I'm not going to sugarcoat it — I failed the ASHI home inspector exam twice before I finally passed last month, and I wasted a lot of time on the wrong study materials. My first attempt I went in way too confident after only skimming the SOP documents. Second time I bought some random study guide that turned out to be outdated. Third time I actually sat down and used a proper ASHI practice test platform that mirrored the real question format, and that made a huge difference.
The exam hit me hard on electrical systems, roofing defects, and moisture intrusion — way harder than I expected on those sections. I ended up spending about 6 weeks studying seriously, maybe 1.5 to 2 hours a night after work. My advice: don't just memorize definitions, actually understand WHY something is a defect. The questions are scenario-based and they'll catch you if you're just pattern-matching keywords.
Happy to answer questions for anyone currently prepping. What sections are giving you the most trouble?