- What the NM-GB98 Actually Is
- Who Regulates It and Why That Matters
- Exam Structure: Two Parts, One Combination
- The 17 Domains You'll Be Tested On
- The Business and Law Requirement
- Who Can Sit for the NM-GB98
- References and Calculators Allowed at the Testing Center
- Who Hires GB-98 Holders
- A Realistic Prep Approach
- Frequently Asked Questions
- The NM-GB98 combination exam pairs GB-2 Part 1 (80 questions, 225 minutes) with GB-98 Part 2 (100 questions, 310 minutes).
- Both technical parts are open book and require a 75% score to pass.
- Total combination technical exam cost is $269.06; a single-part retake is $134.53.
- Candidates need four years and 8,000 hours of qualifying experience within the preceding 10 years.
What the NM-GB98 Actually Is
The NM-GB98 is the New Mexico General Building Contractor Exam - the licensing test that qualifies a contractor to legally take on general building construction work in the state. It is not a voluntary professional certificate you add to a resume for extra credibility; it is the mandatory examination pathway administered under New Mexico's contractor licensing system, and passing it is a required step before the New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department will issue a GB-98 license classification to a qualifying party.
Because "NM-GB98" is a specific acronym, it's worth being precise from the start: this exam covers general building construction - sitework, foundations, concrete, masonry, carpentry, roofing, metals, and associated trades - tested across two linked parts. If you're still getting oriented, the companion piece What Is NM-GB98? and the shorter explainer NM-GB98 Meaning cover the same ground from slightly different angles, and What Does NM-GB98 Stand For? breaks down the naming convention itself.
Who Regulates It and Why That Matters
The NM-GB98 falls under the New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department's Construction Industries Division. That division approves the exam content, while the actual computer-based test delivery is handled through PSI, a third-party testing vendor. The most recent PSI contractor candidate bulletin was updated April 3, 2026, and it's the document that governs test-day rules, ID requirements, and reference material policy.
This distinction matters because your license comes from the state, but your test-day logistics - scheduling, rescheduling, what you can bring into the room - come from PSI's bulletin. If either party updates a policy, the bulletin is the source of truth, not general contractor exam folklore from other states.
Exam Structure: Two Parts, One Combination
The GB-98 combination technical exam is built from two distinct parts that together determine whether you qualify for the general building classification:
- GB-2 Residential Building Contractor Part 1: 80 questions, 225 minutes.
- GB-98 General Building Contractor Part 2: 100 questions, 310 minutes.
Both parts are open book, and each requires a 75% score to pass independently - passing one does not offset a failing score on the other. The full combination exam costs $269.06. If you pass one part but not the other, you don't have to repeat everything; a one-part retake costs $134.53, which is a meaningful detail when you're budgeting for a possible second attempt. For a full cost breakdown including the Business and Law fee, see NM-GB98 Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown.
Key Takeaway
Because each part is scored separately at a 75% threshold, treat Part 1 and Part 2 as two separate study projects with two separate pass/fail outcomes - not one long test to average out.
The 17 Domains You'll Be Tested On
The GB-2/GB-98 combination is organized into 17 content domains split across the two parts. Question counts are fixed per domain, which means you can weight your study time proportionally to what's actually tested.
Part 1 (GB-2) Domains
Domain 7: General Code, Plan Reading, and Estimating (14 questions)
The largest Part 1 domain. Candidates must read and interpret plans, apply relevant code sections, and perform quantity and cost estimating tasks under open-book conditions.
- Practice reading dimensioned drawings quickly under time pressure
Domain 4: Carpentry (12 questions) & Domain 6: Associated Trades (12 questions)
Framing methods, fasteners, and coordination with electrical, plumbing, and mechanical trades tend to show up together in scenario-style questions.
Domain 5: Roofing (10 questions)
Roofing systems, materials, and installation sequencing specific to New Mexico's adopted 2021 codes.
Rounding out Part 1: Domain 1 Sitework, Footings, and Foundations (9 questions), Domain 2 Concrete and Concrete Reinforcement (9 questions), Domain 3 Masonry (6 questions), and Domain 8 OSHA Safety (8 questions).
Part 2 (GB-98) Domains
Domain 16: General Code, Plan Reading, and Estimating (27 questions)
By far the single heaviest domain across both parts. More than a quarter of Part 2's 100 questions live here, so weak plan-reading or estimating skills will disproportionately hurt your score.
- Prioritize this domain above all others when allocating study hours
Domain 10: Concrete and Concrete Reinforcement (15 questions)
The second-heaviest Part 2 domain, covering reinforcement placement, mix specifications, and inspection points.
The remaining Part 2 domains are Domain 9 Sitework, Footings, and Foundations (10 questions), Domain 11 Masonry (10 questions), Domain 12 Carpentry (6 questions), Domain 13 Metals (10 questions), Domain 14 Roofing (6 questions), Domain 15 Associated Trades (10 questions), and Domain 17 OSHA Safety (6 questions).
For a domain-by-domain study breakdown with subtopics under each of the 17 areas, see NM-GB98 Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 17 Content Areas.
| Exam Part | Questions | Time | Pass Score | Heaviest Domain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB-2 Part 1 | 80 | 225 minutes | 75% | General Code, Plan Reading, Estimating (14) |
| GB-98 Part 2 | 100 | 310 minutes | 75% | General Code, Plan Reading, Estimating (27) |
The Business and Law Requirement
Passing the technical exam isn't the only requirement for new contractor candidates. You must also satisfy a Business and Law requirement, either by passing the PSI Business and Law examination or by completing an approved course. The PSI Business and Law exam has 50 questions, runs 130 minutes, is open book, requires a 75% score, and costs $68.88 separately from the technical exam fee.
This is a distinct examination event from GB-2/GB-98 - plan for it as its own study block rather than an afterthought tacked onto your technical prep. For a plain-language breakdown of exactly what score you need across every component, read NM-GB98 Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass.
Who Can Sit for the NM-GB98
Eligibility isn't automatic. Candidates must document four years and 8,000 hours of qualifying construction experience within the preceding 10 years. Approved education or training can offset part of this requirement - half-time credit is available for up to one-half of the total experience requirement, meaning documented training can substitute for some, but never all, of the hands-on hour count.
There's also a qualifying-party application and work-affidavit fee of $36, separate from the examination fees themselves. Once you're approved to test, examination eligibility is valid for six months, and if you pass, that passing score remains valid for one year - plan your license application timeline around both windows. General Building license renewal itself carries no continuing education requirement, which is worth knowing before you assume ongoing coursework will be mandatory after licensure.
A full walkthrough of documentation, affidavits, and the experience-verification process lives at NM-GB98 Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify. Scheduling specifics, including how the six-month eligibility window interacts with PSI's booking system, are covered in NM-GB98 Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling.
References and Calculators Allowed at the Testing Center
Because both technical parts and the Business and Law exam are open book, what you're allowed to bring matters as much as what you know. Approved references include the listed 2021 New Mexico building codes, the 2021 IRC or IBC as applicable, and standard trade texts. Your references must be bound; you're permitted to highlight, underline, index, and permanently tab them before test day, but they cannot contain handwritten notes or loose inserted papers. A calculator is allowed only if it's silent, nonprinting, and nonprogrammable.
Who Hires GB-98 Holders
A GB-98 license qualifies you to operate as a general building contractor on projects spanning residential and commercial building construction in New Mexico - the domain list itself is a good preview of the job: sitework and foundations, concrete and reinforcement, masonry, carpentry, roofing, metals, and coordination with associated trades under OSHA safety standards. General contracting firms, custom home builders, commercial construction companies, and self-employed contractors bidding public and private building projects all rely on this classification to legally pull permits and sign contracts as the qualifying party.
If you're evaluating whether pursuing this license translates into better project access or income potential, NM-GB98 Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis and Is the NM-GB98 Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 dig into that question directly. For a look at where GB-98 holders actually find work, see NM-GB98 Jobs.
A Realistic Prep Approach
Given the domain weighting, a sensible study sequence front-loads the heaviest domains first while they still have the most runway before test day.
Plan Reading, Code, and Estimating (Domains 7 & 16)
- These two domains alone account for 41 of the combined 180 questions
- Practice interpreting drawings against the 2021 IRC/IBC as adopted in New Mexico
Concrete, Masonry, and Carpentry (Domains 1-4, 9-12)
- Concrete reinforcement (Domain 10) carries 15 questions on Part 2 alone
- Cross-reference approved trade texts while tabbing your codebook
Roofing, Metals, Associated Trades, and OSHA
- Lighter domains individually, but they cover both parts and add up
- Take timed practice sets to rehearse the 225- and 310-minute limits
For a more detailed week-by-week plan, including drills tied to each domain's exact question count, see NM-GB98 Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt. If you want a candid read on where candidates typically struggle, How Hard Is the NM-GB98 Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026 and NM-GB98 Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows are worth reading before you finalize a timeline. You can also run through full-length timed practice sets on our practice test platform to get a feel for the 310-minute Part 2 pacing before exam day.
Key Takeaway
Domain 16 alone (27 questions) is nearly as large as five of the smaller domains combined - it deserves proportionally more study hours than any other single topic.
Once you've internalized the domain structure, a condensed reference sheet can help during final review. NM-GB98 Cheat Sheet 2026: One-Page Review of Must-Know Facts consolidates the fee amounts, time limits, and passing thresholds covered here into a single quick-scan page. And if you landed on this article looking for the certification path itself rather than just the definition, NM-GB98 Certification and What Is NM-GB98 Certification? walk through the licensing process end to end, while NM-GB98 Training covers approved coursework options that count toward the half-time experience credit. You can also start practicing questions right away over on the main practice test site.
Frequently Asked Questions
It's delivered as a combination exam with two separate parts: GB-2 Part 1 (80 questions, 225 minutes) and GB-98 Part 2 (100 questions, 310 minutes). Each part is scored independently at a 75% passing threshold.
The full combination technical exam costs $269.06. If you only need to retake one part, that retake costs $134.53. The separate Business and Law exam costs $68.88, and the qualifying-party application and work-affidavit fee is $36.
References must be bound and can be highlighted, underlined, indexed, and permanently tabbed before test day, but they cannot include handwritten notes or loose papers. A silent, nonprinting, nonprogrammable calculator is allowed.
A passing score remains valid for one year. Note that examination eligibility itself expires after six months, so you need to schedule and sit for the exam within that window.
No. General Building renewal in New Mexico carries no continuing education requirement, though you should verify current renewal rules directly with the Construction Industries Division since policies can be updated.