How to Tab Your Books for the Florida Contractor Exam

On an open-book exam, time goes to finding things. Good tabs take you to the right chapter in a few seconds. Tabs that break the rules can hold you up at check-in. This guide starts with what DBPR allows, then shows where tabs earn their place in each book.

What the rules allow

DBPR's construction candidate information booklet is specific:

Permanently attached book tabs with only normal chapter or page headings are permitted.

and, on what counts as removable:

If tabs can be removed without damage to the page, then they are considered removable and WILL NOT be accepted.

The booklet also asks you to remove Post-it notes, pull-off labels and removable tabs before you arrive. The reference lists add that moveable tabs such as Post-it flags are not allowed, that handwritten and typewritten notes are not allowed, and that highlighting or underlining with pen or highlighter is.

Two practical rules follow from that wording:

• The tab must stay on. If a tab peels off cleanly, it is removable by DBPR's definition. Use permanent adhesive index tabs, press them firmly along the full adhesive strip, and test one: if it lifts off without tearing the page, do not rely on it.
• The tab text must be a heading that is already in the book. "Article 9 – Payments and Completion" or "Subpart M – Fall Protection" is a heading. "Retainage 10%" or "lien deadline" is a note, and notes are not allowed — on a tab or anywhere else.

Pre-printed tab sets are sold for many of these books. Check that every label is a chapter, article, subpart or section heading before you apply them. The inspector at the testing center makes the final call, so when a tab is borderline, leave it out.

How many tabs

Tab where your search starts, not every page you might need. For most books that means the chapter, article or subpart level — roughly one tab per major division, plus the index. With too many tabs, finding the right one becomes the search. Use highlighting, not more tabs, for the section numbers you look up most often inside a chapter.

Where to tab, book by book

AIA A201-2017, General Conditions

Fifteen articles, and many questions point to a specific one. One tab per article:

• 1 General Provisions · 2 Owner · 3 Contractor · 4 Architect · 5 Subcontractors
• 6 Construction by Owner or by Separate Contractors · 7 Changes in the Work · 8 Time
• 9 Payments and Completion · 10 Protection of Persons and Property · 11 Insurance and Bonds
• 12 Uncovering and Correction of Work · 13 Miscellaneous Provisions · 14 Termination or Suspension of the Contract · 15 Claims and Disputes

A401 and A701 are short enough that a single tab on the first page of each is usually enough.

OSHA 29 CFR Part 1926

Tab by subpart. The subparts that come up most in general construction include:

• Subpart C — General Safety and Health Provisions
• Subpart D — Occupational Health and Environmental Controls
• Subpart E — Personal Protective and Life Saving Equipment
• Subpart F — Fire Protection and Prevention
• Subpart K — Electrical
• Subpart L — Scaffolds
• Subpart M — Fall Protection
• Subpart P — Excavations
• Subpart Q — Concrete and Masonry Construction
• Subpart R — Steel Erection
• Subpart X — Stairways and Ladders
• Subpart CC — Cranes and Derricks in Construction

Florida Building Code – Building

Tab by chapter. Chapters that general contractor questions draw on include Chapter 1 Scope and Administration, Chapter 3 Use and Occupancy Classification, Chapter 5 General Building Heights and Areas, Chapter 6 Types of Construction, Chapter 7 Fire and Smoke Protection Features, Chapter 9 Fire Protection Systems, Chapter 10 Means of Egress, Chapter 14 Exterior Walls, Chapter 15 Roof Assemblies and Rooftop Structures, Chapter 16 Structural Design and Chapter 17 Special Inspections and Tests. The Accessibility, Residential, Existing Building and Energy Conservation volumes are separate books on the list; tab each by chapter the same way.

Contractors Manual

Tab by chapter. Its chapters include Business Planning and Organization, Licensing, Financial Management, Risk Management, Labor & Employment Laws and Regulations, Workers' Compensation, Safety, Construction Contracts and Liability, Construction Lien Law, and Project Management. This book is on both the trade-exam list and the Business & Finance list, so a well-tabbed copy serves both.

Builder's Guide to Accounting (Business & Finance)

This is an allowed reference on Business & Finance only. Tab the chapters you use for calculations — for example Payroll Accounting, Overhead Expenses, Financial Statements and Financial Ratios — and Appendix A, the chart of accounts.

Before exam day

• Remove every sticky note, flag and pull-off label.
• Black out any handwritten notes completely, so they cannot be read.
• Pull gently on a few tabs. Re-attach or remove any that lift cleanly.
• Confirm each book is on the current list and in the listed edition — see the 2026 and 2027 book list.
• Check that PDF printouts are bound with rings, brads, snap binders, spiral binding or screw posts — not staples.

Sources

• DBPR, Candidate Information Booklet — Construction Contractors (excluding Plumbing), reference materials section.
• DBPR, Construction Examinations Reference Lists, 2026 and 2027.

Rules quoted as published by DBPR on October 21, 2026. LicenseAcademy's navigation drills train the same skill tabs support: getting from a question to the right section quickly. Try them with a free account.