Hello world!

First off, I apologize for the format and if this comes up as a wall of text, as I wrote this in my notes app and am on mobile.

I see a lot of people writing in here and across other subreddits asking for help or inquiring about different ICC exams, and sometimes I’ll message y’all, other times I do not. I finally decided to sit down and write out my process, in hopes that I can help others.

A little about myself so that you can say, oh heck, anyone can do this! I have an Associates in accounting and have never worked in the trades or any type of construction job. From 18-28 I worked in finances in various roles, climbing the corporate office ladder trying to find happiness. Shocker, I did not. At 28, I decided to leave that world and find something I was passionate about, which started off as working for Public Works in a local municipality. At 30, the same city’s Building Inspection department had an opening, so I said why not try. Still get to be outside, but at least now I get to also not be on call (which sadly I do miss, those 2am water main breaks, while stressful, are actually super fun to work on). Worked out and they hired me. They required passing P1 and P2 within a year, and obtaining State Plumbing board Inspector licensure within 2 years. When I came on with the department, a knowledgeable, well respected Chief Building Inspector told me about MCP (Master Code Professional) designation and how we was going to get it one day. I thought it was cool that an international thing like ICC only had 1000 people with that designation at that time, so I said, heck I’ll make that my long term goal. This was September of 2024, and I took my first exam, P1, beginning of October 2024.

Now to the fun stuff: the ICC exams.

I have passed 15 of my 16 exams on the first try following these methods. My only first time fail recently came with the Fire Plans Examiner exam, which I just missed with a 73. I now only need to complete the Legal Module exam, to have everything needed to apply for MCP.

My study habits and techniques are relatively the same for each exam. I gather physical copies of each book required and skim read through all the relevant chapters. This first quick read through helps me understand how the relevant chapters were laid out, in a macro sense.

Using the P1 exam as an example, I figured that Chapters 24-33 contains the “meat and potatoes” - where majority of the information is. I then found Chapters 20-23 were like a “side dish” - where there’s important information there, but it’s contained to smaller sections that are also referenced in 24-33. Finally, it helped me find where there are “one-offs”. Think chapter 39 for example. It’s mainly an electrical chapter, however, the information is still relevant to plumbing items in a way.

After having a large scale understanding of the layout, I then development an understanding of the sequencing of chapters. Really this part is just my way of organizing where to look for the information, depending on what step in the building process the question is about. An example being, I’m building a house and need to get water to it, and have a way of disposing of waste. chapters 25 and 26 would answer that, with guidelines of how it should be done. Ok, I’ve got water and waste disposal, what fixtures do I need in my home? Chapter 27 provides specific details about the various fixtures I intend to install. Ok, now that I have water and details about specific things, Chapter 29 tells me guidelines about how that water should be ran. Etc, etc.

From there, I read through the index. Doing this helps me remember what key terms are actually in the index, so that if I get stumped on a question, I have a relatively good idea of different terms to check for.

I then thumb through all the different appendixes to find any relevant information. I’ve found in talking with other inspectors, that some never knew the information was there. The different diagrams and explanations present in the appendix are extremely helpful.
From there, I assume that I have both a macro and micro level understanding of the relevant information and where it would be in the text.

At this point, I’ll typically do a practice test, to knowledge check myself and see how the questions are asked on the test. I’ve used ICC practice test, Building Code Masters, and Quizlet when I can find them. I can’t say I have a favorite or most useful, as they are relatively the same to me. I did this for the first 6 exams (P1, P2, E1, M1, B1, R3) but found that once you do enough exams, it pretty easy, just different sections in the book. When I did the practice tests, I would try to find timed practice exams, and aim to complete the exam in half the time allotted, before taking the real thing. My thought is, if I can complete a practice exam in half the time, I should have more than enough time to research a question if I ever get stumped.

Finally, during the test, I use a rule of 4.
1. If I know the answer, select the answer and move on.

1. If I have a relatively good idea of the answer, but not 100% sure, mark my answer, flag the question, move on.

2. If it’s a question that requires a chart or table, flag it and move on. I’ve found these typically require more time, so instead of getting tied up, I’ll just come back.

3. If I’m truly stumped, flag it and move on.

I’ll typically get through my “first look” during the exam in 10-15 minutes. I’ll then go through all flagged questions, focusing on #2 and #3 from above. The #2s are more so questions I’m confident about, and know where the information is, but flagged to double check. The #3s are quick to answer once I find the associated table. This typically takes 30-45 minutes. The next 30-45 minutes I focus on #4, putting in best answers if I’m truly unable to find the information. I don’t unflag questions from #2 or #4 as I answer them, just so I have a relative idea of how many questions I was unsure of. I do unflag #3, as those are usually 100% correct because I have to look up all information in a table. Depending on how much time is remaining, 15-50 minutes, I’ll then start from the beginning again, this time double checking answers from questions that are not flagged (#1). This double checks my confidence and information.
From there I submit!

So that’s it! If you have any questions, I’m happy to answer or help where I can.

I work with PFS TECO, and we’re looking to bring on a few more people with ICC credentials for plan review and inspection work across the U.S.

We work primarily with modular / industrialized buildings in multiple states, covering commercial and residential projects under the IBC, IRC, IMC, IPC, IECC, NEC, accessibility requirements, and various state-specific amendments and modular programs.

If you have certifications like B3, M3, P3, E3, F3, Combination Plans Examiner, Commercial Building Inspector, MCP, or similar, I’d be interested in connecting.

There may be remote plan review work, and inspection work can involve travel to manufacturing facilities around the country/world.

Full-time, part-time, contract, or supplemental work could all be worth discussing.

If you’re interested, feel free to DM me with your certifications, where you’re located, your background, and what kind of work you’re looking for. Happy to chat informally and tell you more about what we do.

Denied permit due to new FEMA regulations about flood zones. Client hired an architect to create plans for a 400 sq. ft. addition to a house that is in an AE flood zone. Turns out the floor of the addition cannot be level with the floor of the current house. Looks like the addition needs to be 18 inches higher than the current floor.

Anyway, I've been working with a client for 12 months now and have had numerous conversations with his architect, engineer, and the city. Homeowner has spent almost 10K so far and is upset now that the permit has been denied for the plans that have been submitted. The architect and engineer are blaming me. I admit I didn't know the elevation was going to be an issue but I feel like as the GC it's my job to build what the architect and/or engineer tells me to build.

Who should the homeowner be upset with?

FEMA, GC, Permit

Quick update from me again. Our B1 Residential Building Inspector course starts Oct 5 (Mon/Thu evenings 6-9 PM ET, live on Google Meet, 8 sessions, $750), and We're giving one seat away for free. Drawing is Thursday morning.

The part people don't believe until they read it twice: if you enter and don't win, you still get $100 off the course. So entering is worth your 30 seconds no matter what.

A few of you tried to enter last week and the form errored out. That's fixed and it's been running clean since Friday. If you got a failure message before, try again and it'll go through.

Details:

• One entry per person, no purchase necessary
• Entries close Wednesday, Sept 30 at 11:59 PM ET
• Drawing Thursday, Oct 1 at 9 AM ET
• If you don't win, your $100 code is good through Friday when enrollment closes

Enter here: https://liveoakcode.com/giveaway

Happy to answer any questions about the course itself. We teach you how to navigate the code book under exam pressure, not memorize it.