CSLB Painting and Decorating (C-33) Trade Examination — Questions: Not published by CSLB · 210 minutes · Passing score: Not published by CSLB. CSLB's C-33 Painting study guide, form 13E-33 (03/2026) gives these approximate section weights: Planning and Estimating 28%, Substrate Repair and Surface Preparation 30%, Application of Paint, Wallcoverings, and Finishes 21%, Safety 21%. CSLB publishes section weights but no question count and no passing score for this exam. Last checked 2026-10-12. PrepPass also publishes a complete study guide for this exam as a downloadable book (305 pages, 200 practice questions inside, $14.99).
Your other CSLB exam
This license also needs the Law and Business exam (CSLB can waive an exam in some cases). 110 lessons, 732 practice questions.
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A printable colour cheat sheet for the exam: the format, the content areas and the figures it turns on, each checked against a named source and dated.
CSLB C-33 Painting cheat sheet PDF — $9.99 →
4 pages · US Letter · printable PDF · yours to keep
Test what you know · free, all of it
The same 400 questions, dealt five ways. Pick the one that fits the time you have.
Learn what the questions test
Practice finds the gaps. Reading closes them. The nine chapters below are free to read online. The study guide book is a separate download, sold on its own page.
Before you sit
See the questions first
Real items, with the answer marked and the reason written out — the same format as all 400.
Which roller nap length is best suited for a smooth surface such as new drywall or a fine finish?
Why: Short-nap rollers (around 1/4 inch) hold less paint and lay down a smooth, fine finish suited to smooth walls, doors, and trim. Longer naps are for textured or rough surfaces because they reach into the profile. Matching nap length to surface texture controls stipple and coverage.
Under the EPA Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) Rule, work that disturbs painted surfaces in housing built before which year generally triggers lead-safe requirements?
Why: The RRP Rule applies to housing and child-occupied facilities built before 1978, the year lead-based paint was banned for residential use in the U.S. Firms disturbing more than the de minimis area of paint in these buildings must be certified and use lead-safe work practices. This protects occupants, especially children, from lead dust.EPA RRP Rule
The exam itself
| Questions | Not published by CSLBCSLB says only that “All trade examinations consist of multiple-choice questions.” No count appears in the study guide, the Examinations FAQ, or PSI's candidate bulletin. |
|---|---|
| Time | 210 minutesCSLB: “You will be given 3-1/2 hours to complete each examination.” It is per examination, not per sitting — a candidate taking Law and Business plus a trade exam gets 3-1/2 hours for each. |
| Sections | Surface Preparation · Application · Products & Materials · Safety · Planning & Estimating |
| Passing score | Not published by CSLBCSLB: “You will be informed at the test site about the percentage of correct answers needed to pass each examination,” and, in Get Licensed to Build Q14, that the percentage “varies for each exam”. Passing candidates are never shown their own score. PrepPass states no passing score for this exam. |
| Our bank | 400 questions · updated August 2026Written from Contractors State License Board (CSLB) |
| Languages | English |
| Source | Contractors State License Board (CSLB)Verified 2026-10-12 |
Helpful resources
Recommended prep — books & tools
Covers the business and project-management side of the C-33 painting exam.
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Questions
All 400 questions, the timed mock and the report are free with no sign-up. A free account only adds saving your progress. The study guide book is sold separately, $14.99 one-time; nothing in the practice requires it.
No. Ours is 100 questions in 210 minutes; the real exam is 210 minutes long. Use the mock for stamina and section timing, not as a score predictor.
Not published by CSLB. CSLB: “You will be informed at the test site about the percentage of correct answers needed to pass each examination,” and, in Get Licensed to Build Q14, that the percentage “varies for each exam”. Passing candidates are never shown their own score. PrepPass states no passing score for this exam.
CSLB's C-33 Painting study guide, form 13E-33 (03/2026) gives these approximate section weights: Planning and Estimating 28%, Substrate Repair and Surface Preparation 30%, Application of Paint, Wallcoverings, and Finishes 21%, Safety 21%. CSLB publishes section weights but no question count and no passing score for this exam. Last checked 2026-10-12.
Contractors State License Board (CSLB), California Department of Consumer Affairs — exam delivered by PSI Services LLC. CSLB's legal existence is set by Business and Professions Code § 7000.5. CSLB states it has contracted with PSI to administer its examinations.
Not published by CSLB. CSLB says only that “All trade examinations consist of multiple-choice questions.” No count appears in the study guide, the Examinations FAQ, or PSI's candidate bulletin.
210 minutes. CSLB: “You will be given 3-1/2 hours to complete each examination.” It is per examination, not per sitting — a candidate taking Law and Business plus a trade exam gets 3-1/2 hours for each.
$450 — Original application (exam or waiver, one classification) (CSLB, one-time); $51.43 — Examination registration (each registration, first attempt or retake) (PSI Services LLC, per attempt); $200 — Initial license fee (sole owner) (CSLB, one-time); $350 — Initial license fee (non-sole owner: partnership, corporation, LLC, joint venture) (CSLB, one-time). Two payees: application and license fees go to CSLB, the per-exam registration fee to PSI. CSLB's 2023 “Get Licensed to Build” PDF still names a $100 rescheduling fee; it appears neither on CSLB's current fee list nor in Business and Professions Code § 7137 as amended effective 1 January 2026, so it is not stated here. The application fee is charged once per original license application and covers both required exams.
English · Spanish. CSLB publishes Spanish versions of 10 exams and names this one among them. Candidates requesting a translator for those exams are required to take the Spanish version instead.
Yes. CSLB C-33 Painting Trade Exam Study Guide (2026) downloads as PDF + EPUB (305 pages, 200 practice questions inside), $14.99 one-time, and the files are yours to keep. The 400 practice questions on this page stay free without it. See the study guide →