The Florida Contract Administration Exam
The Contract Administration exam is a required part of the Certified General Contractor license in Florida, and is also sat by the Certified Building Contractor and Certified Residential Contractor. It is open book, like every Florida CILB exam, so the tested skill is as much knowing where to find an answer as knowing it cold.
- 60
- Questions
- 4.5 hr
- Time limit
- 70%
- To pass
- Open book
- Format
What's on the Contract Admin exam
The exam follows the official DBPR content outline. These are its weighted domains. Study time is best spent where the exam puts its points.
Contract Types & Project Delivery
Lump sum, cost-plus, GMP, unit price; design-bid-build, design-build, and CM delivery methods.
Bidding & Procurement
Bid documents, addenda, bid bonds, public bidding requirements, and subcontract buyout.
Changes, Claims & Disputes
Change orders, construction change directives, delay claims, liquidated damages, and dispute resolution.
Bonds & Insurance
Performance, payment, and bid bonds; builder's risk; liability coverage; indemnification.
Documentation & Closeout
Submittals, RFIs, pay applications, retainage, substantial completion, punch lists, and warranties.
Sample questions
Original, exam-style questions with the answer and an explanation, so you can see how LicenseReady drills the Contract Admin material.
In a stipulated sum (lump sum) contract, who bears the risk of cost overruns?
The contractor
In a stipulated sum (lump sum) contract, the contractor agrees to perform the work for a fixed price and therefore bears the risk of any cost overruns. The owner's cost is fixed regardless of actual construction costs.
Source: AIA A201 General Conditions — Article 3 — Contractor
What is the primary purpose of a performance bond on a construction project?
To guarantee the contractor will complete the project according to contract terms
A performance bond guarantees that the contractor will complete the project in accordance with the contract documents. If the contractor defaults, the surety must either complete the work or compensate the owner.
Source: AIA A312 Performance Bond — Surety Bonds
Reference books you'll use
The Contract Admin exam is open book. These are the approved references its questions come from. Tabbing them in advance is half the battle.
Lien questions are deadline questions. Tab the deadline sections and answer from the statute, not from memory — one wrong number is the difference between a right and wrong answer.
This is your home base on exam day. Learn its table of contents — most candidates lose time flipping because they never learned which chapter holds which statute.
A201 article numbers are the map: Art. 3 contractor, Art. 7 changes, Art. 8 time, Art. 9 payments, Art. 11 insurance, Art. 12 corrections, Art. 14 termination, Art. 15 claims. Most Contract Admin questions cite one of these.
Guides that cover this exam
Longer reads on how to prepare: study plans, costs, and what to do if an attempt doesn't go your way.
How to Get a Florida General Contractor License in 2026
Florida general contractor license requirements explained: certified vs. registered, the three exams, experience rules, costs, and a realistic timeline.
Florida Contractor Exam Prep: Format, Rules, and a Study Plan That Works
How the open-book Florida contractor exam really works: reference rules, pacing math, evidence-based study methods, and an 8-week study plan.
Florida Contractor Exam Books and Tabs: What to Bring and How to Prepare It
The reference books that decide your Florida contractor exam score: the core GC book list, a tabbing strategy, and the markup rules to verify first.
How Hard Is the Florida Contractor Exam, Really?
How hard is the Florida contractor exam really? Hours-long open-book parts, a 70% bar, and a ~50% first-try fail estimate. What makes it hard and what doesn't.
General Contractor vs. Building Contractor in Florida: Which License Do You Need?
Florida general contractor vs. building contractor: scope differences, the three-story rule, exam differences (they're small), and how to choose.
The Florida Contract Administration Exam, Explained
60 questions, 4.5 hours, open book, and 40% of it is one topic. The Florida Contract Administration exam outline, the AIA documents that decide it, and a prep plan.
Florida Contractor Exam Pass Rates & Difficulty: An Honest Look
Florida publishes no official pass rates. What the estimates show for the Business & Finance and GC exams, why about half fail first try, and what separates passers.
The Florida Contractor's Manual: What It Is, Which Exams Use It, and How to Tab It
What the Florida Contractor's Manual is, which exam parts list it, which edition to buy, and how to tab it so lookups take seconds instead of minutes.
Frequently asked questions
How many questions is the Florida Contract Administration exam?
60 questions. You have 4.5 hours and need 70% correct to pass.
Is the Contract Administration exam open book?
Yes. Every Florida CILB construction exam is open book: you bring approved, tabbed reference books. The challenge is finding answers fast enough, so pacing and tabbing matter as much as knowledge.
What topics are on the Contract Admin exam?
The exam is weighted across 5 domains: Contract Types & Project Delivery, Bidding & Procurement, Changes, Claims & Disputes, Bonds & Insurance, Documentation & Closeout. Heavier-weighted domains deserve more study time.
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LicenseReady is an independent exam-preparation service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or approved by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR), the Construction Industry Licensing Board (CILB), or Professional Testing, Inc. All practice questions are original content created by LicenseReady — they are not actual examination questions. Exam-structure information comes from publicly available DBPR publications. Third-party product names (AIA, ACCA, and others) are trademarks of their respective owners, used only to identify the referenced works.