- The Data Behind the "Pass Rate" Headline
- Exam Structure: The Numbers That Actually Matter
- Domain-by-Domain Item Breakdown
- Why Domain 3 Decides Most Outcomes
- The Open-Book Factor Nobody Talks About
- A Study Timeline Built Around the Item Counts
- Licensing Context That Affects Your Result
- Who's Hiring Once You Pass
- Frequently Asked Questions
- The CR-42 roofing trade exam requires 50 questions in 120 minutes with a 70% passing score.
- PSI's outline weights six domains at 5, 5, 20, 10, 6, and 4 items - roofing systems dominates.
- The current content outline was revised June 8, 2023, so older study material may be out of date.
- Approved references (OSHA 29 CFR 1926 materials, IBC/IRC 2009-2018 editions) can be brought in partly open-book.
The Data Behind the "Pass Rate" Headline
Every roofing candidate researching the Arizona Roofing Contractor Trade Exam (AZ-ROOF) - officially PSI's CR-42 Roofing (Residential/Commercial) exam for the Arizona Registrar of Contractors - wants a single number: the pass rate. The reality is that the Registrar and PSI do not publish a public pass-rate percentage for this specific trade exam, so the honest "data" worth analyzing isn't a headline stat. It's the structure of the exam itself: how many questions you'll see, how they're distributed across the six domains, how much time you get, and what score clears the bar. Those mechanics are publicly documented, and they tell you far more about your realistic odds than a vague percentage ever could.
That's the approach this article takes. Instead of guessing at a number, we break down the actual exam blueprint so you can judge your own readiness against real specifications. For a deeper walk-through of each content area, see the AZ-ROOF Exam Domains 2026 guide, and if you're still deciding how tough this test is relative to other trade exams, the difficulty guide covers that comparison directly.
Exam Structure: The Numbers That Actually Matter
The CR-42 exam consists of 50 questions with a 120-minute time limit, and you need a 70% passing score to clear it. That works out to needing roughly 35 correct answers out of 50 - a threshold worth internalizing early, because it changes how you allocate study time. For the exact math and scoring logic, the passing score breakdown walks through it question by question.
Time management matters too. With 120 minutes for 50 questions, you have a little over two minutes per question on average, which is generous compared to many trade exams - but only if you haven't burned time second-guessing early questions. Candidates who structure their review around the domain weighting (covered next) tend to move through the exam more confidently because they're not surprised by how heavily one section is tested.
Key Takeaway
A 70% passing score on 50 questions means roughly 15 missed questions is your ceiling. Budget your study hours toward the domains with the most items, not the ones you personally find most interesting.
Domain-by-Domain Item Breakdown
PSI's current outline - revised June 8, 2023 - assigns a specific number of items to each of the six content domains. This is the single most useful "data" a candidate can study before test day, because it tells you exactly where the exam concentrates its questions.
| Domain | Approximate Item Count |
|---|---|
| Domain 1: Estimating and Plan Reading | 5 |
| Domain 2: Surface Preparation and Planning | 5 |
| Domain 3: Steep and Low Slope Roofing, including BUR and Waterproofing | 20 |
| Domain 4: Roofing Components | 10 |
| Domain 5: Safety | 6 |
| Domain 6: Repairs and Reroofing | 4 |
Notice the imbalance: Domain 3 alone accounts for 20 of 50 items - 40% of the exam - while Domains 1, 2, and 6 combined only total 14 items. If your study plan spends equal time on all six domains, you're misallocating effort. A far better strategy is proportional review, which the AZ-ROOF Study Guide outlines in more detail with topic-by-topic checklists.
Domain 1: Estimating and Plan Reading
Covers reading roofing plans and specifications and calculating material and labor quantities.
- Only 5 items, but foundational for later reroofing and repair questions
Domain 2: Surface Preparation and Planning
Covers preparing decks and substrates before installation, including inspection of existing conditions.
- Overlaps conceptually with Domain 6 (repairs and reroofing)
Domain 4: Roofing Components
Covers flashing, underlayment, fasteners, ventilation, and other system parts that tie steep and low slope work together.
- 10 items - the second-largest domain, worth serious review time
Domain 5: Safety
Covers jobsite hazard recognition and fall-protection principles tied to OSHA reference material.
- 6 items, and directly connected to the open-book OSHA references allowed in the exam room
Why Domain 3 Decides Most Outcomes
Because Steep and Low Slope Roofing - including built-up roofing (BUR) and waterproofing - carries 20 of the exam's 50 items, it functions as the exam's decision point. Candidates who master this domain arrive with a substantial head start toward the 70% threshold; candidates who under-prepare it are fighting an uphill battle even if they ace every other section.
This domain covers a wide range of systems: asphalt shingles, tile, metal, single-ply membranes, modified bitumen, built-up roofing assemblies, and waterproofing details for below-grade and plaza deck applications. Because it spans both steep-slope (residential-style) and low-slope (commercial-style) systems, it rewards candidates who have hands-on exposure to more than one roofing type - which is part of why the statutory experience requirement (discussed below) matters so much in practice, not just on paper.
The Open-Book Factor Nobody Talks About
The CR-42 exam is partly open book, which changes your prep strategy in a way generic exam advice doesn't account for. Approved references you're permitted to bring include the listed OSHA 29 CFR Part 1926 materials and an edition of the IBC or IRC - 2009, 2012, 2015, or 2018. Pre-existing annotations, highlighting, and permanent tabs in those references are allowed. What's not allowed: loose papers, temporary tabs, or writing in the references during the actual test session.
Important distinction: Roofing Construction & Estimating and the listed NRCA manuals are valuable study-only resources - they build your foundational knowledge - but they are not permitted in the exam room itself. Don't confuse a good study reference with a permitted exam reference; confirm which category each book falls into before test day.
You're also allowed a silent, nonprinting, nonprogrammable calculator, which matters for the estimating and takeoff-style questions in Domain 1.
Key Takeaway
Tab and annotate your code books and OSHA materials before exam day - annotations made during the test aren't allowed, so your reference prep is really a pre-exam study task, not a test-day task.
A Study Timeline Built Around the Item Counts
Generic weekly study templates rarely map to how this specific exam is weighted. Here's a four-week structure that follows the actual PSI item distribution rather than treating all six domains equally.
Domain 3 Foundations
- Steep-slope systems: shingles, tile, metal
- Low-slope systems: single-ply, modified bitumen, BUR basics
Domain 3 Continued + Domain 4
- Waterproofing details and below-grade applications
- Flashing, fasteners, and ventilation components
Domains 1, 2, and 5
- Plan reading and quantity takeoffs
- Surface prep inspection criteria
- OSHA-based safety and fall-protection review
Domain 6 + Full Review
- Repairs and reroofing scenarios
- Timed practice using approved-reference conditions
- Second pass through Domain 3 weak spots
Running a few full-length timed sessions under the same open-book conditions you'll face at the testing center is one of the highest-value things you can do in the final week. If you want a condensed reference for last-minute review, the AZ-ROOF Cheat Sheet distills the must-know facts into a single page.
Licensing Context That Affects Your Result
Passing CR-42 is one requirement among several for an Arizona roofing license, and understanding the surrounding mechanics helps you avoid scheduling mistakes that have nothing to do with exam content. A separate Statutes and Rules Examination (SRE) is required in addition to the trade exam - don't assume passing CR-42 alone finishes your written testing obligations.
On the experience side, the qualifying party must generally document four years of trade experience, including at least two years within the last ten, with certain training-credit, reduction, and documentation-waiver provisions available. Required written examinations generally must be taken within two years before the license application is submitted, so timing your study push against your application timeline matters. For the full eligibility picture, see the AZ-ROOF Requirements guide.
Licensing also involves business eligibility review, applicable background checks, and maintaining the required bond - and it's worth remembering the license is issued to the business, not the individual qualifying party. Once licensed, the standard Specialty Dual renewal totals $650 per two-year cycle: $380 renewal plus a $270 recovery-fund assessment. A full cost breakdown, including exam fees and renewal cycles, is available in the AZ-ROOF Certification Cost guide.
Who's Hiring Once You Pass
A CR-42 license underpins work across residential and commercial roofing - reroofing crews, waterproofing specialists, general contractors who need a qualifying party, and established roofing companies expanding their licensed capacity. Employers and business owners evaluating candidates for these roles care less about how a candidate scored and more about whether they can competently handle the material tested in Domains 3 and 4, since that's where real jobsite risk (leaks, failed systems, callbacks) concentrates. If you're weighing whether pursuing this license makes financial sense for your career, the ROI analysis and salary guide both dig into that question, and AZ-ROOF Jobs covers the kinds of roles this license opens up.
Whatever your motivation, the most reliable way to gauge your own readiness - absent a public pass-rate statistic - is to run realistic practice sessions against the actual domain weighting. You can start building that baseline on the main practice test platform, then return to targeted domain review as gaps show up.
Frequently Asked Questions
No public pass-rate percentage is published for this specific trade exam. The most useful data available is the exam's structure: 50 questions, a 120-minute limit, a 70% passing score, and a documented item count of 5, 5, 20, 10, 6, and 4 across the six domains.
Domain 3 (Steep and Low Slope Roofing, including BUR and Waterproofing) carries 20 of 50 items - 40% of the exam - making it the highest-leverage domain to study first.
Only specific approved references are allowed: the listed OSHA 29 CFR Part 1926 materials and an IBC or IRC edition (2009, 2012, 2015, or 2018). Study-only resources like Roofing Construction & Estimating and the listed NRCA manuals are not permitted during testing.
No. The Statutes and Rules Examination (SRE) is a separate required component in addition to the CR-42 trade exam.
PSI's outline for this exam was revised June 8, 2023. Make sure any study material you use reflects that current outline rather than an older version.