So this is where you get all the answers! 
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Good luck to you Matt I hope you can come back and be a productive member. Looks like you found one of the stinkers in the group LOL. Keep up the good attitude and keep asking questions you’ll do fine🙂
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I remember that Code Check Complete was very helpful. Lots of good info and numbers.
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That’s what I’m studying. It’s dry reading but full of information that’s helpful with performing actual inspections.
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Hi Matt. I just passed the exam yesterday on my first attempt with a score of 680. (passing is 500 - perfect score is 800). That’s probably not a score to brag about and I plan to continue to enrich my education, but since it was good enough to pass, I thought I’d try to offer some advice. Sorry this is so long, but since I just took it yesterday, I have a lot of thoughts. I hope they help!
I can understand why you’re frustrated about the nature of the test questions, but at the same time I appreciated the way the test was written. I’ll explain why and offer some advice on how to approach it, but first let me update you regarding the NHEI manual.
The manual shown in Kenton’s post above is the 2015 version which has been replaced with a 2019 version found here http://nationalhomeinspectorexam.org/books. I can’t say for sure how different the content in the new version is, but I have the old version and chose to get the new one (it’s actually broken into two books now). I recommend you do the same. They are likely to be very similar, but the new one is which is about 900 pages (300 more than the old one) and has a lot of color photos etc. I found it to be a good read and very thorough. Be sure to highlight as you go to make studying easier!
First, the easier questions. These are straight forward memory questions such as “how close can this be to that”. Those are the easy questions and when you’re taking the test, you’ll know whether or not you know the right answer. If you’re unsure on a lot of them, then you need to use the following types of resources to study:
- Diagrams in the NHEI manual
- The Code Check Complete book that Eli mentioned. I got 4 questions about distances of service cables! Fortunately, I memorized them all from the diagram which is in the NHIE manual and the Code Check Complete book. Memorizing from a diagram is much easier for me than memorizing from a paragraph of text.
- Notwithstanding the advice above, I highlighted any text in the book that had numbers and facts. I highlighted a lot while reading then went back and reviewed until I knew it.
- I also downloaded a Flashcards app on my phone that allowed me to make my own flashcards and I just added information that I felt I needed to drill myself on.
I found something interesting on the exam that I didn’t expect and that might be what’s challenging you. There were certain questions that required an answer that was not specifically covered in a book. Sometimes these were on topics that are very uncommon in my area of the country so I didn’t have first hand knowledge of them either. At first they made me very nervous, but as I worked through them I realized that I knew the answers. I just had to think through the question like a puzzle and approach it as a process like I would if I were in someone’s home.
For these, you need to use the knowledge you’ve learned about concepts in the book such as condensation, heat stacking, convection, etc to try to figure out the answer. Personally, I tried to come up with an answer on my own before looking at the four options (potential answers). Then I would work through those four options and see which is the “best fit”. Often times they will have two that look like solid answers, but one would have some kind of qualifier in it that would make it correct sometimes, but not all the time. Those will get you if you don’t watch out! For example, one will have the word “only” in it which means that while the answer might be true that “the condition exists”, it’s not true that only this condition exists. These questions require thinking, not remembering. I hope I’m explaining that well.
These kinds of questions were a bit unexpected, but they are important in determining if a person is capable of thinking though problems using knowledge rather than just regurgitating answers to questions. I hope that makes sense. After all, you don’t just want to pass the test, you want to be a good inspector!
My advice in studying for questions like these is that you really need to understand the concepts explained in the book. You can’t just try to memorize things. They need to make sense. When things didn’t make sense to me as I studied, I Googled them and almost always found additional information. It’s a slower way to go, but since it’s very effective, it’s more efficient in the long run. I think the best resource for me was Youtube.com. I’ve spend so many hours on Yourtube I can’t even guess. A few days before I took the exam, I felt uncomfortable about Oil Burning appliances and Water/Steam Heating systems. I sat in front of my TV watching Youtube all day. I’m pleased to say I got 100% of my heating questions correct on the exam. I also watched a lot of videos of home inspectors doing inspections, but I think I got more from videos of electricians and handymen showing how things work. Be careful with the handyman videos. Some don’t follow the rules, but many do. Either way, you will get visual knowledge of something and then when you read over that in the book again, it all starts to fall in place.
My final recommendations:
- The new NHEI manual has a section in the back that offers advice on how this test was written, why, and how to approach it. Read that! I also Googled test taking and found some other good advice about how to mentally work through multiple choice tests.
- Are you aware that there is a difference between the InterNACHI Online Inspector Examination and the NACHI Practice Questions? There are 120 on the exam, but there are 2,093 Practice Questions. Check them out here www.nachi.org/my/education/practice-questions
- The NHEI website has sample quizzes that cost about $15 each. They can be found here https://nationalhomeinspectorexam.org/practice-quizzes. Don’t try to take the real exam again until you can pass these, but even that is no guarantee.
- Read through questions and answers in the inspectors forum here on NACHI. They give you a real world view of what’s going on out there.
- Follow an inspector or tradesman friend around. The more you can get used to the “process” of how to think about these things, the easier it will get.
- Watch a lot of Youtube!
Good luck! I hope some of this helps!
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I passed this test first try, 730, Its common sense, I did not have any manuals, maybe I could have shot closer to 800, this is what I did, STUDY INTERNACHI, Study anything you can find articles, I also took ICA courses, Study study and do it some more and after you pass the test guess what more studding as you will never stop learning, there are all kinds of materials out,STUDY
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Nice post Bryan, Keep on Studying. 
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And remember to check spelling, studding
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Hi Mark,
Just want to thank you for posting this information!! I’ve taken the exam numerous times and always come away more frustrated than the last time. On my last test, I scored 487/500. Coming that close really got to my confidence. I have searched everywhere that I could think of for “suggestions” on studying for this test - this has come the closest to really making sense. Also, could you give the name of the app that you used to make your flash cards? I think that’ll help me a lot also.
I started this process with very little understanding of anything entailed with home inspection. But through reading, taking courses, using apps when I’m not able to use a computer or read. I have gained a lot of knowledge on my own. I’m determined to pass this test because I know that I’ve put in so much time - I’m stubborn and won’t give up!!
I hope that others will use your advice because it seems very helpful. I’ve also taking a lot of the courses that are provided on this website and have done very well with them.
I really think the key is in breaking down each and every question to get to the final correct answer. On my test yesterday, there was a question that had VERY similar answers - one word that looked VERY close to another one but had no relation between them whatsoever!! (Interrupter vs Interpreter). Had I not slowed myself down I would’ve gotten that one wrong - I knew the answer, skimmed the answers and marked one - the WRONG one!!
One question - did you go back and review the questions & answers?? I don’t know if everyone trusts the “go with your gut” reasoning!!
Thank you again!!
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I studied the NHIE manual(focus on this book) like I had one and only one chance to pass then I took the exam. I also looked into the flash cards, NACHI online exam, paid to take the PSI exams offered along with 50+ pages of notes and a big “why” behind all of it. You do not have to be a genius to pass, I’ve struggled with class work especially English. I would encourage you to really pay attention to every detail that you are reading and break it down. Take your time, I read approximately 20-30 pages a day until finished while doing all the above mentioned then take the exam.
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Karen, if you haven’t already you should purchase the Official NHIE Study Manual. It covers everything on the test and makes a great reference manual for the future.
As far as going back and reviewing the questions and answers during the test, I personally do not. I always stay with my first answer.
If you would like, please feel free to PM me and I will send you another study guide you may find useful. Good Luck!
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What Joe said.^^^^^^^^^^^
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Joe, thank you so much for your advice. I do have both the NHIE Inspection Manual and Study Guide - among approximately 30 other books I’ve accumulated. I really agree with going with my first answer. I went back this past time and changed a lot of answers - and could kick myself for doing it. I could’ve caused my not passing the test by doing that!!! But live & learn.
I’d really be interested in the other study guide that you offered. Anything that can help would be amazing.
Again thank you so much!!
Karen Boothe
| Joseph DePiero, CMI OH 2019004114 jdepiero Certified Master Inspector
November 15 |
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Karen, if you haven’t already you should purchase the Official NHIE Study Manual. It covers everything on the test and makes a great reference manual for the future.
As far as going back and reviewing the questions and answers during the test, I personally do not. I always stay with my first answer.
If you would like, please feel free to PM me and I will send you another study guide you may find useful. Good Luck!
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Thank you!!!
I’ll incorporate that into using the NHIE Manual and hopefully I’ll get good news at the end of my next test!! I’m shooting for 12/14.
Karen Boothe
November 16 |
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Here it is. Hope it helps.
Good Luck!
NHIE study guide.pdf (1.91 MB)
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Hi Karen. Sorry for the delay in responding. Your message got caught up in my beer brewing forum messages in my Gmail account just I just now tripped over it.
The flashcard app is an Android app called “Flashcard App - Create, Study, Learn”. Here is a link: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.grude.lernkartenapp
To answer your second question, At the end of my exam, I felt comfortable that I had answered enough correctly to pass so I didn’t go back and review. If I was cutting it close, I would have. My understanding of the concepts of reviewing or “go with your gut” is that if you feel the need to review, then do so but only change answers when you feel strongly or certain that your first answer was incorrect. Your example above is a good one. If you read Interrupter vs Interpreter and answered the question wrong as a result, on second look you might have an Ah Ha moment where you know you screwed up. The other advantage is that if you’re stressed about time while taking the exam, you can keep moving forward, but once done, you can go back and ponder or consider a question for a lot longer without the fear of taking too much time.
I wish you the best!
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Also Karen, and others that will take the exam, they’re may be more that one correct answer. Choose the most correct answer.
And, if you don’t know an answer, mark it somehow and come back to it because later questions may help you realize the answer to the one you marked.
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I noticed this also on the Internachi exam. Kind of confused me as to what they were asking…
I skipped those and pretty much took a best guess.
Some of those best guesses were wrong but better than no answer at all.
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What is the best way or strategy to prepare for the class exam please?