10 exam-style questions with answers and explanations, straight from our 1,030-question bank. Tap an answer to check yourself. When you're ready, take the scored version in the free practice test.
The HI-CBL exam has 80 questions and runs 3 hours.
These 10 free HI-CBL questions are organized by exam domain, so you can see how each part of the Hawaii Contractor Business and Law Exam blueprint is tested. Reveal the answer and explanation under each question.
Domain 2: Contract Management
Question 1
During a retail renovation, the owner signs a written directive relocating a non-load-bearing partition. The contract requires the contractor to carry out written change directives while price and time adjustments are being determined, and to submit an adjustment request within five working days. The price is not yet agreed. How should the contractor handle the directive?
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Correct answer: D - Perform the relocation and submit the adjustment request within the required notice period.
Question 2
An approved progress-payment application lists $260,000 as the total value of completed work and eligible stored materials to date. That total already includes $40,000 of stored materials. The contract retains 10% of the entire approved total. Prior payments actually received, after their retainage deductions, total $144,000. With no other adjustments, what payment is due on this application?
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Correct answer: A - $90,000
Domain 3: Estimating and Bidding
Question 3
An estimator has priced a small commercial job at $78,000 in direct costs plus $6,000 in allocated overhead. Management requires a 20% profit margin on the selling price before general excise tax, after both cost categories are covered. There are no other costs or allowances. What pre-tax bid meets that target?
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Correct answer: D - $105,000
Domain 4: Financial Management
Question 4
A cost-to-cost work-in-progress report shows earned revenue above cumulative billings. The cost-to-complete forecast is current, no retainage applies, and the customer has paid every issued invoice. The company owner describes the difference as overdue accounts receivable. How should the controller classify it instead?
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Correct answer: C - Earned but unbilled revenue, rather than an overdue customer invoice.
Domain 5: Labor Law
Question 5
A carpenter who has worked full time for the same Hawaii employer for two years breaks a wrist while surfing on a day off. The injury is unrelated to work. A physician certifies four weeks of inability to perform the usual job, and the employment relationship will continue. Which Hawaii program addresses the carpenter's resulting wage loss?
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Correct answer: D - Temporary Disability Insurance
Domain 6: Licensing
Question 6
A homeowner offers an unlicensed repair business $1,250, including labor and materials, for work that the county has confirmed requires a building permit. The homeowner will obtain the permit. Can the business rely on Hawaii's minor-work exemption from contractor licensing?
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Correct answer: A - No; work requiring a building permit does not qualify for that exemption.
Domain 7: Lien Law
Question 7
A licensed subcontractor has filed an Application for a Lien and Notice of Lien in the proper Hawaii circuit court and served all required parties. The hearing has not yet occurred. The subcontractor tells its bookkeeper that the lien is now attached to the property. Which additional event is necessary for attachment?
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Correct answer: C - The court finds probable cause and enters an order directing the lien to attach.
Domain 8: Project Management
Question 8
Two parallel work paths must both finish before a four-day commissioning activity can begin. The first path takes 12 working days; the second takes 11. The first can be shortened by up to two days at $800 per day, and the second by up to two days at $500 per day. These are the only acceleration options, and the paths have no shared resource constraints. What is the least additional cost to finish the project two working days earlier?
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Correct answer: C - $2,100
Domain 9: Risk Management
Question 9
A windstorm damages roofing materials already incorporated into an unfinished building. No one is injured, and the contractor has not breached its construction obligations. Which instrument is intended to cover this type of direct physical loss, subject to its terms?
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Correct answer: B - A builder's risk policy covering the project during construction.
Domain 10: Safety - OSHA
Question 10
Before entry into an enclosed utility vault on a construction site, a calibrated meter reads 20.9% oxygen and flammable vapor at 15% of its lower flammable limit. The vault has limited access and is not intended for continuous occupancy. Which entry decision is justified by these readings?
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Correct answer: D - Withhold entry until the flammable-atmosphere hazard is controlled and acceptable conditions are verified.