NASCLA Practice Questions (2026) — Free Sample Questions with Answers

Answer: B

1. 1. Dining: 3,000 sq ft net ÷ 15 net = 200 occupants.
2. 2. Kitchen: 1,000 sq ft gross ÷ 200 gross = 5 occupants.
3. 3. Storage: 600 sq ft gross ÷ 300 gross = 2 occupants.
4. 4. Total = 200 + 5 + 2 = 207 occupants.

205: Omission: the storage room (600 ÷ 300 = 2) was left out.

207: Correct. 3,000 ÷ 15 = 200; 1,000 ÷ 200 = 5; 600 ÷ 300 = 2; total 207.

267: Wrong factor: applies the 15 net dining factor to the kitchen as well (4,000 ÷ 15 ≈ 267) and drops storage.

307: Wrong factor: applies the 15 net factor to all 4,600 sq ft instead of each function's own factor.

Occupant load = floor area ÷ the load factor for each function of space; compute each area with its own factor (net or gross as listed), then add.

Answer: D

03 30 00-01, concrete mix designs: "Revise and resubmit" means the submittal must be corrected and reviewed again before the work proceeds.

05 12 00-01, structural steel shop drawings: "Rejected" means the submittal does not meet the contract documents; a new submittal is required.

08 11 13-01, hollow metal frames: Still under review: nothing may be ordered until the architect returns an approving action.

09 29 00-01, gypsum board product data: Correct. "Approved as noted" allows ordering or fabrication, provided the architect's noted corrections are incorporated.

Track submittal actions in the log: "Approved" and "Approved as noted" release the work (incorporating notes); "Revise and resubmit," "Rejected" and pending items do not.

Answer: B

It complies, because the rail held 200 lb without failure: Incomplete test: strength alone is not enough; the rule also limits how far the top edge may deflect under the 200-lb load.

It does not comply, because the top edge dropped below 39 in: Correct. 1926.502(b)(4): under the 200-lb downward test load, the top edge may not deflect to less than 39 in above the walking/working level.

It complies, because top rails need to resist only 150 lb: Wrong row: 150 lb is the midrail/screen requirement in 1926.502(b)(5); the top rail must withstand 200 lb.

It does not comply, because no deflection is permitted: Overstated: some deflection is allowed as long as the top edge stays at 39 in or higher.

Guardrail checks under 1926.502(b): top edge 42 in ± 3 in; top rail withstands 200 lb outward or downward without deflecting below 39 in; midrails withstand 150 lb.

Answer: C

1. 1. Compacted volume = 0.80 × bank volume (given).
2. 2. Bank volume = 1,200 ÷ (1 − 0.20) = 1,200 ÷ 0.80 = 1,500 BCY.
3. 3. The swell factor applies only to hauling (1,500 × 1.25 = 1,875 LCY); it is not needed here.

960 BCY: Multiplies by 0.80, which gives less soil than the compacted volume needed.

1,440 BCY: Multiplies by 1.20 (the common shrink shortcut). Compacted is 80% of bank, so divide by 0.80 instead.

1,500 BCY: Correct. Compacted = 0.80 × bank, so bank = 1,200 ÷ 0.80 = 1,500 BCY.

1,875 BCY: This is the loose volume to haul (1,500 × 1.25), not the bank volume to excavate.

Keep the three soil states apart: bank (in place), loose (swell, for hauling) and compacted (shrink, for fill). Convert to bank first.

Answer: B

Type A: The strength meets Type A (1.5 tsf or more), but soil subject to vibration from heavy traffic can never be Type A.

Type B: Correct. Soil that meets the Type A strength but is fissured or subject to vibration is classified as Type B (Appendix A, (b)).

Type C: Type C is for soil of 0.5 tsf or less, submerged or seeping soil, or granular soil. None of these applies here.

Stable rock: Clay is soil, not natural solid mineral matter, however high its strength.

Type A needs 1.5 tsf or more and none of the exclusions (fissured, vibration, previously disturbed, layered sloping into the cut, seeping). Excluded soil that still has the Type A strength drops to Type B.

Answer: B

1. 1. Out-to-out perimeter = 2 × (66 + 46) = 224 ft.
2. 2. Centerline perimeter = 224 − 4 × 2 ft footing width = 216 ft.
3. 3. Trench volume = 216 ft × 3 ft × 4 ft = 2,592 cu ft.
4. 4. 2,592 ÷ 27 = 96.0 bank cu yd.

92.4 cu yd: Uses the inside footing perimeter (208 ft), which drops the trench length at the corners.

96.0 cu yd: Correct. The trench is centered on the footing, so its length is the footing centerline perimeter, 216 ft: 216 × 3 × 4 = 2,592 cu ft ÷ 27 = 96.0 bank cu yd.

99.6 cu yd: Uses the out-to-out perimeter (224 ft), which double-counts the corners.

120.0 cu yd: Adds 25% swell; the question asks for bank (in-place) volume, not loose volume.

For a rectangular perimeter footing or trench, take quantities along the centerline: out-to-out perimeter minus 4 × the width. Divide cubic feet by 27 for cubic yards.

Answer: A

1. 1. Gross wall face: 40 ft × 12 ft = 480 sq ft.
2. 2. Openings: D1 4 ft × 8 ft = 32 sq ft; W1 2 × (4 ft × 4 ft) = 32 sq ft; total 64 sq ft.
3. 3. Net wall: 480 − 64 = 416 sq ft.
4. 4. Units: 416 sq ft × 1.125 CMU per sq ft = 468 CMU.

468: Correct. Gross 480 sq ft less 64 sq ft of openings (one D1 at 32 sq ft and two W1 at 16 sq ft each) leaves 416 sq ft; 416 × 1.125 = 468 units.

486: Deducts the door and only one of the two W1 windows (432 sq ft × 1.125); the window tag calls for 2 required.

504: Deducts the door only (448 sq ft × 1.125) and forgets both windows.

540: Gross wall area × 1.125 with no deduction for openings.

For 8 × 16 face CMU, use 1.125 units per sq ft of net wall area: take gross area, deduct every opening shown in the opening tags, then multiply (Modern Masonry, estimating block).

Answer: C

None; a continuous CLR line alone stabilizes the webs: CLR only ties the webs together; without anchorage they can still move sideways as a group.

The CLR belongs on the bottom chord, not the web: The truss design drawing places the CLR on the web it calls out; moving it defeats its purpose.

Without diagonal bracing, the webs can buckle together: Correct. CLR must be anchored with diagonal bracing (or another restraint) so the accumulated forces go into the structure; otherwise all the restrained webs can buckle as a unit.

CLR is temporary and comes out before sheathing: Web CLR shown on the truss design drawing is permanent member restraint, not temporary bracing.

Permanent web restraint = CLR plus diagonal bracing (or T-, L- or scab reinforcement) per the truss design drawing and BCSI-B3.

Answer: A

1. 1. Panel edges must fall at 16, 32, 48 in on stud centers.
2. 2. Half a stud: 1-1/2 in ÷ 2 = 3/4 in.
3. 3. First layout line (near edge): 16 − 3/4 = 15-1/4 in; then every 16 in.

15-1/4 in: Correct. The stud center must fall at 16 in, so its near edge is 16 − 3/4 = 15-1/4 in; the stud is set on the far side of the line.

16 in: Marks the stud center as if it were the edge; the stud then centers at 16-3/4 in.

16-3/4 in: Places the stud center 3/4 in past the 16-in mark, so panel edges miss the stud centers.

17-1/2 in: Adds a full stud width to 16 in, putting the stud on the wrong side of the mark.

For 16-in o.c. layout, mark the first stud edge at 15-1/4 in (12-in o.c.: 11-1/4; 24-in o.c.: 23-1/4) so sheathing joints break on stud centers.

Answer: A

1. A117.1 clear width of a swinging door = distance from the face of the door (open 90°) to the latch-side stop.
2. Start with the frame opening: 34 in.
3. Subtract the leaf thickness: 34 − 1.75 = 32.25 in.
4. Subtract the stop projection: 32.25 − 0.625 = 31.625 in = 31⅝ in.
5. Compare with the 32-in minimum: 31⅝ in < 32 in, so the door does not comply.

31⅝ in; does not comply: Correct. Clear width is measured from the face of the door, open 90°, to the stop: 34 − 1¾ − ⅝ = 31⅝ in. That is less than the 32-in minimum, so the door does not comply.

32¼ in; complies: Subtracts the door thickness but forgets the ⅝-in stop. Clear width is measured to the stop, not to the jamb face.

33⅜ in; complies: Subtracts the stop but forgets that the open leaf's own thickness narrows the opening.

34 in; complies: Uses the frame dimension. A117.1 measures between the open door face and the opposite stop.

A117.1-2017 Section 404.2.3: at least 32 in clear, measured with the door open 90° from the door face to the stop. A nominal 34-in (2'-10") door does not give 32 in clear; a 36-in leaf is the usual choice.

Answer: D

A glazed transom directly over the entry door, bottom edge 84 in above the floor: Not hazardous under the adjacent-door rule, which applies only when the bottom edge is less than 60 in above the floor. With a bottom edge 84 in up, the window rule (bottom edge under 18 in) is not met either.

A 2 ft × 2 ft fixed window 10 ft from any door, bottom edge 15 in above the floor: Not hazardous: the window rule needs every one of its conditions, including a pane larger than 9 sq ft. A 4 sq ft pane fails that condition.

A 4 ft × 5 ft fixed window 30 in from the door edge, bottom edge 24 in above the floor: Not hazardous: it lies outside the 24-in arc from the door edge, and its bottom edge is above 18 in, so the window rule does not apply.

A fixed sidelite in the same wall, 12 in from the closed door's edge, bottom edge 20 in above the floor: Correct. Glazing within a 24-in arc of either vertical edge of a closed door, with its bottom edge less than 60 in above the walking surface, is a hazardous location (IBC 2406.4).

IBC Section 2406.4 lists the hazardous locations. For glazing next to doors, check two things: is it within 24 in of the door edge, and is its bottom edge below 60 in? For other windows, all four conditions must be met: more than 9 sq ft, bottom edge under 18 in, top edge over 36 in, and a walking surface within 36 in.

Answer: B

1. 1. Hours worked = 4 × 10 + 6 = 46 hours.
2. 2. Straight time = 40 h × $30 = $1,200.
3. 3. Overtime = 6 h × (1.5 × $30 = $45) = $270.
4. 4. Gross wages = $1,200 + $270 = $1,470.

$1,380: Pays all 46 hours at the straight-time rate, with no overtime premium.

$1,470: Correct. 46 hours: 40 × $30 = $1,200 plus 6 overtime hours × $45 (1.5 × $30) = $270; total $1,470 — Fair Labor Standards Act, 29 U.S.C. 207; NASCLA Contractors Guide (Basic 14th): employment law.

$1,500: Pays overtime for hours over 8 in a day (8 hours); the FLSA requires overtime only for hours over 40 in the workweek.

$2,070: Pays every hour at time-and-a-half; only hours over 40 earn the premium.

FLSA overtime = 1.5 × the regular rate for hours worked over 40 in a workweek; federal law has no daily overtime rule.

Answer: C

1. 1. Margin is figured on selling price: price = cost ÷ (1 − 0.20) = $360,000 ÷ 0.80 = $450,000.
2. 2. Markup amount = $450,000 − $360,000 = $90,000.
3. 3. Markup on cost = $90,000 ÷ $360,000 = 25%.

16.7%: Converts a 20% markup into a margin (0.20 ÷ 1.20), which is the reverse conversion.

20.0%: Uses the margin as the markup: $360,000 × 1.20 = $432,000, which yields only a 16.7% margin.

25.0%: Correct. Markup = margin ÷ (1 − margin) = 0.20 ÷ 0.80 = 25%; $360,000 × 1.25 = $450,000, and $90,000 ÷ $450,000 = 20% — NASCLA Contractors Guide (Basic 14th): markup vs margin.

125.0%: This is the selling-price multiplier (1 ÷ 0.80 = 1.25) written as a percentage, not the markup.

Markup is a percentage of cost; margin is a percentage of selling price. Markup = margin ÷ (1 − margin); price = cost ÷ (1 − margin).

Answer: A

1. 1. List every path from start to finish: A-B-D-G-I, A-B-E-G-I, A-C-E-G-I, A-C-F-H-I.
2. 2. Sum durations: 21, 18, 17 and 19 days.
3. 3. The longest path (21 days) is critical: A-B-D-G-I.

A-B-D-G-I: Correct. Path lengths: A-B-D-G-I = 3+5+6+4+3 = 21 days, the longest path, so every activity on it has zero total float (Gould & Joyce, Construction Project Management: CPM).

A-B-E-G-I: This path totals 3+5+3+4+3 = 18 days; it is shorter than A-B-D-G-I.

A-C-E-G-I: This path totals 3+4+3+4+3 = 17 days, the shortest path.

A-C-F-H-I: This path totals 3+4+7+2+3 = 19 days; it holds the longest single activity (F) but is not the longest path.

The critical path is the longest path through the network; it sets the project duration and its activities have zero total float.

Answer: B

1. 1. Direct cost = $182,000 + $146,000 + $52,000 = $380,000.
2. 2. Overhead = 10% × $380,000 = $38,000; total cost = $418,000.
3. 3. Profit = 8% × $418,000 = $33,440.
4. 4. Bid = $418,000 + $33,440 = $451,440.

$448,400: Applied 10% and 8% both to direct cost only (18% of $380,000); profit must be taken on direct cost plus overhead.

$451,440: Correct. Direct cost $380,000 + overhead $38,000 = $418,000; profit 8% × $418,000 = $33,440; bid = $451,440 (NASCLA Contractors Guide, Basic 14th: markup is applied to cost).

$454,348: Treated the 8% as a margin on selling price ($418,000 ÷ 0.92) instead of a markup on cost.

$463,415: Treated the combined 18% as a margin on selling price ($380,000 ÷ 0.82).

Build the bid in the order the policy states: direct cost, then overhead, then profit on the running cost. A markup is on cost; a margin is on price.