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Mississippi Remodeling Contractor Licensing Exam — Practice Test

What This Practice Exam Covers

The Mississippi Remodeling exam is 60 questions. You have 135 minutes to finish. Passing requires a score of 70% — that's 42 correct answers out of 60.

Two options are available here:

Free practice exam: 10 questions per attempt, drawn from a limited pool. You can retake it as many times as you want. It's a solid way to get a feel for question style and pacing before you commit to full prep.

Full practice exam (paid): 60 questions, 135-minute time limit — same format as the real thing. Questions are pulled from a pool of 537+ questions, so every attempt gives you a different set. No two exams are identical. The question bank is built directly from the official exam topic list, so what you see in practice is what you'll face on test day.

Start with the free exam. If your score tells you there are gaps, move to the full exam for serious preparation.

What You'll Be Tested On

The exam covers nine topic areas. Here's what each one actually demands.

Safety — 6 items

Six questions, but the content is dense. OSHA's 29 CFR 1926 regulations drive almost everything here. You need to know employer and contractor responsibilities under §1926.24, fall protection thresholds and guardrail specifications under Subpart M (§1926.502), and the difference between guardrail systems, safety nets, and personal fall arrest systems. Fire protection questions pull from §1926.150 and §1926.151 — know fire extinguisher placement and flammable liquid storage rules. PPE questions cover when specific protection is required, not just what exists. Hazard communication, asbestos requirements (§1926.1101), and noise exposure limits (§1926.52) all appear. Housekeeping and sanitation rules — including toilet facilities and potable water requirements under §1926.51 — are testable. Don't overlook excavation safety requirements under Subpart P.

Windows and Doors — 3 items

Three questions covering a broad range of content. Know the operational differences between window types: double-hung, casement, awning, hopper, horizontal-sliding, and stationary. Code questions focus on egress dimensions, minimum glazing area, and ventilation area percentages. Energy efficiency content includes U-values, solar heat gain coefficients (SHGC), low-e coatings, and weatherstripping types. Safety glazing requirements and hazardous location rules from the IBC are tested. For doors, know the construction differences between solid-core, hollow-core, fire-rated, and the various sliding and folding types.

Rough Carpentry — 11 items

The heaviest trade topic. Expect questions on all four framing systems: platform, balloon, post-and-beam, and SIP. Floor framing components — girders, posts, sill plates, joists, subflooring — require precise vocabulary. Wall framing questions test headers, cripple studs, trimmer studs, and rough opening layout. Roof framing covers common rafters, ridge boards, span tables, and rafter layout methods. Structural design values and load types come up when the exam asks you to justify lumber selection. Nail types, sizes, and metal connector applications round out this section. Know your framing terminology cold — this section rewards candidates who can distinguish a trimmer stud from a cripple stud without hesitating.

Finish Carpentry — 11 items

Tied with Rough Carpentry as the heaviest section. Stairways dominate: know every component name, the code requirements for riser height, tread depth, headroom, handrail height, and baluster spacing. Stair layout calculations are tested directly — you must be able to calculate unit rise, unit run, total rise, and total run from given measurements. Cut-stringer layout and cleat-stringer installation procedures require step-by-step knowledge. Door and window casing installation (reveals, miter joints, coped joints), baseboard installation, and ceiling molding techniques are all tested. Cabinet carcase construction also appears here.

Siding — 3 items

Know your materials: wood bevel, vinyl, plywood, fiber cement, and stucco. Moisture protection is a consistent test topic — understand the difference between building paper, housewrap, and a drainage plane. For wood bevel siding, know how to use a story pole, calculate exposure, and nail correctly. Ribbon coursing and other shingle siding styles are tested. Vinyl siding questions focus on expansion gaps, J-channel use, and fastening techniques. Fiber cement questions often address cutting methods and dust exposure safety.

Drywall — 2 items

Two questions cover a concentrated set of knowledge. Know the difference between standard drywall, Type X fire-code drywall, and moisture-resistant products, and where each is required. Fastener schedules — screw vs. nail, spacing in the field vs. at edges — are tested. Joint compound types (setting-type vs. drying-type) and taping procedures appear. Horizontal vs. vertical application and when to use each is a common question format.

Concrete — 7 items

Seven questions on a technical subject. The five types of Portland cement and their uses are directly tested. Understand the water-to-cement ratio and what happens when you add too much water. Admixtures — accelerators, retarders, air-entraining agents — and their effects on fresh and hardened concrete are testable. Slump testing procedure, rebar sizing and placement, and concrete cover requirements come up. Curing methods and the hydration process are tested, including what happens in temperature extremes.

Masonry — 7 items

Mortar types, grout, and masonry units are the foundation. Fireplace construction requirements — firebox dimensions, hearth extension, and smoke chamber — are heavily tested. Chimney construction, flue sizing, and termination height requirements appear in multiple question formats. Allowable stress vs. strength design methods, seismic reinforcement for fireplaces and chimneys, and glass unit masonry limitations all require specific knowledge. Know the code references for IBC 2021 Sections 2103–2111.

Roofing — 10 items

The second-heaviest section. Minimum slope requirements for each roofing type are frequently tested. Underlayment application rules — including when single vs. double layers are required based on roof slope (IBC Table 1507.1.1(2)) — are a known exam focus. Flashing at valleys, walls, chimneys, and penetrations requires procedural knowledge. Fire classifications (Class A, B, C) and wind resistance requirements for edge systems are tested. Drainage systems — primary drains, secondary drains, scuppers, and gutters — round out the section.

Worked Sample Questions

Question 1 — Rough Carpentry

What is the horizontal framing member that connects opposite pairs of rafters to help stiffen the roof?

• A. Purlin
• B. Ridge board
• C. Collar tie
• D. Ceiling joist

Correct Answer: C — Collar tie

A collar tie connects opposite pairs of rafters horizontally, resisting the outward thrust that a loaded roof produces. A ridge board sits at the peak and connects the upper ends of rafters lengthwise — it doesn't tie opposing rafters together. Ceiling joists tie the lower ends of the rafters and carry ceiling loads, but they sit at the bottom of the rafter triangle, not partway up. The collar tie is specifically the mid-rafter horizontal stiffener. If you see "stiffen" and "opposite rafters" in the same question, the answer is collar tie.

Source: Carpentry and Building Construction, Section 17.1, Page 468

Question 2 — Finish Carpentry

The basic structural assembly of panels that forms a cabinet's shape is called the ______.

• A. Face frame
• B. Carcase
• C. Hanger rail
• D. Stretcher

Correct Answer: B — Carcase

The carcase is the box — the structural shell of the cabinet built from panels, typically plywood, particleboard, or MDF. The face frame is the separate frame applied to the front of a frameless cabinet box. A hanger rail and stretcher are individual internal components, not the full structural assembly. On the exam, "basic structural assembly" or "cabinet's shape" is the signal that the answer is carcase.

Source: Carpentry & Building Construction, Section 27.2, Page 788

Question 3 — Roofing – Residential and Commercial

At what minimum roof slope does the International Building Code permit a single layer of underlayment (rather than two layers) for asphalt shingle installation?

• A. 2:12
• B. 4:12
• C. 5:12
• D. 3:12

Correct Answer: B — 4:12

IBC Table 1507.1.1(2) sets the threshold at 4:12. At slopes of 4:12 or greater, one layer of underlayment lapped 2 inches is acceptable. For slopes from 2:12 up to but not including 4:12, two layers are required. The exam frequently tests this threshold — memorize 4:12 as the single-layer cutoff for asphalt shingles.

Source: IBC Table 1507.1.1(2)

How to Read Your Score

The passing mark is 70%, or 42 correct out of 60.

Your first practice attempt is a diagnostic, not a verdict. A low score on attempt one tells you where to study, not whether you'll pass. A score in the low 70s on practice is not comfortable — it means you're passing by a narrow margin under ideal conditions, without test-day pressure. Aim higher than 70% in practice before you schedule the real exam.

Use the topic-by-topic breakdown after each full practice attempt. If you're scoring 50% on Roofing and 90% on Drywall, don't spend equal time on both. Roofing is 10 questions — every point you recover there has real impact. Concrete and Masonry together are 14 questions; weak performance in either section can sink your total score.

Retake the full practice exam with fresh question sets until you consistently score 80% or better. That cushion accounts for questions that may be worded differently on test day.

Where Candidates Lose Points

Rough Carpentry and Finish Carpentry together are 22 of your 60 questions. Losing half your points in these two sections alone puts you below passing. Most losses here come from vocabulary confusion — calling a trimmer stud a jack stud, or mixing up a collar tie and a ceiling joist.

Stair calculations in Finish Carpentry are arithmetic problems under time pressure. Candidates skip the calculation and guess. Don't. Work the numbers: total rise divided by number of risers gives unit rise. A wrong unit rise cascades through every downstream answer.

Roofing underlayment and slope rules trip up candidates who memorize the wrong threshold. The 4:12 line for single-layer underlayment (IBC Table 1507.1.1(2)) is tested more than once across different question formats.

Concrete Portland cement types are a memorization item. Candidates confuse Type I, II, III, IV, and V and their specific applications, especially under test pressure.

OSHA number thresholds in Safety questions — fall protection trigger heights, noise exposure limits from §1926.52, excavation requirements — are frequently the difference between correct and incorrect. Know the exact numbers, not just the concepts.

Time management is a real factor. 135 minutes for 60 questions is about 2 minutes and 15 seconds per question. Candidates who linger on Masonry fireplace dimension questions run short on time for Roofing at the end.

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