Eighty scored questions, five hours, open book, 70% to pass. Questions are drawn from nine content areas with published weights, and the wrong options are written to look reasonable. Below are worked examples from the heaviest areas, plus the trap patterns that repeat.
What the questions look like
Multiple choice, four options, one defensible answer. Most fall into three shapes: a numeric limit ("what is the maximum slope for this material"), a method question ("how is this assembly fastened"), and a diagnosis question ("this defect indicates what"). The state also states plainly that you should be ready for questions involving reading and interpreting plans and specifications, reading and interpreting codes, and basic mathematics — area and volume, fractions, decimals, percentages, triangles, roots, powers and simple algebra.
Worked examples
Built-Up Roofs. Type I asphalt is intended for decks with what maximum slope? The answer is 1/4 inch per foot. Type I is dead-level asphalt with the lowest softening point; put it on a steeper roof in Florida heat and it flows. The distractors are the other asphalt slope limits, so the question is really testing whether you know the four types as a set rather than one figure in isolation.
Single Ply Systems. Seams in an EPDM roof are typically made with what? Seam tape or splice adhesive — not hot air. EPDM is a thermoset: once vulcanized it will not re-melt, so it cannot be welded. TPO and PVC are thermoplastics and are hot-air welded. One question, one distinction, and it recurs across the whole area.
Equipment and Safety. A portable ladder used to access a roof must extend above the landing by how much? Three feet, so there is a handhold for stepping on and off. The distractors are other plausible-sounding lengths. These are the most reliable points on the exam because the numbers are fixed.
The trap pattern to watch. Wrong options are usually true statements about the wrong material, or correct procedures applied to the wrong assembly. "Hot-air welding" is a perfectly real technique — just not for EPDM. "Mopped directly to the deck" is real — just not over a steel deck with open flutes. Reading the noun as carefully as the verb is most of the skill.
Where the questions concentrate
Four areas carry 15% each — Built-Up Roofs, Shingles and Shakes, Single Ply Systems and Modified Roofing Systems — and are 60% of the paper between them. Architectural Metal Roofs, Concrete and Clay Tile Roofs and Equipment and Safety carry 10% each. Membrane Waterproofing and Drains and Gutters carry 5% each, which is roughly four questions apiece: small, easy to skip, and enough to fail on.
Rule 61G4-16.001(36), F.A.C. allows the published weights to vary by up to plus or minus three percent on any given form, so treat the percentages as the shape of the exam rather than a guarantee.
Are the real questions available anywhere?
No, and you should be wary of anyone who says otherwise. The exam is secured, and the Candidate Information Booklet notes that a statistical comparison of responses may be performed and irregularities may be grounds for denial of licensure. What is legitimately available is the state's content outline, which is exactly what our practice test is built from — 361 original questions across all nine areas, each with a written explanation.
For depth on a single area, use the study guide. To find out which references answer which question type, see reference books and tabbing.
Work through questions built the same way
361 original questions, weighted to the state's nine content areas, with an explanation on every answer. First 5 free.