What is the Easiest Way to Get Your North Carolina Builders License

North Carolina Builder Exam vs. NASCLA Exam

If you’re thinking about taking the North Carolina Builder exam, there may be a better option for you. There’s another exam you can take called the NASCLA exam. NASCLA stands for the National Association of State Contractor Licensing Agencies. That’s a group that is working to standardize the contractor exam across the United States.

Currently this exam is accepted in the follow 10 states; North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Louisiana, Arkansas, West Virginia, Nevada and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

The NASCLA exam is an easier exam in my opinion for the following reasons.

1. The NC Builder exam requires that you register with the state first and get approval before taking the exam. The NASCLA exam does not have any board approval required. You can contact the testing company (PSI Exams) and schedule the NASCLA exam any time.

2. Since the board requires pre-authorization for the North Carolina Builder exam, they are tracking your results, and they only give you 120 days to pass the exam. If you failed the exam the first time, you must wait at least 30 days to retake the exam. If you fail the exam a second time, you must wait a year to try again. With the NASCLA exam, your results are not being tracked, and there is no limit as to the number of times you can take the exam.

3. The North Carolina Builder exam covers information found in 17 different construction books. Unfortunately you can only bring 7 of those books into the exam with you. That means you essentially have to have the other 10 books memorized. With the NASCLA exam, you will be tested on information in 20 books, and you get to bring all 20 of those books into the exam with you for reference. It’s an OPEN BOOK test. 

4. The North Carolina Builder exam has a 3 hour time limit which works out to 2 minutes per question. The NASCLA exam has a 5 hour time limit which works out to over 2.6 minutes per question. AND in most cases there is a neat little trick you can use to stop the clock giving you even more time.

5. When it comes to reciprocity, if you have a NorthCarolina license you can obtain a similar license in Tennessee, South Carolina and Louisiana. There are some requirements in each state however about how long you have had the license before they will grant you a license for their state. With the NASCLA exam however, that is the trades exam for North Carolina, SouthCarolina, Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Louisiana, Arkansas, WestVirginia, Nevada and the U.S. Virgin Islands. So there is no waiting period in those states. Simply send in your transcripts showing your test score along with your application in each of those states.

Each of those states listed above have a link to the specific prep course to help you pass your contractor's exam. An online home study course is essential for these exams.

It’s these reasons that I always recommend taking the NASCLA test instead of the North Carolina Builders exam when you’re trying to get your general contractor’s license in NC.

http://youtu.be/OYW_bftQ2Qw