Last updated on June 18th, 2019
Passing the Florida contractor license exam is a critical part of becoming a licensed contractor in Florida. The exam is broken down into several parts and all parts must be fully satisfied within four years of beginning the exam process. Therefore, the right exam preparation at a top contractor’s licensing school can mean the difference between struggling to pass the exam and obtaining a license without difficulty.
Everything You Must Know to Get Licensed
The process for obtaining your Florida contractor license can be confusing. That's why we created the ultimate guide to getting your Florida contractor license. This step-by-step guide walks you through every item required for getting licensed. Please continue reading below for our list of the top Florida contractor license schools.
While there are many programs and schools that claim to offer top-notch contractor licensing exam prep, the following Florida schools are among the cream of the crop for serious contractors.
Contractor Campus
Contractor Campus offers books and classes for all licensing exams at the state and county level for all testing companies for all trades, including GITS©, Prov©, Pearson Vue©, PTI©, NASCLA©, and Prometric©. Licensing is available for all trades, so whether you are looking for a General, Building, Residential, or any other contractor license. Classes are online and in-person, with review classes held in Orlando, Tampa, For Lauderdale and Fort Myers. All books are in-stock and ship the same day via UPS ground. Contractor Campus is a BBB accredited business with an A+ rating.
Gold Coast School of Construction
The Gold Coast School of Construction has been educating and training thousands of successful contractors in Florida since 1970. They offer programs for Division I (Structural Building Contractor) for General Contractor, Building Contractor and Residential Contractor licenses. They also offer Division II (Subcontractor) programs for Air Conditioning Contractor, Roofing Contractor, Glass and Glazing Contractor, Pool and Spa Contractor and Specialty Contractor licenses.
The exam prep center offers intensive review courses, online practice exams, module workbooks and standard classroom instruction. The full service exam prep program tuition is $795. Tuition is valid for one year and includes as many classes as students wish to take at all locations. Classrooms are located in Doral, Lantana, North Miami and Broward.
The Contractors Institute
The Contractors Institute is the largest construction school in Florida and has been helping contractors pass the Florida contractors license exam since 1971. Their alumni ranks boast more than 70,000 students with a 95% exam pass rate.
They offer a wide range of contractor education programs, including General/Building/Residential, Plumbing, Electrical, Mechanical, Roofing, Air Conditioning, Specialty Structure, Glass and Glazing, Marine and Gas Line. Tuition comes with a lifetime guarantee—allowing students to take as many classes as necessary to pass the exam. Tuition varies based on specialty, but the General Contractor tuition is $895. This east coast learning center is located in Hudson, Florida.
Builder’s Estimating and Exam School
The Builder’s Estimating and Exam School has over 40 years of teaching experience with small class sizes and training & professional instructors. Located in Sarasota, they offer contractor exam prep courses in many categories. These include General, Building, Residential, Roofing, Underground Utility, Plumbing, Mechanical, Solar, Air Conditioning and Residential Pools.
The full course tuition of $1,300 includes the opportunity to take a 5 day complete training course with no more than 15 students in the class, plus a refresher course immediately before the exam. They also offer private tutoring options and exam book packages to support passing the exam on the first try.
Florida International University
As part of the Division of External Programs at Florida International University, the Florida Contractor Exam Review courses prepare students to pass the Florida contractor license exam on their first try. The 48-hour course covers all the information students need to prepare for the General Contractor exam, including business & finance, contract administration and project management topics.
Students who do not pass the first time are afforded the opportunity to take the course again at no cost. Tuition for the program is $900, not including books and manuals, i.e. study materials. The university is located in Miami, Florida.
Palm Construction School
The Palm Construction School has successfully trained contractors to prepare for the Florida contractors license exam since 1980. They offer exam prep through live classroom instruction, online exams and study materials including workbooks. Courses are offered for General, Building, Residential, Sheet Metal, Roofing, Air Conditioning, Mechanical, Plumbing, Underground Utility, Solar and Specialty contractor specializations.
The full course package costs $999 and includes in-classroom instruction at their Orlando-based school, online exam preparation, course manuals and workbooks. The tuition is good for one year and includes an online practice exam.
Camtech School of Construction
The Camtech School of Construction was founded in 1992, and boasts a team of instructors with over 130 years of aggregate experience. They offer more than three times the courses as the average exam prep school, with non-repetitive classes dominating the course schedule. In addition, Camtech offers a 100% money back guarantee. Courses are offered in Ft. Myers, Tampa and Orlando, as well as online. Tuition includes a full year of complete course sessions.
You Must Get Bonded Too
When registering for contractor license exam prep courses, keep in mind that there are basic guidelines that need to be met in addition to passing the licensing exam. Contractors must be over 18 years of age, have at least 4 years of experience and a FICO credit score of 660 or greater. Contractors who don’t have this minimum credit score may require larger contractor license bonds to be allowed to earn their license.
Have you attended any of these schools? We would love to hear more about your experience in the comments.
In reply to by admin
I have been doing residential construction and remodeling for 26 years in Kentucky. I would like to get my residential contractor license here in Florida. Any advise and guidance would be greatly appreciated.
In reply to by admin
Hey April,
This isn't something we can do due to privacy laws. However, you may be able to look this information up on the state contractor license board website.
In reply to by admin
Hi I am actually looking for a GC in the Chipley, Florida area. We are building several houses. We are looking for a GC that would be able to start immediately and was wondering if your company would be able to give out some names for us to contact. We are wanting to keep the same GC for multiple houses. I would love any type of ideas you could give me thank you.
In reply to by admin
Does anyone know a good business card app?
In reply to by admin
Good morning: I would like to know the step to become in general contractor.
Thank you
Gustavo Villamizar
In reply to by admin
Hi I want to pass the can to become a GC . Please le te know if you can help me thanks
In reply to by admin
I need to get help fixing my ac system or something similar just act as a customer looking
for there service
In reply to by admin
I need all the information to obtain a contractor's general contractor's license in state of Florida
In reply to by admin
Hi. I am a civil Engineer graduated in Venezuela in 1983.
I'd like to become a GC here in Florida and as far as I underestand, I need a 4 years experience cetified by " I don't know who" in this particular case. I owned my own Construction Company and made several buildings since then. What can I do?
In reply to by admin
Hey Ricarodo,
Take a look at our Florida guide to getting a contractor license here: https://www.jwsuretybonds.com/states/florida/contractor-license
This should provide all of the info you need.
In reply to by admin
Trying to get contractors License, Currently working as a project manager building commercial greenhouses.
In reply to by Terence Elliot…
Hey Terrence,
Did you take a look at our state-by-state licensing guide? Please see here: https://www.jwsuretybonds.com/licensing/contractors/
In reply to by admin
I would like to become a General Contractor but every website that I went to says you need 4 years experience or if you have a four year degree (which I do but not in construction) that would take care of at least 3 out of the 4 experience. How do I get that last year of experience? Right now I am a handy man and love building but how do I get to that point where I can become a General contractor?
In reply to by Christopher Soleau
Hey Christoper,
Florida requires all certified license applicants must have four years’ relevant work experience or a combination or work experience and college. Further information can be found within each application (section VI – Qualifications for Certified License).
In reply to by Lynn Releford
Hey Lynn,
I recommend you check out our FL contractor license guide here: https://www.jwsuretybonds.com/states/florida/contractor-license
In reply to by admin
Hi , I am studying to get the license but it have been hard to study so many hours by my self . Do you know and study group I could participate?
Also a good tutor to help ?
In reply to by admin
Hey Roland,
Unfortunately, I'm not sure. Maybe you can reach out to one of the schools on this list for those resources.
In reply to by admin
Hello, l got 21 years experience building bridges am superintendent of the company an l don't have my high school diploma but l want to get theGC licenses to work for this company like sub doing concrete an tid bars steel ,l got the experience on everything ,what can do,thanks
In reply to by admin
Hey Jose,
I recommend that you read our guide here: https://www.jwsuretybonds.com/blog/step-by-step-guide-how-to-become-a-c…
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