacing in inches
• D. Determine the board feet per lineal foot from the girder table

Correct Answer: B

According to the estimating section in Section 15.2 under 'Material Costs,' a rough estimate begins by finding the area of the floor: 'Step 1: Find the area of the floor by multiplying the length times the width for each level.' In this example, 20' × 40' = 800 sq. ft. This rough estimating method uses the floor area, a board-feet-per-100-sq.-ft. factor from Table 15-4, and the cost per board foot to arrive at a material cost estimate — a unit-cost approach.

Reference: Carpentry and Building Construction, Section 15.2, Page 419

Why Practice Online?

Reading questions in a PDF is a start, but it doesn't prepare you for the clock. Our practice exams are timed and on a screen, so you build speed along with knowledge. Each attempt draws a new set of questions from our bank, and your results show your score by topic so you know where to focus next.

Ready to Start?

Take the free South Carolina - Wood Frame Structures practice exam and see where you stand today. Then focus on the topics that need the most work. For the official rules, read the exam bulletin, and see the licensing board's website.