- Residential-Basic exam has 80 questions in 200 minutes; Business and Law has 50 questions in 120 minutes.
- Both exams require a 70% passing score, scored separately.
- General Code and Construction Knowledge is the heaviest domain at 22.5%, followed by Carpentry at 20%.
- You need 2 years of qualifying experience, be 21+, and show responsibility for two completed projects.
Exam Format at a Glance
Before you memorize a single code section, lock in the mechanics of the Georgia Residential-Basic Contractor License Exam (GARBC) itself. The Georgia State Licensing Board for Residential and Commercial General Contractors, Residential Contractors Division, sets the rules, and PSI administers both required exams on computer.
- Residential-Basic exam: 80 questions, 200-minute time limit, 70% passing score.
- Business and Law exam: 50 questions, 120-minute time limit, 70% passing score, taken separately.
- Experimental questions: PSI may embed unscored pilot questions you can't identify, so answer every item as if it counts.
For a deeper look at exactly how the score is calculated and what "70%" means in raw question terms, see the GARBC Passing Score 2026 guide. If you want a full walkthrough of registration timing and testing windows, check the GARBC Exam Dates 2026 guide.
Domain Breakdown Cheat Sheet
The Residential-Basic exam is built from eight trade domains, each weighted differently. Knowing the weight tells you where to spend your study hours.
Domain 6: General Code and Construction Knowledge (22.5%)
The single largest domain on the exam - nearly a quarter of all questions. Candidates must understand code adoption, permitting basics, inspection sequencing, and general construction terminology used across residential projects.
- Code interpretation and application scenarios
- Permit and inspection process knowledge
- General contract and construction documentation terms
Domain 4: Carpentry (20%)
The second-heaviest domain, covering framing systems, structural wood connections, and finish carpentry concepts relevant to detached one- and two-family homes.
- Wall, floor, and roof framing methods
- Fastener and connector selection
- Load paths in wood-frame construction
Domain 7: Associated Trades (12.5%)
Covers the plumbing, electrical, and mechanical trade interfaces a general contractor must coordinate - not deep trade-specific licensing knowledge, but enough to manage subcontractors correctly.
Domains 1, 2, and 5: Sitework/Footings/Foundation, Concrete, and Roofing (10% each)
Each of these three domains carries equal weight. Together they represent 30% of the exam, so weak spots in any one can meaningfully hurt your score.
Domain 8: OSHA Safety (8.75%)
Jobsite safety standards, fall protection basics, and hazard recognition specific to residential construction sites.
Domain 3: Masonry (6.25%)
The smallest domain by weight, but still worth mastering fundamentals of masonry materials and residential applications like veneer and foundation walls.
For a full narrative explanation of each content area with example concepts, read the GARBC Exam Domains 2026 guide. If you're still deciding how much total prep time to budget, the How Hard Is the GARBC Exam guide breaks down the difficulty factors domain by domain.
| Domain | Weight |
|---|---|
| General Code and Construction Knowledge | 22.5% |
| Carpentry | 20% |
| Associated Trades | 12.5% |
| Sitework, Footings and Foundation | 10% |
| Concrete and Concrete Reinforcement | 10% |
| Roofing | 10% |
| OSHA Safety | 8.75% |
| Masonry | 6.25% |
Eligibility & Application Facts
Passing the exam is only half the licensure path. The board also checks eligibility criteria before you're approved to sit for the test.
- Minimum age: 21 years old.
- Experience: At least two years of qualifying Residential-Basic experience.
- Project history: Documented significant responsibility for two Residential-Basic projects completed within the two years prior to application.
- Character and financial standards: Applicants must meet the board's character and financial-responsibility requirements.
These requirements trip up more candidates than the exam content itself, because documentation of "significant responsibility" has to be specific and verifiable. The GARBC Requirements 2026 guide walks through exactly what documentation the board expects and how to prepare it before you apply.
Key Takeaway
Start gathering project documentation and experience verification months before you plan to apply - this paperwork often takes longer to assemble than the study process itself.
Insurance, Licensing & Renewal Rules
Once licensed, you're not done with compliance. Georgia's Residential-Basic license comes with ongoing insurance and renewal obligations that many new licensees overlook.
- General-liability insurance: Minimum of $300,000 in coverage must be maintained.
- Workers' compensation: Required coverage when applicable to your business structure and crew size.
- Renewal cycle: Licenses renew by June 30 of even-numbered years.
- Continuing education: 3 continuing-education hours required each year, reported through CE Broker.
Because the renewal cycle is biennial but CE hours accrue annually, it's easy to lose track of your running total. Set a recurring reminder each year to log hours in CE Broker rather than scrambling before the June 30 deadline.
Open-Book Rules & Calculator Policy
Both the Residential-Basic and Business and Law exams are administered as open-book, computer-based tests through PSI - but "open book" comes with strict procedural limits candidates frequently misunderstand.
- Permanent-tab rule: Reference materials must use permanent tabs; PSI enforces this at check-in.
- No loose paper: Loose inserts, sticky notes, or handwritten pages are not allowed inside reference materials.
- Calculator policy: A silent, nonprinting, nonprogrammable calculator is permitted at the testing station.
Practicing with your actual reference materials - tabbed exactly the way you'll bring them to the test center - is one of the highest-leverage things you can do before exam day. If a page gets rejected at check-in because of a loose insert, you lose valuable prep time re-organizing under pressure. The GARBC Study Guide 2026 includes a checklist for building compliant, tabbed reference binders for both exams.
Residential-Basic Scope of Work
Every domain question is filtered through one lens: what falls inside the Residential-Basic scope of licensure. Know this boundary cold.
What's Covered
- Detached one- and two-family residences
- One-family townhouses not more than three stories high
- Accessory structures associated with these residence types
Questions across every domain - from Sitework to Roofing to Associated Trades - are written with this scope in mind. If a question describes a project outside this footprint, the correct answer often hinges on recognizing that the scenario falls outside Residential-Basic authority rather than on a code detail.
Final-Week Review Schedule
In the last stretch before your test date, structure review sessions around domain weight rather than reviewing everything equally. Below is a compressed final-week approach built specifically around the Residential-Basic weighting.
General Code and Construction Knowledge + Carpentry
- Drill the two heaviest domains first (22.5% and 20% combined weight)
- Work timed practice sets mimicking the 200-minute exam pace
Sitework, Concrete, and Roofing
- Review each 10%-weighted domain in a single focused block
- Cross-check reference tabs used for these sections
Associated Trades and OSHA Safety
- Cover trade-coordination scenarios and jobsite safety fundamentals
Masonry + Business and Law
- Finish the smallest domain, then shift attention to the separate 50-question Business and Law exam
Full Mixed Review
- Run a full-length timed practice exam across all eight domains
- Verify your reference binder still meets the permanent-tab, no-loose-paper rule
If you want a longer-range plan that spreads this same domain-weighted logic across several weeks instead of one, the GARBC Study Guide 2026 lays out a full multi-week version. And once you're ready to test your pacing under real conditions, our practice test platform lets you simulate both the 200-minute Residential-Basic exam and the 120-minute Business and Law exam separately.
Frequently Asked Questions
The Residential-Basic exam contains 80 questions with a 200-minute time limit. The separate Business and Law exam has 50 questions with a 120-minute time limit.
Both the Residential-Basic exam and the Business and Law exam require a 70% passing score, and each is scored independently.
Yes, both exams are open book under PSI's rules, but materials must use permanent tabs and cannot include loose paper or inserts. A silent, nonprinting, nonprogrammable calculator is also allowed.
General Code and Construction Knowledge carries the most weight at 22.5%, followed by Carpentry at 20%. These two domains combined make up nearly half the exam.
Exam approval is valid for one year and allows up to three sittings before reapplication rules apply. After that window, you must reapply under current eligibility requirements.
For more on how the exam fits into the bigger licensure picture - including cost breakdowns, worthiness of the credential, and job prospects - see the GARBC Certification Cost 2026 guide, the Is the GARBC Certification Worth It analysis, and the GARBC Jobs overview. When you're ready to start practicing under realistic, timed conditions, head over to our GARBC practice test hub.