MA Unrestricted CSL · PSI Exam · 10th Edition

The MA CSL exam is open-book. Act like it.

You don't need to memorize the building code. You need to know your book so well you can find any answer in seconds. CSL DRILL trains exactly that — and nothing else.

No $600 class No wasted retakes Tab it your way
Start Drilling — $39 See what's inside
One-time $39  ·  No subscription  ·  Instant browser access
Built by a contractor who passed the 10th-edition exam — and mapped out how.
CSL DRILL — Practice Mode
Question 18 of 75 Score: 78%
Under 780 CMR, what is the minimum frost protection depth for footings in Massachusetts?
A
24 inches below grade
B
48 inches below grade ✓
C
36 inches below grade
D
12 inches below grade
📖  780 CMR Table R301.2(1) — Chapter 3, Climate & Geography
MA frost depth is 48 in. — deeper than most states.
Every question gives you the exact code reference, so your books get tabbed and ready as you drill.
574
Questions
19
Topics
70%
Pass Line
574
Exam-Mapped Questions
19
Topic Categories
75
Question Exam Simulator
70%
Pass Target Tracking

The new 10th-edition MA CSL exam is a different animal — widely considered far harder than the version before it. If someone told you it was easy, they sat an older version.

Why this exists

When I studied for it, there was nothing.

When I studied for the Unrestricted CSL, the prep out there was thin — wrong answer keys, no Massachusetts 10th-edition content, and nothing that taught the one skill the open-book exam actually tests. So I built my own system. I spent about a month working out which questions show up and exactly where each answer lives, then tabbed and highlighted every one. By test day my code book had stopped being a reference and started being a shortcut. I wasn't hunting for answers — I was confirming them.

This is what I walked out with the day I got licensed. Now it's yours. You shouldn't have to rebuild it from scratch — the questions are already written and the references already mapped. You just answer them, tab your book as you go, and show up ready.

— The contractor who built CSL DRILL
What's inside

Built to drill, not to lecture.

Everything you need to practice efficiently and walk into that exam room prepared.

01

574 Exam-Mapped Questions

Every section the exam tests, with a plain-English explanation on every answer. You're not just seeing the right answer — you're seeing exactly how to find it.

02

Full Exam Simulator

Run a real 75-question, 3-hour (180-minute) timed PSI exam so you know exactly what the clock feels like before you're in the room. Short 5–25 question drills available too.

03

Weak-Area Tracker

The weak-area tracker automatically highlights your blind spots against the 70% pass line — so you don't waste a single study hour on sections you've already mastered.

04

Massachusetts Unrestricted

Built specifically for the hardest CSL level: 780 CMR, 225 CMR Stretch Code, MA frost depth, license rules. The stuff generic national prep skips entirely.

05

Tab & Highlight Everything

Code questions include the exact section to look up. Work through this app once and your books are tabbed and highlighted. For estimating and plan-reading, you're building the math intuition. Either way, you're ready.

06

Browser-Based, Any Device

Runs in your browser on phone, tablet, or laptop. No download, no install. Drill on the job site, in the truck, or on the couch. Progress saves to your account.

What to bring

The 8 official reference books.

The Unrestricted exam is open book — you bring your own copies. Tab them as you drill through CSL DRILL, and by test day you know exactly where everything lives.

IBC 2021 — International Building Code
Construction types, heights & areas, occupant loads, egress
780 CMR — MA Building Code, 10th Ed. (Commercial)
MA amendments to IBC — administrative rules, permits, inspections
IRC 2021 — International Residential Code
Framing, foundations, moisture, roofing for 1- & 2-family
780 CMR — MA Residential Code, 10th Ed.
MA amendments to IRC for one- and two-family dwellings
IECC 2021 — International Energy Conservation Code
Base energy code; MA Stretch Code (225 CMR) layered on top
225 CMR — MA Stretch Energy Code (Residential + Commercial)
Blower-door, HERS, EV-ready — MA-specific, shows up regularly
521 CMR — Architectural Access Board Rules (2006)
MA accessibility requirements — ramps, doors, clearances
OSHA 29 CFR 1926 — Construction Safety Standards
Fall protection, scaffolding, excavation, PPE

Verify the current approved-materials list with PSI before your exam. References may be tabbed and highlighted in advance — permanent tabs only, no Post-It notes.

What's tested

The exam: 75 questions, 14 content areas.

PSI groups the real exam into 14 content areas. CSL DRILL breaks its 574 questions into 19 finer-grained topic categories — so your weak-area tracker pinpoints exactly where to focus, not just the broad bucket.

Structural Framing80 Qs
Fire Protection62 Qs
Means of Egress50 Qs
Energy Efficiency42 Qs
MA Administrative42 Qs
Concrete & Masonry41 Qs
OSHA / Safety40 Qs
General Building Knowledge36 Qs
+ 11 more topic categories181 Qs
The weak-area tracker scores every category against the 70% pass line, weakest first — so every study hour goes where it actually counts.
Skip the classroom

You don't need a $600 weekend course.

Prep classes are expensive, run for weeks, and meet on someone else's schedule. Then they hand you a book tabbed the way the instructor likes it. The exam doesn't care how you studied — it cares whether you can find the answer.

Don't let an instructor tab your book.
Let the test tab your book.

Drill the real question types and your tabs land exactly where the exam pulls from. On your schedule, in the truck or on the couch, for a fraction of the price.

Hundreds of dollars
$39, one time
Weeks on a fixed schedule
Drill anytime, any device
Generic, national material
MA 10th-edition specific
The difference

Guessing vs. knowing exactly where to look.

❌ Free Quizlet decks and winging it
~100 questions max, some with wrong answers or questions that make no sense
No MA-specific content, no 10th-edition coverage, no book hints
Flipping through the index for the first time under a 3-hour clock
Spending 5 minutes per question looking things up instead of 30 seconds
Paying the exam fee again and taking another day off the job site
✅ Drilling with CSL DRILL
Your books are tabbed and highlighted before you ever walk in
You've seen every question type — nothing on test day surprises you
You know which answers you have cold and which need a quick lookup
Finished with time to spare, double-checked, walked out confident
$39 one-time vs. hundreds in wasted retake fees and lost wages
Is this for you?

If you're sitting for the CSL exam, yes.

A few specific situations where CSL DRILL makes the biggest difference.

Going for an Unrestricted CSL

The Massachusetts Unrestricted CSL is the hardest version of this license. CSL DRILL is built around it from the ground up.

Upgrading Restricted → Unrestricted

Already have a Restricted CSL and want to pull permits on any job? The Unrestricted exam is a different animal. Drill the gaps before you sit.

Retaking after a fail

Plenty of experienced contractors don't pass the first time. The 10th-edition content is broader and harder. Data-driven drilling tells you exactly what to fix.

Cramming — exam in days

Test this week? The weak-area tracker shows your soft spots in minutes, so every hour you have left goes straight to the questions most likely to trip you up.

Exam in the next 30–60 days

No time to waste on material that won't be tested. Drill efficiently, tab as you go, and walk in with a book that's already done.

Not in Massachusetts?

The app includes a Massachusetts toggle — once you're in, flip it off to focus purely on general CSL practice on the 2021 IBC, IRC, IECC, and OSHA (the 780 CMR + Stretch Code items drop out). Useful prep in any state on the national codes.

Try before you buy

Take 3 sample questions.

Answer and you'll see right away if you got it — green or red, with the code reference. Just a taste; the full app has 574.

Exam clock 3:00
Question 1 of 3 · OSHA / Safety
Under OSHA 29 CFR 1926, fall protection is generally required in construction at heights of how much above a lower level?
📖 OSHA 29 CFR 1926.501(b) In construction, fall protection is generally required at 6 feet or more above a lower level.
Question 2 of 3 · Concrete & Masonry
Concrete's specified compressive strength (f′c) is standardly measured at what age?
📖 ACI 318 / IBC Chapter 19 Compressive strength is specified at 28 days. Cylinders are often broken at 7 days for an early read, but 28 days is the standard.
Question 3 of 3 · Means of Egress
Per the IBC, a second means of egress is generally required once a space's occupant load exceeds how many?
📖 IBC Table 1006.2.1 For most occupancies, one exit is allowed up to an occupant load of 49 — beyond that, two exits are required.
One price. Yours for good.

Pay once. Pass once. Done.

★ Founding Price · First 50 Members
$ 39 one-time
payment
Regular price $49  ·  Save $10 today
  • All 574 exam-mapped questions
  • Full 75-question, 3-hour timed exam simulator
  • Weak-area tracking & progress history
  • Explanations on every single answer
  • Massachusetts 10th-edition content
  • Instant browser access on any device
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FAQ

Questions before you buy.

Is this affiliated with the state or the licensing board? +
No. CSL DRILL is an independent study tool. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the Board of Building Regulations and Standards (BBRS), or any official exam provider. It's a practice resource to help you prepare.
Will this guarantee I pass? +
No tool can guarantee a passing score, and anyone who promises that isn't being straight with you. What this does is let you practice realistically, find your weak spots, and walk in prepared. The work is still yours to do.
How long is the exam? +
The Unrestricted CSL exam is 75 questions in 180 minutes (3 hours), administered by PSI. The exam simulator in CSL DRILL runs on the same 3-hour clock, so the timing feels familiar on test day.
Is the exam open-book? Do I still need the code books? +
Yes, and that's the whole point. The exam is open-book, which means it's really a test of how fast you can navigate your references under a clock. CSL DRILL builds that skill directly: every question tells you exactly where the answer lives, so by exam day your books are tabbed, marked, and mapped in your head. You're not memorizing — you're training your lookup speed.
I'm not in Massachusetts. Can I still use it? +
Yes. The app has a Massachusetts toggle. Turn off the MA-specific items (the 780 CMR amendments and the 225 CMR Stretch Code) and you're left with a general Construction Supervisor practice bank built on the national 2021 codes — IBC, IRC, IECC — plus OSHA 29 CFR 1926. The MA-specific drilling is the core of the product, so it's at its strongest for Massachusetts candidates.
Is the content up to date? +
It's built around the 10th edition of the Massachusetts State Building Code, which exam testing has been based on since January 2025. As the code and rules change, your access includes updates at no extra cost.
What's the refund policy? +
Because this is instant-access digital content, once you start your first practice session the material has been used and refunds aren't available. If you hit a billing or technical problem before you begin, email support@csldrill.com and we'll sort it out. See the full refund policy.
How do I access it after I pay? +
You'll create a login at checkout and get instant access in your browser on any device. Your progress and history save to your account.

Walk in with a book that's ready. Walk out licensed.

The exam is open-book. The only question is whether yours is ready to use.

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