- IL-ROOF is the Illinois Residential, Commercial and Industrial Roofing Examination, profession 105/test 03, administered by Continental Testing Services.
- The test is 130 multiple-choice questions in 150 minutes, and 70 is the passing score.
- Steep-Slope Roofing Systems carries 35 questions, the heaviest weight of all six domains.
- Passing costs $248 through CTS; the separate IDFPR business-license application is $125.
What IL-ROOF Actually Is
IL-ROOF stands for the Illinois Roofing Contractor License Exam - specifically the Illinois Residential, Commercial and Industrial Roofing Examination administered under profession 105, test 03. It is the credentialing test tied to the unlimited roofing contractor license issued through the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR). Passing this exam is the direct, unlimited route into licensed roofing contracting in Illinois; a separate commercial/industrial-only upgrade path exists, but it requires prior residential qualification first.
This is not a generic industry certificate or a manufacturer training badge. It is a state-recognized licensing exam that determines whether an individual - the designated qualifying party for a roofing business - has the knowledge to be legally authorized to supervise installation work and participate in that business's day-to-day operations. For a full breakdown of what this credential means in practice, see IL-ROOF Certification.
Who Administers the Exam
Two organizations matter here. IDFPR is the state regulatory body that ultimately issues the roofing contractor license. Continental Testing Services (CTS) is the third-party testing vendor that builds, schedules, and scores the actual examination. When you register for a test date, pay the exam fee, or download the official study guide, you're dealing with CTS. When you submit your license application, insurance certificates, and bond documentation, you're dealing with IDFPR. Confusing the two - or their separate fees - is one of the most common mistakes candidates make when planning their timeline. Details on eligibility before you register are covered in IL-ROOF Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify.
Exam Format and Scoring
IL-ROOF is a fixed-format, multiple-choice examination:
- 130 questions, all multiple choice
- 150 minutes total testing time
- 70 or higher is a passing score
- Bring two No. 2 pencils
- A non-programmable, non-printing solar- or battery-powered calculator is permitted - nothing that stores formulas or prints output
There is no essay component, no practical demonstration, and no oral interview built into this test. It's a closed-format knowledge exam based on the referenced study materials described below. For the exact scoring math and what a 70 really means question-by-question, see IL-ROOF Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass.
Key Takeaway
With 130 questions in 150 minutes, you have a little over a minute per question on average - pacing matters as much as knowledge, especially on calculation-heavy estimating items.
The Six Content Domains
CTS structures the exam around six domains, each with its own official item allocation. Knowing these numbers changes how you should allocate study time - a domain worth 35 questions deserves far more attention than one worth 15.
| Domain | Questions |
|---|---|
| Safety & Employee Protection | 25 |
| Roofing Preparation & Materials | 20 |
| Steep-Slope Roofing Systems | 35 |
| Low-Slope Roofing Systems | 15 |
| Rules, Regulations & Business Practices | 20 |
| Non-Residential Roofing Systems | 15 |
Domain 3: Steep-Slope Roofing Systems (35 questions)
This is the single largest domain on the exam, covering shingle, tile, and other pitched-roof installation methods, flashing details, and material application sequencing.
- Expect the heaviest concentration of scenario-based questions here
- Underestimating this domain is the most common reason candidates run out of study time before test day
Domain 1: Safety & Employee Protection (25 questions)
The second-largest domain, reflecting how seriously fall protection, jobsite hazard control, and employee protection standards are weighted on this exam.
- Ties directly into the employment coverage requirements tied to licensure itself
The remaining domains - Roofing Preparation & Materials, Rules, Regulations & Business Practices, Low-Slope Roofing Systems, and Non-Residential Roofing Systems - round out the exam with 20, 20, 15, and 15 questions respectively. For a deeper walkthrough of every domain and the topics tested within each, read IL-ROOF Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 6 Content Areas.
Registration, Fees, and Deadlines
The CTS exam fee is currently $248. This is separate from the IDFPR business-license application fee of $125 - two distinct payments to two distinct organizations. Candidates should budget for both, along with any insurance and bonding costs incurred before the license is actually issued. A full cost breakdown, including renewal pricing, is available at IL-ROOF Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown.
CTS currently lists testing locations in Hillside and Springfield. Registration deadlines run well ahead of test dates - for example, the November 4, 2026 examination has an October 7, 2026 registration deadline. Missing that cutoff means waiting for the next scheduled sitting, so build registration into your planning early. See IL-ROOF Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling for the full schedule.
From Passing to Licensed
Passing IL-ROOF does not automatically produce a license. It's one required piece of a larger IDFPR application package. After passing, candidates (or the business entity they represent) must submit:
- The separate IDFPR business-license application
- Entity documentation for the roofing business
- Proof of a $25,000 continuous surety bond (the bond's face amount, not its premium)
- Proof of at least $250,000 property-damage and $500,000 personal-injury/bodily-harm coverage per occurrence
- Applicable employment coverage documentation
The person who sits for and passes the exam is the responsible qualifying party for the business - meaning they must be authorized to supervise installation work and be genuinely involved in day-to-day operations, not just a name on paper.
Once issued, licenses expire December 31 of odd-numbered years, with the next expiration on December 31, 2027. Renewal runs $62.50 per year, or $125 for the standard two-year cycle, contingent on maintained insurance, bonding, and qualifying-party compliance. Since Illinois roofing law and rules are directly tested on the exam, brushing up on how licensing actually works reinforces both your test prep and your long-term compliance - a topic explored further in IL-ROOF Meaning and What Does IL-ROOF Stand For?.
Who Actually Needs This License
Anyone acting as the qualifying party for a roofing business performing residential, commercial, or industrial roofing work in Illinois needs to pass this exam and hold the resulting license. That includes owners starting their own roofing companies, supervisors being designated as the qualifying party for an existing firm, and contractors expanding an out-of-state operation into Illinois. Employers hiring for licensed roofing supervisory or ownership roles routinely require this credential as a condition of the position - see IL-ROOF Jobs for how the license shows up in hiring. If you're still deciding whether pursuing licensure fits your career plans, Is the IL-ROOF Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 and IL-ROOF Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis walk through the practical tradeoffs.
A Domain-Aware Way to Prepare
Because Steep-Slope Roofing Systems (35 questions) and Safety & Employee Protection (25 questions) together make up nearly half the exam, a smart study sequence front-loads those two domains before moving to the mid-weight domains - Roofing Preparation & Materials and Rules, Regulations & Business Practices at 20 questions each - and finishes with the lighter Low-Slope and Non-Residential domains at 15 questions apiece.
Steep-Slope Roofing Systems
- Shingle, tile, and pitched-roof installation sequencing
- Flashing details and manufacturer application standards from the NRCA roofing references
Safety & Employee Protection
- Fall protection and jobsite hazard control
- Safety references cited in the CTS study guide
Materials, Business Practices & Rules
- Roofing estimating fundamentals
- NASCLA business material and Illinois law and rules
Low-Slope, Non-Residential & Full Review
- Waterproofing and repair references
- Timed practice under the 150-minute limit
The current CTS-linked study guide, dated May 2021, lists specific reference material: NRCA roofing, safety, waterproofing and repair references; roofing estimating guidance; NASCLA business material; and Illinois law and rules. Building your study plan directly around those named references - rather than generic trade-school notes - keeps prep tightly aligned to what CTS actually tests. For a structured walkthrough of that guide, see IL-ROOF Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt, and for a realistic sense of how difficult the exam feels in practice, read How Hard Is the IL-ROOF Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026. If you want condensed reference material for final review, the IL-ROOF Cheat Sheet 2026: One-Page Review of Must-Know Facts is built for that purpose.
Timed practice matters more than most candidates expect. Running full-length practice sessions on our practice test platform before test day helps calibrate your pacing against the real 130-question, 150-minute format, and repeated sessions on the main practice site can reveal which of the six domains still needs targeted review.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. IL-ROOF refers specifically to the Illinois Residential, Commercial and Industrial Roofing Examination (profession 105/test 03), which leads to a roofing-specific unlimited contractor license through IDFPR, not a general contractor credential.
The exam has 130 multiple-choice questions with a 150-minute time limit, and a score of 70 or higher is required to pass.
No. Passing is one requirement. You still need to submit the separate IDFPR business-license application along with entity, insurance, and bonding records, and complete the whole process within three years of starting it.
The current CTS exam fee is $248. The separate IDFPR business-license application fee is $125. These are distinct payments to different organizations.
Steep-Slope Roofing Systems carries the most weight at 35 of 130 questions, followed by Safety & Employee Protection at 25. Together they make up nearly half the exam.