For inspectors sitting the ICC B1 Residential Building Inspector exam
ICC B1 course and practice exams
Open book, on the clock: find the right IRC section fast. Written for the 2024 IRC. Check which code edition your exam uses before you buy.
Practice “How the IRC works and how an inspector uses it” in the courseYou read the free sample for this module. The course has the full lesson and its practice questions, one at a time with the explanation after each answer.
Plans and prices
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Pick one and we'll suggest a plan.
Ask Plumb about this course AI
Tap a question, or type your own. With B1 course with IRC navigation drills: up to 40 messages a day.
Answers come from this course's own plans and contents.
- Timed IRC lookups, 8 a set, with your median time
- 4 timed exams at real length: 60 questions, 120 minutes
- 7 modules of lessons with worked examples
Lifetime access, including your retake
Paid to ICC, not us ICC exam fee $320 (catalog price). Our prices above cover the prep, not the exam.
Not ready? Try the free 10-question check
How this compares: price, renewal and refunds
Other options
Have my manager pay instead
Everything in B1 course with IRC navigation drills
Learn how the IRC is laid out, drill finding sections fast, then practice. Written for the 2024 IRC.
- Everything in the practice pack, plus:
- 7 lesson modules covering every task in ICC's B1 outline
- 4 worked calculations you can repeat with your own numbers
- Timed lookups in the IRC by section and table number, 8 a set, with your median time on each set
- A week-by-week study plan built from your free check and exam date
- Exam-day checklist: what to bring, allowed references and the calculator rules
- Written to IRC 2024
- Flashcards for every domain, with spaced review
- Code-book tab map
- Plumb, your AI study assistant
Best if: You want a clear path through the B1 exam, IRC open.
What's covered
- How the IRC works and how an inspector uses it (Exam outline topics B1.1.1, B1.1.2)
- Planning: separations, siting and room sizes (Exam outline topics B1.2.1 to B1.2.3)
- Footings and foundations (Exam outline topics B1.3.1 to B1.3.4)
- Floors, slabs and crawl spaces (Exam outline topics B1.4.1 to B1.4.6)
- Walls: framing, bracing, masonry and coverings (Exam outline topics B1.5.1 to B1.5.6, B1.5.8 to B1.5.10, B1.5.12, B1.5.13)
- Roofs, attics and chimneys (Exam outline topics B1.6.1 to B1.6.5, B1.6.7)
- Life safety: egress, stairs, alarms and glazing (Exam outline topics B1.7.1 to B1.7.6)
In B1 course with IRC navigation drills
- 426original questions
- 4timed exams at real length
- 7modules of lessons
- 8timed code lookups a set
See how Plumb answers
Finding things fast in an open-book exam
In an open-book exam, which habit saves the most time on each lookup?
You: I know the material, but I run out of time looking things up. What should I change?
Plumb: Learn where things live, not every word. Know the chapter order, start from the index with the plainest word for the topic, and tab the chapters you open most where the exam rules allow it.
Key point: Know where to look and you save minutes on every lookup.
An original example, not an exam question. AI can be wrong, so check it against your course.
What members get
With the course.
Today's 10 10 questions a day from your misses and your weakest domain, so what you got wrong comes back. Plus a missed set of up to 50.
A plan to your exam date Set your date and get a week-by-week plan you can add to your calendar in one tap.
Readiness by domain Your practice results against a 75% study target, and how they moved this week. A study target, not a pass prediction.
- Timed exams on the real clock. A live pace line, and Save and exit when you need a break. You pick up with the time you had left.
- Where your time went. After an open-book timed exam, your slowest questions become a practice set.
- Timed lookup sets. Code lookups timed in sets of 8, with your median time after each set.
- A printable formula sheet. B1: the course's formulas with worked example arithmetic.
- An exam-day guide. What to bring, the references you may use and the calculator rules.
- 426 original questions, every one explained. Review every miss after each timed exam. Practice sets show you the ones you haven't seen first.
- Wrong answer key? We fix it within 2 business days and log it publicly.
- One payment. No subscription, nothing renews.
- Didn't pass? Every plan except the 7-day pass has lifetime access. Your retake prep is already paid for.
Look inside the course
The real course screens you get after checkout, shown here with sample questions and answers.
Timed exam with flagsA countdown clock, a flag button on every question and a navigator that shows what you answered and flagged. Review every missAfter the exam, open any question you missed to see your choice, the correct answer, why, and the IRC section to read. Readiness by domainEach domain rated from your own answers, with a one-click drill where you need work.
Instant access. Everything in the plan you choose opens as soon as checkout completes.
See the teaching before you buyRead a complete lesson from the course, “How the IRC works and how an inspector uses it”, and try a short practice set with full explanations. Free, no signup. Also free: the IRC tab list for the B1.
Read the free lessonWhat the course covers
7 modules, mapped to the task numbers in International Code Council's published B1 content outline. Taught to IRC 2024.
- How the IRC works and how an inspector uses it (Exam outline topics B1.1.1, B1.1.2)Finding your way around the IRC · Permits, plans and accepted products · Inspections, notices and the certificate of occupancy
- Planning: separations, siting and room sizes (Exam outline topics B1.2.1 to B1.2.3)Separating townhouses and two-family dwellings · Locating the building on the lot, grading and flood areas · Room sizes, light and ventilation
- Footings and foundations (Exam outline topics B1.3.1 to B1.3.4)Soils, footing size and frost depth · Stepped footings, special foundations, columns and piers · Foundation walls, anchorage, dampproofing and backfill
- Floors, slabs and crawl spaces (Exam outline topics B1.4.1 to B1.4.6)Lumber grade marks, notches, bored holes and decay protection · Floor joists, engineered floors and subfloor · Concrete slabs, crawl spaces and draftstops
- Walls: framing, bracing, masonry and coverings (Exam outline topics B1.5.1 to B1.5.6, B1.5.8 to B1.5.10, B1.5.12, B1.5.13)Wall framing, headers and cold-formed steel · Braced wall panels and fireblocking · Masonry and concrete walls · Interior finishes, siding, veneer and stucco
- Roofs, attics and chimneys (Exam outline topics B1.6.1 to B1.6.5, B1.6.7)Rafters, ceiling joists and trusses · Roof sheathing, roof coverings and reroofing · Attic access, ventilation, insulation and vapor retarders · Fireplaces and chimneys
- Life safety: egress, stairs, alarms and glazing (Exam outline topics B1.7.1 to B1.7.6)Emergency escape openings and egress doors · Stairways, ramps, guards and handrails, indoors and out · Smoke alarms, finishes, foam plastics and safety glazing
Questions
When do I get access?
Straight away. Checkout takes you to your course, and the receipt email has the same link.
How do I get back into my course?
Use the link in your receipt email. If you can't find it, enter your email on the course page and we resend it to the address on your order.
Is 426 questions enough?
Each one comes with a worked explanation and its reference. You also get 42 end-of-module checks, timed code-lookup drills in sets of 8 and 4 worked calculations. Today's 10 and your missed set bring your misses back on later days, so you work the bank instead of reading it once.
Can I get a refund?
Eligibility depends on your plan, when you request a refund and your paid use. See the refund terms for the conditions and exceptions.
How long do I keep access?
Lifetime access: your access has no end date. Updates are included, so if International Code Council moves this exam to a newer code edition while you have access, your course moves with it. The 7-day pass is the exception. 7-day pass: access ends 7 days after payment, to the minute. It does not renew and is not a subscription. A timed practice exam started before then can still be finished.
Which editions does the course use?
The questions are written to IRC 2024.
More questions (8)
If I buy the 7-day pass now, is its price taken off a bigger plan later?
No. Each plan is a separate purchase at its listed price, and the $29 paid for the 7-day pass is not credited toward another plan. With more than a week before your exam, a full plan is the better buy.
What is the difference between the practice pack and the course?
The practice pack is the question bank and the timed practice exams. The course adds a lesson for every task in International Code Council's content outline, worked calculations, code-navigation drills, a study plan built from your free 10-question check and an exam-day checklist. If any domain scored under about 60%, take the course.
Are the questions copied from the exam?
No. Every question is original and written to International Code Council's published content outline. Exam content is confidential and we never use it. We are not affiliated with or endorsed by International Code Council.
How are the questions written?
In our own words, to ICC's current published outline. See how many questions cover each domain.
Do I need my own copy of IRC?
It depends on how you sit the exam, so check before you buy a book. The B1 is open book, and ICC's exam catalog lists the approved references and editions for each exam. ICC's candidate rules say what you may bring in. A copy of the IRC helps you practice finding sections fast, and the drills here tell you which chapter, section or table to open. We cite sections by number and never reproduce the code's text.
Can my employer pay?
Yes. Pay at checkout and we email a receipt you can expense, or download a reimbursement request to send your manager.
Is Plumb AI?
Yes. Plumb is an AI study assistant, not a person or an instructor. Check important details against your lessons and references.
Can you promise I will pass?
No, and nobody honest can. We promise everything listed in your plan, and a fix within 2 business days for any wrong answer key.
Employer paying?
Many employers fund ICC B1 prep. Generate a reimbursement request PDF to send to your manager. Buying for a crew? Request a quote