Hawaii Contractor License Exam — All Questions

Which body licenses and regulates contractors in Hawaii?

• a.The Hawaii Department of Taxation
• b.The Contractors License Board (CILB), within the DCCA Professional and Vocational Licensing Division✓
• c.Each county's building department, with no statewide board
• d.The Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial Relations

Hawaii licenses contractors through the Contractors License Board (CILB), housed in the Professional and Vocational Licensing Division of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA). Its authority is HRS Chapter 444, and licensing is statewide rather than county-by-county.HRS Ch. 444

Hawaii sorts contractor licenses into three classes. Which pairing correctly describes them?

• a.Class A residential only; Class B commercial only; Class C government only
• b.Class A apprentice; Class B journeyman; Class C master
• c.Class A General Engineering; Class B General Building; Class C specialty trades✓
• d.Class A unlimited; Class B limited to $1,000,000; Class C limited to $10,000

Hawaii uses Class A (General Engineering, for fixed works needing specialized engineering knowledge), Class B (General Building, for structures that shelter people, animals, or property), and Class C (more than sixty specialty trades). The classes describe scope, not experience rank.HRS Ch. 444 (license classes)

What score is required to pass the Hawaii contractor Business and Law examination?

• a.70% (56 of 80)
• b.65% (52 of 80)
• c.A simple majority of questions
• d.75% (60 of 80)✓

Hawaii sets the passing score at 75%, which is 60 of the 80 questions on the Business and Law exam. This is higher than the 70% used by many mainland states, so candidates should aim well above a bare pass.HRS Ch. 444; CILB exam specifications

How is the Hawaii contractor Business and Law examination administered with respect to reference materials?

• a.Closed book — no reference materials are allowed✓
• b.Open book, with the NASCLA guide permitted
• c.Take-home, with unlimited internet access
• d.Open book, with any printed material permitted

Unlike most states, Hawaii administers its contractor exams CLOSED book. Candidates may not bring reference materials and must know the licensing law, lien rules, and business content from memory, which makes disciplined study essential.CILB examination format

A candidate has passed the NASCLA Accredited Commercial General Building Contractor exam on the mainland and wants a Hawaii Class B license. How does Hawaii treat that NASCLA result for the trade requirement?

• a.NASCLA fully satisfies the Hawaii trade exam and no further testing is needed
• b.Hawaii does not accept the NASCLA exam; the candidate must pass Hawaii's own Class B trade examination✓
• c.NASCLA waives both the trade and the business/law exams
• d.NASCLA is accepted only for Class A engineering work

Hawaii does not accept the NASCLA Accredited Commercial General Building Contractor exam. The CILB administers its own Class A, B, and C trade examinations, so the candidate must sit Hawaii's Class B trade exam (and the Hawaii Business and Law exam). The NASCLA guide is used only as source material.CILB trade examination policy

In Hawaii, the qualifying individual who supplies the required experience and passes the exams for a contracting business is known as the:

• a.Registered Design Professional
• b.County competency cardholder
• c.Responsible Managing Employee (RME) or Responsible Managing Owner✓
• d.Notary of record

A Hawaii license is tied to a Responsible Managing Employee (RME) — or a Responsible Managing Owner — an individual with the required experience who passes the examinations and actively supervises the licensee's construction operations.HRS Ch. 444 (RME requirement)

Which project best fits Hawaii's Class B (General Building) classification?

• a.Constructing a state highway bridge
• b.Installing only the electrical wiring on a project
• c.Boring a municipal water main
• d.Building a commercial structure that involves two or more unrelated trades to shelter its occupants✓

Class B General Building covers structures built to house or shelter people, animals, or property and typically involving two or more unrelated trades. A single-trade job (like electrical only) falls under the appropriate Class C specialty, and fixed engineering works like a highway bridge are Class A.HRS Ch. 444 (Class B scope)

What are the length and time limit of the Hawaii contractor Business and Law examination?

• a.80 questions with a 180-minute time limit✓
• b.50 questions with a 90-minute time limit
• c.115 questions with a 330-minute time limit
• d.40 questions with a 60-minute time limit

The Hawaii Business and Law exam is 80 questions with a 180-minute (three-hour) limit, and 60 correct (75%) are required to pass. The separate Class B trade exam is 80 questions over 240 minutes.CILB Business and Law exam specifications

A contractor wants to perform only roofing work in Hawaii. Which license class is appropriate?

• a.Class A General Engineering
• b.Class B General Building
• c.A Class C specialty license for the roofing trade✓
• d.No license is needed for a single trade

Single specialty trades such as roofing, plumbing, or electrical fall under Class C, which covers more than sixty specialty classifications. A Class B general building license is meant for projects involving two or more unrelated trades.HRS Ch. 444 (Class C specialty)