Five reference "shelves" cover the exam. You may bring them in tabbed and highlighted — you just cannot write new notes during the exam. Fast navigation is the whole game.
The approved references
The exam draws from a published reference list. In practice the answers live across five sources:
- Florida Contractor's Manual — business organization, insurance, bonds, contracts, lien-law overview, and Florida-specific regulation. The most-reached-for book.
- Builder's Guide to Accounting — accounting methods, financial statements, ratios, job costing, payroll, depreciation. Covers the heavy Accounting area.
- AIA Documents (A201 / A401 / A701) — general conditions, contractor–subcontractor agreement, and instructions to bidders.
- Florida Statutes & Rules — Chapters 489 (contracting), 455 (DBPR), 713 (liens), 440 (workers' comp), and 61G4 F.A.C.
- IRS Circular E (Publication 15) — federal withholding, FICA/FUTA, and payroll-tax deposit rules.
Always confirm the exact titles and editions on the current DBPR / Pearson VUE reference list before you buy — editions change (for example, the Florida Contractor's Manual updates periodically).
How to tab them
Set up each book before exam day with tabs for its high-frequency topics — lien-law deadlines, payroll-tax rates, financial ratios, contract elements, insurance types. Highlight the lines you expect to need. On exam day you are navigating, not reading cover to cover.
Practice which book to grab
Tabs only help if you know which book to open in the first place. Our Open-Book Finder drills exactly that: it times you choosing the right reference for each question, then shows the exact section — and reports which books you were slow on so you can tab them harder.
Train your reference speed
The Open-Book Finder is the only drill built for the open-book format. Try it, then study by area and simulate the full exam.