The 120-second study sheet · print this
Every number that matters,
on one sheet
All four exams: 60 questions, 120 minutes, open book, 120 seconds per question. Pass is a scaled 75, not a percentage. Weights below are transcribed from ICC's published outlines and sum to 100 percent per exam.
Topic weights, all four exams
| B1 · Residential Building Inspector | |
|---|---|
| Wall Construction and Coverings | 27% |
| Public Safety and Special Construction | 17% |
| Footings and Foundations | 16% |
| Floor Construction | 14% |
| Roof and Ceiling Construction | 14% |
| Building Planning | 8% |
| Code Administration | 4% |
| E1 · Residential Electrical Inspector | |
|---|---|
| Branch Circuit and Feeder Requirements | 28% |
| Wiring Methods and Power and Lighting Distribution | 21% |
| Devices, Lighting Fixtures, and Appliances | 19% |
| Services | 17% |
| General Requirements | 10% |
| Swimming Pools and Similar Installations | 5% |
| M1 · Residential Mechanical Inspector | |
|---|---|
| Heating, Cooling and Water Heaters | 21% |
| Combustion Air | 19% |
| Chimneys and Vents | 18% |
| Fuel Supply Systems | 15% |
| General Administration | 10% |
| Exhaust and Ventilation Systems | 9% |
| Duct Systems | 8% |
| P1 · Residential Plumbing Inspector | |
|---|---|
| Sanitary Drainage | 23% |
| Vents | 22% |
| Water Supply and Distribution | 21% |
| General Requirements | 14% |
| Water Heaters | 12% |
| Fixtures | 8% |
| B2 · Commercial Building Inspector | |
|---|---|
| Public Safety and Special Construction | 31% |
| Wall Construction and Coverings | 21% |
| Building Planning | 20% |
| Footings and Foundations | 8% |
| Floor Construction | 8% |
| General Administration | 6% |
| Roof and Ceiling Construction | 6% |
| E2 · Commercial Electrical Inspector | |
|---|---|
| Branch Circuit and Feeder Requirements | 19% |
| Wiring Methods and Distribution Systems | 19% |
| Services | 17% |
| General Use Equipment | 12% |
| General Requirements | 10% |
| Special Occupancies | 9% |
| Special Equipment | 7% |
| Special Systems | 7% |
| M2 · Commercial Mechanical Inspector | |
|---|---|
| Exhaust and Ventilation Systems | 20% |
| General Administration | 15% |
| Heating, Cooling and Water Heaters | 15% |
| Combustion Air | 14% |
| Chimneys and Vents | 14% |
| Duct Systems | 12% |
| Fuel Supply Systems | 10% |
| P2 · Commercial Plumbing Inspector | |
|---|---|
| Water Supply and Distribution | 18% |
| Fixtures | 15% |
| Vents | 15% |
| Sanitary Drainage | 13% |
| Water Heaters | 12% |
| Traps, Interceptors, Separators, and Special Systems | 9% |
| General Requirements | 8% |
| Storm Drainage | 5% |
| Health Care Plumbing | 5% |
The translation glossary
| You say | The code files it under | Exam |
|---|---|---|
| basement bedroom window | Means of egress, emergency escape and rescue openings | B1 |
| stair step height and handrail | Exit stairways and ramps | B1 |
| blocking in a stud cavity | Fireblocking | B1 |
| blocking in a floor cavity | Draftstops | B1 |
| tempered glass near a door | Safety glazing | B1 |
| how deep does the footing go | Footings | B1 |
| shear walls / wall bracing | Braced wall panels | B1 |
| attic venting | Attics and ceilings, under roof and ceiling construction | B1 |
| how small can a room be | Room and opening dimensions, under building planning | B1 |
| house wrap | Exterior sheathing, veneers, and weather-resistant coverings | B1 |
| p-trap under the sink | Traps, under sanitary drainage | P1 |
| backflow prevention | Water supply and protection | P1 |
| GFCI outlets in a bathroom | Branch circuits, GFCI | E1 |
| ground rod at the panel | Service grounding and bonding | E1 |
| does the furnace closet need a vent | Combustion air | M1 |
| dryer vent | Clothes dryer exhaust | M1 |
The two-week sequence
| Days | Phase | The work |
|---|---|---|
| 1–9 | Coverage | Areas in weight order, heaviest first. Build your own translation list as you read. Finish by tabbing the book yourself. |
| 10–11 | Speed | Timed single lookups in your own book, logged in seconds. Anything past two minutes is a miss; log the reason: vocabulary, chapter, or chain. |
| 12 | Repair | Drill only the misses in the log. |
| 13 | Simulate | One full-length run: 60 questions, 120 minutes, no pauses. Score the pacing, not just the answers. |
| 14 | Rest | Light glossary review, confirm exam-day rules in the catalog, stop early. |