Ed:
Ditto what bwalley said.
I work for a small national general contractor, so I’ve been asked to take approximately ten GC licensing exams. Even with my degree, and twenty years of experience, I don’t think I could have gone in blind and passed each one on the first try. I took an exam preparation class every time. In my opinion, Georgia was second toughest exam (after Florida GC) and the
only one where I felt pressed for time.
You experience will help, but the test are written by guys that don’t have a background in construction. They simply write questions by looking through the reference books. The test measures your ability to look up information, not your knowledge of construction. Just give the answer in the book. Guys always waste class time arguing about answers and “how it’s done in the field.” These are the people that failed the first time. Remember, your not there to learn how to build buildings, you’re only there to learn to pass a test.
Yes, you could pass without the class but you would have to study for months. I'm cheap too but $490.00 will save you months of time.
$490 for the prep class is very inexpensive, if you take the test and fail it, how much will you really save?
I have taken 3 Certified Contractors exams in Florida and passed each one of them on the 1st attempt, the last one was Plumbing and about 32% of the people who take it pass it on the 1st atempt.
I have taken prep classes for each of my contractors exams, and it helps, the classes were quite a bit more than $490.
You would probably be better off and save money in the long run taking a prep class, passing the test and getting your license sooner, rather than later.