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CSLB Law & Business 30-Day Study Plan (2026)
Taking the CSLB Law & Business exam next month? Days 1–14 read the 7 content areas in the order the exam weights them, starting with Contract Requirements & Execution at ~21%. Days 15–21 are timed topic drills against 1630 free practice questions. Days 22–28 are three full 115-question, 210-minute mocks with a repair day after each. Days 29 and 30 are a skim and a rest.
Every chapter, drill and mock below is free on PrepPass. Nothing on this page is an official exam fact — the weights are the ones our study chapters carry, and the 70% figure we use in week 4 is our own readiness bar for this question bank, not a passing score published by California Contractors State License Board (CSLB).
What the CSLB Law & Business exam weights
The plan spends reading days in proportion to these weights, so the schedule below is specific to this exam, not a generic 30-day template.
| Content area | Weight | Free questions | Reading days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contract Requirements & Execution | ~21% | 339 | 3 |
| Employment Requirements | ~20% | 326 | 2 |
| Business Finances | ~15% | 245 | 2 |
| Safety (Cal/OSHA) | ~14% | 227 | 2 |
| Business Organization & Licensing | ~13% | 211 | 2 |
| Insurance & Liens | ~12% | 196 | 2 |
| Public Works | ~5% | 86 | 1 |
Watch while you work the plan — free CSLB Law & Business lessons
Subscribe on YouTube →Pass the CSLB Law & Business Exam — Contracts Explained (2026)
Pass the CSLB Law & Business Exam — Public Works Explained (2026)
Pass the CSLB Law & Business Exam — Safety Explained (2026)
Pass the CSLB Law & Business Exam — Business Finances Explained (2026)
Weeks 1–2 · Days 1–14
Read every content area once, heaviest first. Contract Requirements & Execution is ~21% of the exam, so it gets 3 of the 14 reading days, while Public Works at ~5% gets 1.
- Day 1
Read: Contract Requirements & Execution (part 1 of 3)
The Competitive Bidding Process · Bid Bonds and Handling Bid Mistakes · Estimating Fundamentals and Cost Control · Project Organization, Scheduling, and the Schedule of Values · When a Written Home Improvement Contract Is Required. Contract Requirements & Execution is ~21% of the exam — the largest block on the blueprint. Finish with the Contract Requirements & Execution practice set — 339 free questions.
- Day 2
Read: Contract Requirements & Execution (part 2 of 3)
Down Payment Limit and Progress Payments · The 3-Day Right to Cancel · Written Change Orders · New Residential (Home) Construction Contracts · Contract Types and Who Carries Cost Risk. Carry on where day 1 stopped. Finish with the Contract Requirements & Execution practice set — 339 free questions.
- Day 3
Read: Contract Requirements & Execution (part 3 of 3)
Arbitration Clauses in Contracts · Prompt Payment Law · Retention and Liquidated Damages · Right to Repair Act, Abandonment, and Project Closeout. Carry on where day 2 stopped. Finish with the Contract Requirements & Execution practice set — 339 free questions.
- Day 4
Read: Employment Requirements (part 1 of 2)
Hiring and Onboarding · Employee vs. Independent Contractor — the ABC Test · Overtime — Daily, Weekly, and Seventh-Day Rules · Meal and Rest Periods · Minimum Wage and Pay Rates · Pay Timing and Frequency · Final Paychecks and Waiting-Time Penalty. Employment Requirements is ~20% of the exam — the 2nd-largest block on the blueprint. Finish with the Employment Requirements practice set — 326 free questions.
- Day 5
Read: Employment Requirements (part 2 of 2)
Itemized Wage Statements (Pay Stubs) · Payroll Records and Unlawful Deductions · Vacation Payout and Paid Sick Leave · Wage Theft Prevention Act Notice · Anti-Discrimination and Harassment Prevention · Supervising, Training, and Required Postings. Carry on where day 4 stopped. Finish with the Employment Requirements practice set — 326 free questions.
- Day 6
Read: Business Finances (part 1 of 2)
Cash Flow Management · Job Costing: Direct Costs vs. Overhead · Estimating: Markup vs. Margin · Overhead: Fixed vs. Variable Costs · Break-Even Analysis · Budgeting, Planning, and Budget Variance. Business Finances is ~15% of the exam — the 3rd-largest block on the blueprint. Finish with the Business Finances practice set — 245 free questions.
- Day 7
Read: Business Finances (part 2 of 2)
The Balance Sheet · The Income Statement and the Cash Flow Statement · Cash vs. Accrual Accounting; Percentage-of-Completion · Federal and State Taxes · Payroll Taxes · Loans, Depreciation, Working Capital, and PACE. Carry on where day 6 stopped. Finish with the Business Finances practice set — 245 free questions.
- Day 8
Read: Safety (Cal/OSHA) (part 1 of 2)
The Injury and Illness Prevention Program (IIPP) · Cal/OSHA — Role and Jurisdiction · Inspections and Violation Classifications · Reporting Serious Injuries, Illnesses, or Death · Fall Protection · Excavation and Trenching. Safety (Cal/OSHA) is ~14% of the exam — the 4th-largest block on the blueprint. Finish with the Safety (Cal/OSHA) practice set — 227 free questions.
- Day 9
Read: Safety (Cal/OSHA) (part 2 of 2)
Scaffolding and Ladders · Permit-Required Confined Spaces · Hazard Communication and Safety Data Sheets · Heat Illness Prevention · Personal Protective Equipment and Recordkeeping · Hazardous Materials — Asbestos, Lead, and Silica. Carry on where day 8 stopped. Finish with the Safety (Cal/OSHA) practice set — 227 free questions.
- Day 10
Read: Business Organization & Licensing (part 1 of 2)
License Classifications: A, B, and C · When Each Class Applies · The Qualifying Individual and the Experience Requirement · RMO vs. RME: Two Ways to Qualify a License · Eligible Business Entities · Changing the Business Entity. Business Organization & Licensing is ~13% of the exam — the 5th-largest block on the blueprint. Finish with the Business Organization & Licensing practice set — 211 free questions.
- Day 11
Read: Business Organization & Licensing (part 2 of 2)
The Contractor License Bond · Bond of Qualifying Individual and the Disciplinary Bond · Displaying the License Number; Advertising · Fictitious Business Names and DBAs · Subcontracting and Verifying Licensure · CSLB Discipline, Renewal, and the Unlicensed Bar. Carry on where day 10 stopped. Finish with the Business Organization & Licensing practice set — 211 free questions.
- Day 12
Read: Insurance & Liens (part 1 of 2)
Workers' Compensation Is Mandatory for Every Employer · Penalties for Operating Without Coverage · No-Fault Coverage and the Exclusive Remedy · The Workers' Comp Claim Process · Disability Benefits Under Workers' Comp · Corporate Officers and Uninsured Subcontractors. Insurance & Liens is ~12% of the exam — the 6th-largest block on the blueprint. Finish with the Insurance & Liens practice set — 196 free questions.
- Day 13
Read: Insurance & Liens (part 2 of 2)
Commercial General Liability Insurance · Other Business Insurance and the Certificate of Insurance · Insurance Versus Surety Bonds · Mechanics' Liens and the Preliminary Notice · Lien Deadlines and Recording · Enforcing, Releasing, and Bonding Around a Lien. Carry on where day 12 stopped. Finish with the Insurance & Liens practice set — 196 free questions.
- Day 14
Read: Public Works
What Counts as a Public Works Project · Prevailing Wage — How Rates Are Set · DIR Contractor Registration · Certified Payroll & Apprenticeship · Public Works Bonding · Stop Payment Notices on Public Works · Insurance, Overtime & Penalties. Public Works is ~5% of the exam — the 7th-largest block on the blueprint. Finish with the Public Works practice set — 86 free questions.
Week 3 · Days 15–21
Stop reading, start retrieving. One timed drill per day, still in blueprint-weight order, so the heaviest areas get a second pass inside the week.
- Day 15
Drill: Contract Requirements & Execution
Work the Contract Requirements & Execution set straight through — 339 free questions, ~21% of the exam. Read the explanation on every miss before moving on.
- Day 16
Drill: Employment Requirements
Work the Employment Requirements set straight through — 326 free questions, ~20% of the exam. Read the explanation on every miss before moving on.
- Day 17
Drill: Business Finances
Work the Business Finances set straight through — 245 free questions, ~15% of the exam. Read the explanation on every miss before moving on.
- Day 18
Drill: Safety (Cal/OSHA)
Work the Safety (Cal/OSHA) set straight through — 227 free questions, ~14% of the exam. Read the explanation on every miss before moving on.
- Day 19
Drill: Business Organization & Licensing
Work the Business Organization & Licensing set straight through — 211 free questions, ~13% of the exam. Read the explanation on every miss before moving on.
- Day 20
Drill: Insurance & Liens
Work the Insurance & Liens set straight through — 196 free questions, ~12% of the exam. Read the explanation on every miss before moving on.
- Day 21
Drill: Public Works
Work the Public Works set straight through — 86 free questions, ~5% of the exam. Read the explanation on every miss before moving on.
Week 4 · Days 22–28
Three full timed mocks (115 questions, 210 minutes each) with a repair day after each one. Score movement between them is the only signal that matters this week.
- Day 22
Full timed mock #1
115 questions in 210 minutes, one sitting, no notes. Whatever you score, this is your baseline — write it down.
- Day 23
Review mock #1
No new material. Re-read the explanation for every question you missed, then re-drill the two content areas you scored lowest on.
- Day 24
Full timed mock #2
115 questions in 210 minutes, one sitting, no notes. Compare it against your day-22 baseline, area by area.
- Day 25
Rebuild: Contract Requirements & Execution
Contract Requirements & Execution is ~21% of the exam — more marks than any other area, so it is worth a full day on its own. Re-read the chapter, then redo its 339-question set.
- Day 26
Weak-area day
Still no new material. Re-drill only the questions you have missed so far — the practice engine can serve you exactly those.
- Day 27
Full timed mock #3
115 questions in 210 minutes, one sitting, no notes. We call you practice-ready at 70% or better on a full timed mock. That is PrepPass's bar for our own question bank, not the exam's passing score.
- Day 28
Review mock #3 · Employment Requirements
Review every miss from mock #3, then re-read Employment Requirements (~20% of the exam) — the second-heaviest area is where a near-miss score is usually decided.
Final 2 days · Days 29–30
Consolidate and stop. Nothing new goes in.
- Day 29
Skim everything
One pass over all 7 content areas — headings and rules only. Nothing new goes in today.
- Day 30
Rest and logistics
No studying. Confirm your test center, your ID, and your start time, then sleep.
Practice stays free. The full CSLB Law & Business study guide is the material itself, taught start to finish — a downloadable PDF + EPUB you keep.
Start day 1 now
Contract Requirements & Execution is the heaviest area on the blueprint at ~21%, and 339 of our free questions cover it. Read the chapter, then drill it.
A study aid, not a substitute for the official material — always confirm current requirements with California Contractors State License Board (CSLB). The 70% target in week 4 is PrepPass's own practice-readiness bar on our question bank; it is not an official passing score. Last verified: September 2026.