CSLB Exam Day Checklist for the PSI Test Center

Quick answers

• Arrive early

  At least 30 minutes before your scheduled time.

  PSI guide
• Bring ID

  One valid, non-expired, government-issued photo ID. The name must match your application.

  CSLB FAQ
• Exam time

  3½ hours for each exam.

  CSLB FAQ
• Results

  A printed score report at the end of the exam.

  PSI guide

Photo ID: what PSI accepts on exam day

PSI’s guide for CSLB candidates says you must show one of these, valid and non-expired, before you may take the exam:

• U.S.-issued driver’s license (any state)
• U.S. state-issued identification card (any state)
• Government-issued passport (booklet or card)
• U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Resident Alien Card (green card or permanent resident card)
• U.S. military identification
• U.S.-issued Employment Authorization Card

The photo must be recognizable as you, and the name on your application must match the name on your ID. Failing to show the required identification counts as a missed appointment, and you will not be able to take the exam. CSLB’s Get Licensed to Build names the same kinds of ID. Your own Notice to Schedule and PSI Candidate Information Bulletin cover your appointment: if they differ from this page, follow them.

Sources: PSI guide, “Required Identification at Examination Site”; CSLB Examinations FAQ; Get Licensed to Build, Licensing Examinations, Q14.

What not to bring into the testing room

PSI’s list of personal items not permitted in the testing room is not exhaustive. It names:

• Purses
• Cellular phones
• Drinks (including water)
• Good luck items
• Calculators
• Textbooks
• Any recording device
• Electronic devices
• Personal pens or pencils
• Cameras
• Weapons
• Hats, baseball caps and visors
• Bulky, large or noisy jewelry
• Briefcases, daypacks and luggage
• Pagers
• Food, candy, snacks and gum
• Reading materials
• Notes
• Smart devices
• Headphones, earphones and earbuds
• Therapeutic items
• Over-the-counter medication
• Fashion scarves
• Sunglasses
• Prescription drugs

• Headwear worn for religious purposes is subject to inspection, and so is any jewelry that is allowed into the room.
• The list notes that eyeglasses may not be worn for the photo and are subject to inspection.
• Drugs that are medically necessary during the exam may be brought in a container with a proper prescription label showing your name and the drug’s name. A proctor may examine them at check-in.
• Proctors have considerable discretion to refuse clothing or items that compromise the integrity or security of the exam.
• Watches and other timekeeping devices are not permitted. The testing room and the computer console have timing mechanisms.
• If prohibited items are found at check-in you must return them to your vehicle or another place of safekeeping. Possessing a prohibited item in the testing room invalidates your exam results.
• If you think you need an exception to any security rule, contact CSLB before exam day. PSI says no exceptions are made on the day.

Sources: PSI guide, “Important Information About Taking an Examination”; CSLB Examinations FAQ; CSLB Step 5, which says pencils, scratch paper, calculators and scale rulers are provided at the test center on request.

Check-in and the exam room

• Arrive at least 30 minutes before your appointment. PSI says this allows time for check-in and identification verification and for you to get familiar with the exam process. If you arrive late you may not be admitted and may forfeit your registration fee.
• All candidates have a thumbprint taken at check-in. It is matched again after a restroom break and any time you leave and return.
• The exam is taken on a computer with a mouse and keyboard. At your station you confirm your name, identification number and the exam you registered for.
• A tutorial comes first. The time you spend on it, up to 15 minutes, does not count as exam time, and sample questions follow it for practice.
• One question appears at a time, and the minutes remaining are displayed at the top of the screen.
• Only one candidate may take a restroom break at a time, and you sign out and back in. If a break takes longer than five minutes, a proctor checks on you and notifies the regulatory entity.
• If a proctor asks you to step into the lobby, your exam is suspended and your remaining test time is kept.
• Shoes must be worn at all times, and feet stay on the floor.

Sources: PSI guide, “Reporting to the Examination Site” and “Taking the Examination by Computer”.

Exam format and time

• Applicants pass two computer-based exams: Law and Business, and a trade exam for the classification (no trade exam is required for C-61 Limited Specialty), unless an exam waiver applies. You schedule each exam yourself with PSI.
• You are given 3½ hours to complete each exam.
• Each question is multiple choice with four choices and one best answer. Some questions require math, and a calculator is provided. There is no penalty for guessing.
• CSLB’s study guides say the exams are closed book: no reference materials may be used.
• Most trade exams include questions that refer to accompanying blueprints or drawings.
• CSLB says the percentage needed to pass varies by exam, so this page lists no pass mark. CSLB’s Examinations FAQ and Get Licensed to Build give the time limit but not a question count, so none is listed here either.

Sources: CSLB Examinations FAQ; Get Licensed to Build, Licensing Examinations, Q1 and Q12 to Q17; CSLB Law and Business study guide, “Test Policy” and “Test Strategy”; CSLB Step 7.

Results and what happens next

• At the end of the exam you return to the check-in location and receive a printed score report. Results are confidential: they are released only to you and CSLB and are not given by telephone.
• If you pass, the report does not show your overall score and is not a license. CSLB then outlines what is still required before it can issue the license; CSLB’s FAQ calls this the Bond and Fee letter.
• If you do not pass, the report shows your overall score, including the number of items answered correctly, and how you did on each section. Those sections match the content outline in the exam’s study guide.
• You may retake a failed exam after 21 calendar days, as long as you are not past your void date. The re-examination fee is paid to PSI.
• You have 18 months from the day CSLB accepts your application to pass the exams. After that the application is void and you must apply again. If you pass one exam and fail the other, the passed result is good for five years.
• You cannot review the test questions afterward, but you can type a comment about a question at any time before it is scored.
• Do not share exam content. CSLB lists giving information about test questions to anyone other than CSLB exam staff as exam-security misconduct, and penalties include automatic exam failure.

Sources: PSI guide, “Examination Results”; CSLB Examinations FAQ; Get Licensed to Build, Licensing Examinations, Q18 to Q22.

Next: see the license steps checklist for what comes after the exams, or build a study schedule before your exam date.

Official sources

Details on this page come from the documents below, reviewed on November 1, 2026. Procedures change, so confirm anything that affects you with CSLB and your PSI Candidate Information Bulletin.

• CSLB Examinations Frequently Asked Questions
• CSLB, Get Licensed to Build: A Guide to Becoming a Licensed Contractor (2025 edition)
• PSI and CSLB, Licensing Examination Information Guide (General Building edition)
• PSI, schedule a CSLB exam
• CSLB Law and Business study guide and the other CSLB exam study guides
• CSLB Step 5: My original exam application was accepted and Step 7: Studying for the examination