About Our Powerful Exam Preparation Classes

Our popular builder’s license program prepares participants to successfully pass the unrestricted Construction Supervisor License State examination the first time they take the exam.

OUR INSTRUCTORS
Our instructors are Certified Building Officials, degreed Architects and/or Engineers, and Construction Professionals, who have taken and passed the unrestricted construction supervisor license examination. They have been trained to present our constantly updated class materials in a way that enables each and every student to understand and assimilate the materials.

THE PRESENTATION
Our students set the pace of our classes. We provide them with the latest materials to build their skills for the examination. They receive thorough exam preparation while having an enjoyable learning experience at the same time. There are no boring reading assignments to complete. Students work with our materials at their own pace, completing them before the examination.

CLASS TIMES
Scheduled classes are held one night a week for seven weeks. They are three and a half hours a night, (some classes go from 5:00 PM to 8:30 PM, some from 5:30 PM to 9:00 PM, and others from 6:00 PM to 9:30 PM) for a total of 24 and a half class hours. Private classes and tutoring classes are at agreed upon times.

SUBJECT MATTER
Classes cover the portions of the Massachusetts State Building Code on which students will be tested which include the International Building Code (IBC 2015), the Residential One- and Two-Family Dwelling Code (IRC 2015); the Architectural Access Board Rules and Regulations (521 CMR); OSHA Title 29, Part 1926; and the International Energy Conservation Codes 2015 (IECC 2015), which is on the exam, and the IECC 2018, which the state now enforces.

CLASS MATERIALS
During the course, students receive over 450 questions to answer and share their answers with the instructor. The instructor addresses each question individually in class to assure that students understand the questions and know how to find the answers to all questions.

During class the discussions between the instructor and students expand upon topics presented, which results in a good understanding and comprehension of critical areas.

Relevant information for the exam is presented and specific topics of high interest are addressed using proven techniques to fine tune student’s skills.

CLASS STRUCTURE

CLASS ONE OF SEVEN
The first class is an organizational class.
∙At the start of class students are given an exam registration form to complete and instructions on submitting it and the associated information required by the testing agency. The instructor goes over the form and answers questions that students may have.
∙An overview of the classes is then given, citing the times and contents of the class.
∙An overview of the course is given, with a discussion of the codes to be addressed during the classes. Students are given a 10 minute break.
∙An introduction to the International Building Code, IBC 2015 as ammended, also known as the Basic Code and/or the Commercial Code, is given along with techniques for making the book exam-ready and user productive.
∙Students are given a 10 minute break.
∙A discussion is conducted on techniques for finding answers to questions, along with working examples of answering questions by the students.
∙Students are given Class 1 Skill Builder, 50 of the first questions for them to answer before the next class.
∙The class concludes with students asking any questions on materials covered in class or questions about upcoming classes.

CLASS TWO OF SEVEN through CLASS FIVE OF SEVEN are very similiar in structure.
Students enter the class. For in-class presentations, the instructor collects the Skill Builder from the previous week and records the student's response rate
to monitor the student's progress.
∙During the first 50 minutes of class, students take a 20 question Class Skill Builder.
∙At the end of the 50 minutes, the students take a 10 minute break and the instructor returns the Skill Builders collected to the students.
∙At the end of the break, the instructor goes over the Class Skill Builder and the Skill Builder, discusses each question, and assures each student understands
the questions and how to find the answer to the questions.
∙Another 10 minute break is given.
∙The instructor reviews areas of high interest and has students highlight those areas in their books.
∙Classes conclude with students being given another set of Skill Builders, each having 50 questions, to answer before the next class.
Note that overviews are given of the International Residential Code, IRC 2015 as ammended, also known as the Residential Code and/or the One- and Two-Family Dwelling Code; the International Enery Conservation Code (IECC 2015); 521 CMR, the Architectural Access Board; and OSHA, Title 29, Part 1926 as they are intrduced.

CLASS SIX OF SEVEN
Students enter the class. For in-class presentations, the instructor collects the Skill Builder from the previous week and records the student's response rate
to monitor the student's progress.
∙Students are given a simulated state exam, consisting of 75 questions. They have three hours in which to answer the questions.
∙At the end of the three hours, the students are given the answers to the question, so that they may look up any questions which they did not get correct
before the next class.
∙Class concludes with students being given another set of Skill Builders, having 50 questions, to answer before the next class.

CLASS SEVEN OF SEVEN
∙The instructor goes over Skill Builder 5, Skill Builder 6, and the pre-MACS exam. Discussions of high interest areas are finished,
and classs concludes by giving students a strategy for taking the state exam.

The main difference between virtual class presentations and the in-class presentations is that the instructor does not collect
Skill Builders at the beginning of class, thus cannot monitor the individual student's progress. Virtual classes parallel the in-class
presentations. They actually generate more discussion between students and with the instructor, enhancing the learning experience.

Students are asked to take the state exam immediately after the last class, so materials are fresh in their mind.
They are comfortable doing so, because walking into the actual exam is just like walking into another day of class ...under control.