What Passing the Tennessee BC-B Exam Gets You
The Tennessee BC-B Commercial Contractor license lets you legally build, alter, repair, or demolish structures intended for public use and occupancy — issued by the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance. That's a serious credential, and the exam behind it is no joke.
The Tennessee BC-B exam is 100 questions, open book, and you get 5 hours to finish it. Pass at 73% and you're licensed. Miss it and you're back in line. This guide covers everything you need to know — the format, the topics, the books, and how to study smart. Start with our free practice exam to see where you stand right now.
Tennessee BC-B Exam Overview
Here's the fast version:
- Questions: 100 scored items
- Time: 300 minutes (5 hours)
- Passing score: 73 correct out of 100
- Format: Open book — you bring your own approved references
- Administered by: PSI Exams
Open book does not mean easy. The exam is built to test whether you can find and apply information quickly under pressure, not whether you've memorized it. The candidates who pass aren't necessarily the most experienced — they're the ones who know their books cold and can locate any answer in seconds.
Register through the exam registration page or call PSI at (855) 868-1882. You can schedule as late as one day before your preferred test date if space is available. Check the official exam bulletin for everything you need before you sign up.
What the Tennessee Commercial Contractor Exam Covers
Nine topic areas appear on the Tennessee commercial contractor exam. Here's how they break down by weight — study time should follow these numbers.
General Code, Plan Reading, and Estimating — 27 items
This is the heaviest topic on the exam. IBC occupancy classifications, construction types, building height and area limits, plan reading, and estimating. More than a quarter of your score comes from here.
Concrete and Concrete Reinforcement — 15 items
Mix design, batching, placement, consolidation, finishing, and reinforcement. The second-heaviest topic.
Sitework, Footings, and Foundation — 10 items
Soil classification, bearing capacity, excavation safety, OSHA Subpart P, footings, and foundation systems.
Masonry — 10 items
Brick and CMU types, mortar proportions, wall systems (solid, cavity, composite, veneer), and laying techniques.
Metals — 10 items
Steel joist types (K-, LH-, DLH-, CJ-Series, joist girders), steel deck profiles, bridging, erection sequences, and OSHA Subpart R.
Associated Trades — 10 items
Gypsum board types, drywall installation, joint treatment, fire- and sound-rated assemblies, and plaster systems.
Carpentry — 6 items
Floor, wall, and roof framing; engineered wood products; structural framing systems.
OSHA Safety — 6 items
Fall protection, scaffolding, excavation and trenching, PPE, and electrical safety in construction.
Roofing — 6 items
Roof measurement, slope, sheathing, underlayment, flashing, and asphalt shingle installation.
Sample Questions From the TN BC-B Practice Exam
These questions are drawn from the same topic areas you'll see on the real TN commercial building contractor license test. Try them — but answers aren't given here. Head to our free practice exam to check your work.
Question 1 — Concrete and Concrete Reinforcement (Medium)
For normalweight concrete with a nominal maximum aggregate size of 3/4 in. that is exposed to freezing-and-thawing cycles and in continuous contact with moisture and deicing chemicals, what is the required target air content?
- A) 6 percent
- B) 7 percent
- C) 5.5 percent
- D) 5 percent
This question tests whether you can read a code table and apply air-entrainment requirements by exposure condition and aggregate size — exactly the kind of find-and-apply task the exam is built around.
Question 2 — Concrete and Concrete Reinforcement (Hard)
You are planning a two-crane lift of a large precast spandrel beam. Each crane and the lifting tackle should have a capacity margin of at least what percentage greater than needed for its calculated share of the load?
- A) 25 percent
- B) 15 percent
- C) 10 percent
- D) 50 percent
This one tests safety-critical lift planning knowledge — a specialized area where the wrong answer in the field causes accidents.
Question 3 — Masonry (Medium)
You are designing a multi-wythe masonry wall for a commercial project. The masonry code defines a cavity wall as consisting of two or more wythes separated by a continuous air space, with the wythes connected by which of the following?
- A) Bond beams
- B) Collar joints
- C) Wall ties
- D) Headers
Question 4 — Masonry (Medium)
You are overseeing a commercial masonry project using multiwythe non-composite wall construction. What is the maximum horizontal spacing permitted for metal wall ties connecting the wythes?
- A) 16 in.
- B) 48 in.
- C) 24 in.
- D) 36 in.
Question 5 — Associated Trades (Easy)
What is the net area of gypsum board for the walls and ceiling (openings deducted)? (Figure DW-3)
- A) 986 sq ft
- B) 524 sq ft
- C) 844 sq ft
- D) 896 sq ft
Questions 3 through 5 test code knowledge, specification reading, and takeoff math — the same skills you'll use every day on a commercial project.
Don't know the answers? That's exactly why you practice. Start with the free exam, then move to the full version.
What Types of Questions to Expect — By Topic
Here's what our Tennessee BC-B practice exam covers across all nine topics. These descriptions reflect the actual exam content — use them to know what skills to sharpen.
- Sitework, Footings, and Foundation: Soil classification, bearing capacity, excavation protective systems, OSHA Subpart P cave-in requirements, footing sizing, and foundation types.
- Concrete and Concrete Reinforcement: Mix design proportioning, w/c ratios, air entrainment, batching and transporting, placement and consolidation, rebar sizing, spacing and cover requirements, and multi-crane lift safety.
- Masonry: Brick and CMU grade selection, mortar type proportioning, wall system definitions (solid, cavity, composite, hollow, veneer), wall tie spacing, coursing layout, and code compliance.
- Metals: Joist and joist girder designation systems, steel deck profiles, bridging requirements, erection sequences, and OSHA Subpart R steel erection rules.
- Carpentry: Floor and wall framing member identification, rafter types, engineered wood product selection (LVL, glulam, OSB, I-joists), plywood grading, and structural system comparisons.
- OSHA Safety: Fall protection system requirements, scaffold load capacity, trench sloping and shoring, PPE selection, GFCI and lockout/tagout rules.
- General Code, Plan Reading, and Estimating: IBC occupancy classifications and use groups, construction types, building height and area limits, plan reading, quantity takeoffs, and cost estimating.
- Associated Trades: Gypsum board type selection, drywall fastener spacing, joint treatment and finishing levels, fire- and sound-rated assembly specifications, and plaster application.
- Roofing: Roof area and slope calculations, sheathing requirements, underlayment selection by slope, flashing installation, and asphalt shingle application patterns.
Total: 763 practice questions across all nine topics.
Required Study Materials for the BC-B Exam
The BC-B is open book, so your references are your exam tools. Get these before you study — not after.
Required References:
- International Building Code 2021 — The backbone of the General Code section. You'll use this constantly.
- Design and Control of Concrete Mixtures (17th ed.) — Required for mix design, air entrainment, and placement questions.
- OSHA 29 CFR 1926 — Covers Subpart P (excavation), Subpart R (steel erection), fall protection, and electrical safety.
- Carpentry and Building Construction — Framing systems, engineered wood, and structural components.
- Modern Masonry — Brick, Block, Stone (9th) — Wall systems, mortar types, and laying techniques.
- Pipe and Excavation Contracting (Revised) — Sitework, excavation safety, and soil classification.
- Gypsum Construction Handbook (7th) — Drywall installation, fire ratings, and finishing levels.
- Technical Digest No. 9 — Steel Joists and Joist Girders (4th) — Joist designations, bridging, and erection procedures.
- SDI Manual of Construction with Steel Deck — Steel deck types, profiles, and installation.
- Roofing Construction and Estimating — Everything from slope calculation to shingle application.
Recommended Tools:
- Redi-Tag Permanent Colored Tabs — Color-code by subject so you can flip to any section in two seconds. On a timed open-book exam, this is not optional.
- Sharpie Highlighters — Highlight key tables and code requirements. The exam allows highlighted references; use that to your advantage.
How to Study for the Tennessee BC-B Exam
Tab and highlight everything before you practice. On an open-book exam, the winners aren't the smartest people in the room — they're the fastest at finding answers. Highlight key tables, tab every major section, and learn the index until you can land on any topic in seconds. That speed is what separates a pass from a fail.
Work through questions in two passes. Answer what you know first, flag what you don't. Go back to the flagged ones. Don't burn five minutes on one question while ten others sit unanswered. The clock runs the whole time.
Give yourself three to six weeks minimum. Use the official exam bulletin as your roadmap. Focus your energy on General Code and Concrete — together they're 42 of your 100 questions. Get those two areas solid before you spread out.
Practice under timed conditions. Our full practice exam matches the real format: 100 questions, 300 minutes, same topic breakdown. Use it timed. Aim for 80% or higher in practice — that buffer gives you room to breathe on the real exam.
Set your own bar above 73%. Target 80% consistently across three clean practice attempts before you book your test date.
Start Preparing Today
The Tennessee BC-B Commercial Contractor license is a real credential that opens doors to public-use commercial construction projects across the state. The exam is tough but it's passable — plenty of contractors clear it on the first attempt with the right prep.
Start with our free practice exam — 10 questions, no account needed, no cost. See how you do. When you're ready to go deeper, upgrade to the full practice exam: 100 questions, timed, with a full score breakdown by topic so you know exactly where to put your study time.
Get your books, tab them, and get to work. Visit the state licensing website for licensing requirements, and check the official exam bulletin before you schedule.