Quick answer: Yes. Every Florida contractor licensing exam is open book: the trade exams, Contract Administration, Project Management, and Business and Finance, plus the electrical exams under the ECLB. You may only bring materials on the state's approved reference list, the passing score is 70 percent for construction trades and 75 percent for electrical, and the time limits are tight enough that open book helps only the people who prepared.
What open book actually means in Florida
The DBPR's own examination pages say it plainly: all construction examinations are open book and consist of multiple choice questions. But open book does not mean bring whatever you want. Each license category has an approved reference list published by the state, and only materials on that list come into the exam room with you. The lists specify editions, which is why buying a used stack of outdated books is one of the most expensive ways to save money in this industry.
The good news inside the rules: approved references may be tabbed and highlighted before exam day. The state hands you a real advantage there, and the serious candidates take it.
Why open book is harder than it sounds
Do the math on the Business and Finance exam: 120 scored questions in 6.5 hours is about three minutes per question, including reading it, deciding, and finding support in a stack of thick references. The GC Contract Administration exam gives you 60 questions in 4.5 hours, which sounds generous until you are cross-referencing a contract clause against lien law with the clock running.
Open book exams are not knowledge tests. They are navigation tests under time pressure. The state assumes you can find the answer; it is measuring whether you can find it fast enough, every time, for hours. Candidates fail these exams with the correct answer sitting in a book in front of them, unfound.
How to actually prepare for an open book exam
Three habits separate one-attempt candidates from the retake cycle:
First, learn the geography of your books before exam day. Know which book answers which kind of question, and where its tables live. That knowledge cannot be built in the exam room.
Second, drill timed lookups. Practice questions with the physical books, on a clock. If a lookup takes you two minutes in practice, it takes three under exam stress.
Third, tab and highlight with intent. Tabs mark where answers live; highlights mark the exact lines. A book tabbed by someone who knows where the exam goes turns a three minute hunt into a fifteen second confirmation. That is the entire reason our sets ship hand tabbed and highlighted to the current approved editions.
The edition trap
The approved reference lists specify current editions, and the state updates them. A book one edition out of date can have different page numbers, different tables, and different code language than the exam expects. Before you study a single page, confirm your set matches the state's current list, or buy from someone who guarantees it does.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Florida Business and Finance exam open book?
Yes. The Business and Finance exam (120 scored questions, 6.5 hours) is open book like the trade exams. It covers lien law, accounting, payroll, and business math, and it is the exam most candidates underestimate.
Are all Florida contractor trade exams open book?
Yes. The DBPR states that all construction licensure examinations are open book, multiple choice, and limited to materials on the approved reference list. The electrical contractor exams under the ECLB are open book as well.
Can I tab and highlight my exam books?
Yes. Approved reference books may be tabbed and highlighted, and that preparation is exactly what separates candidates who finish on time from candidates who run out of clock.
What score do I need to pass?
70 percent on each construction exam. Florida's electrical contractor exams require 75 percent on each part.
Does open book mean I do not need to study?
No, and this belief is why prepared candidates pass while unprepared ones retest. The exam is timed tightly enough that you cannot look up every answer. You study to know where everything lives, so the book time goes to the hard questions.
Walk in with the advantage
Every book set we ship is built to the state's current approved reference list, hand tabbed and highlighted to where the exams actually go, shipped in 48 hours. Browse tabbed and highlighted book sets, save with a rental package that includes both prep courses, or call a real person: (954) 598-1472.
ContractorExamHQ is an independent, private company and is not affiliated with the DBPR, CILB, ECLB, Professional Testing, Inc., Pearson VUE, or any state agency. Exam details are current as of August 2026 and can change; confirm with the DBPR before relying on them.