Tennessee Business and Law Exam

For standard Tennessee contractor classifications, every applicant — regardless of experience or reciprocity status — must pass the Tennessee Business and Law exam before the Board will issue a license. The BC-A/r restricted residential pathway is the exception: it waives both the trade and Business and Law exams in favor of an approved Limited License course.

Exam Format

The Business and Law exam is an open-book test. You sit in a proctored environment and can reference approved materials during the exam.

• Questions: 50
• Passing score: 73% (37 correct answers)
• Time limit: 2 to 2.5 hours depending on the testing session

The exam tests Tennessee-specific contracting law, Board rules, bidding requirements, licensing thresholds, and business operations. It does not test trade-specific construction knowledge — those topics are covered by the separate trade exams for your classification.

Scheduling Through Prov

Prov, Inc. became the Board's exclusive exam vendor on July 1, 2026, replacing PSI. All new exam registrations go through Prov. Candidates who had exams scheduled with PSI before the transition date had a grace period through September 2026 to complete those exams under PSI's system.

Registration is done through the Prov portal. Available exam dates and testing locations depend on Prov's current schedule.

Pre-Approval Requirements

The Business and Law exam itself does not require Board pre-approval — you schedule it directly through Prov.

However, if you are also sitting for the Plumbing (CMC-A) or full Mechanical (CMC) trade exam, those trade exams require pre-approval from the Board before you can register. Submit the Pre-Approval Request Form with a $50 fee. Standard residential (BC-A) and commercial (BC-B) trade exams do not need pre-approval.

The Qualifying Agent

Your exam scores are tied to a specific person — the Qualifying Agent (QA) for the business entity applying for the license. The QA can be an owner, officer, or full-time employee. If the QA is not an owner, the entity must execute a Power of Attorney form and submit it with the application.

When a QA leaves the company, their exam scores go with them. The entity must designate a new QA who has their own passing scores, or the license is at risk at the next renewal.

What Happens After You Pass

Passing scores are submitted to the Board as part of your CORE portal application. The scores, along with your financial documentation, insurance certificates, reference letter, and other materials, form the complete application package.

If you pass the exam but delay your application, confirm with Prov whether your score remains valid before relying on it.

The Tennessee General Contractor License Guide includes an exam preparation timeline and an application checklist that maps exam scheduling against the other parallel steps (entity formation, financial documentation, insurance) so you can coordinate everything efficiently.

See more Tennessee guides →