# CBO 3 part exam



## Rob (May 23, 2018)

hello all. I did read many posts about this subject  but I wanted to ask.  I am starting to study for the icc cbo 3 part exam and will start with the management module. That being said I can not find any study material on icc or google that I trust.  I did go over the outline on icc MM but I want to be prepared.  Any one have additional information on this or the other modules would help and cause less grey hair 
Thanks all
Rob 
Szwedrobert@yahoo.com


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## cda (May 24, 2018)

Welcome


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## Shoe0811 (Jun 26, 2018)

Hi Rob, I have also started getting ready for the 3 exams. If you happen to come across any study guides/material let me know

Matt
Shoe0711@hotmail.com


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## Shoe0811 (Jun 26, 2018)

Oops sorry, should’ve been shoe0811@hotmail.com


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## Rob (Jun 27, 2018)

I purchased the legal module (mg) after I posted this from “study the code” web site. My only worry is the Human Resources manual.  They only have 15 questions on the study guide and based on the icc outline it’s 28% of the exam.  The hr manual is a tough read aghhhh.  I plan to take the exam in the next couple of weeks and will give feed back.  Fingers crossed.  There are not many posts about this exam so I am relying on the icc outline which is a hit and miss


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## jpranch (Jun 27, 2018)

Rob, first off welcome. There might be a reason about the lack of information as the CBO used to be a 2 part exam. The 3 part exam really has not been around that long. I took the 2 part exam a long time ago. The part that drove me crazy was the lawyer speak in Latin!  Best of luck to you!


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## Shoe0811 (Jun 27, 2018)

I have to agree with you Rob, the HR book is tough to get a grasp of. And I’ve taken many tests over the past 2 years. Good luck to you on your tests! Post to let us know how you did, I’ll do the same.


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## Rob (Jun 28, 2018)

Thanks all.  Did anyone find the answer to the question posted about an emergency inspection after a deck collapse?
1 misfeasance 
2 nonfeasance 
3 malfeasance 
4 liability 

Lol if you read the post everyone has a different answer or view. 
I think it’s b.  Because the question states “ had not conducted a proper connection inspection “ and nonfeasance = nonperformance of some act that a person is obligated or has the responsibility to perform.   
Thanks all I’ll keep you posted


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## Rob (Jul 7, 2018)

Took the legal test today and passed.  I must say it was not that easy.  Tips; study the law inside and out.  You need to understand the the outcome of many case laws and know what was done wrong and why.
The admin read it all I agree the first 5 chapters are icc fluff but I had to look in those sections.

Hr tab the heck out of it. It saved my rear end.

Ibc, prop mat and fire code was the easy part.
Good luck. 
Now it’s time for the management module.  If anyone has tips please post
Thanks
Rob


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## cda (Jul 7, 2018)

Rob said:


> Took the legal test today and passed.  I must say it was not that easy.  Tips; study the law inside and out.  You need to understand the the outcome of many case laws and know what was done wrong and why.
> The admin read it all I agree the first 5 chapters are icc fluff but I had to look in those sections.
> 
> Hr tab the hell out of it. It saved my ass.
> ...





Congrats


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## Shoe0811 (Jul 7, 2018)

Rob said:


> Took the legal test today and passed.  I must say it was not that easy.  Tips; study the law inside and out.  You need to understand the the outcome of many case laws and know what was done wrong and why.
> The admin read it all I agree the first 5 chapters are icc fluff but I had to look in those sections.
> 
> Hr tab the hell out of it. It saved my ass.
> ...



Congrats! How did you tab the HR book? By chapter?


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## Rob (Jul 23, 2018)

I am not a fan of tabs.  I maybe have 5 in the hr book. I use the index


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## Rob (Jul 23, 2018)

Passed the management and now off to study the BC module.  I plan to start a new post on the bc


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## Shoe0811 (Jul 23, 2018)

Rob said:


> Passed the management and now off to study the BC module.  I plan to start a new post on the bc


Congrats!!

I misunderstood you, I thought you said you tabbed the HR book a bunch.


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## Rob (Jul 23, 2018)

Sorry I did tab the sections on federal laws in hr. About 5 tabs. Everything else I used the index for. But I did circle the page number in the index that I thought was important for that subject.  An example is in the index if I was looking up let’s say “interview” the index would have like 20 different pages to look up.  my study method was to circle the pages that I thought was important.  I did this for all the books.  Hr, admin and legal.  You need to know it all.


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## Shoe0811 (Jul 23, 2018)

Rob said:


> Sorry I did tab the sections on federal laws in hr. About 5 tabs. Everything else I used the index for. But I did circle the page number in the index that I thought was important for that subject.  An example is in the index if I was looking up let’s say “interview” the index would have like 20 different pages to look up.  my study method was to circle the pages that I thought was important.  I did this for all the books.  Hr, admin and legal.  You need to know it all.


Gotcha, thanks!


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## MCCBO (Aug 20, 2018)

New guy here. So not good study guide? I have to take the Legal (MG) very soon. I got thrown to the sharks and am bad behind the 8 ball!


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## cda (Aug 20, 2018)

MCCBO said:


> New guy here. So not good study guide? I have to take the Legal (MG) very soon. I got thrown to the sharks and am bad behind the 8 ball!




Welcome

How long have you been involved with codes??


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## MCCBO (Aug 20, 2018)

cda said:


> Welcome
> 
> How long have you been involved with codes??


HA! Not long enough. 2 months and 2 days, but as a "Codes Enforcement Officer", and as Animal Control and Environmental Control at that. My county panicked and signed me up for the provisional license. Now i have the 60 day window to pass a module. I am learning Legal may be the best. I am in for it I think! I always have found forums and associations to be the best real source of info!


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## William T Smith (Jan 14, 2019)

Interesting.. Check that provisional. There should be a 24 month window. In my state. WV it is a 2 yr provisional. Hope it works out for you.


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## William T Smith (Jan 14, 2019)

Rob said:


> Passed the management and now off to study the BC module.  I plan to start a new post on the bc


What did you think about the exam? What you expected ? More than expected ? 
Tips ?


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## William T Smith (Jan 14, 2019)

MCCBO said:


> HA! Not long enough. 2 months and 2 days, but as a "Codes Enforcement Officer", and as Animal Control and Environmental Control at that. My county panicked and signed me up for the provisional license. Now i have the 60 day window to pass a module. I am learning Legal may be the best. I am in for it I think! I always have found forums and associations to be the best real source of info!


In my state, WV the provisional is 2 years. Check your state and see who controls that.( Fire Marshall, State Board, etc. ) Can't hurt to double check. 
Best of luck. @ 6 months you're gonna need it brother


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## archer (Feb 4, 2019)

Greetings gentlemen. I am new here and just passed my legal module for the CBO. I am starting to study for the management test. I'm looking for practice tests, study guides or anything else that would aid in passing.  For anyone that has not passed the Legal module. Let me know and I can pass on what I have that would help. 

Thanks


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## archer (Feb 13, 2019)

New to the site and I am searching for help from others that have endured the new CBO exam nightmare. I am just now starting to study for the management portion of the exam and I cannot find anything that would give me an idea of what types of questions they are asking. Is there any of you guy/gals that have taken the test and could possibly show me what direction I need to go in. I do in return have some notes on the legal portion that I would be more than willing to share in return.

Thanks in advance.


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## Dutyman (Mar 11, 2019)

Archer, did you take your MM exam yet?  I passed mine and can offer some study suggestions.  I'm scheduled to take the Legal exam next month.


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## archer (Mar 13, 2019)

No, Not yet. I'm studying for it now. I can do the same with the legal exam for you.


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## Dutyman (Mar 15, 2019)

archer said:


> No, Not yet. I'm studying for it now. I can do the same with the legal exam for you.



Here are some of the main areas that were covered.  Most of the questions actually referenced the book that the question was for.
Budgeting:  Go through the budget types and budget cycles.  Get to know all the fund types and what they are used for as well. Know the equity types,  finance dept duties and financial reports. 
HR:  Go through hiring process, performance evaluations and HR software systems and their uses.
Management:  Go through supervisor/building officials roles, supervisor expectations from employees and evaluating employees 
Inspector skills: Inspectors main role as an educator, customer service regarding listening and complaints, communication.
Only a few questions on IBC and IFC regarding who gets notice for violations and posting notices. 
If anything else pops in my mind, ill add to it but this covers a majority of the topics. I hope this helps!


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## archer (Mar 18, 2019)

Do you still need what is covered in the legal module?


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## rktect 1 (Mar 18, 2019)

Uhg.  I just signed up with Pronto to do athe FB module.  Trying to take all three of these within the next 30 days or so.  Anybody do the PRonto online test?


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## Dutyman (Mar 18, 2019)

archer said:


> Do you still need what is covered in the legal module?


I do. Scheduled for April 19th.


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## Kurt (Jun 20, 2019)

I'm just starting this myself, and wanted to know what books I need for each exam and any recommendations.


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## Rpitre (Jul 8, 2019)

archer said:


> Greetings gentlemen. I am new here and just passed my legal module for the CBO. I am starting to study for the management test. I'm looking for practice tests, study guides or anything else that would aid in passing.  For anyone that has not passed the Legal module. Let me know and I can pass on what I have that would help.
> 
> Thanks


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## Rpitre (Jul 8, 2019)

archer said:


> Greetings gentlemen. I am new here and just passed my legal module for the CBO. I am starting to study for the management test. I'm looking for practice tests, study guides or anything else that would aid in passing.  For anyone that has not passed the Legal module. Let me know and I can pass on what I have that would help.
> 
> Thanks


 I'm studying for legal right now,can you please pass me on what you have to help me with legal. My email address is, myboyhaven@hotmail.com. l would appreciate all the help. Thank you.


archer said:


> Greetings gentlemen. I am new here and just passed my legal module for the CBO. I am starting to study for the management test. I'm looking for practice tests, study guides or anything else that would aid in passing.  For anyone that has not passed the Legal module. Let me know and I can pass on what I have that would help.
> 
> Thanks





archer said:


> Greetings gentlemen. I am new here and just passed my legal module for the CBO. I am starting to study for the management test. I'm looking for practice tests, study guides or anything else that would aid in passing.  For anyone that has not passed the Legal module. Let me know and I can pass on what I have that would help.
> 
> Thanks


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## Rpitre (Jul 8, 2019)

I'm studying for my legal right now. Can you please pass on any thing that can help me in my study. My email address is myboyhaven@hotmail.com. I thank you for all the help.


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## Rpitre (Jul 8, 2019)

Rpitre said:


> I'm studying for legal right now,can you please pass me on what you have to help me with legal. My email address is, myboyhaven@hotmail.com. l would appreciate all the help. Thank you.





Dutyman said:


> Here are some of the main areas that were covered.  Most of the questions actually referenced the book that the question was for.
> Budgeting:  Go through the budget types and budget cycles.  Get to know all the fund types and what they are used for as well. Know the equity types,  finance dept duties and financial reports.
> HR:  Go through hiring process, performance evaluations and HR software systems and their uses.
> Management:  Go through supervisor/building officials roles, supervisor expectations from employees and evaluating employees
> ...


I'm studying for legal right now,do you have any thing I can use to help me with my legal. Thanks Rob.


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## Kurt (Jul 8, 2019)

Rpitre said:


> I'm studying for my legal right now. Can you please pass on any thing that can help me in my study. My email address is myboyhaven@hotmail.com. I thank you for all the help.


 Me too! kurbere@hotmail.com


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## Saugie53 (Mar 3, 2020)

Hi Everyone, I see there are many posts on this but only a few with info. I, along with many others recently it seems, am just about to start trying to take all 3 exams required in order to get my CBO Certification. I was planning on starting with the Management Module, then the Legal Module and finishing with the Building Codes and Standards Module. I have purchased all of the books stated in the exam info on the ICC website for all 3 exams but like many others have said both the Human Resources and the Budgeting Books are tough reads. I was hoping someone who has recently taken the exams could point me to the sections of the books I should be focusing on because committing those entire books to memory is not an easy task and I cant find any decent study guides for each module that would give me an idea of what types of questions will be asked and what sections to pay more attention to trying to remember. If anyone has any tips/info they could give me I would really appreciate it!


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## Shoe0811 (Jul 15, 2020)

I couldn’t get ahold of a study guide. But what I did was read all the non code books cover to cover minus the budgeting book, because ya know... it was written by accountant nerds. That one I only got familiar with the TOC like any code book. If you can, take the Legal and Management same day since you have almost all the same books. I did this and passed them same day so no need to go another and drag 90% of them again. The BC&S exam took me three attempts.

Email me and I can explain better.


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## Saugie53 (Jul 23, 2020)

Thanks, That is a good tip about taking both the same day...I am planning on taking the tests through pronto (I used it when I took the B1 residential inspector exam and it was pretty nice to be able to do it all from my house) but if you think the legal and management were similar and they do use some of the same books maybe taking them both the same day will keep some of the questions from one in my mind while taking the other


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## Saugie53 (Jan 23, 2021)

Rob said:


> Thanks all.  Did anyone find the answer to the question posted about an emergency inspection after a deck collapse?
> 1 misfeasance
> 2 nonfeasance
> 3 malfeasance
> ...


I know Rob has posted that he passed the test but for future reference for anyone who takes the legal exam I just read this chapter of the legal aspects of code administration and it clearly explains the difference between misfeasance and nonfeasance is the difference between action and inaction nonfeasance as defined above by Rob is "the non performance of some act that a person is obligated or has the responsibility to perform" which would be if the inspector did not perform the inspection at all so that would be inaction and couldnt be the answer because according to the question they did perform an inspection they just did not do it properly...Misfeasance has the word "proper" in the definition and that was also in the question ( one thing I have realized from taking the ICC exams is they will usually either tell you the book it's out of in the actual question or they will word the question so when you look it up in the book you will find it word for word usually) and misfeasance is "the improper performance of some act that a person may lawfully do" question actually says the inspector did not properly perform the inspection which makes you think that they still did the inspection and that would be that act that they're lawfully doing but did not do it properly. So the answer would be A. Misfeasance


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## jar546 (Feb 26, 2021)

The question concerning misfeasance, malfeasance, nonfeasance was worded in a way as to under what would the contractor sue the official who stopped a job based on construction causing damage to a neighboring property  (I think in a different jurisdiction) and then the contractor wins the case and under what can he sue the official.  I found this to be a confusing question.


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## Saugie53 (Aug 28, 2021)

I know it's been awhile but I just wanted to give everyone a heads up. I took the management module first (I was told by somebody else I knew who recently took all three exams that he had the most trouble with that one) back in the last week of January this year and passed on my 1st try! I then took the legal module the first week of February and past that one on my first try also. Since then it has been a mixture of slacking on studying for the building code and standards module and being incredibly swamped at work with the amount of construction going on everywhere so I have not yet taken the last exam but I'm going to start cracking down on studying for it now. 

I just wanted to let anyone else who plans on taking them know that I actually found the legal module a little more difficult than the management module. I read the entire legal aspects book front to back including adding my own tabs to it and highlighting the sections I thought were important and I would say maybe 5-10 questions total were out of that book on the entire legal exam. Most of the questions believe it or not were out of the building department administration book and the human resources book (at least on the version of the exam that I got). 
I can definitely say anybody that is about to take the management module, a previous post on this thread by Dutyman hit the nail on the head. 


Dutyman said:


> Here are some of the main areas that were covered. Most of the questions actually referenced the book that the question was for.
> Budgeting: Go through the budget types and budget cycles. Get to know all the fund types and what they are used for as well. Know the equity types, finance dept duties and financial reports.
> HR: Go through hiring process, performance evaluations and HR software systems and their uses.
> Management: Go through supervisor/building officials roles, supervisor expectations from employees and evaluating employees
> ...


I used the advice given by him in the above mentioned post including tabbing each of those sections (such as highlighting each budget type and putting a separate tab on each page that listed a different budget type with that budget types name written on the tab) so that way I could flip right to that page quickly and look for the highlighted section to re-read what that budget type was if I needed to verify it was in fact the correct answer. In addition to what he said I can also say there were a couple other questions that were mostly fluff questions like he mentioned from the IBC and IFC which were on things like how long a fire marshal is required to retain plans for and things like that which can all be found in chapter one of each of those books. I can definitely say going over what Dutyman recommended to study covered about 95% of the answers on the version of the management module that I had.

Also anyone that has recently taken the 2018 building code and standards module if you feel like you have any tips I would definitely appreciate them!


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## patrickjames (Aug 28, 2021)

Saugie53 said:


> I know it's been awhile but I just wanted to give everyone a heads up. I took the management module first (I was told by somebody else I knew who recently took all three exams that he had the most trouble with that one) back in the last week of January this year and passed on my 1st try! I then took the legal module the first week of February and past that one on my first try also. Since then it has been a mixture of slacking on studying for the building code and standards module and being incredibly swamped at work with the amount of construction going on everywhere so I have not yet taken the last exam but I'm going to start cracking down on studying for it now.
> 
> I just wanted to let anyone else who plans on taking them know that I actually found the legal module a little more difficult than the management module. I read the entire legal aspects book front to back including adding my own tabs to it and highlighting the sections I thought were important and I would say maybe 5-10 questions total were out of that book on the entire legal exam. Most of the questions believe it or not were out of the building department administration book and the human resources book (at least on the version of the exam that I got).
> I can definitely say anybody that is about to take the management module, a previous post on this thread by Dutyman hit the nail on the head.
> ...


I just recently passed the legal module and am currently studying for the management module.  Thanks for the heads up. The budgeting guide is way more user friendly than the legal aspects of code.


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## Saugie53 (Dec 14, 2021)

I just wanted to come on here to post an update to let everyone know that I finally ended up attempting the last exam I needed which was the building codes and standards module on Sunday and thankfully passed on my first try and have finally received my CBO certification! I wanted to thank everybody on here that posted tips and suggestions, I definitely could not have been as successful as I was without them. The last exam was definitely not easy and I ended up answering the last question with about 2 minutes left on the clock which did not give me a lot of time to go back over some of the questions I had bookmarked but was able to find 95% of the answers in the books during the exam to questions I was unsure about so before it was over I had a feeling that I was going to pass. The best tip I could give is to add additional tabs to the books so you can find sections faster. What I did is I used practice tests people had given me on here and a sort of study guide one of my co-workers had made up when he was taking the exams and based off those I tabbed the sections of the book where the answers to those practice questions were found and read through and highlighted those specific sections so if I needed to reference it during the test I would find my tab flip to that page and then look for the highlighted sections to locate them faster. That seemed to work pretty well. I would also say to anyone watch the clock if you're trying to find an answer to a question and you see that it's taking you longer than about 2 minutes I would pick whichever answer I thought was it bookmark the question and then move on to the next one that way you don't run out of time before all of the questions are answered and you're not leaving the question blank in case you don't have time to go back to it. I wish anybody else going through the process right now luck and if anybody has any questions about any of the exams feel free to ask I'll help the best I can!


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## classicT (Dec 14, 2021)

Saugie53 said:


> I just wanted to come on here to post an update to let everyone know that I finally ended up attempting the last exam I needed which was the building codes and standards module on Sunday and thankfully passed on my first try and have finally received my CBO certification! I wanted to thank everybody on here that posted tips and suggestions, I definitely could not have been as successful as I was without them. The last exam was definitely not easy and I ended up answering the last question with about 2 minutes left on the clock which did not give me a lot of time to go back over some of the questions I had bookmarked but was able to find 95% of the answers in the books during the exam to questions I was unsure about so before it was over I had a feeling that I was going to pass. The best tip I could give is to add additional tabs to the books so you can find sections faster. What I did is I used practice tests people had given me on here and a sort of study guide one of my co-workers had made up when he was taking the exams and based off those I tabbed the sections of the book where the answers to those practice questions were found and read through and highlighted those specific sections so if I needed to reference it during the test I would find my tab flip to that page and then look for the highlighted sections to locate them faster. That seemed to work pretty well. I would also say to anyone watch the clock if you're trying to find an answer to a question and you see that it's taking you longer than about 2 minutes I would pick whichever answer I thought was it bookmark the question and then move on to the next one that way you don't run out of time before all of the questions are answered and you're not leaving the question blank in case you don't have time to go back to it. I wish anybody else going through the process right now luck and if anybody has any questions about any of the exams feel free to ask I'll help the best I can!


Congratulations!


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## patrickjames (Dec 14, 2021)

Saugie53 said:


> I just wanted to come on here to post an update to let everyone know that I finally ended up attempting the last exam I needed which was the building codes and standards module on Sunday and thankfully passed on my first try and have finally received my CBO certification! I wanted to thank everybody on here that posted tips and suggestions, I definitely could not have been as successful as I was without them. The last exam was definitely not easy and I ended up answering the last question with about 2 minutes left on the clock which did not give me a lot of time to go back over some of the questions I had bookmarked but was able to find 95% of the answers in the books during the exam to questions I was unsure about so before it was over I had a feeling that I was going to pass. The best tip I could give is to add additional tabs to the books so you can find sections faster. What I did is I used practice tests people had given me on here and a sort of study guide one of my co-workers had made up when he was taking the exams and based off those I tabbed the sections of the book where the answers to those practice questions were found and read through and highlighted those specific sections so if I needed to reference it during the test I would find my tab flip to that page and then look for the highlighted sections to locate them faster. That seemed to work pretty well. I would also say to anyone watch the clock if you're trying to find an answer to a question and you see that it's taking you longer than about 2 minutes I would pick whichever answer I thought was it bookmark the question and then move on to the next one that way you don't run out of time before all of the questions are answered and you're not leaving the question blank in case you don't have time to go back to it. I wish anybody else going through the process right now luck and if anybody has any questions about any of the exams feel free to ask I'll help the best I can!


Congratulations on your accomplishment


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## Joe.B (Dec 16, 2021)

Out of curiosity does anybody from a state that uses Uniform Plumbing/Mechanical have experience taking the codes module (BC)? I'm in CA and so far I've taken all my inspector certification using the CA codes so I'm not familiar with IPC/IMC and I'm wondering how much I may need to study those before attempting the BC exam.


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## Joe.B (Dec 27, 2021)

Joe.B said:


> Out of curiosity does anybody from a state that uses Uniform Plumbing/Mechanical have experience taking the codes module (BC)? I'm in CA and so far I've taken all my inspector certification using the CA codes so I'm not familiar with IPC/IMC and I'm wondering how much I may need to study those before attempting the BC exam.


I'll try asking this question differently.

To anybody who has taken the building codes module (BC) could you share roughly how many questions pertained to plumbing and mechanical codes?

Thanks!


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## Saugie53 (Dec 27, 2021)

Joe.B said:


> I'll try asking this question differently.
> 
> To anybody who has taken the building codes module (BC) could you share roughly how many questions pertained to plumbing and mechanical codes?
> 
> Thanks!


I would say probably about 35-40% of the questions I had were from the plumbing or mechanical code, but there are several versions of the exam so others could have more and others could have less. My former co-worker had to take the BC exam 4 times before he passed and he said he had different questions on each exam he took so it's not like it would have helped him to try and memorize the answers as may not have any of the same questions the next time.


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## Joe.B (Dec 27, 2021)

Saugie53 said:


> I would say probably about 35-40% of the questions I had were from the plumbing or mechanical code, but there are several versions of the exam so others could have more and others could have less. My former co-worker had to take the BC exam 4 times before he passed and he said he had different questions on each exam he took so it's not like it would have helped him to try and memorize the answers as may not have any of the same questions the next time.


Thanks. I'm just trying to figure out how many more books I'm going to buy. I really don't want to buy the IPC and IMC because they're not the codes my state has adopted. Most of the other codes we use are based off of the international codes. I am going to buy some books (IBC & IRC), use my CA code books for some (NEC & IFC), and study from online resources for others (IPC & IMC).

I'm considering just taking the test cold with minimal books on the off-chance I actually pass, and assuming I don't pass it will be a valuable learning experience. 

I appreciate the input!!


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## patrickjames (Dec 28, 2021)

Joe.B said:


> Thanks. I'm just trying to figure out how many more books I'm going to buy. I really don't want to buy the IPC and IMC because they're not the codes my state has adopted. Most of the other codes we use are based off of the international codes. I am going to buy some books (IBC & IRC), use my CA code books for some (NEC & IFC), and study from online resources for others (IPC & IMC).
> 
> I'm considering just taking the test cold with minimal books on the off-chance I actually pass, and assuming I don't pass it will be a valuable learning experience.
> 
> I appreciate the input!!


If it's referenced material , there will be a question from it.


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## Saugie53 (Dec 28, 2021)

Joe.B said:


> Thanks. I'm just trying to figure out how many more books I'm going to buy. I really don't want to buy the IPC and IMC because they're not the codes my state has adopted. Most of the other codes we use are based off of the international codes. I am going to buy some books (IBC & IRC), use my CA code books for some (NEC & IFC), and study from online resources for others (IPC & IMC).
> 
> I'm considering just taking the test cold with minimal books on the off-chance I actually pass, and assuming I don't pass it will be a valuable learning experience.
> 
> I appreciate the input!!


My state uses the IMC and IPC with state-specific amendments so I am in and out of those books all the time and I can say if I did not have the books during the exam I would not have been able to answer some of those questions. Some of the questions they ask you will have to reference tables in the code after given specific information, for example there may be a question something like in an assembly occupancy with an occupant load of 115 how many fixtures do you need for each sex? Which makes you then have to look up the fixture table in the plumbing code find the section for assembly occupancies and see how many fixtures are needed per how many people to figure out the total. There's no way to know that answer without having to look at that table in the code during the exam. You can give it a try but there were a few questions similar to that on my exam.


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## my250r11 (Dec 28, 2021)

Most ICC tests are word for word out of the reference materials, so having the books and being familiar with the layout, index & table of contents will be key in get the right answer. They like to trick you with one or two word changes that can make you miss the answer.


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## Saugie53 (Dec 28, 2021)

Joe.B said:


> Thanks. I'm just trying to figure out how many more books I'm going to buy. I really don't want to buy the IPC and IMC because they're not the codes my state has adopted. Most of the other codes we use are based off of the international codes. I am going to buy some books (IBC & IRC), use my CA code books for some (NEC & IFC), and study from online resources for others (IPC & IMC).
> 
> I'm considering just taking the test cold with minimal books on the off-chance I actually pass, and assuming I don't pass it will be a valuable learning experience.
> 
> I appreciate the input!!


I can honestly say if that is your plan your most likely going to end up spending more money than if you bought the books before taking the exam...the exam is $140 if you take it and fail and realize you need the books your out the $140 for the exam and will end up purchasing them anyway...I just looked on Amazon and the 2018 IPC and IMC are selling for $39 each brand new. If you purchase the books and pass the 1st time you still end up saving $60 compared to not purchasing the books and taking the exam and failing...if your doing it to save a few bucks it's not worth it in my opinion just putting it out there.


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## WVinspector (Sep 9, 2022)

Shoe0811 said:


> Hi Rob, I have also started getting ready for the 3 exams. If you happen to come across any study guides/material let me know
> 
> Matt
> Shoe0711@hotmail.com


ICC offers nice study guides. Doing my management module currently.


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