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CHEAT SHEET · HOME INSPECTOR

Home Inspector Cheat Sheet.
The night-before summary, built like the exam.

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Weighted to the current exam outline·15-minute scanVerified against the official content outline
Written by Every Exam Prep Editorial TeamSource and review policyPublished July 7, 2026Updated July 17, 2026
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01

Quick facts

the numbers to know before exam day
175
Questions
4h m
Time limit
500 (scaled, 200-800)
Passing score
$225
Exam fee
EBPHI
Governing body
02

Full write-up

the complete guide, in prose

NHIE Cheat Sheet — How to Use This Page

Note: This condensed guide intentionally omits specific exam numbers (question count, passing score, time limit, fees, and domain weightings) because they must be confirmed against an official source before you rely on them. Verify every hard number directly with the Examination Board of Professional Home Inspectors (EBPHI), which administers the NHIE, and with your state's licensing authority.

Confirm These Numbers Before Test Day (do not memorize from unofficial sources)

  • Total questions and how many are scored vs. unscored/pretest
  • Passing score (scaled score, not a raw percentage)
  • Time limit for the session
  • Content domains and their weightings (percentage of the exam per area)
  • Registration fee and retake fee/policy
  • Score validity window and how results transfer to your state license

Core Content Areas to Study

The NHIE is built around the systems a home inspector evaluates. Organize your review around these:

  • Structure — foundations, framing, load paths, settlement
  • Exterior — wall coverings, flashing, grading, drainage, decks, walkways
  • Roofing — coverings, flashing, drainage, penetrations, ventilation
  • Plumbing — supply, drain-waste-vent (DWV), water heating, fixtures, cross-connections
  • Electrical — service entrance, panels, grounding/bonding, GFCI/AFCI, branch circuits
  • Heating & Cooling (HVAC) — heat sources, distribution, combustion safety, condensate
  • Interiors — walls, ceilings, floors, stairs, railings, egress
  • Insulation & Ventilation — attic, crawlspace, vapor control, exhaust
  • Standards of Practice & Ethics — scope, limitations, reporting duties, conflicts of interest

Must-Remember Concepts (verify exact thresholds against a code/standards reference)

  • Know the difference between the Standards of Practice and the building code — inspectors report on condition and safety, they do not certify code compliance.
  • Understand what is required to be inspected vs. explicitly excluded under the SoP.
  • Be able to identify common safety hazards: reversed polarity, missing GFCI/AFCI, improper bonding/grounding, double-tapped breakers, combustion/backdrafting hazards, missing TPR valve or improper discharge, trip/egress hazards.
  • Recognize defect vs. deficiency vs. maintenance item and how each is reported.
  • Know clearances conceptually (combustibles, panel working space, stair rise/run, guardrail heights) — but confirm the exact figures against a current code source, since they change by edition.

Test-Taking Strategy

  • Read the SoP first. Many questions test scope and reporting duties, not trivia.
  • Eliminate absolutes. Watch for "always/never" distractors.
  • Answer safety-first. When two answers seem valid, the one that protects the client or flags a safety issue is usually correct.
  • Flag and return to hard questions; don't leave blanks if there's no wrong-answer penalty — confirm the scoring policy.
  • Practice with photos. Visual defect-identification is a common question format.

Where to Get the Authoritative Numbers

  • EBPHI (exam administrator) — official candidate handbook and content outline.
  • Your state licensing board — for state-specific requirements layered on top of the NHIE.

Frequently asked questions

What numbers should I memorize for the NHIE?

Lock in the exam-format numbers first: 200 questions with 175 scored, 240 minutes to finish, a $225 fee, and a passing score of 500 on a 200-800 scale. Then memorize the field numbers the exam likes to test, such as not operating an air conditioner when the outdoor temperature is below 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The cheat sheet groups these so you can review them all in one pass.

What definitions come up most often on the NHIE?

Know that a home inspection is a non-invasive, visual examination of the readily accessible systems and components of a home, performed for a fee to identify material defects. A material defect is a condition that significantly affects the value, desirability, habitability, or safety of the dwelling. Equally important, an inspection is not technically exhaustive: the inspector isn't required to move furniture, dismantle equipment, or do anything that risks damage.

What are the most common ethics traps on the NHIE?

The ethics questions hinge on a few bright lines: no contingent fees tied to whether the sale closes, no compensation for referring contractors or other providers to clients, and no performing paid repairs on an inspected system for a period after the inspection, typically twelve months. Findings also stay confidential unless the client authorizes disclosure or the law requires it. Exam questions often dress these up in tempting scenarios, so watch for any answer where the inspector profits from the inspection's outcome.

What reporting rules should I have down cold?

The standards require a written report that describes the systems and components inspected and states which were in need of repair or not functioning as intended. Just as important, the report must describe any system or component that was present but not inspected and give the reason it wasn't. Questions often test whether you know that skipping a component silently is a violation; documenting the omission and the reason is what the standards demand.

How should I use this cheat sheet the night before the exam?

Use it as a final review, not a first exposure: skim every section once, then quiz yourself on the numbers and ethics rules from memory and re-check only what you missed. Keep the session short, an hour or less, and stop early enough to get real sleep, since a rested brain recalls better than a crammed one. On exam morning, one last five-minute pass over the numbers section is enough.

Can I pass the NHIE with just the cheat sheet?

No, the cheat sheet is a condensed summary meant to reinforce what you've already studied, not replace it. The exam tests applied judgment across every building system, which requires working through practice questions and full study material, not just memorized facts. Use the cheat sheet as your final-week review layer on top of a complete prep plan.

Sources

  1. 1.National Home Inspector Examination Overview — EBPHI (accessed Jul 8, 2026)
  2. 2.Real Estate Regulatory Agencies Directory — ARELLO
  3. 3.Real Estate Licensing Exams (Pearson VUE) — Pearson VUE

Official sources

Primary documents used to verify the exam details shown on this page.

Last verified against the official exam content outline: