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ICC B2 commercial building inspector exam

S

suds

Member
Joined
Jan 20, 2012
Messages
5
I am on schedule to take the B2 commercial building inspectors exam Feb 18. Any advice or tips about the test that can be helpful?

Thanks!
 
Not really, just know the book and know it well. You will get some really crappy blueprints to read so you may want to bring a magnifying glass of some sort. Good luck!!
 
Yeah, prints will be crap. Set them aside and don't use them till the end, then answer print questions the best you can. As JAR says, know the book, the index and table of contents are your friends. Definitions, exceptions and footnotes, keep them all in mind. Easy questions first, research later in your test time.

Good luck!
 
To me it is all about where to find it in the code, and don't read too much into the question. Also there may be several questions on concrete which you'll have a hard time answering without ACI.
 
Ours are computor test. I like to go through the whole test and answer all the questions. The ones I know or can find the answer quickly I leave alone. The others I answer with logic and gut reaction. The beauty of the computor test is you can flag those and when you have been through the whole test come back and spend more time on them. I have found this to be helpful because I don't waste time or start fretting over one question. In the end I on average quess at about 3 to 5 question and by process of elimination I have a 50/50 chance of getting it correct, or wrong as others may point out.
 
I believe the paper plans are all but gone now. Instead, the exam references an "exhibt" drawing.

Time management is positively an important issue as stated above. Concentrate of the definitions, know every word. Know your way around the references like the back of your hand.
 
Tab your code book and don't take a bunch of additional reference material. Take a quick peek at all the questions (mark them and move on), answer the ones you know and start at the beginning with the marked questions. Leave plans and calculations to the end and don't pay attention to the timer until you know you've been testing for 45 minutes.
 
I also was wondering if the flash cards would be a help to get an upper hand for the exam?
 
Flash cards are useful if they help you to move through the code faster by recognizing key words and associating those key words with a section or code article. However, memorizing flash cards and hoping those particular questions or code sections are on the exam isn't a good idea.
 
= =

suds,

Welcome to The Building Codes Forum! :cool:

As others have stated, know your material, ...be sure to bring

all of the required books, ...answer the ones you know first and

come back to the ones you don't answer on the first try, ...be

mindful of your allotted time, and good sized magnifying glass

is invaluable!......The very best of luck to you, and let us know

how you did.

* *
 
Don't let yourself get stuck on a hard question. Mark it to go back to. Very often the answer will show up in a future question. Sample tests are out there and I have used them to help with good success.
 
Back when I took the test there were a lot of questions on concrete, fire/smoke/draft curtains etc.

I took the computer test...(yes they had computers back then..monochrome screen) and it was helpful to answer all questions but "flag" the ones I wasn't sure about.

Don't spend too much time on each question.

Don't over think the question. Usually your gut feeling is the correct answer.

Read each question the way it is written.....Pay attention to the little things like......Which one of these "are not" required blah blah blah! If you just skim over the question you will miss the main content of the question.

Look for "key" words like exit access, fire barrier which will lead you to look in a specific section.
 
steveray said:
I am taking it on 1/31...I'll see if I can give you a heads up after that...or PM me and I will let you know...
Click to expand...
That would be great to get some information that would be very recent!!

Thanks and Good luck on the test!!!!
 
Just passed it!...there was a confusing question on min rebar cover that didn't seem to give enough info, but I guess when they ask for minimum...look for the minimum possible....I was torn between 1.5" and 3/4"....good mix of questions on interior environment, exterior wall coverings, concrete, masonry, wood, MOE, chapter 7, bump up to Ch 27 for emergency systems.....Fairly well rounded test, I did the whole thing, then went back through it entirely and still made it out in 2 hrs....It was a little tougher for me because I am used to the 2003 codes....
 
Congratulations!!! Now you know what you are talking about! :)
 
When I posted about test taking, one fourm contributer made a good suggestion, take the index from the back out of the book ,right at the start of the test. It makes flipping much eaiser.

If you have absolutely no idea what to guess, guess the same letter for all of them, I would suggest "B".
 
steveray said:
Just passed it!...there was a confusing question on min rebar cover that didn't seem to give enough info, but I guess when they ask for minimum...look for the minimum possible....I was torn between 1.5" and 3/4"....good mix of questions on interior environment, exterior wall coverings, concrete, masonry, wood, MOE, chapter 7, bump up to Ch 27 for emergency systems.....Fairly well rounded test, I did the whole thing, then went back through it entirely and still made it out in 2 hrs....It was a little tougher for me because I am used to the 2003 codes....
Click to expand...
That is great, good job! Thanks for the heads up of what to expect!!
 
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