- A GITS BPE (AAE2B Business Procedures exam) is open-book, 50 questions, and runs about 1.5 to 2 hours.
- Florida testing costs $80 plus a testing-site or online-proctor fee; Spanish administration adds $25.
- The exam covers seven domains: taxes, insurance and bond laws, management skills, lien laws, safety regulations, employment laws, and general accounting.
- Most candidates need authorization from their sponsoring county or municipal licensing agency before scheduling.
What Is a GITS BPE?
A GITS BPE is the GITS Business Procedures Examination, administered by Global Independent Testing Service (GITS) as the AAE2B Business Procedures exam. It's used by participating Florida counties and municipalities as part of their local contractor registration process. If you're pursuing a local contractor license in a jurisdiction that requires it, passing this exam demonstrates that you understand the business, legal, and financial fundamentals a licensed contractor is expected to know - separate from any trade-specific technical exam you may also need.
Unlike a national trade certification, the GITS BPE is tied to local licensing structures. The sponsoring jurisdiction - not GITS itself - controls the actual contractor registration that results from passing. GITS is the testing vendor; the county or municipality is the licensing authority. That distinction matters when you're figuring out where to apply, what else you need, and who to contact if something goes wrong with your paperwork.
Who Administers and Requires It
Global Independent Testing Service administers the exam on behalf of participating Florida local governments. These jurisdictions use GITS as a third-party testing vendor so that licensing boards don't have to write, proctor, or grade their own business-competency exams. Because each county or municipality opts in separately, requirements can vary slightly from one jurisdiction to the next - which is why authorization from your sponsoring local licensing agency is generally a prerequisite before you can even schedule a seat.
If you're unsure whether your jurisdiction requires the GITS BPE, or which trade license it's tied to, the sponsoring agency is the authoritative source - not GITS, and not general contractor forums. For a broader breakdown of who needs to sit for this exam and what qualifies you to register, see the GITS BPE Requirements 2026 guide.
Exam Format and Question Style
The GITS BPE is deliberately compact compared to many licensing exams: 50 multiple-choice questions, open-book, in a window of roughly 1.5 to 2 hours. That combination - open-book but time-boxed - changes how you should prepare. You're not memorizing statutes word-for-word; you're learning where to find the right answer fast enough that flipping through references doesn't eat your clock.
- Question count: 50 multiple-choice items.
- Time limit: Approximately 1.5 to 2 hours, depending on administration.
- Format: Open-book, using approved references only.
- Tools allowed: A non-programmable calculator.
Because the exam is open-book, questions tend to be scenario- and calculation-based rather than pure recall - think prorating a tax liability, identifying which insurance requirement applies to a given job, or spotting the correct lien filing deadline. If you want a deeper sense of how tough this actually feels in practice compared to what candidates expect, read How Hard Is the GITS BPE Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026.
Key Takeaway
Open-book doesn't mean easy - it means the exam rewards candidates who know exactly where each answer lives in their references and can work quickly under a real clock.
The Seven Content Domains
Every GITS BPE question maps to one of seven domains. Understanding the boundaries between them helps you allocate study time instead of re-reading the same general contracting material over and over.
Domain 1: Taxes
Covers the tax obligations relevant to running a contracting business, including how different tax types affect job costing and reporting.
- Know which taxes apply to labor vs. materials
Domain 2: Insurance and Bond Laws
Covers required coverage types, bonding obligations, and how insurance and bond requirements protect owners, subcontractors, and the public.
- Distinguish liability coverage from bonding requirements
Domain 3: Management Skills
Covers the operational and supervisory competencies expected of a business owner - scheduling, subcontractor oversight, and basic business planning.
- Focus on decision-making in project and personnel scenarios
Domain 4: Lien Laws
Covers notice requirements, filing deadlines, and the rights of contractors and subcontractors to secure payment through liens.
- Memorize the sequence of required notices and deadlines
Domain 5: Safety Regulations
Covers jobsite safety obligations and the regulatory framework a business owner is responsible for enforcing.
- Know who is responsible for compliance vs. enforcement
Domain 6: Employment Laws
Covers hiring, classification, and workplace obligations that apply to a contracting business as an employer.
- Understand employee vs. independent contractor distinctions
Domain 7: General Accounting
Covers bookkeeping fundamentals, job costing, and financial statements as they apply to a small contracting business.
- Practice basic financial calculations, not just definitions
For a domain-by-domain breakdown with study priorities and reference tips, see the GITS BPE Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 7 Content Areas. And if you want to know exactly how many questions you need right to pass, check the GITS BPE Passing Score 2026 guide.
Registration, Authorization, and Fees
Before you can sit for the GITS BPE, you generally need authorization from the local licensing agency sponsoring your registration. This isn't a self-service exam you can just sign up for on a whim - the agency confirms your eligibility for the underlying contractor registration first, then clears you to schedule.
Once authorized, GITS lists an $80 fee for Florida examinations, which run 1.5 to 2 hours depending on administration, plus whatever testing-site or online-proctor fee applies to your chosen format. If you need to take the exam in Spanish, add $25 to the base cost. These are the only fee figures tied to this specific exam - don't assume costs from a different "BPE"-named credential apply here.
| Item | Cost / Detail |
|---|---|
| Base exam fee (Florida) | $80 |
| Exam duration | 1.5 to 2 hours |
| Spanish administration surcharge | +$25 |
| Testing-site or online-proctor fee | Applicable, varies by format |
| Prerequisite | Authorization from sponsoring local licensing agency |
For the full cost picture, including how the proctor fee and format choice affect your total spend, see GITS BPE Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown.
In-Person vs. Online Testing
Candidates can typically test at an approved testing site or through an online-proctored session, each carrying its own site or proctor fee on top of the $80 base. If you go the online route, be sure your setup is actually compliant before test day:
- A compatible computer with a working camera and microphone
- Zoom installed and functioning for proctor supervision
- Safe Exam Browser installed and configured
- A quiet, private space free of the handwritten notes that are prohibited during the exam
Whichever format you choose, plan a tech check well before your scheduled window - losing exam time to a webcam driver issue is an entirely avoidable way to run short on the clock.
What You Can (and Can't) Bring
Because the GITS BPE is open-book, your reference materials are effectively part of your test-taking strategy. Approved references and a non-programmable calculator are permitted. What's explicitly off-limits: handwritten notes and writing inside your books. That means tabbing, highlighting placement, and the organization of your approved materials need to be sorted out well in advance - you can't scribble a shortcut in the margin the night before and rely on it during the exam.
How to Prepare by Domain
Generic study advice doesn't map well onto a 50-question, open-book, seven-domain exam - the real lever here is sequencing your prep so each domain gets dedicated reps with your actual reference materials, not just passive reading. A structured plan built around the specific domains above beats generic flashcard drilling.
Taxes and General Accounting
- Work through tax scenario questions using your approved references
- Practice basic job-costing and financial statement calculations
Insurance and Bond Laws, Lien Laws
- Map out bonding and coverage requirement scenarios
- Drill lien notice sequences and filing deadlines until they're automatic
Employment Laws and Safety Regulations
- Review employee vs. independent contractor classification rules
- Study jobsite safety compliance responsibilities
Management Skills and Timed Practice
- Run full-length, timed practice sets to simulate the 1.5-2 hour window
- Rehearse flipping to reference sections quickly under time pressure
For a more detailed week-by-week plan with practice question strategy, see the GITS BPE Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt. Running full-length timed sets on our practice test platform is one of the fastest ways to find out which domain is actually slowing you down before test day.
Who Actually Needs This Credential
The GITS BPE exists specifically because certain Florida counties and municipalities require proof of business-procedures competency before granting a local contractor registration. That means the people sitting for it are typically tradespeople and business owners applying for local licensure in a participating jurisdiction - not a general-purpose credential you'd pursue independent of a specific registration requirement.
If you're weighing whether the time and $80-plus-fees investment is worth it against the licensing outcome, it helps to look at the full picture - including how the credential connects to the registration you're actually after. See Is the GITS BPE Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 for that breakdown, and browse GITS BPE Jobs for a sense of the roles tied to this registration path.
Because the sponsoring jurisdiction controls the actual contractor registration, passing the exam is one step in a larger process, not the finish line. Confirm with your local agency exactly what happens after you pass, and keep your score report and authorization paperwork organized in case you need to submit it as part of your registration file.
Key Takeaway
Passing the GITS BPE proves business-procedures competency to your sponsoring agency - the agency, not GITS, ultimately issues the local contractor registration.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. The GITS BPE is a business-procedures exam required by some Florida counties and municipalities as part of a local contractor registration process. The actual license or registration is issued by the sponsoring jurisdiction, not by GITS.
Generally yes. Candidates typically need authorization from their sponsoring local licensing agency before they can register for a GITS BPE session.
No. Handwritten notes and writing inside your reference books are prohibited. You may use approved references as-is, plus a non-programmable calculator.
GITS lists an $80 fee for Florida examinations, plus the applicable testing-site or online-proctor fee. Taking the exam in Spanish adds $25. For a full breakdown, see the GITS BPE Certification Cost guide.
A compatible computer with a working camera and microphone, plus Zoom and Safe Exam Browser installed and configured for proctor supervision.