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Tennessee BC-b Small Commercial Contractor Practice Exam

What This Practice Exam Covers

The Tennessee BC-b Small Commercial Contractor exam is 70 questions. You have 200 minutes to complete it. Passing score is 73%, which means you need at least 52 correct answers.

Free practice exam: 10 questions per attempt, pulled from a limited question pool. You can retake it as many times as you want. Good for getting a feel for the format before you commit to serious prep.

Full practice exam: 70 questions, 200-minute timer — mirrors the real exam exactly. Questions are drawn from a pool of 600+ items, so each attempt gives you a different set. No duplicate exams. Every question is built from the official topic list the Tennessee licensing authority uses. If you're preparing for your actual test date, this is the version to use.

Start with the free exam to benchmark yourself, then move to the full exam for real preparation.

What You'll Be Tested On

General Code, Plan Reading, and Estimating — 15 items

This is the heaviest section. Expect questions on occupancy classifications, construction types, fire-resistance ratings, building height and area limits, and IBC definitions (see IBC 2021 Section 202 for terms like Building Area, Fire Wall, and Story Above Grade Plane). Plan reading questions require you to read architectural drawings, interpret symbols, and extract dimensions. Estimating questions are math-heavy: labor burden calculations, board-feet, material takeoffs, waste factors, and unit conversions. Know how to calculate a fully loaded labor rate and how to read a schedule of values. Fifteen items means one bad study session on this section costs you real points.

Metals — 12 items

Second largest section. You need to know SJI joist designations cold: K-Series, LH-Series, DLH-Series, joist girders, and CJ-Series composite joists — what each designation means and where each is used. Steel deck types matter too: composite floor deck, roof deck, form deck, cellular deck, and acoustic deck each have distinct applications. Erection bridging — when it's required, how it's installed, employee limits during installation — is a frequent target. Fastening methods for steel deck (arc spot welds, mechanical fasteners, shear studs, side lap connections) will appear. OSHA Subpart R steel erection rules, especially field bolting requirements at column lines, are tested directly. Expect questions pulled from the SJI Technical Digest / Erection Manual and the SDI Manual.

Concrete and Concrete Reinforcement — 8 items

Concrete mixture proportioning, water-cement ratio, slump, and field control testing. Cover requirements for reinforcement (ACI 318-11, Page 93, Section 7.7.1). Formwork design and safety. Exposure classifications and durability requirements per ACI 318-11 Tables 4.4.1 and 4.4.2. Footing widths based on soil bearing capacity and building stories. Splicing and development length for rebar. Know the difference between placement, consolidation, and finishing — the exam distinguishes between them.

Roofing — 7 items

Roof slope calculation and how slope affects material selection. Underlayment requirements vary by slope and roofing material — know which slopes require double underlayment and which require a specific type. Asphalt shingle fastening requirements and exposure. Valley flashing types (open vs. closed). Sheathing and decking requirements. Flashing at chimneys, eaves, and penetrations. The Roofing Construction & Estimating reference and the NRCA Roofing Manual are both in play here.

Masonry — 6 items

ASTM C270 mortar types (M, S, N, O, K) — proportions, uses, and when each is appropriate. Masonry wall system types: solid, hollow, cavity, composite, reinforced, and veneer. Brick and CMU coursing, bond patterns, leads, and mason's line technique. Anchors, ties, joint reinforcement, and flashing placement. Footing and foundation wall requirements specific to masonry construction. TMS 402 (ACI 530) code provisions apply. Modern Masonry is a primary reference.

Sitework, Footings, and Foundation — 6 items

Soil classification and bearing capacity. Geotechnical investigations — when borings are required and what they tell you. Footing sizing from soil load tables (IBC 2021 Table 1806.2). Excavation safety under OSHA Subpart P, Appendix B — soil type classifications (Type A, B, C) and what protective systems each requires. Sloping, shoring, and trench box requirements. Estimating excavation volume using bank yards vs. loose yards.

Carpentry — 6 items

Wall framing: stud spacing, plates, headers, and rough opening sizing for load-bearing and non-load-bearing walls. Floor framing: girder and joist sizing, subfloor construction. Roof framing: common rafter calculation, hip and valley rafter layout, and jack rafter cuts. Engineered wood: plywood grading, LVL, OSB, I-joists, glulam — know what each is and where it's appropriate. Lumber grading and moisture content. IBC Section 2303 provisions cover several of these subtopics.

Associated Construction Trades — 5 items

Gypsum board types, fire ratings, and moisture resistance. Drywall fastening — screw spacing and type for different assemblies. Levels of finish (Level 0 through Level 5) and when each applies. Suspended ceiling system installation and grid components. Cement board and backerboard for wet areas. The Gypsum Construction Handbook is the main reference.

OSHA Safety — 5 items

Fall protection thresholds and system types: guardrail, safety net, and personal fall arrest. Scaffolding load capacity and access requirements (29 CFR 1926 §1926.451). Ladder safety (29 CFR 1926 §1926.1053(b)(1)). PPE selection. Excavation protective systems. Hazard communication for asbestos, silica, and lead — know the action levels and permissible exposure limits under 29 CFR 1926 §1926.1101 and §1926.62.

Worked Sample Questions

Question 1 — Estimating: Labor Burden

A carpenter earns $28/hr. The labor burden is 35%. What is the fully loaded labor cost?

• A. $37.80
• B. $42.50
• C. $40.00
• D. $36.00

Correct Answer: A — $37.80

Multiply the base wage by 1 plus the burden rate: $28 × 1.35 = $37.80. The burden (35%) covers payroll taxes, insurance, benefits, and similar employer costs — it does not get added separately, it multiplies the base rate. Picking $40.00 or $42.50 means you added wrong or used the wrong multiplier. This type of calculation appears on nearly every contractor licensing exam and takes under 30 seconds if you know the formula.

Question 2 — Metals: Column Joist Field Bolting

Where columns are not framed in at least two directions with solid structural steel members, what connection method is required for joists at column lines during erection?

• A. Plug welding
• B. Field bolting
• C. Resistance welding
• D. Tack welding

Correct Answer: B — Field bolting

Per OSHA 29 CFR 1926 §1926.757(a)(1), when a column is not framed in at least two directions with solid structural steel, joists at that column line must be field bolted — not welded, tacked, or plug welded. The joist bottom chord must also be restrained by a vertical stabilizer plate. This is an erection safety requirement, not just a structural preference. The SJI Technical Digest / Erection Manual, Chapter 5, Page 5-3 (Column Joists section) covers the same requirement. Tack welding is the wrong answer because it is not the code-mandated connection method for this specific condition.

Question 3 — Concrete: Footing Width

For a two-story home with conventional light-frame construction on soil with a load-bearing value of 1,500 psf, what is the minimum footing width?

• A. 12 inches
• B. 21 inches
• C. 15 inches
• D. 16 inches

Correct Answer: C — 15 inches

Per Carpentry and Building Construction, Page 257 (Table 10-1), a two-story conventionally framed building on 1,500 psf soil requires a minimum footing width of 15 inches. The table cross-references number of stories against soil bearing capacity — 1,500 psf is the weakest bearing category in the table, so it demands the widest footings for a given story count. Picking 12 inches is the most common wrong answer; that width applies to stronger soils or single-story buildings.

How to Read Your Score

Passing is 73%. That means 52 correct out of 70 on the real exam.

Your first practice attempt is a diagnostic, not a verdict. If you score in the 60s, that tells you which topic areas need work — it does not mean you can't pass. Use the topic-by-topic breakdown after each attempt to find where you dropped points. A low score on Metals or General Code hits harder than the same score on a 5-item section because the item counts are different.

Scoring 73–75% on practice means you're close but not safe. The real exam has different questions and no second chances on a specific item. Build margin. Aim for 80%+ on practice before you book your test date. If you're consistently below 70% on the full 70-question exam, keep going — a few more targeted study sessions on your weak topics can move the needle fast when the content is specific and testable.

Retake the full practice exam multiple times. With 600+ questions in the pool, you won't see the same exam twice.

Where Candidates Lose Points

Math errors on General Code and Estimating. Fifteen items. Candidates miss footing volume calculations by forgetting to convert inches to feet, or blow the labor burden by adding instead of multiplying. Write out your units.

Confusing joist series in Metals. K-Series, LH-Series, and DLH-Series have specific span and load characteristics. Mixing them up costs multiple points on a 12-item section.

Wrong mortar type in Masonry. ASTM C270 has five types. Candidates pick N when the answer is S, or vice versa, because they don't know the specific application rule. Learn the use cases, not just the names.

Wrong exposure classification in Concrete. ACI 318-11 Tables 4.4.1 and 4.4.2 define durability requirements. Candidates pick the right table but read the wrong row because they skip the exposure category step.

Misidentifying OSHA thresholds in Safety. Fall protection triggers at 6 feet in construction — but scaffold-specific rules differ. Know the specific numbers for each system type.

Running out of time. 200 minutes for 70 questions is about 2 minutes 51 seconds per question. Multi-step estimating and code table questions eat that time fast. Flag and move on rather than stalling.

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