I've been a licensed contractor in Florida for almost eight years, but the CBC exam humbled me pretty hard. Failed it twice — first time I scored a 68%, second time a 71%. Both times I came out of the testing center feeling like I'd actually prepared, which made it even more frustrating to see those scores.
What changed on my third attempt was switching how I studied. Instead of just reading the Florida Building Code cover to cover, I started doing 40-50 practice questions every single morning before work. That's about 90 minutes a day, six days a week, for 11 weeks. I also spent a lot more time on the business and finance section, which I'd been glossing over because I figured my real-world experience would carry me through it. It doesn't. That section is almost entirely codified and they test you on very specific statutory language.
Third time I scored an 82%. The biggest difference wasn't the extra weeks of studying — it was understanding which topics carried the most weight. Contract law, lien law, and workers' comp questions showed up constantly. If you're prepping for this, don't treat those as secondary topics.
I'd add that the construction documents and project management section is underrated in difficulty. A lot of people skip it assuming it's common sense, but the questions get specific about timelines and notice requirements. Treat it seriously.
Same experience here. I passed on my second attempt with a 77% and honestly the lien law section is no joke. I spent a full two weeks on nothing but Chapter 713 and it paid off. Worth memorizing the exact dollar thresholds too.
Did you use any specific practice books or just online question banks? I'm about six weeks out from my first attempt and trying to figure out where to focus the most time.
The business and finance section tripped me up as well. My contractor had 15 years of field experience and still scored a 69% the first time because he thought practical knowledge would cover it. It really doesn't translate the way you'd expect.