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Every state · Updated October 2026

Construction Math & Estimating Practice Test: free practice test

Takeoff and estimating questions show up on every contractor exam, open or closed book. Master volumes, areas, board feet, slopes, markup and payroll math once and you'll use it on every test.

Or open the free Math & Estimating study dashboard: flashcards, notes and your Readiness Score, no signup →

About the Math & Estimating exam

Takeoff and estimating questions show up on every contractor exam, open or closed book. Master volumes, areas, board feet, slopes, markup and payroll math once and you'll use it on every test.

What's on the exam

Math & Estimating
Areas and Unit Conversions
7 key facts
Volumes and Cubic Yards
7 key facts
Concrete Takeoffs
6 key facts
Block and Brick Takeoffs
6 key facts
Lumber and Board Feet
7 key facts
Roof Pitch and Slope
7 key facts
Markup, Margin and Overhead
7 key facts
Payroll and Labor Cost
7 key facts

Each branch is a topic in the official outline. Members see every key fact on the full mind map. Read the free study guide →

How to pass the Math & Estimating exam

  • Write the units next to every number. Most wrong answers come from forgetting ÷27 or ÷9.
  • Convert inches to feet before multiplying.
  • Markup is on cost, margin is on price. Exams love to swap them.

Save your results and get your Readiness Score

Create a free account after the test: your score by topic, a mistakes bank, the first study-notes topic, flashcards and the Construction Math Formula Sheet.

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What's in the full Math & Estimating prep

Full question bank

600+ exam-style questions written to each official outline. Every answer explained, with the rule it comes from.

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Flashcards + spaced repetition

530+ cards that come back right before you'd forget them. Five minutes a day keeps every number fresh.

Key study notes

Each topic boiled down to the 5 to 7 facts that get tested, with the statute or code section.

Mind maps

See the whole exam on one screen: every topic and the facts under it.

Sample questions with answers

These are the questions in the free test above, with answers. Try the test first. You'll learn more by getting some wrong.

1. How many cubic yards of concrete are in a slab 20 ft × 27 ft × 6 inches thick?
Answer: 10 CY. 20 × 27 × 0.5 = 270 cubic feet. 270 ÷ 27 = 10 cubic yards.
2. A room is 15 ft × 21 ft. How many square yards of flooring is that?
Answer: 35 SY. 15 × 21 = 315 sq ft. 315 ÷ 9 = 35 square yards.
3. How many board feet are in 20 pieces of 2 × 6 × 12 ft?
Answer: 240 BF. One piece = 2 × 6 × 12 ÷ 12 = 12 BF. 20 pieces × 12 = 240 BF.
4. A roof rises 6 inches for every 12 inches of horizontal run. Its pitch is written as:
Answer: 6:12. Roof slope is written as rise per 12 inches of run, so 6 inches of rise is a 6:12 slope (a 50% grade).
5. A gable roof has two planes, each 40 ft long and 18 ft from eave to ridge. How many squares of shingles are needed (no waste)?
Answer: 14.4 squares. Each plane = 40 × 18 = 720 sq ft. Two planes = 1,440 sq ft. 1,440 ÷ 100 = 14.4 squares.
6. Cost is $50,000. A 25% markup gives a selling price of:
Answer: $62,500. Markup is applied to cost: 50,000 × 1.25 = $62,500. (That's a 20% margin on price.)
7. A job sells for $120,000 and costs $90,000. The gross margin is:
Answer: 25%. Margin = (price − cost) ÷ price = 30,000 ÷ 120,000 = 25%. Markup on cost would be 33.3%.
8. A crew of 4 workers at $28/hour works 6 days of 8 hours. What is the labor cost before burden?
Answer: $5,376. 4 × 28 × 8 × 6 = $5,376.
9. Labor burden (taxes, insurance, benefits) is 35% of wages. What is the burdened cost of $10,000 in wages?
Answer: $13,500. 10,000 × 1.35 = $13,500.
10. Using 1.125 blocks per square foot, how many 8 × 16 CMUs are needed for a wall 48 ft long and 10 ft high, adding 5% waste?
Answer: 567. 48 × 10 = 480 sq ft. 480 × 1.125 = 540 blocks. 540 × 1.05 = 567.
11. A trench 3 ft wide, 4 ft deep and 90 ft long is excavated. How many bank cubic yards are removed?
Answer: 40 CY. 3 × 4 × 90 = 1,080 cubic feet. 1,080 ÷ 27 = 40 cubic yards.
12. 8 inches expressed in decimal feet is:
Answer: 0.67 ft. 8 ÷ 12 = 0.667 feet.
13. What is the area of a circular slab with a 20-foot diameter?
Answer: 314 sq ft. Area = π × r². Radius = 10, so 3.1416 × 100 = 314 sq ft.
14. A wall 40 ft long has studs at 16 inches on center. Using the common rule of one stud per foot of wall, about how many studs should you order?
Answer: 40. At 16 inches on center, one stud per linear foot covers the extra studs at corners and openings: 40 studs.
15. Annual overhead is $180,000 and the company expects $1,200,000 in direct job costs. What overhead percentage should be added to each job's direct cost?
Answer: 15%. 180,000 ÷ 1,200,000 = 0.15, so add 15% to direct costs to recover overhead.

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Licensing guide

How to Pass an Open-Book Contractor Exam: A Step-by-Step Study Plan: You pass an open-book contractor exam by finding answers fast, not by memorizing the books. Get the exact approved references, tab and highlight them within the rules, learn where every major table lives, and practice under a timer until you can answer most questions in two to three minutes. Then use a two-pass method on test day so the long lookups never cost you the easy points.

Related practice tests

Exam details are summarized from the official candidate information available in October 2026. Boards change formats and fees, so confirm with Skill tested by all state exams and NASCLA before you book. ContractorConquer is not affiliated with any licensing board or testing company.

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