Virginia Contractor Advanced Portion (Class A) Practice Exam
Free Practice Exam
Test your knowledge with 10 questions from our pool of 20 free questions.
- 10 questions per attempt
- 30 minute time limit
- Unlimited attempts
- A new mix each time
- Instant results
Full Practice Exam
Complete exam simulation matching the real licensing test format.
- 24 questions (same as real exam)
- 60 minute time limit
- 9 topic areas covered
- 130 questions in pool
- Detailed explanations
Texts preferred · 9am–9pm Central
Virginia Contractor Advanced Portion (Class A) Practice Exam Guide
What's on the exam
Questions per topic, out of 24The Advanced Portion is the business and law side of the Class A license. It asks what you do as the person signing contracts, cutting paychecks, filing tax deposits, buying bonds and insurance, and filing liens. Expect math: overhead and bid price, quick ratio, depreciation, percentage of completion, net pay, FUTA deposits. Expect Virginia-specific rules on written residential contracts, new hire reporting, unemployment tax and mechanics' liens. It is an open book exam.
We give you two ways to practice. The free practice exam runs 10 questions per attempt, and you can retake it as often as you like. The full practice exam gives you 24 questions, timed to 1 hour, drawn fresh from our question bank every attempt, so a second run is not the same paper again. Both show a topic-by-topic breakdown when you finish.
Estimating and Bidding 1 item
One scored item, but the subtopic list is broad. Know bid ethics cold: bid peddling is the sub coming back after award to undercut the bid-day price, per the Bid Peddling section (Page 7-2). Know cost-based pricing where overhead is a percentage of revenue, not a markup on cost, per the Calculating an Overhead Percentage section (Page 7-6). Know the three parts of a cost code — project number, activity classification, distribution code — per the Job Cost Recording System section (Page 7-8). Know direct versus indirect equipment cost per the Determining Estimated Costs section (Page 7-4).
Contract Management 4 items
Heavy topic. Questions cover the contract pricing types and who carries the risk: lump-sum, unit-price for uncertain quantities, and cost-plus reimbursement with a markup fee. Retainage is the percentage held from progress payments against liens, claims and defaults. Liquidated damages math and the rule that an owner suing for them cannot also sue for actual damages sits in Chapter 8 — Breach of Contract. You also get counteroffers under Offer and Acceptance, differing site conditions and schedule acceleration under Provisions to Limit Risk, required change order contents, mediation versus arbitration, and Virginia's written residential contract requirements.
Project Management 1 item
Scheduling takes up three of this topic's eight subtopics. Free float is the time an activity can slip without moving the early start of the next one (Scheduling Process section, Page 9-2). The critical path method shows interdependencies, simultaneous events and the sequence that sets project duration; bar chart and calendar methods do not show interdependencies at all, per Pages 9-2 and 9-5 and the Bar Chart Scheduling section. Materials management shows up as just-in-time delivery cutting both carrying cost and theft risk (Materials section, Page 9-9).
Risk Management 2 items
Insurance and bonds. Know the equipment floater as inland marine coverage for mobile equipment on premises, in transit or at temporary jobsites, with an endorsement available for rented equipment (Page 4-3). Know the difference between all-risk and named peril builders' risk in the Insurance section. Know professional liability for designer and architect errors that CGL does not cover (Page 4-4). Know bond types, especially the fidelity bond for employee dishonesty (Page 4-7), and the surety's options on default, including arranging a new contractor (Page 4-8).
Safety 2 items
OSHA numbers, straight from the standard. Guardrail top edge strength is 200 pounds applied within 2 inches of the top edge, per §1926.502(b)(3). Stairways with four or more risers, or rising more than 30 inches, need at least one handrail and one stairrail system on each unprotected side, per §1926.1052(c)(1). Inside flammable liquid storage rooms need exhaust starting not more than 12 inches above the floor with 6 air changes per hour, per §1926.152(b)(4)(vi). Noise exposure uses the Fe formula in §1926.52(d)(2). Hospitalization reporting is covered in Chapter 12 (Page 12-4).
Labor Laws 4 items
Another heavy topic, and three of its eight subtopics are Virginia-specific. Virginia new hire reporting runs no later than 20 days from date of hire (Chapter 11). Out-of-state contractors registering with the VEC pay the maximum 6.20% rate for three years (Appendix H, §60.2-526(B), §60.2-527). Right-to-work rules on dues, membership and lawful solicitation are in Appendix I, §§ 40.1-59 through 40.1-66. Federal side: ADA coverage at 15 or more employees (Appendix M), I-9 completion within three days of hire, child labor penalties, required postings, and practices FLSA does not cover.
Financial Management 5 items
The biggest topic, and the most arithmetic. Practice the quick ratio and working capital from a balance sheet, straight-line depreciation, percentage of completion earnings, profit margin, and net pay after deductions — all in Chapter 14. Know the accounting cycle order and where the adjusted trial balance falls, the payroll journal, and the statement of cash flows as the statement a lender wants. Know cash versus accrual: accrual recognizes income when services occur, and cash method fails to match revenue with related expenses. Know the completed contract method's disadvantages.
Federal and State Taxes 4 items
Thresholds and forms. Self-employment tax starts at $400 in net earnings. Who needs an EIN and who does not. Deposit schedules: monthly in your first year, the next-banking-day rule at a $100,000 accumulated liability, and the late deposit penalty tiers. FUTA quarterly liability under $500 carries forward. Form 1099-MISC is due January 31 for $600-or-more payments to independent contractors. These are in the Tax Basics chapter. Virginia withholding filing frequency and the VA-5 versus VA-15 distinction are in Appendix N: Virginia Withholding Tax Guide.
Lien Laws 1 item
One item, and the rules below come straight from Virginia Code sections. Know the split between general contractors and subcontractors: the GC files a certification of mailing the memorandum to the owner under § 43-4 (Page 16-2), while the subcontractor gives written notice of the amount and character of the claim under § 43-7 (Page G-7). Know the enforcement deadline under § 43-17 — six months from recording or 60 days from completion, whichever is later (Page 16-3). Knowingly presenting a lien waiver with a forged or unauthorized signature to obtain funds or title insurance is a felony under § 43-13.1 (Page G-8).
Sample 1 — Financial Management
Question: How is the quick ratio (acid test ratio) calculated, and what level is generally considered acceptable to creditors?
- A. Total assets minus inventory divided by current liabilities; a ratio of 0.5 or more is generally acceptable
- B. Current assets divided by total liabilities; a ratio of two or more is generally acceptable
- C. Current assets divided by current liabilities; a ratio of 1.5 or more is generally acceptable
- D. Current assets minus inventory divided by current liabilities; a ratio of one or more is generally acceptable
Correct Answer: D
Two parts, and both have to be right. Pull inventory out of current assets first, then divide by current liabilities. A quick ratio of one or more is generally acceptable to most creditors and points to a stronger financial position. Source: NASCLA Contractors Guide, Financial Management chapter — Quick Ratio section.
Sample 2 — Contract Management
Question: Under which type of construction contract does the contractor get to keep any cost savings achieved if the project comes in under budget?
- A. Cost-plus contract
- B. Unit-price contract
- C. Time and materials contract
- D. Lump-sum contract
Correct Answer: D
In a lump-sum contract you agree to finish for one predetermined price. You carry all the risk of extra cost, and the flip side is that you keep whatever you save. Cost-plus reimburses actual labor and material cost plus a markup fee for overhead and profit. Unit-price pays you for actual quantities used. Risk and reward travel together. Source: NASCLA Contractors Guide, Contract Management chapter — Types of Construction Contracts section.
Sample 3 — Labor Laws
Question: You are an out-of-state contractor who has just registered with the Virginia Employment Commission. What unemployment insurance tax rate will you be assigned, and for how long?
- A. The new employer rate of 2.57% for three years
- B. The minimum rate of 0.1% for two years
- C. The maximum rate of 6.20% for three years
- D. The new employer rate of 2.5% for one year
Correct Answer: C
Out-of-state contractors do not get the new employer rate. They pay the maximum allowable rate of 6.20% for three years. After three years the account becomes eligible for an experience-based rate computation. Memorize the rate and the term together. Source: NASCLA Contractors Guide, Appendix H (Virginia Employment Commission Employer's Handbook), §60.2-526(B), §60.2-527.
You need 17 correct answers out of 24 scored questions. Treat your first full practice run as a diagnostic, nothing more. Do not grade yourself on the raw number that day. Look at the topic breakdown instead and find where the misses cluster.
Then weight your study by the outline. Financial Management carries 5 items, Contract Management 4, Labor Laws 4, Federal and State Taxes 4. That is 17 items out of 24 questions in four topics. Estimating and Bidding, Project Management and Lien Laws carry 1 item each — worth knowing, not worth a week.
Score reviews matter more than score totals. For every miss, go to the cited section in your reference and read it, then find the page in the book you will actually flip to under time pressure. The exam is open book, so the real skill is locating a number fast, not reciting it.
Run the full practice exam again a few days later. A fresh draw tests whether you learned the rule or memorized the item.
Formulas that look close enough. Financial Management punishes near misses. The quick ratio drops inventory from current assets before you divide by current liabilities. Working capital is a subtraction, not a ratio. Straight-line depreciation subtracts salvage before dividing by useful life. Percentage of completion needs two steps — percent complete, then that percent of the contract amount. Work the math out in full every time, even when the answer looks obvious (Chapter 14).
Mixing up who does what in Lien Laws. The general contractor files a certification of mailing the memorandum to the owner under § 43-4. The subcontractor gives written notice of the amount and character of the claim under § 43-7. Each party's duty is easy to swap for the other's. And the enforcement deadline is whichever is later — six months from recording or 60 days from completion (§ 43-17).
Reading past a threshold in the tax questions. Much of Federal and State Taxes is numbers with a trigger attached: $400 in self-employment earnings, $600 for a 1099-MISC, $500 in quarterly FUTA liability that otherwise carries forward, $100,000 accumulated liability that forces a next-banking-day deposit. Learn each threshold with its dollar figure and its due date from the Tax Basics chapter.
Guessing OSHA numbers instead of looking them up. Guardrails are 200 pounds; 150 pounds belongs to midrails. Stairways trigger at four risers. Flammable storage exhaust is 12 inches and 6 air changes per hour. Know where §1926.502(b)(3), §1926.1052(c)(1) and §1926.152(b)(4)(vi) sit in your reference.
Answering contract questions from job experience. In Contract Management, what usually happens on your jobs is not always the answer. A counteroffer is not acceptance. An owner suing for liquidated damages gives up the claim for actual damages. Owner-requested acceleration with no contractor delay puts the cost on the owner. Answer from Chapter 8, not from memory of your last dispute.
Burning time on the long word problems. You get 1 hour for 24 questions, which is about 2 minutes 30 seconds per question. Our bid-price and payroll practice problems take longer than that; definition questions take far less. Bank time on the short ones, flag the calculations, and do not sit on one item hunting the perfect page.
| Questions | 24 questions |
| Time limit | 1 hour |
| Passing score | 17 correct answers out of 24 scored questions |
| Books in the exam room | Open book |
| Exam fee | The examination fee is $40 for one portion, $72 for two portions and $85 for three portions. |
- A retake cannot be scheduled on the same day as the examination taken, but unsuccessful candidates may be able to retest within two business days depending on space availability.
Source: Commonwealth of Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation Contractor Examination Candidate Information Bulletin, 6/5/2024. Check the bulletin before test day: fees and rules can change.