The International Code Council (ICC) Concrete Code Examination is a state examination offered to any individual who is involved in the construction industry or not. Successfully passing the ICC Concrete Code Examination grants the candidate a Certificate of Completion, which is required to be considered a Reinforced Concrete Special Inspector. Needless to say, the certification will allow the candidate’s professional career to increase to a higher level. The certification also affirms the candidate’s commitment to the ‘Code of Ethics’ which is to uphold and protect the public’s safety, health and general welfare within the construction of commercial and/or residential buildings.
Helpful Tips to Successfully Pass the ICC Concrete Code Exam
First, the ICC Concrete Code Examination does not differ from any other examination, in the sense that you have guidelines to follow and you must prepare for the exam in order to pass. If you do not have sufficient knowledge and expertise in the concrete industry, that is not a problem, there are very good schools that can help you to obtain the knowledge and experience needed to pass successfully.
Second, there are other aspects that would increase your chances of not just passing the exam but making it to the top of the special inspection industry. The following are effective tips to pass the ICC Concrete Code Exam:
- The examination is held at a third party testing site. So please read the ‘Candidate Bulletin’ carefully and understand the information contained therein.
- Before signing up for the examination, know that you are taking the exam through a computer-based test program. You are only given 3 and ½ hours to complete the code and plans segments of the examination, so you need to not only know the code material but also have the navigational speed required to answer the code questions in the shortest span of time.
- Knowing the required approved references is a must! This often is an over looked step. There are two parts of this 90-question multiple choice examination. The first segment covers 60 open code book questions which require proficiency on the codes while the remaining 30 questions would gauge your proficiency in reading plans. For the ICC Concrete Code Exam, the required codes and manuals include:
- 2009 International Building Code
- ACI 318-08 Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete and Commentary
- ASTM Standards: A 615, A 706, A 775, C 31, C 33, C 94, C 143, C 150, C 172, C 231, C 685
- Model Program for Special Inspection
- ICC Concrete Manual (2006 or 2009 edition)
- You should also bring necessary gadgets such as a magnifying glass, to help you read the plans better. Plus a battery operated calculator, to assist you in converting bar diameters, bar fractions, slump tolerances, etc.
In closing, the ICC reinforced concrete examination requires a positive attitude and effort for learning the material and the proper way of building the speed to answer the questions correctly in the allotted time.
Good luck on the exam…