Cheat sheet: the Administration exam

On the Administration exam, points are rarely lost on an unfamiliar idea. They are lost on two numbers that look alike, a percentage calculated on the wrong base, or a time limit assigned to the wrong regime. This Administration exam cheat sheet (3 hours, 60% to pass) is built around those mix-ups rather than the full syllabus.

The module 1 numbers people mix up

The financial management module is where formulas count. The PDF sets them in tables, and what it stresses most are the small distinctions:

• Budget variance: actual minus budget, for the same line and the same period, and the percentage is calculated on the budget, not on the actual.
• Working capital: short-term assets minus short-term liabilities. The current ratio divides one by the other; the quick ratio removes inventory first.
• Sales taxes: GST of 5% and QST of 9.975% (2026 rates), each on the pre-tax price. The remittance is tax charged minus tax paid on eligible purchases.
• Discounts: "net 30" means the full amount within 30 days; "2/10, net 30" adds a 2% discount if payment arrives within 10 days.
• Payroll: net pay is gross minus the employee’s deductions only. The employer’s share is a business expense.

The time limits that get tangled

Module 4 gathers durations that candidates often attach to the wrong case. The guide’s table separates them by regime: loss of the work (5 years), defects (1 year), the licence bond (1 year after the work ends), notice of the legal hypothec (30 days) and extinction of the hypothec without action or notice (6 months). The articles cited come from the Civil Code, which the Board does not hand out at the Administration exam, so you have to know them.

Module 3 adds more dates: the monthly report to the CCQ is due by the 15th of the following month, and the register and supporting records are kept six years after the last year concerned. The guide also reminds you that the Régie licence never replaces the CCQ competency certificate.

The same logic applies to money. An exam costs $105.27, but a new general licence costs $1,291.69 and the annual maintenance $989.81 (2026 rates). To work out the cost for your own situation, use the RBQ licence fee calculator.

A look inside

• The three financial statements, what each one shows and as of which date.
• The plan, organize, direct, control cycle, with the question each function asks.
• The three CCQ certificates and the apprentice ratio, calculated trade by trade.
• A table of legal forms and a table of licences by exam.
• Five traps to avoid, including "the owner-builder sits the Administration exam" (none does).

Who it is for, and what it leaves out

It is for the candidate who has already read the lessons and wants one printable page for a last review. It does not replace study: it is a summary in our own words, with no statute text reproduced. The acts and regulations provided at the exam (per the March 2025 sheet: the Building Act, R-20 and three regulations) should be read in their official versions. Tax detail, article wording and the modules of the other exams are deliberately out of scope.

Last checked: October 7, 2026. Next review planned: December 1, 2026. To go deeper on the R-20 Act, read our article on the R-20 Act in the Administration exam, then see the Administration exam page.