ICC practice test: free B1 residential inspector questions
The B1 is open book on the IRC, so how fast you find the right section decides your score. Practice with explained answers that cite the IRC section, then take the free check and see where you stand.
Which ICC exam is this?
This page covers ICC's Residential Building Inspector exam (B1), which is based on the IRC. If you are preparing for a different ICC exam, use the ICC exam picker to find yours, and read how to read the ICC exam catalog to check its references and format.
B1 format and content areas
ICC's B1 outline specifies 60 multiple-choice questions, two hours and an open-book format. That is about two minutes a question, which is enough time if you know where to turn and not enough if you have to hunt.
The seven areas are code administration 4%, building planning 8%, footings and foundations 16%, floor construction 14%, wall construction and coverings 27%, roof/ceiling construction 14%, and public safety and special construction 17%. The B1 exam outline guide breaks each area down. Good practice covers all seven, weighted the way the exam is.
Try one question
Question 1 of the free 10-question check on ICC B1. No signup. Then ask Plumb, the AI study assistant, why the answer is right and the others are wrong.
Public Safety and Special Construction
In a new bedroom, the only emergency escape window has a keyed sash lock, with the key hanging on a hook beside the window. What should the inspector do?
Press A-D or 1-4 to choose an answer while this question is on screen.
Choose an answer to begin
3 sample questions
These are original questions written to the published outline. Open your own IRC, find the section named in each answer and read it yourself.
1. Footings and foundations. At a footing inspection, the excavation bottom is soft, loose soil that was pushed back in after digging. There is no engineered fill documentation. What is the correct call?
- A. Approve, because the poured concrete will compact the loose layer
- B. Approve, once the footing is widened by 2 inches at that spot
- C. Reject, until the bearing surface is native ground or certified fill
- D. Approve, once the footing is stepped up at the next course
Answer: C. Footings must bear on soil that can carry the design load. Loose backfill is not undisturbed ground, and width or concrete strength does not fix a bad bearing surface. Start in Chapter 4, R403. Options A, B and D all try to patch the problem instead of fixing the bearing surface.
2. Stairs. A single flight has risers measuring 7-1/4, 7-3/8, 7-1/2 and 7-5/8 inches, with 10-inch treads. Which statement is correct?
- A. It fails, because the tallest and shortest differ by over 1/4 inch
- B. It passes, because all heights are under max and differ by 3/8 inch
- C. It fails, because the minimum required tread depth is 11 inches
- D. It fails, because no height may be greater than 7 inches
Answer: B. The tallest riser is 7-5/8 inches, under the 7-3/4 inch maximum, and the spread from the shortest is exactly 3/8 inch, which is the allowed variation within a flight. Treads of 10 inches meet the minimum. Stairways are in R311.7 of the 2021 IRC and R318.7 of the 2024 IRC. The IRC stair riser and tread check runs your own measurements against each edition.
3. Egress. A second-floor bedroom has an operable window with a net clear opening 24 inches high and 22 inches wide. The sill is 40 inches above the floor. Does it meet emergency escape and rescue opening rules?
- A. Yes, because height and width each meet their own minimum
- B. Yes, because the sill is low enough above the finished floor
- C. No, because the sill must be no higher than 36 inches up
- D. No, because the total openable area falls under 5.7 square feet
Answer: D. Each dimension meets its own minimum, but 24 by 22 inches is about 3.7 square feet, short of the area requirement above grade. Passing the dimensions alone is the trap. Emergency escape and rescue openings are R310 in the 2021 IRC and R319 in the 2024 IRC. The egress opening check tests one window against both editions.
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2021 or 2024 IRC?
ICC offers the B1 on both the 2021 and 2024 code years, and section numbers moved between them. Egress went from R310 to R319 and stairs from R311.7 to R318.7. Practice against the same book you will bring. The Rafter Tie course is written for the 2024 IRC, so check which code edition your exam uses before you buy. The 2021 vs 2024 IRC guide shows what moved.
IRC practice questions for the 2021 and 2024 editions
The B1 is an IRC exam, so IRC practice questions are B1 practice questions. The three samples above cite their sections by edition: questions 2 and 3 give both the 2021 and the 2024 section number, and question 1 points to Chapter 4, R403. The free check and the course name the edition each section number comes from, so you always know which book to open. Practise on the edition you booked. If you are still deciding, the 2021 or 2024 IRC guide helps you choose. Then start the free 10-question check.
Tabs and timing
Questions on this exam are about finding the answer, so your tabs are part of your prep. ICC allows permanently attached tabs in bound books. The IRC tabs for the B1 list gives the locations to mark, and the B1 study guide turns the outline into a six-week plan. Time yourself on every set: two minutes a question is the pace to beat. For a quick timed run, the free B1 lookup drill gives you five lookups against a pace you set.
The ICC B1 study plan builder schedules practice sets and timed lookups into the weeks before your exam.
Practice questions by content area
Every route below is free, needs no signup and uses original questions written to the published outline. Weights are from ICC's outline.
| Outline area | Weight | Free practice |
|---|---|---|
| Wall construction and coverings | 27% | Free check and 25-question timed test |
| Public safety and special construction | 17% | Egress opening check and stair riser and tread check |
| Footings and foundations | 16% | Sample question 1 above, then the sample lessons |
| Floor construction | 14% | Sample lessons and the timed test |
| Roof/ceiling construction | 14% | Sample lessons and the timed test |
| Building planning | 8% | Question of the day |
| Code administration | 4% | Free check and the B1 lookup drill |
The free check and the timed test score you by outline area, so one run shows which row to work on first. Question of the day adds one new item a day with the section to look up. Want a printed set for a class or a study group? Download the class quiz (free PDF): practice questions with an answer key on page 2. No email.
Take the free 10-question check
Start the free 10-question check. It covers the seven B1 areas, takes minutes, needs no signup, and explains every answer so you see your weak areas before exam day. The Rafter Tie course then gives you timed practice exams, a lesson for each outline area and a study plan built from your exam date.
FAQ
Where can I get free ICC B1 practice questions?
This page has three with explained answers. The free 10-question check and the 25-question timed test give you more, scored by outline area, with no signup.
Is there a free ICC B1 practice test PDF?
Yes. Print our free B1 practice quiz (PDF): original questions with an answer key on page 2, and no email. Then take the free 10-question check to see your score by outline area.
Is there a free IRC practice test?
Yes. This page has three IRC practice questions with explained answers, and the free 10-question check covers all seven B1 areas with no signup.
Where do our practice questions come from?
Every question is original and written to ICC's published outline. We do not reproduce IRC text. Each answer names the section so you can read it in your own book.
Is the ICC B1 practice test open book?
The practice here is built for an open-book exam: look up the section in your own IRC, then close it and find it again. The exam is open book on the IRC, so lookup speed is the skill to train.
Sources
Show the list
- B1 Residential Building Inspector Content Outline, International Code Council.
- 2021 IRC contents and 2024 IRC contents, International Code Council.
Facts come from the sources listed above. If something has changed, tell us and we will correct it within 2 business days.
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Prefer paper? Free printables
- Print the study checklist (free PDF). Topics to cover, on one printable page. No email.
- Print a class quiz (free PDF). 5 practice questions with an answer key on page 2.
- Print the flashcards as cut-out cards (free PDF). The free flashcard sample, ready to cut and carry.
From the blog
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- Residential building inspector practice questions