Quick answer: If you only ever plan to hold a Florida General Contractor license, take the two Florida state trade exams: Contract Administration and Project Management. They cost $40 each through Pearson VUE and keep your total exam path at $295. If you want commercial general contractor licensing in multiple states, take the NASCLA Accredited Examination instead: Florida accepts it in place of both GC trade exams, and a growing list of other state licensing agencies accepts it too, so you test once and carry the credential with you. Either way, there is no skipping the Florida Business and Finance exam. Every Florida candidate takes it, NASCLA or not.
What the NASCLA exam actually is
The NASCLA Accredited Examination for Commercial General Building Contractors is a standardized commercial GC exam accepted by multiple state licensing agencies. Instead of every state writing and administering its own commercial building exam, participating states agree to accept this one. Pass it once, and you can present that passing result to other participating states when you apply for licensure there, subject to each state's own application requirements.
The format: 115 scored questions, 330 minutes, open book, multiple choice. Like the Florida exams, it is a timed navigation test through a stack of approved reference books, which means the same preparation rules apply: know your books, drill timed lookups, and walk in with a properly built set.
What Florida accepts it for, and what it does not replace
Florida accepts the NASCLA Accredited Examination in place of the two GC trade exams, Contract Administration and Project Management. That is the entire substitution. It does not replace the Business and Finance exam, it does not waive the experience requirements, and it does not skip the DBPR application.
So the two paths to a Florida CGC look like this. State path: Contract Administration, Project Management, and Business and Finance. NASCLA path: the NASCLA exam plus Business and Finance. Both paths end at the same license. Business and Finance is the constant: 120 scored questions, 6.5 hours, open book, covering lien law, accounting, payroll, and business math. It is the exam Florida candidates most often underestimate, and it does not care which trade path you chose.
The case for the Florida state exams
Cost and focus. The Florida GC path is $135 to register with the testing provider, $40 for Contract Administration, $40 for Project Management, and $80 for Business and Finance: $295 total in exam fees. The two trade exams are 60 questions in 4.5 hours each, which is a friendlier time budget per question than most people expect, and the reference material maps directly to how Florida builds.
If your work, your customers, and your future are in Florida, the state exams are the shorter, cheaper, more targeted route. Paying more and studying a broader national reference list to earn portability you will never use is not strategy, it is waste.
The case for NASCLA
Leverage. If you do commercial work near a state line, chase storm and disaster work, follow national accounts, or plan to expand your company across the Southeast, the NASCLA exam is one test that opens multiple doors. Taking Florida's CA and PM exams gets you Florida. Taking NASCLA gets you Florida plus a passing result that participating states accept, so each additional state becomes an application and a state business exam rather than a full new trade exam cycle.
The trade-offs are real. The NASCLA exam runs on its own registration and fee schedule, separate from Florida's Pearson VUE trade exam fees, so confirm current pricing when you schedule. Its reference list is its own list, national codes and standards rather than Florida's trade exam references, so your book set and your prep are different. And each state you take the credential to still has its own application, its own experience and financial requirements, and usually its own business and law exam. NASCLA accreditation is a key, not a master key.
Format and cost side by side
Florida state path: two exams, 60 questions in 4.5 hours each, $40 each, plus Business and Finance at $80 and the $135 registration. Total exam path: $295. Passing score 70 percent on each exam.
NASCLA path: one exam, 115 scored questions in 330 minutes, open book, fees set by its own registration process, plus the same Florida Business and Finance exam and registration on the Florida side.
Time per question is comparable, and both are open book with approved reference lists. Neither is the easy option. The honest difference is not difficulty, it is geography: the state exams are built for Florida, the NASCLA exam is built to travel.
How to decide in two minutes
Ask one question: will you realistically pursue a commercial GC license in another state within the next five years? If the answer is no, take the Florida exams, spend the savings on a properly tabbed book set and timed practice, and be done. If the answer is yes, or you are within an hour of a state line, or your growth plan crosses borders, take NASCLA once and let it work for you in every participating state.
Two cautions either way. First, do not split your prep: the NASCLA reference list and the Florida trade exam references are different libraries, so commit to one path before you buy books. Second, whichever path you pick, start your Business and Finance prep early. It is the common denominator, and it fails more prepared people than either trade path does.
Frequently asked questions
Does Florida accept the NASCLA exam?
Yes. Florida accepts the NASCLA Accredited Examination in place of the two General Contractor trade exams, Contract Administration and Project Management. You still must pass the Florida Business and Finance exam and meet all DBPR application requirements to be licensed.
What is the format of the NASCLA exam?
115 scored questions, 330 minutes, open book, multiple choice, using its own approved reference list. Like the Florida exams, it rewards candidates who know exactly where answers live in their books before exam day.
Do I still have to take the Business and Finance exam if I pass NASCLA?
Yes. Business and Finance is required for every Florida certified contractor candidate regardless of trade path. It is 120 scored questions in 6.5 hours, open book, with a 70 percent passing score.
Which path is cheaper?
The Florida state path totals $295 in exam fees: $135 registration, $40 Contract Administration, $40 Project Management, and $80 Business and Finance. The NASCLA exam is priced through its own registration process on top of the Florida Business and Finance side, so it usually only pays off if you will actually use the multi-state portability. Confirm current fees when you schedule.
If I pass NASCLA, am I automatically licensed in other states?
No. Participating states accept the NASCLA exam result in place of their own commercial trade exam, but each state still has its own application, experience, financial, and business exam requirements. Check each state's licensing agency before you count on it.
Pick your path, then build your books
Whichever exam you choose, it is open book, tightly timed, and won by the candidates with the best-built references. We stock hand tabbed and highlighted sets for both routes: the NASCLA accredited exam set and the Florida General Contractor packages, plus tabbed and highlighted book sets for every Florida trade and rental packages that include both prep courses. Not sure which path fits your five year plan? Call a real person and talk it through: (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. ContractorExamHQ is also not affiliated with or endorsed by NASCLA. Exam details and fees are current as of August 2026 and can change; confirm with the DBPR and the current candidate information for your exam before relying on them.