Hi and welcome to this Mometrix video covering what you need to know before taking the Online Inspector Examination, Code of Ethics Course,
Standards of Practice Course, or the National Home Inspector Examination.
The Online Inspector Examination, Code of Ethics course,
and Standards of Practice course are required to be a member of the National Association of Certified Home Inspectors.
The Online Inspector Examination is a free online test that will be graded immediately upon completion.
The unproctored version of the exam works as an entrance exam whereas the proctored version assures governments and regulatory boards
that you meet the above minimum standard level of competency for home inspectors.
The proctored version is offered by community colleges and Home Inspection schools.
The examination consists of the following categories:
General, Plumbing, Roofing, Electric, Heating and Cooling, Structure, Exterior, Interior, Insulation and Ventilation,
Fireplace and Chimney, Wood Destroying, Environment, Ethics, Safety, Inspection Methods, Reporting, and Professional Practice.
You can take the exam open-book and as many times as you need, but the questions will differ each time.
There are 120 randomly generated questions and the exam must be completed within 60 minutes.
True or false and multiple-choice questions are used on the exam.
You may still pass the exam if you run out of time if you manage to answer enough questions to score 80% or more correctly.
There is no penalty for failure.
The Code of Ethics course contains an inspection and writing assignment, reading and writing assignment, 21 quiz questions within 3 quizzes,
and a 15 question final exam.
The Standards of Practice Examination contains an inspection and writing assignment, research and writing assignment,
123 quiz questions within 13 quizzes, and a 75 question final exam.
The questions for these exams are drawn from a larger pool.
There will be instant grading as well as a downloadable, printable Certification of Completion.
The National Home Inspector Examination (or NHIE) is, as stated by the Examination Board of Professional Home Inspectors,
“developed, maintained and administered according to accepted psychometric standards for high-stakes, public protection examination...”.
The NHIE is used for assessment in 29 states and is offered in 300 testing centers in the United States and Canada.
The cost of the exam is $225 per test in most states.
Passing this exam will allow entry into the American Society of House Inspectors.
The content outline currently includes these four subjects:
1. Inspection methods
2. Reporting
3. Building Systems, this includes exterior systems, structural systems, roofing systems, electrical systems, heating and cooling systems,
insulating and ventilating systems, plumbing systems, interior systems, and fireplace and chimney systems.
4. Professional practice
64% of the exam covers building science, 24% covers analysis and reporting, and 12% covers business operations.
The test contains 200 multiple-choice questions and is four hours long.
After taking the test, you will be given a copy of your official passing score sheet at the testing center before leaving.
These score sheets vary depending on state and testing center.
Score sheets may be on a scale between 200 and 800 with 500 as the passing point or it may simply state PASS or FAIL.
Make sure to check with your testing center on how the scores are evaluated.
The best way to prepare for the home inspector exam is by using our study resources.
We offer free practice test on our website to help you get started, but we also offer a study guide and flashcards that will help you to dive deeper
into what is covered on the test so that you will be ready for test day.
Being unprepared for a test can be really stressful.
We firmly believe that our resources will help you to be prepared so that you can pass your exam.
We hope that this video has been helpful and good luck on your test and career!