1. About the RBQ 2.6 contractor licence exam

The RBQ sub-category 2.6 exam is the theoretical examination administered by the Régie du bâtiment du Québec for candidates seeking to act as qualified representative (répondant) for a contractor licence covering soil-mechanics construction work: piles and caissons, excavation support (Berlin walls, sheet piles, diaphragm walls, slurry trenches), anchor tie-backs, underpinning, and soil/rock grouting. The licence also authorizes the work of sub-category 2.5 (excavation and earthworks contractor).

The exam is offered in French and English in multiple-choice format, lasts 3 hours, and the passing grade is 60%. The four standard pillars (definitions, regulatory framework, plans, execution) are joined by the Estimation and Design block specific to this trade.

2. Exam structure at a glance

The RBQ does not publish a percentage weighting per module for this licence. By content volume, Module 5 dominates the exam — with one competency element dedicated to each major foundation work type (piles/caissons, Berlin walls, sheet piles, diaphragm walls, slurry trenches, underpinning, compaction/grouting), plus quality control and health and safety. Module 4 (Estimation and design) is unique to RBQ 2.6 and tests the geotechnical judgment that distinguishes a special-foundations contractor from a general excavation contractor.

3. Detailed competency elements

Module 1 — Definitions and types of systems

• EC 1 — Define notions and terms (10 skill statements): shallow vs. deep foundations and soil improvement; pile and caisson types (H-piles, tubular piles, belled piles); deep-foundation types (retaining walls, Berlin/soldier walls, diaphragm walls, sheet piles, caisson and pile-group foundations); grouting and compaction vocabulary (grout, return flow, agitator, tamping, dynamic consolidation, grid); underpinning vocabulary; installation terminology (socket, embedment, tremie placement, splice, refusal criterion, dynamic and hydraulic test, strut, temporary and permanent anchor, tangent and secant walls); machinery and tools (jacks, clamshell, diesel/hydraulic/drop hammers, follower, drill bit, downhole hammer); pile testing methods (dynamic and static); soil classification (clay, silt, sand, gravel, cobble, boulder); differential settlement, refusal (point and friction), service load, factored load, hydrostatic pressure equilibrium.
• EC 2 — Material characteristics (6 skill statements): concrete (aggregate, water, strength, mix design, temperature); bentonite; steel (rebar and structural); admixtures (calcium, etc.) and their effects on concrete; quality risk factors (frost, W/C ratio, corrosion); protection of concrete, bentonite (powder and hydrated), and steel.
• EC 3 — Soil and foundation characteristics (5 skill statements): impact of soil types on installation; field of application for pile and caisson types; retaining wall types and applications; underpinning types (in sections and with load transfer); compaction and grouting special-foundation types.

Module 2 — Legislative, normative and regulatory framework

• EC 4 — Situate the work in the regulatory framework (6 skill statements): roles and responsibilities of the contractor, the professional (engineer and geotechnician), and the prime contractor; soil and groundwater investigation responsibilities of the designer vs. the contractor; municipal regulations (vibration, landslide-zone regulations, noise); scope of the Quebec Construction Code Chapter I — Building and the National Building Code (CNRC); scope of foundation design and testing standards (Canadian Foundation Engineering Manual, CSA/CAN-S6, Handbook of Steel Construction, CAN 3-A231 and A23.3, ASTM A-252, ASTM D1143); CSA W59-03 welded steel construction and the Canadian Welding Bureau certification process.

Module 3 — Reading plans and specifications

• EC 5 — Drawings and plans (7 skill statements): locating elements and required performances; symbol meanings; dimensions and annotations; sections and details; general notes and tables; erection drawings (plans de montage); shop drawings (dessins d'atelier).
• EC 6 — Specification divisions (4 skill statements): identifying divisions and sections associated with piles and special foundations; general-specifications interpretation; geotechnical-report information (soil investigation, sounding); welding-information clauses in the specification.
• EC 7 — As-built drawings (4 skill statements): required information in an as-built; adapting base drawings to reflect work as built; approval process; conformity to applicable standards.

Module 4 — Estimation and design of work (UNIQUE to RBQ 2.6)

• EC 8 — Estimating without plans (6 skill statements): preliminary diagnosis of foundation symptoms (soil behaviour, materials, structure); soil-and-surroundings risk assessment; bearing-capacity evaluation for small buildings (allowable pressure); design-criteria collection (loads, soil); technical-solution proposal (underpinning, retaining walls); resource determination (labour, equipment, materials), availability, and daily production rate.
• EC 9 — Estimating from bid documents (5 skill statements): site visit to validate site conformity to plans/specs and assess work impact; calculation notes to refine design criteria; quantity take-off (number of components, concrete quantity); technical-solution proposal; resource determination and daily production rate.
• EC 10 — Shop drawings (4 skill statements): shop-drawing approval process; structural and geotechnical calculations (refusal criterion, blows per inch); conformity to plans and specs; conformity to applicable standards.

Module 5 — Standards and execution of work (largest module)

• EC 11 — Planning and organizing (9 skill statements): sequencing; coordination with excavation and other disciplines; material procurement; steel and concrete conformity certificates; team and equipment scheduling; safe work procedures; stable work platform; aerial and underground obstacles (electrical lines, utilities); equipment verification (crane, hammer).
• EC 12 — Pile and caisson foundation execution (12 skill statements): reference points; pre-drilling; pile/caisson driving by appropriate method; socket and caisson sealing; depth of driving and refusal-criterion verification; hydrostatic equilibrium (caissons); rebar cage placement; tremie concrete placement (and alternatives when water is present in a caisson); underwater pile/caisson installation methods (template, current influence); placement tolerances; specification-performance verification.
• EC 13 — Berlin wall (soldier pile) execution (9 skill statements): soldier pile placement (tubed, H-pile, or drilled) including rock drilling or socketing; lagging placement; backfill behind lagging; retention system (anchor to soil or rock, inclined or corner struts); waler (moise) placement; phased excavation and spoil removal; verticality, anchor tension, and movement-symptom monitoring; water-table lowering methods.
• EC 14 — Sheet-pile wall execution (7 skill statements): template preparation; sheet-pile threading and driving (vibratory hammer, drop, etc.); phased excavation and spoil removal; retention system; walers; verticality and tension control.
• EC 15 — Diaphragm wall execution (10 skill statements): guide-wall placement; bentonite storage and mixing systems with distribution piping; panel excavation in overburden and rock under bentonite slurry; spoil management; joint pipes and panel cleaning; rebar with embedded items; tremie concrete placement; verticality and movement control; continuous quality control of slurry, excavation, and concrete.
• EC 16 — Slurry-trench execution (6 skill statements): bentonite or cement-bentonite storage and mixing; excavation under slurry; spoil mixing with bentonite (soil-bentonite) or disposal (cement-bentonite); soil-bentonite placement avoiding segregation; continuous quality control (slurry, mix, embedment depth, trench profile).
• EC 17 — Underpinning execution (10 skill statements): building protection (pre-inspection, level survey); access ramp; phased excavation with adequate slope and spoil removal; pile and support installation; formwork placement; concrete-section placement; continuous monitoring of ground and structure movements; settlement correction; water-table impact on underpinning work.
• EC 18 — Compaction and grouting (6 skill statements): soil reinforcement techniques (compaction, grouting, consolidation); field of application of soil compaction; belled-pile placement techniques; soil and rock grouting techniques; jet grouting; water-table impact on grouting and compaction work.
• EC 19 — Quality control (6 skill statements): verticality, inclination, refusal criterion, static and dynamic tests, visual inspection; material tests; quality-control responsibility allocation; material quality at reception and storage; interpreting ground-movement symptoms; problem-solving for execution issues.
• EC 20 — Health and safety (9 skill statements): machinery stability; utility-interference risks; underpinning risks; shoring and pile-installation risks; equipment-failure risks; retaining-wall failure risks; compaction and grouting risks; vibration control during dynamic driving; noise standards.

4. Documents at the exam — mixed-book format

Provided at the exam (open book — 2 documents)

• Code de construction (RLRQ, B-1.1, r.2) — Chapter I, Building 1995
• Code de sécurité pour les travaux de construction (RLRQ, S-2.1, r.4) — Safety code for construction work

Recommended reading only (closed book — 5 documents)

• Loi sur le bâtiment (RLRQ, B-1.1) — Building Act
• Règlement sur la qualification professionnelle des entrepreneurs et des constructeurs-propriétaires (RLRQ, B-1.1, r.9)
• Loi sur la santé et la sécurité du travail (RLRQ, S-2.1) — Act respecting occupational health and safety
• CSA W47.1-F03 — Certification of companies for fusion welding of steel
• CSA W59-F03 — Welded steel construction (arc welding)

Several of these documents are available free of charge on publicationsduquebec.gouv.qc.ca.

Note: Module 2 EC 4.5 also references the Canadian Foundation Engineering Manual, CSA/CAN-S6, the Handbook of Steel Construction, CAN 3-A231 and A23.3, ASTM A-252, and ASTM D1143. These are not provided at the exam, but the candidate is expected to recognize their scope.

5. Material provided at the exam

The calculator, ruler, paper and pencil needed for the exam are supplied on site. Only the documents and material handed out by the exam supervisor may be used during the session — personal copies, notes, electronic devices, and additional reference material are not allowed.

6. What makes the RBQ 2.6 exam different

The RBQ 2.6 contractor licence sits at the intersection of geotechnical engineering, structural steel work, and heavy civil construction. It is the only RBQ 2.x licence with a five-module structure — adding a dedicated Estimation and Design block because the special-foundations contractor is expected to make engineering judgments that other contractor licences delegate to professionals: diagnosing foundation problems without plans, sizing solutions like underpinning or retaining walls, and producing shop drawings with structural and geotechnical calculations.

Module 5 is the heaviest module in the entire RBQ 2.x series — 84 skill statements across 10 competency elements. Each major foundation work type gets its own competency element with eight to twelve skill statements: pile and caisson driving (EC 12, 12 skill statements), diaphragm walls (EC 15, 10 skill statements), underpinning (EC 17, 10 skill statements), Berlin walls (EC 13, 9 skill statements). The exam expects the candidate to walk through the full execution sequence for every one of these types — and the order of operations matters because a misstep collapses a soldier wall, fractures a fresh diaphragm panel, or settles the building being underpinned.

The welding standards are another distinguishing feature. CSA W47.1 (welding-company certification) and CSA W59 (welded steel construction by arc welding) are in the closed-book list — no other RBQ 2.x licence includes them. Steel piles are field-welded for splices and rock-socket caps, and the welder qualifications and procedure specifications come directly from W47.1/W59. The exam tests both the technical content and the certification process administered by the Canadian Welding Bureau.

The exam is mixed book. The two open-book references — Code de construction Chapter I and S-2.1 r.4 — must be read carefully before the exam so you can locate building and excavation requirements quickly. Closed-book content includes the Building Act, the contractor-qualification regulation, the occupational health and safety act, and the two CSA welding standards — outright recall, no lookup. Additional reference standards (CFEM, CSA/CAN-S6, Handbook of Steel Construction, CAN 3-A231/A23.3, ASTM A-252/D1143) are not provided at the exam but the candidate is expected to recognize their scope.

7. Recommended preparation strategy

1. Memorize the closed-book content first. The 5 closed-book documents include the Building Act, the contractor-qualification regulation, the occupational health and safety act, and the two CSA welding standards (W47.1, W59). Build flashcards around scope, key articles, and the welding-certification process.
2. Anchor preparation around Module 5 (84 skill statements). Standards and execution of work is by far the largest module. Build separate study tracks for each foundation type — pile/caisson driving, Berlin walls, sheet piles, diaphragm walls, slurry trenches, underpinning, compaction/grouting — and master the execution sequence for each.
3. Treat Module 4 (Estimation and design) as the unique-to-2.6 block. EC 8 (diagnosis without plans), EC 9 (estimation from bid documents), and EC 10 (shop drawings with structural and geotechnical calculations) — practice each as a workflow, not as isolated facts.
4. Drill the welding content. CSA W47.1 welding-company certification and CSA W59 welded steel construction are closed book. Memorize the certification levels, the procedure-specification requirements, and the Canadian Welding Bureau's role — this content distinguishes 2.6 from other foundation licences.
5. Build a clear mental map of foundation types. H-pile, tubular pile, belled pile, caisson; Berlin wall, sheet pile wall, diaphragm wall, slurry trench; underpinning in sections vs. with load transfer; compaction techniques; grouting (including jet grouting). Know when each applies, what soil conditions favour or disfavour each, and what equipment each requires.
6. Practice the as-built workflow. Module 3 EC 7 tests adapting drawings to as-built — required information, approval process, conformity to standards. This is procedural content that rewards repetition.
7. Master the refusal-criterion and bearing-capacity calculations. Service load, factored load, point and friction refusal, blows per inch — Module 1 EC 1.10 and Module 4 EC 10.2 both lean on these. Numerical fluency pays off.
8. Take at least two full mock exams under real conditions (3 hours, only the 2 open-book documents on the desk, single sitting) before scheduling the real exam.
9. Review every wrong answer. The Prof-RBQ.ca platform shows the reasoning behind each correct answer — read every explanation, even on questions you got right.

8. Why Prof-RBQ.ca for the RBQ 2.6 exam

• Aligned with the official RBQ structure — content mapped one-to-one to the five modules and their 20 competency elements, with extra depth on Module 5 (84 skill statements) and Module 4 (the estimation/design block unique to 2.6).
• Foundation-type-by-type tracks — separate study tracks for piles/caissons, Berlin walls, sheet piles, diaphragm walls, slurry trenches, underpinning, and compaction/grouting, so every execution sequence is rehearsed.
• Welding standards drilled — dedicated content on CSA W47.1 welding-company certification and CSA W59 welded steel construction (closed book), plus the Canadian Welding Bureau certification process.
• Mixed-book training methodology — separate tracks for the 5 closed-book documents (memorization with flashcards and spaced practice) and the 2 open-book documents (Code de construction Chapter I and S-2.1 r.4, navigation drills and lookup speed exercises).
• Mock exams in RBQ format — multiple choice, 3-hour timing, 60% passing grade, with the 2 open-book references on the desk — so exam day feels familiar.
• Detailed answer explanations — every question, right or wrong, comes with a written rationale citing the underlying article, code, or standard.
• Bilingual — full course in English and French. The RBQ exam itself is offered in both languages.
• A free section is available so you can try the platform before committing.

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