RBQ exam day

This guide follows one thing: the chain of events that runs from the licence application to the results letter, and what to do at each step. It does not teach exam content. It answers the questions candidates ask the night before: what time to arrive, what to bring, and what to do if the result is a fail.

From application to notice

There is no online exam calendar. You file the licence application, then the Board writes to the guarantor with the date, time and office. The Board recommends being ready when you file, because the notice can arrive sooner than expected. The announced time for a complete application is 60 days, but it varies. If several guarantors are on the file, results are sent only once all of them have finished: coordinate dates among partners.

Before the session, the guide lists the steps to take in time: the exam language (French or English, with at least 7 days' notice if the title is not in English on your notice), accommodations requested with the licence application, and the software practice test for a computer-based exam. For the full path, also read our article on RBQ exam registration and results.

On the day itself

The list is short, but each point matters: arrive 15 minutes early (no one is let in once the session has started), bring valid government-issued photo ID, and for a computer-based exam, the letter or email with your access details. Your notes stay outside the room, and copying the exam booklet is forbidden.

The table of documents handed out varies by exam: the Administration sheet dates from March 2025, the Safety management sheet from November 2024, the Project and site management sheet from December 2024 and the construction work 1.2 and 1.3 sheets from July 2025. A "recommended" text is not necessarily provided. A "Which code?" box reminds you that the sheets name the NBC 2015 as amended as the book provided, even though the NBC 2020 as amended has been in force since April 17, 2025.

After the exam: results and retake

Results arrive by mail, never by phone. If the result is a fail, a section "The retake, in short" sets out the rules, then the steps in order:

1. Request the retake, only one, within 30 days of the notice under section 75 of the Building Act.
2. Include payment: a retake is a new exam, billed again at $105.27 (2026 rate).
3. If the retake fails or is not requested in time, wait 4 months before being admitted again in another application.

A no-show counts as a fail. Since March 1, 2026, the wait is 4 months (the old rule was 6), and a new licence application no longer lets you retake an exam sooner. To contest a decision, the request for review is made within 30 days, with a $407.15 fee. The guide finally reminds you that a passed exam stays valid for 5 years and that cheating leads to cancellation and a one-year exam ban. Our article on the 4-month retake rule explains this change.

A look inside

• A summary table: lengths, the 60% mark, fees, retake, results.
• A retake table: 30 days, 4 months and the no-show that counts as a failure.
• A checklist to tick off the night before.
• A table of common errors (for example, 75% to pass is the mark for a different exam).

Who it is for, and what it does not cover

It is for any candidate whose exam is approaching, including one who has already failed once. It has no study content and no preparation advice, which sit in the 4-week study plan.

Last checked: October 7, 2026. Next review planned: December 15, 2026. One last free practice exam at the real length helps you validate your pace.