[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":88},["ShallowReactive",2],{"guide-question-maryland-contractor-simulator-contractor-mental-health":3},{"site":4,"simulation":15,"topic":23,"question":26,"siblings":48,"prev":86,"next":87},{"name":5,"tagline":6,"title":7,"description":8,"guideTitle":9,"guideDescription":10,"ogImage":11,"disclaimer":12,"practicePitch":13,"citationsTitle":14},"Free MHIC Training","Maryland home improvement exam prep","Free MHIC Exam Prep: Maryland Home Improvement Contractor Practice","Free, narrated MHIC exam prep: 147 real Maryland contractor scenarios, every choice explained, with the law cited where it applies.","MHIC Exam Study Guide","Every scenario in the free Maryland Contractor Simulator, written out as a practice question: the situation, your options, how each choice plays out, and the Maryland law where it applies.","/og/free-mhic-training.png","Free MHIC Training is free study material for the Maryland home improvement contractor exam. It is not affiliated with the Maryland Home Improvement Commission and is not legal advice.","The free Maryland Contractor Simulator puts you in situations like these across a 40-day contracting career, narrated, with your license on the line. No account needed.","Law and codes cited",{"slug":16,"title":17,"subtitle":18,"description":19,"maxTurns":20,"characterCount":21,"scenarioCount":22},"maryland-contractor-simulator","Maryland Contractor Simulator","Learn the law by living it.","You just got your MHIC license application approved and you're starting your home improvement business in Maryland. Navigate real contractor scenarios — contracts, permits, clients, subcontractors, and inspectors. Every choice teaches you the law through consequence, not memorization. Master all five exam areas to pass.",40,20,147,{"slug":24,"title":25},"running-your-business","Running a Compliant Business",{"slug":27,"title":28,"description":29,"takeaway":30,"situation":31,"speaker":34,"speakerDescription":34,"speakerAvatar":34,"audioUrl":35,"choices":36,"citations":47},"contractor-mental-health","How does contractor burnout lead to MHIC complaints?","Overextension sets off a cascade: mistakes increase, communication slips, clients complain, and the stress causes more mistakes.","Overextension sets off a cascade: mistakes increase, communication slips, clients complain, and the stress causes more mistakes. Taking on fewer jobs and doing them well protects your license and your health.",[32,33],"It's been a brutal month. Three projects running simultaneously, a client threatening to sue, a subcontractor who ghosted, and your insurance premium just went up. You're exhausted, irritable, and making mistakes you normally wouldn't.","You snap at a client over the phone about a minor schedule change.",null,"/media/voices/contractor_mental_health.mp3",[37,42],{"text":38,"verdict":39,"label":40,"explanation":41},"Call the client back and apologize. Then honestly assess your workload — you're overextended. Adjust your scheduling to a sustainable pace. Taking on too much work and doing it poorly is worse than doing less work well","best","Important lesson","Construction has one of the highest burnout and mental health challenge rates of any industry. Overextending creates a cascade: mistakes increase, communication suffers, clients complain, complaints stress you more, more mistakes follow. A contractor who takes 3 jobs and does them well has better long-term outcomes than one who takes 6 and does them poorly. Your license, reputation, and health all depend on sustainable practices.",{"text":43,"verdict":44,"label":45,"explanation":46},"Push through it — this is just how the business works","partial","Unsustainable","'Push through' is how contractors develop substance abuse problems, destroy client relationships, make code-violating mistakes, and eventually burn out of the industry. The construction industry loses experienced contractors to burnout at an alarming rate. Recognizing when you're overextended isn't weakness — it's the same risk management you apply to your projects. Manage yourself like you manage your business.",[],[49,52,55,58,61,64,67,70,73,76,77,80,83],{"slug":50,"title":51,"topic":24},"record-keeping","What records should a Maryland contractor keep?",{"slug":53,"title":54,"topic":24},"concurrent-projects-limit","How many projects can you take on before quality suffers?",{"slug":56,"title":57,"topic":24},"flipper-fast-and-cheap","How do you estimate honestly for a flipper on a tight budget?",{"slug":59,"title":60,"topic":24},"flipper-negotiation","Should you match a lowball bid to win a job?",{"slug":62,"title":63,"topic":24},"flipper-corner-cutting","Who is liable when a client tells your crew to cut corners?",{"slug":65,"title":66,"topic":24},"diy-sticker-shock","How do you handle a client's sticker shock?",{"slug":68,"title":69,"topic":24},"diy-comes-back","How should you structure a payment plan for a returning client?",{"slug":71,"title":72,"topic":24},"attorney-project-management","Are weekly progress reports worth the effort?",{"slug":74,"title":75,"topic":24},"veteran-accessibility","What grants help disabled veterans pay for home modifications?",{"slug":27,"title":28,"topic":24},{"slug":78,"title":79,"topic":24},"final-exam-prep","What is the most important thing to know for the MHIC exam?",{"slug":81,"title":82,"topic":24},"the-right-way-summary","What one habit keeps contractors out of trouble with the MHIC?",{"slug":84,"title":85,"topic":24},"graduation-scenario","What advice would you give a newly licensed Maryland contractor?",{"slug":74,"title":75,"topic":24},{"slug":78,"title":79,"topic":24},1792184485553]