Tennessee BC-B, C Combined Commercial/Industrial Contractor

Tennessee BC-B, C Combined Commercial/Industrial Contractor Exam: Complete 2026 Guide

The Tennessee BC-B, C exam is the licensing gate for contractors who build commercial structures and industrial production facilities in the state. Pass it, and you're authorized to operate at the commercial and industrial level under the Tennessee Board for Licensing Contractors. This guide covers exactly what the Tennessee BC-B, C exam requires — question count, time limit, passing score, reference books, topic weights, and registration — so you can prepare with full information rather than guesswork. Take our free practice exam to see where you stand before the real thing.

Tennessee BC-B, C Exam Overview

The Trade Portion of the Tennessee commercial industrial contractor exam consists of 100 scored questions with a 300-minute time limit — that's five hours at the testing center. To pass, you must answer at least 73 questions correctly (73%).

The exam is open book, which changes the preparation strategy significantly. You bring your own approved references to the testing center; the goal on test day is retrieval speed, not memorization. References may be highlighted, underlined, and tabbed with permanent tabs, but writing in them is not permitted.

In addition to the Trade Portion, there is a separate Business & Law portion. Each portion carries a $57 exam fee ($114 total if you sit for both). Fees are non-refundable and non-transferable, and your registration is valid for one year from the date your fee is received by PSI — if you haven't tested within that window, the fee is forfeited.

Register through the exam registration page, or call PSI at (855) 868-1882. Phone registration is available Monday–Friday, 6:30 am–9:00 pm CT, and Saturday–Sunday, 8:00 am–4:30 pm CT. For full licensing details, visit the state licensing website.

Topics Covered on the Tennessee BC-B, C Exam

The exam tests nine topic areas. Item counts below reflect real exam weight — focus your study time accordingly.

• General Code, Plan Reading, and Estimating (27 items) — The heaviest section. Covers IBC occupancy classifications, construction types, fire-resistance ratings, plan interpretation, and estimating methods.
• Concrete and Concrete Reinforcement (15 items) — Mix design, durability exposure categories, formwork, and reinforcement placement.
• Sitework, Footings, and Foundation (10 items) — Soil classification, geotechnical requirements, excavation safety (sloping, benching, shoring, trench boxes).
• Metals (10 items) — Steel joist designations and types (K-, LH-, DLH-, CJ-Series), erection bridging, steel deck profiles, OSHA Subpart R structural steel requirements.
• Masonry (10 items) — Mortar types per ASTM C270, wall systems (cavity, composite, reinforced, veneer), structural design methods, reinforcement installation.
• Associated Trades (10 items) — Gypsum board types, drywall framing and fastener spacing, finish levels, and conventional plaster systems.
• Carpentry (6 items) — Lumber grading, light-frame wall framing, floor and roof framing spans, wall bracing methods.
• OSHA Safety (6 items) — Fall protection, excavation and trenching cave-in protection, scaffolding, PPE, and hazard communication (PELs, silica, asbestos).
• Roofing (6 items) — Slope calculation, shingle types and installation, underlayment requirements by slope, valley flashing, and built-up roofing systems.

Sample Questions From the TN Combined Commercial/Industrial Contractor Test

These five questions represent the range of difficulty and topic coverage you'll encounter. Work through them — then check how you did with our free practice exam. Correct answers are not shown here; that's the point.

Question 1 — Metals (Hard)
In a CJ-Series composite steel joist designation such as 30CJ2188/1168/420, what does the value "1168" represent?
- A) Total factored composite dead load capacity in plf
- B) Nominal joist depth in millimeters
- C) Total factored composite live load capacity in plf
- D) Total factored composite design load capacity in plf

This question tests your ability to read a CJ-Series joist designation — each numeric field has a specific meaning, and the exam expects you to know them precisely.

Question 2 — Sitework, Footings, and Foundation (Medium)
For soil to be considered expansive, the soil particles passing a No. 200 sieve (75 µm) must exceed ______ percent.
- A) 5
- B) 10
- C) 15
- D) 20

Soil classification thresholds appear directly in your code references. This is a retrieval question — the candidate who tabs their reference correctly finds it in seconds.

Question 3 — Masonry (Hard)
What is the maximum allowable compressive stress, based on gross cross-sectional area, for dry-stack masonry?
- A) 30 psi
- B) 10 psi
- C) 45 psi
- D) 18 psi

Allowable stress values are numeric and specific — this type of question rewards candidates who have marked and tabbed their masonry reference accurately.

Question 4 — Metals (Medium)
You are the building contractor on a commercial project where joist girders must bear on steel plates supported by masonry walls. What is the minimum end bearing distance required for these joist girders?
- A) 6 inches
- B) 5 inches
- C) 2 1/2 inches
- D) 4 inches

Bearing requirements are defined in Technical Digest No. 9. Knowing where to look is more than half the answer.

Question 5 — General Code, Plan Reading, and Estimating (Easy)
When estimating a site preparation project, how many days of chainsaw usage should be estimated for clearing and grubbing 1.5 acres of light sagebrush?
- A) 3 days
- B) 1 day
- C) 4 days
- D) 2 days

Estimating questions often require you to apply production rates from reference tables — familiarity with your estimating reference is essential.

What Types of Questions to Expect

Here's how the practice question pool breaks down by topic, along with the kinds of problems each area tests:

• General Code, Plan Reading, and Estimating — 196 practice questions: IBC occupancy and construction-type classifications, fire-resistance rating lookups, building height and area limit calculations, plan symbol interpretation, and production-rate-based estimating.
• Concrete and Concrete Reinforcement — 126 practice questions: Mix design proportioning, water-cement ratios, exposure category selection, formwork load calculations, form removal timing, and rebar placement requirements.
• Masonry — 83 practice questions: Mortar type proportions per ASTM C270, wall system identification, allowable compressive stress values, reinforcement and anchor spacing, and structural design method selection.
• Associated Trades — 75 practice questions: Gypsum board product specification, fastener type and spacing for wood vs. steel framing, finish level identification, and plaster application sequencing.
• Carpentry — 60 practice questions: Lumber grade mark reading, allowable joist and rafter spans from tables, wall bracing panel requirements, and girder sizing.
• Roofing — 60 practice questions: Slope calculation and conversion, shingle classification and exposure, underlayment selection by slope, valley construction method selection, and BUR system material identification.
• OSHA Safety — 41 practice questions: Fall protection trigger heights, excavation protective system selection by soil type, scaffold load capacity and planking requirements, PPE selection, and PEL and exposure limit lookups.
• Metals — 40 practice questions: Joist series designation reading, erection bridging interval requirements, hoisting cable release criteria, steel deck profile and fastener requirements, and column anchor bolt installation per OSHA Subpart R.
• Sitework, Footings, and Foundation — 67 practice questions: Soil classification tests, sieve analysis thresholds, expansive soil criteria, excavation slope ratios by soil type, and shoring and trench box selection.

In total, we offer 748 practice questions across all nine topic areas.

Required Reference Books for the Tennessee BC-B, C Exam

The open-book format makes your reference set a direct factor in your score. These are the primary approved references:

• IBC 2021 — The single heaviest-weighted reference on the exam. The General Code section alone accounts for 27 questions.
• OSHA 29 CFR 1926 — Required for both the OSHA Safety section and excavation questions in Sitework.
• Design and Control of Concrete Mixtures (16th) — The primary reference for all concrete mix design and durability questions.
• Modern Masonry — Covers mortar types, wall systems, and structural design methods tested in the Masonry section.
• Roofing Construction and Estimating — Required for the Roofing section; covers slope, underlayment, flashing, and BUR systems.
• Pipe and Excavation Contracting (Revised) — Referenced for sitework and excavation topics.
• Gypsum Construction Handbook (7th) — The reference for all Associated Trades questions on drywall and plaster.
• Technical Digest No. 9 – Handling and Erection of Steel Joists and Joist Girders (4th Edition) — Required for steel joist designation, bearing, bridging, and erection questions.
• SDI Manual of Construction with Steel Deck — Required for steel deck profile, fastening, and installation questions.

For organizing your references before exam day, two tools pay dividends:

• Sharpie Tank Highlighters — Wide barrel, large ink supply, chisel tip that handles both highlighting and margin notes. Get the 12-pack with assorted fluorescent colors to color-code by topic.
• Redi-Tag Permanent Colored Tabs — 100 permanent adhesive tabs in 5 colors. Use them to mark every major code section and table you expect to reference under time pressure.

Study Tips for the Tennessee BC-B, C Exam

Speed of retrieval is the core skill. On an open-book exam, the candidates who pass are not necessarily the ones who know the most — they're the ones who find answers fastest. Buy your required books, highlight and tab them thoroughly, and study the index and table of contents until you can land on any referenced section in under 30 seconds.

Work through questions in two passes. Answer everything you know on the first pass, flag what you don't, and return to flagged questions after. Our practice exams support bookmarking for this reason. Don't let one difficult question consume minutes you'll need elsewhere — 300 minutes for 100 questions averages 3 minutes per question, but many will take under a minute.

Practice under timed conditions. Exam-clock anxiety is real and predictable. Running timed practice tests eliminates the surprise. By test day, the format and pacing feel routine rather than stressful.

Read answer choices before committing. Scan all four options first. You're looking for the precise term or code value that matches what your reference says. The more practice questions you've worked through, the faster the correct phrasing registers.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does the Tennessee BC-B, C exam cost?
The Trade Portion fee is $57, and the Business & Law portion is $57 — $114 total if you sit for both. Exam fees are not refundable or transferable.

How many questions are on the exam and how long do I have?
The Trade Portion has 100 questions with a 300-minute (5-hour) time limit.

What is the passing score for the Tennessee BC-B, C exam?
You must answer at least 73 of 100 questions correctly (73%) to pass the Trade exam.

How do I register?
Register online at the exam registration page or call PSI at (855) 868-1882. Phone registration is available Monday–Friday, 6:30 am–9:00 pm CT, and Saturday–Sunday, 8:00 am–4:30 pm CT.

What ID do I need on test day?
One valid, unexpired government-issued photo ID that includes your signature — such as a driver's license, U.S. passport, military ID, Alien Registration Card, or Canadian government-issued ID. Temporary or paper versions are not accepted.

Is the exam open book?
Yes. You bring your own approved references. They may be highlighted, underlined, and indexed with permanent tabs, but may not be written in.

What reference books are allowed?
Approved references include the IBC (2021), OSHA 29 CFR Part 1926, Roofing Construction and Estimating, Modern Masonry, Pipe and Excavation Contracting, Gypsum Construction Handbook, Technical Digest No. 9, SDI Manual of Construction with Steel Deck, Design and Control of Concrete Mixtures (2021), Placing Reinforcing Bars (2022), ACI 530/530.1, ACI 318, Training and Certification of Field Personnel for Unbonded Post-Tensioning, and the Erectors' Manual (PCI). You are responsible for bringing your own copies. See the official exam bulletin for the current approved list.

Can I use a calculator?
Yes — a silent, nonprinting, non-programmable calculator or a construction calculator is permitted. Programmable calculators and those with alphabetic keyboards are not allowed.

What happens if I fail?
You cannot schedule a new appointment on the same day you tested. A candidate who tests on a Monday can call Tuesday and retest as early as Wednesday, subject to seat availability.

What if I pay but don't schedule right away?
Your exam fee is forfeited if you do not test within one year of the date PSI receives your payment.

Start Preparing Now

The Tennessee BC-B, C Combined Commercial/Industrial Contractor license opens access to commercial and industrial construction work across the state. The exam is achievable with structured preparation and well-organized references. Begin with our free practice exam — 10 questions, no account required — to benchmark your current knowledge. When you're ready for full preparation, the paid exam matches the real test exactly: 100 questions, 300-minute timer, and a topic breakdown that mirrors what PSI will put in front of you.