Tennessee BC-A Residential Contractor Exam: Complete Study Guide (2026)
On the Tennessee BC-A exam, the codebook only helps if you already know your way around it. Open it for the first time in the testing room and you end up reading instead of looking things up. This guide walks you through what the Tennessee residential contractor exam covers, what our practice questions look like, and how to prepare so that your references work for you on exam day instead of against you.
Tennessee BC-A Exam Overview
Here are the format details for the TN residential contractor license test, straight from the official bulletin:
| Questions | 100 questions |
| Time limit | 5 hours |
| Passing score | 73% correct |
| Books in the exam room | Open book |
| Exam fee | $57 |
On exam day
- You must present 1 valid, unexpired photo and signature ID that is a permanent physical card and matches the name you scheduled with.
- You should arrive at least 30 minutes before your scheduled appointment time.
- You must bring your own references, they may not be written in, no extra loose or attached papers are allowed with them, and nothing written on may leave the examination room.
- Highlighting, underlining and permanent tabs are allowed, but written-in notes and temporary tabs such as Post-It notes are not.
- A silent, nonprinting, non-programmable calculator may be used, and a construction calculator is also allowed.
- Scratch paper is provided for calculations, and personal items such as electronic devices, reading material, writing devices, food and drinks must be left in secure storage.
References you may bring
- International Residential Code for One- and Two-Family Dwellings (2021)
- 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 (Student Edition), John L. Feirer and Mark D. Feirer (2010 or 2016)
- The Contractor's Guide to Quality Concrete Construction (2018, 4th Edition)
- Roofing Construction and Estimating, Daniel Atcheson (2022)
- Modern Masonry - Brick, Block, Stone, Clois E. Kicklighter (2020 edition)
- Pipe and Excavation Contracting, Dave Roberts (2011)
- Gypsum Construction Handbook (7th edition, 2014)
Scheduling, changes and retakes
- You are responsible for contacting PSI to schedule, either online at https://test-takers.psiexams.com/tncon or by calling (855) 868-1882.
- Your examination fee is forfeited if you do not test within 1 year of the date PSI receives it.
- You may cancel and reschedule without forfeiting your fee if your cancellation notice is received 2 days before the scheduled examination date.
- If you arrive after the examination start time, miss your appointment, cancel late or lack proper ID, your registration is invalid and you forfeit your examination fee.
- You cannot rebook on the day you tested, but a candidate who fails on Monday can call Tuesday and retest as soon as Wednesday if space is available.
Source: TENNESSEE CONTRACTORS CANDIDATE INFORMATION BULLETIN, Revised 4/15/2026. Check the bulletin before test day: fees and rules can change.
What Topics Are on the Tennessee Residential Contractor Exam?
The official outline splits the exam into eight topics. Two of them — Carpentry and Estimating/Plan Reading — carry 40% of the scored items between them. Plan your study hours accordingly.
Carpentry — 20 items (20%)
Tied with Estimating/Plan Reading as the heaviest topic on the exam. Our practice questions here run through framing systems (what supports second-floor joists in balloon framing), floor framing details (minimum bearing length for wood girders on masonry walls, anchor bolt spacing on sill plates, how doubled joists under a plumbing wall are separated by blocking), crawl space clearance under floor joists, engineered products and span tables, truss types and permanent bracing, and lumber behavior — including why stud shrinkage pops drywall nails. Expect calculation items too, such as summing header lengths from a schedule.
Estimating, Plan Reading, and Gen Residential Code Requirements — 20 items (20%)
Equal weight to Carpentry, and just as broad. Our practice questions cover labor burden math, concrete volume with a waste factor, excavation quantities using a depth factor, board-foot calculations, and board-feet-per-100-square-feet material tables. Plan reading shows up as architectural abbreviations (what "HDR" stands for), window schedule notation like "2 lites D.H.", and knowing that the charts giving rough-opening sizes are called schedules. You are also expected to know how to read a span table step by step.
Associated Trades — 15 items (15%)
Our drywall practice questions cover screw usage charts for vertical and horizontal board attachment, joint compound coverage and pail counts, outdoor storage limits for gypsum products, and fire-rated assembly specifics (UL Design U305, U411, U412, U419 — stud spacing, staggered face-layer joints, whether insulation is optional, whether steel studs attach to runners). Sound ratings appear too, including which rating covers impact sound through a floor-ceiling assembly, plus the lateral load design value for interior non-load-bearing partitions. The outline also lists plumbing, electrical, HVAC, fuel gas and insulation for this topic.
Sitework, Footings, and Foundation — 10 items (10%)
Soil and footings. Our practice questions ask about the two broad soil groups used for compaction, footing depth relative to the frost line, footing width as a multiple of foundation wall thickness, what to do when an excavation is dug too deep, which portland cement type suits high-sulfate soils, and footing requirements for pier and panel walls.
Concrete and Concrete Reinforcement — 10 items (10%)
Mix, cover, placement and curing. Our practice questions cover air entrainment for weathering exposure and freeze/thaw climates, minimum concrete cover over rebar in footings, the term for removing air pockets and forcing concrete into all parts of the forms, minimum compressive strength for a residential foundation slab, and how a high water table found during test borings can force a design change.
Roofing — 10 items (10%)
Roof measurement, coverings from asphalt shingles to slate, underlayment, flashing, decking and repair. Our practice questions cover the minimum slope category for standard strip shingles, underlayment top lap and side lap, nails per strip in high-wind areas, metal valley flashing laps and side extension, how far eaves protection extends inside the exterior wall line, and gutter slope math.
OSHA Safety — 8 items (8%)
Construction standards from 29 CFR 1926. Our practice questions include fire extinguisher classes by fuel type, maximum travel distance to the nearest extinguisher under 29 CFR 1926, §1926.150(c)(1)(i), clearance between piped engine exhaust and combustible material under §1926.151(a)(2), first aid kit inspection frequency under §1926.50(d)(2), and the scale of repeat serious violation penalties.
Masonry — 7 items (7%)
The smallest topic, but easy points if you study it. Our practice questions cover how far foundation walls must extend above finished grade with and without masonry veneer, anchor bolt diameter and embedment for wood sill plates on masonry (IRC R403.1.6), and vertical reinforcing bar spacing in footings tying into a block wall.
Sample Practice Questions for the Tennessee BC-A Exam
Work these without looking anything up first, then verify each one in your references. Answers are not printed here on purpose — go find them.
1. Carpentry
According to the minimum live load requirements for residential construction, what live load is required for uninhabitable attics with limited storage?
A. 30 psf
B. 20 psf
C. 10 psf
D. 40 psf
Tests whether you can locate and read the residential live load table rather than recall a number.
2. Estimating, Plan Reading, and Gen Residential Code Requirements
Carpenter earns $28/hr, burden is 35%. Fully loaded labor cost?
A. $37.80
B. $42.50
C. $40.00
D. $36.00
Tests labor burden math — one of the estimating calculations.
3. Associated Trades
Duct systems constructed of materials must have a flame spread index of not greater than what value?
A. 100
B. 50
C. 200
D. 25
Tests whether you can find a mechanical material limit in the code quickly.
4. Sitework, Footings, and Foundation
You are a residential builder constructing a home on a site where the geotechnical report classifies the soil as sandy gravel and gravel (GW and GP). What is the presumptive load-bearing value for this soil classification?
A. 2,000 psf
B. 4,000 psf
C. 1,500 psf
D. 3,000 psf
Tests presumptive load-bearing values by soil class — a straight table lookup if you know which table.
Want more of these under timed conditions? Try the free practice exam; the free set is 10 questions and the full Tennessee BC-A practice exam is 100 questions.
What Types of Questions to Expect (By Topic)
Three question shapes repeat across the practice questions.
Lookup questions. A rule, a dimension, a spacing, a minimum. "Anchor bolts spaced no more than how far on center?" "What is the minimum concrete cover over rebar in footings?" These reward a well-tabbed book and fast index work, not memory.
Calculation questions. Concrete volume with a waste factor, board feet from nominal dimensions and length, header stock summed from a schedule, joint compound converted to pails, excavation cubic yards from an area factor, gutter drop from a slope rate. The worked practice questions show the pattern: set up the formula, apply the multiplier, then round the way the problem asks.
Scenario questions. These open with "You are a residential builder..." and bury a single decision inside a paragraph of site conditions. A driveway in a severe freeze/thaw region, an over-excavated footing, a spread joist hanger, gypsum board with no enclosed storage. Read the last sentence first, then go back for the detail that matters.
Across all three, precision on classification matters. Masonry veneer versus elsewhere. Vertical versus horizontal board attachment. Granular versus cohesive soil. Wrong classification, wrong table, wrong answer.
Required Study Materials for the BC-A Exam
This examination is open book. That makes your references the single biggest factor in your score. Get the exact editions and work in them until finding a section is reflex.
- IRC 2021 — International Residential Code for One- and Two-Family Dwellings (2021) — the backbone for framing, foundations, roofing, plumbing, electrical, mechanical and fuel gas questions.
- Carpentry and Building Construction — cited across our practice questions: framing, floor systems, roofing details, estimating tables, safety basics and the Ready Reference Appendix.
- The Contractor's Guide to Quality Concrete Construction (4th Edition, 2018) — cement types, mix design, soil compaction groups, rebar cover.
- Modern Masonry — Brick, Block, Stone (9th) — foundation walls, footing reinforcement, wall systems, pier and panel construction.
- Roofing Construction and Estimating (1995, 13th printing 2022) — roof slope factors, sheathing and decking, asphalt shingle work.
- Pipe and Excavation Contracting (Revised) — excavation estimating, bank versus loose yards, site drainage.
- Gypsum Construction Handbook (7th) — screw usage charts, joint compound coverage, fire and sound assemblies, storage and handling.
- OSHA 29 CFR 1926 — construction safety standards for the OSHA Safety topic.
- Sharpie Highlighters — for marking the tables and sections you keep returning to.
- Redi-Tag Permanent Colored Tabs — color-code by topic so you land on the right chapter in one motion.
Check the official bulletin for the current reference list, register through PSI, and confirm licensing requirements with the Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors.
Study Tips From Someone Who's Seen Candidates Pass and Fail
Spend your hours where the items are. Carpentry and Estimating/Plan Reading together account for 40% of the scored items. Associated Trades adds another 15%. If your study time is limited, that is where it goes. Masonry and OSHA are smaller, but they are also the most self-contained topics on the outline — cheap points if you give them a weekend.
Open book does not mean "look everything up." Planning to read your way through the references is not a workable strategy. You need to know, without hesitating, which book answers the question and roughly where. Build that with repetition: pick a practice question, name the book out loud, then find the page. Do it a hundred times and the reflex sticks.
Tab before you study, not after. Every time a practice question sends you to a table you had not tabbed, tab it right then. Your reference set should end up carrying the shape of the outline.
Pace yourself deliberately. The exam works out to about 3 minutes per question. That is plenty for a lookup and comfortable for most calculations, but it evaporates if you spend eight minutes hunting one obscure section. Set a personal ceiling — if you are still searching after two minutes, choose your best answer and move on.
Do the math by hand first. Work board feet, concrete yards and excavation volume with the formula written out before you speed things up. When a problem on the real Tennessee BC-A exam looks unfamiliar, the written setup is what saves you.
Rehearse full-length, not in fragments. Twenty questions at a coffee shop tells you very little. Sit down with your actual references, a timer, and a full Tennessee BC-A practice exam. Endurance and book-handling are skills, and they only develop under realistic conditions.
Track your misses by topic, not by count. A score alone tells you nothing useful. A list showing eleven misses in Associated Trades and one in Masonry tells you exactly what tomorrow looks like.
Ready to Pass the Tennessee BC-A Exam?
Preparation for the TN residential contractor license test comes down to two things: knowing the outline weights and knowing your books cold. Work full-length practice sets with your references open, log every miss by topic, and keep tabbing until the lookups feel automatic.
Start with the free practice exam and see where you stand.