Randon Measurement Test Frustration

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Hi all, just needed to vent. Took my NRPP Radon Measurement Provider exam today at a PSI exam center. I completed the NACHI Advanced Radon Course, Studied the guide and passed the NACHI exam with a 90…well the exam they give at the location contained a lot of questions that were very off the topic of being a measurement provider. The questions dealt with data based on EPA statistics and didn’t really focus on the measurement and mitigation portions. The breakdown of the exam at the end showed a large portion of the questions were based on health effects (which were just statistics). It’s very frustrating to have spent the time on studying for an exam only to have questions on the test that really didn’t apply to the reason for the test in the first place IMHO.

Has anyone else had this experience?

Needless to say I missed passing the exam by 11 points…all of which were questions that I was not prepared for.

Now I at least know what to focus on moving forward…lesson learned.

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I feel you bud. I took the exam last fall. I studied for a week. Took a class provided by a radon professional (who was very knowledgeable). I felt very prepared going into the exam. However, when the exam was distributed I quickly realized that over half the info I studied was waste of time (at least for the test). I luckily ended up passing, not with a grade I was proud of but nonetheless passing.

Now I’m in the process of getting licensed by the PA DEP. This is a whole other beast! The thing I keep asking is this: If radon is such a health problem and officials are pressing for measuring and mitigating, why aren’t they doing more to help people get licensed! They make this whole process very difficult and of course expensive!

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I’m scheduled to take my test in less then a week. Thanks for the heads up on the health statistic part of the test. I took and passed the InterNachi radon tests with flying colors but I’m not so optimistic about the nrpp exam I’m about to take.

The InterNachi Radon course sure has a ton of good material but in my opinion it all seems rather crammed in and without focus. I wish InterNachi also offered up some videos with this Radon course, like they have with the other courses here. It’s ridiculous that the EPA doesn’t even offer a study guide of any kind to prepare for the test.

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The EPA, AARST, and NRPP all made sure that InterNACHI’s online radon course has everything in it you need. I know you don’t believe me, but there is no question in the NRPP exam that isn’t discussed in our course.

It’s the largest, most robust, most approved radon course in existence.

The course includes:

  • 137,092 words;
  • numerous graphics, images, illustrations, and tables;
  • 123 quiz questions in 13 quizzes

Course covers the following:

Introduction

        What is Radon?

        Definitions     

        Acronyms

Physics of Radon

        Why Some Atoms are Radioactive?

        Pioneers in Radioactivity

        Non-Ionizing and Ionizing

        Non-Ionizing Radiation

        Ionizing Radiation

        Alpha Particles

        Beta Particles

        Gamma Rays and X-Rays

        Where Does Radon Come From?

        Who Discovered Radon?

        Uranium

        Uranium Decay Chain           

        Radon Half-Life

        Curies, Equations, and ER

        Summary

        Quiz #1

Health Effects

        Health Risks Introduction     

        Health Effects of Radon

        Radon Causes Lung Cancer

        Genetic Damage Caused by Radon

        Risk Assessment Facts

        Quiz #2

Radon Entry

        Exposure to Radon

        Radon Entry into a House

        Radon Potential

        Geology of Radon

        How Does Radon Change in the Environment?

        How Are People Exposed to Radon?

        How Does Radon Get Into the Body?

        How Can Radon Affect Your Health?

        Medical Test to Determine Exposure?

        Protecting People from Radon

        Protect Yourself and Family

        Recommendations

        What is EPA Doing About Radon?

        Quiz #3

General Testing Procedures

        General Procedural Recommendations

        Action Levels, Mitigation, and Water

        Short-Term Tests

        Long-Term Tests

        Initial Client Interview

        Measurement Locations

        Radon Measurement Duration

        Written Measurement Guidance

        Quality Assurance in Radon Testing

        Calibration Measurements

        Known Exposure Measurements

        Background Measurements

        Duplicate Measurements       

        Routine Instrument Performance Checks

        Operating Procedures

        Reporting Test Results

        Accuracy & Precision

        Interpretation of Side-by-Side Results

        Recommendations for Mitigation

        Temporary Risk-Reduction Measures

        Worker Safety

        Quiz #4

Non-Real Estate Protocols

        Introduction

        Radon Measurement Protocols

        Citizen�s Guide to Radon

        Measurement Location

        Initial Measurements

        Closed House Building Conditions

        Interpretation of Initial Results

        Follow-Up Measurements

        Short-Term and Long-Term

        Follow-Up Testing

        Quiz #5

Real Estate Protocols

        Home Buyer�s and Seller�s Guide

        Sequential Testing

        Simultaneous Testing

        Single Test Option

        Measurement Location

        Measurement Checklist

        Interference-Resistant Testing

        Influencing the Test Area�s Concentration

        Equipment Interference

        Preventing Interference

        Interference-Resistant Detectors       

        Quiz #6

QA and QC

        Introduction

        QA and QC Defined

        Elements of a QA Program for Radon

        Responsibilities

        Quality Management

        QA Documentation & Reporting      

        Calibration

        Quality Control         

        QA Plans

        Analysis & Interpretation of QC

        Quiz #7

Passive Devices

        General Considerations for Passive & Active

        Continuous Working-Level Monitor CW

        Alpha-Track Detectors (AT or ATD)

        Electret Ion Chamber Radon Detectors (EC, ES, EL)

        Activated-Charcoal Adsorption Devices (AC)

        Charcoal Liquid Scintillation (LS)

        Grab Sampling Bag & 3-Day Scintillation Cells

        Unfiltered Track Detection (UT)

        Quiz #8

Active Devices

        Introduction

        Radon Progeny-Integrating Sampling Units

        Grab-Sampling Working Level (GW)

        Continuous Radon Monitors (CR)

        Quiz #9

Mitigation for Existing Homes

        Introduction   

        Background

        Purpose

        Scope

        Assumption

        Implementation

        Limitations     

        Reference Documents

        Description of Terms

        General Practices       

        Building Investigation

        Worker Health & Safety

        System Design

        System Installation

        Materials

        Monitors & Labeling

        Post-Mitigation Testing

        Contracts & Documentation

        Quiz #10

Mitigation for New Homes

        EPA Model Standards for New Residences

        Scope

        Limitations     

        Reference Documents

        Description of Terms

        Principles for Construction   

        Summary of Model Building Standards

        Construction Methods          

        Recommended Procedures

        Building Standards & Techniques

        Quiz #11

How to Build Radon-Resistant Homes

        Building Radon Out

        Building the Framework: Introduction

        Digging Deeper: Questions and Answers

        How Does Radon Enter a House?

        Does Foundation Type Affect Radon Entry?

        Should All New Homes Be Built Radon-Resistant

        Nuts and Bolts: Installation Guide

        Installation: Step 1

        Installation: Step 2 & 3

        Installation: Step 4

        Installation: Step 5

        Installation: Step 6

        Installation: Step 7

        Optional Step 8: Activating the System

        Sold: Working with Home Buyers

        Appendix A: Architectural Drawings

        Appendix B: Glossary

        Appendix C: For More Information

        Appendix D: State Radon Contacts

Radon in Water

        Radon in Water

        Removal of Radon in Water

        Quiz #12

Standards for Inspecting Radon Mitigation System

        Standards of Practice for Inspecting Radon Systems

Code of Ethics

        Code of Ethics

        Quiz #13
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It is true the exam is a PITA. I didn’t pass the first time becasue I was blind sided by the type of questions they asked. I did pass the second time by a wide margin becasue I knew where to focus my studying on.

Also the InterNACHI course did have everything that I needed to pass and that is all I used for reference. It was just being able to weed through it to do a better job of test prepping myself if that makes any sense.

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I will be taking that exam soon, what areas do you suggest I focus on for the exam?

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All of them, the test covers all of the categories listed on the left of the screen in the advanced radon course. I made the mistake of thinking the test would be limited to mostly testing procedure questions:neutral:…Upon failing they gave me a nice going away present, a list of the categories with the number of questions per category.

Good luck!

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I just returned from taking my NRPP exam. I PASSED! I didn’t get a grade I’m proud of, but all that really matter is that I passed, I guess. I studied here on InterNACHI the most, but a few days before the test I found some very good study guides on Google search that helped me understand it all even more.

As others here have said, make sure you know the pros and cons of all testing devices, as that is a large portion of the exam. Another area I should have focused more on was the EPA consumer guidelines to radon, there is a lot covered on that. Good lucky everyone!

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Congrats. Now how about sharing those links so others may take advantage of the info. Thx.

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All I can say is type this into google “radon and radon decay product measurement course” there are some root directories with good course pdf docs.:smiley:

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So, you come to the MB and glean information from others posts, and when asked to reciprocate, it’s “go to hell”! I see how you are.

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Wow! You have some issues! I didn’t say “hell no”, I just did it that way because I’m not getting into trouble posting material from other programs here. The information I found on google was from another paid course. Maybe if you weren’t so lazy and would have actually looked, you would see why I didn’t post a direct link here. Sorry but I don’t owe YOU anything!

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First off, Jeffrey! I didn’t “glean” information from no one. The courses offered here I paid for with my membership fee! Second if you weren’t so lazy and look at what I posted before jumping to conclusions, maybe you would have found the reason I didn’t post a direct link here. The material is from another paid course program and they left a backdoor open into some of their course material. So if some one wants the material they would have to do a little search work themselves to find it, like I did. I helped as much as I can without getting into trouble for posting it here. That is why I just posted the keywords to search for!

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Wow… no friggin’ sense of humor. Take a pill before you have a heart attack! :shock:

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I took the NACHI courses before my required Florida training courses last year and the state exam and aced it - I mean aced it. What the state courses covered felt like a mild review compared to what had already learned. I feel that the NACHI courses are far more in depth and better…just my experience though.

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It’s definitely the hardest test I’ve taken. You basically have to study all the stuff that you think no one would one ever ask on a test. It’s all in the NACHI course, but most people glance over the minutia.

I’m pretty sure they ask for Marie Curies serial number and birthday.

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Even though I didn’t pass the test with the score I wanted, I do think I almost studied too in-depth into the material. I feared the test would have a lot of math and nuclear physics but it didn’t have very much of that material. The few math conversions and nuclear physic questions were all pretty basic.

The NRPP exam I took was more on basic statistics and on EPA consumer focused testing, then it was on service testing providers. Focus mostly on statistics like smoker vs. nonsmoker, pros vs cons of different measurement devices. I would say I got a ton of knowledge from InterNachi’s Radon Measurement Course that will help me in the future, but to do well on the exam look more so at basic EPA radon publications.

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Thank you all for having been there and done that. With all your experiences I hope that I’m restudying the proper material for my test tomorrow. I’ve been trying to find example questions online but there is nothing really out there. I did find the University of Minnesota offers a Radon Course though, so thank Google.

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I just finished the NRPP Test
Failed
91 on the InterNACHI Radon Test

Need to focus on two areas is study

Physics Equasions

Types of test equipment

Jay Biddle

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Here’s some more info on the NRPP test (Sept 2017) for those who will be taking it.

  1. The NRPP student section has some training material. There are two sets of flash cards with about 200 questions on measurement and mitigation. Those were helpful and some of the test questions were based on those flash cards.
  2. The mix of the 100 questions seems to have remained the same as what I saw in another earlier NACHI post on the test.
  3. Review the EPA Citizen’s Guide. Some questions were pulled from it.
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