Every South Carolina electrical license requires the 50-question business and law exam, even if your trade exam is waived. It's an open-book test at PSI. The commercial version needs 35 right in 125 minutes, and the residential version needs 34 right in 120 minutes.
| Quick facts | SC business and law exam |
|---|---|
| Commercial version | 50 questions, 125 minutes, 35 correct (70%), $78 |
| Residential version | 50 questions, 120 minutes, 34 correct (68%), $75 as a single portion |
| Allowed book | The NASCLA Contractors Guide for South Carolina, commercial edition or residential edition |
| Retakes | Commercial: no limit within 12 months. Residential: 3 tries in your 12-month eligibility. |
Who has to pass the South Carolina business and law exam?
Commercial: the Contractor's Licensing Board says every qualifying party (a person who has passed the required exams and qualifies a company for its license) must pass it "regardless of how you are applying." That includes:
- Candidates who pass the SC Electrician or NASCLA electrical exam
- Out-of-state licensees on the Board's Technical Exam Waiver list
- Holders of an SC Master Electrician certificate earned by exam (MASC or Carolinas AGC)
Residential: Residential Builders Commission waiver applicants skip only the technical exam. That includes:
- NC and Mississippi licensees
- Recent NASCLA residential passers
- SC commercial contractors with the Electrical classification
Licensed in another state? The South Carolina reciprocity guide shows which licenses qualify.
Taking the trade exam too? Unless it's waived, you'll also take a PSI technical exam: 80 questions on the 2020 NEC for commercial, or 60 on the 2017 NEC for residential. Both JCR packages cost $495 and include the 152-page JCR workbook, 20+ hours of video lessons, a mock exam of 500+ questions and permanent code tabs.
What's on the commercial SC Business Management and Law exam?
Its full name is Business Management and Law for Commercial Contractors. PSI's Commercial Contractor bulletin (August 27, 2026) lists 11 topics. The top three are 29 of the 50 questions.
- Contracts and agreements: 12
- Estimating and bidding: 10
- Financial management: 7
- Project management: 5
- Labor laws, tax laws and liens: 3 each
- Business management, insurance and bonding, environmental laws: 2 each
- Safety recordkeeping: 1
The allowed book is the NASCLA Contractors Guide to Business, Law and Project Management, South Carolina Commercial Contractors, 9th edition.
The fee is $78, with no Board sign-off needed to book.
What's on the residential version?
Residential electricians take Business Management and Law for Residential Builders, the same exam as home builders. PSI's Residential Builders bulletin (October 9, 2026) lists 12 topics.
- Estimating and bidding: 8
- Contracts, project management: 7 each
- Insurance and bonding, tax laws: 5 each
- Financial management: 4
- Labor laws, liens, environmental laws: 3 each
- Business management, licensing laws and rules: 2 each
- Safety recordkeeping: 1
The allowed book is the NASCLA Contractors Guide to Business, Law and Project Management, South Carolina Residential Builders, 8th or 9th edition. From April 9, 2027, only the 9th edition is allowed.
- Fee: $75 for one portion, such as the business exam alone, or $94 for both portions.
- Approval: apply to the Commission first. Its eligibility letter is good for 1 year.
- Retakes: fail 3 times, and you wait 12 months to test again.
How to pass the SC business and law exam
- Get the right edition. A generic NASCLA guide is not the listed book.
- Read the guide once, then tab it by topic. On the commercial test, contracts, estimating, liens, taxes and insurance are over half the questions. Practice the estimating math on your calculator.
- Watch the clock: about 2½ minutes a question. Answer what you know first.
SC business and law exam FAQ
Do I have to take the SC business and law exam with reciprocity?
Yes. South Carolina's waiver agreements replace only the technical exam. The business exam is still required.
Is the South Carolina business and law exam open book?
Yes, but PSI won't supply the book, so bring the NASCLA guide edition listed for your version. You may highlight, underline and index it, with permanent tabs that rip the page if removed. Handwriting, extra pages, sticky notes and peel-off tabs aren't allowed, but a silent, non-programmable calculator is.
How many times can I take the commercial business and law exam?
As many times as you need within 12 months. The commercial trade exams are limited to 2 attempts in 12 months, but the business exam is not.
Can I take the business and law exam the same day as the Electrician exam?
Not for commercial. PSI caps testing at 6 hours a day. The 5-hour Electrician exam plus the 125-minute business exam is too long, so book two days.
Taking the commercial Electrician exam too?
Unless your trade exam is waived, you'll also take the 80-question PSI Electrician exam on the 2020 NEC. JCR's South Carolina Commercial Electrical Contractor Exam Prep is built for it.
It's $495 for video lessons, online practice exams and the JCR workbook. Videos open at checkout, and the workbook ships the same business day. Plan on 6–8 weeks, about an hour a night.
Get the SC Commercial course — $495
New to the technical exam? Read JCR's guide to the South Carolina electrical exam.
More South Carolina guides
Sources JCR checked
- PSI SC Commercial Contractor bulletin (August 27, 2026)
- PSI SC Residential Builders bulletin (October 9, 2026)
- SC CLB: Licensure with the Board
- SC CLB Technical Exam Waiver Agreements
- SC RBC: Residential Electrician license
- PSI: SC commercial contractor exams
JCR checked these details against both PSI bulletins and the SC LLR pages on October 14, 2026. If your situation is unusual, confirm with SC LLR before you apply.