Builder's Guide to Accounting
The accounting reference for the Business & Finance exam: financial statements, job costing, percentage-of-completion, ratios, and cash management — with worked examples.
35 questions in our bank cite this reference.
The one thing to know
Calculation questions come straight from this book's methods. Tab the ratio formulas and the percentage-of-completion chapter, and bring a calculator you know.
Your tab set
Florida exams allow pre-tabbed, highlighted references. Build these tabs before exam day, in book order.
Percentage-of-completion vs completed-contract
Direct vs indirect costs, overhead allocation and recovery
Billings in excess, costs in excess
Balance sheet, income statement, current vs long-term classification
Current, quick, debt-to-equity, working capital
Pricing for target margin, break-even
Cash flow projections, receivables, retainage tracking
Straight-line method, salvage value, equipment ownership costs
Highlight the question, underline the answer
Don't just tab your books — mark them as you practice. Every time a question sends you into a reference, leave a two-part mark behind: highlight the passage the question is about, and underline the exact words that answer it. Do this through your whole question bank and the book turns into a map of the tested material — so on exam day you recognize the spot, not just the section.
- 1
Highlight what the question asks about
When you look up a practice question, highlight the sentence or table the question turns on. That block is now a visual landmark you'll spot on a fast flip.
- 2
Underline the exact answer
Inside the highlight, underline the specific number, deadline, or phrase that is the answer — with a fine-tip pen. Highlight = the topic; underline = the fact.
- 3
Color-code by what trips you up
Use one highlighter color for deadlines and numbers, another for definitions, a third for the answers you got wrong twice. Your weak spots become the brightest marks in the book.
- 4
Let your tabs and marks compound
A tab gets you to the chapter; the highlight gets you to the paragraph; the underline gets you to the answer. Built up across a full question bank, that three-layer trail is the open-book skill the exam actually tests.
All marking must be done before you walk in — the rules allow pre-marked books but bar making any new marks (or bringing notes) during the exam.
Navigating under time pressure
- Chapters follow the accounting cycle: records → statements → analysis. Ratio definitions cluster in the financial statement analysis chapter.
- Over/underbilling (billings vs costs and estimated earnings) sits with the WIP schedule material.