Home Inspector National Exam Prep Questions and Answers Updated 2026

Home Inspector National Exam
Prep Questions and Answers
Updated 2026
ItAisAimportantAtoAmaintainAaApositiveAgradeAawayAfromAtheAstructureAofAatALEAST
A_______AinchAdropAperAfootAforAsixAfeet.AA.A1/4AB.A1/2AC.A3/4AD.A1A-AAnswerA1


WhichAofAtheAfollowingABESTAdescribesAtheAreportAstatementAshownAbelow?A"TheAr
oofAisAinAgoodAconditionAforAitsAage."AA.AConclusionAB.ARecommendationAC.ADescrip
tionAD.ADisclaimerA-AAnswerAConclusion


WhichAofAtheAfollowingAconditionsAwouldAbeALEASTAcriticalAtoAyourAclient'sAsafety?A
A.AAApinAholeAinAtheAheatAexchangerAB.ANoAhandrailsAonAanAinteriorAstairwayAC.AL
ackAofAaApressureAandAtemperatureAreliefAvalveAonAtheAwaterAheaterAD.AAAnon-
reversingAgarageAdoorAopenerA-AAnswerAAApinAholeAinAtheAheatAexchanger


TheAnormalAMINIMUMArunAforAaAresidentialAstairAtreadAis:AA.A7Ain.AB.A8Ain.AC.A9Ai
n.AD.A11Ain.A-AAnswerA9Ainches


StandardAthreeAlightAelectricalAtestersAareANOTAalwaysAreliableAbecause:AA.ASomeAre
ceptaclesAonlyAhaveAtwoAprongsAB.AThreeAlightAtestersAsometimesAhaveAbrokenAbul
bsAC.AThreeAlightAtestersAwillAnotAdetectAmultipleAwiringAproblemsAD.ADifferentAtest
AdeviceAmanufacturesAhaveAdifferentAlightApatternsA-
AAnswerAThreeAlightAtestersAwillAnotAdetectAmultipleAwiringAproblems


BulgingAplasterAisAobservedAhighAupAonAseveralAbedroomAwalls.ATheAprimaryAconcer
nAisAtheAbulgingAplasterAisAa(n):AA.AinstallationAdefectAB.AindicationAtheAhomeAwasA
veryAcoldAforAaAperiodAofAtimeAC.AindicationAtheAairAhandlerAleakedAD.ApotentialAsa
fetyAissueA-AAnswerAPotentialAsafetyAissue


EIFSAisAaAsidingAmaterialAthat:AA.AIsAusedAinAcommercialAbuildingsAonly.AB.ALooksAli
keAstuccoAbutAlacksAaAwireAmesh.AC.ACanAbeAinstalledAonAtopAofAaAmodifiedAbitum
enAmembrane.AD.ACanAbeAinstalledAonAtopAofAaAmasonryAsurface.A-
AAnswerALooksAlikeAstuccoAbutAlacksAaAwireAmesh

,WhileAinspectingAaAhome,AyouAobserveAaAlargeAceilingAfanAwithAbuilt-
inAlamps.AThisAinstallationArequiresAa(an):AA.AStrongAceiling.AB.APancakeAjunctionAbox
.AC.AApprovedAbraceAorAbox.AD.ALargerAjunctionAbox.A-
AAnswerAApprovedAbraceAorAbox


WhatAareAtheAtypesAofAheatAthatAmustAbeAtakenAintoAaccountAwhenAcalculatingAth
eAcoolingAloadsAforAanAHVACAsystem?


a.ASensibleAandAradiantAheatA
b.ARadiantAandAconductiveAheatA
c.AConductiveAandAlatentAheatA
d.ASensibleAandAlatentAheatA-AAnswerASensibleAandAlatentAheat


WhichAofAtheAfollowingAwouldAbeAmostAlikelyAtoAhaveAtheAhighestAR-value?


a.A6"AfiberglassAbattAinsulationA
b.A12"Acast-in-placeAconcreteAwallA
c.A2"AextrudedApolystyreneApanelA
d.ATripleAinsulatedAglazingAsystemAwithA½"AairAspacesA-
AAnswerA6"AfiberglassAbattAinsulation


AnAinspectorAcanAoftenAdetermineAtheAapproximateAageAofAaAhomeAbyAitsAmethod
AofAconstruction.AWhichAofAtheAfollowingAchoicesAshowsAtheAmethodsAofAconstructi
onAinAorderAfromAfirstAdevelopedAtoAmostArecentlyAdeveloped?


a.APostAandAbeamAconstruction,AballoonAframing,AplatformAframing,AICFAconstruction
A
b.ABalloonAframing,ApostAandAbeamAconstruction,AICFAconstruction,AplatformAframing
A
c.AICFAconstruction,AballoonAframing,ApostAandAbeamAconstruction,AplatformAframing
A

, d.APostAandAbeamAconstruction,AplatformAframing,AballoonAframing,AICFAconstruction
A-
AAnswerAPostAandAbeamAconstruction,AballoonAframing,AplatformAframing,AICFAconst
ruction


OneAisAinspectingAanAEIFSA(ExteriorAInsulationAandAFinishingASystem)AwallAsystemAfo
rAdeficiencies.AWhereAwouldAtheseAbeAmostAlikelyAtoAoccur?


a.AWindowAheadsA
b.ATheAcenterAofAlargeAexpansesAofAEIFSA
c.AAlongAtheAbottomAedgeAofAtheAEIFSAinstallationA
d.AAtAtheAcornersAofAtheAinstallation,AsuchAasAaroundAwindowsA-
AAnswerAAtAtheAcornersAofAtheAinstallation,AsuchAasAaroundAwindows


AnAinspectorAnotesAthatAtheAheatApumpAisAnotAfunctioningAandAthatAtheAcondensat
eApanAunderAtheAairAhandlerAisAfullAofAwater.AWhyAmightAtheseAtwoAthingsAbeArel
ated?


a.ATheAfullAcondensateApanAtrippedAaAcondensateAoverflowAswitch.ATheAunitAturned
AoffAinAorderAtoAensureAthatAcondensateAdidAnotAspill.
b.ATheAfullAcondensateApanAindicatesAthatAtheAfanAinAtheAairAhandlerAisAnotAfuncti
oning,AasAitAshould.
c.ATheAfullAcondensateApanAindicatesAthatAthereAisAaAleakAinAtheAheatAexchanger,A
whichAhasAdepressurizedAtheAunit,AcausingAitAtoAturnAoff.
d.ATheAfullAcondensateApanAmeansAthatAcombustionAbyproductsAhaveAcondensedAan
dAareAflowingAbackAintoAtheAhouseAthroughAtheAflue.AThisAtrippedAtheAflueAgasAspil
lAswitch,AturningAtheAunitAoff.A-
AAnswerATheAfullAcondensateApanAtrippedAaAcondensateAoverflowAswitch.ATheAunitA
turnedAoffAinAorderAtoAensureAthatAcondensateAdidAnotAspill.


WhileAinspectingAaAcrawlAspace,AyouAshouldAprobeAforAdecayAifAtheA_________AisAd
arkAinAappearance.AA.AKingAjoistAB.AFloorAjoistAC.AMasonryAwallAD.ABearingAwallA-
AAnswerAFloorAjoist