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Finally passed my HIC exam after two attempts — here's what actually helped

by rachel_s 67 views3 replies
R
rachel_sOP
May 27, 2026

Took my HIC exam for the second time last Thursday and I'm happy to report I passed with a 78. First attempt back in February I got a 64, which was honestly embarrassing considering I've been in the home inspection industry for six years. I think I was way overconfident and didn't treat it like a real exam.

What turned things around was being more systematic about my prep. I spent about three weeks this time, roughly an hour a night after work. The biggest game-changer was working through a solid HIC practice test repeatedly — not just to see if I got the right answer, but to understand WHY each wrong answer was wrong. That shift in mindset made a huge difference. The moisture intrusion and structural sections were brutal for me personally, so I made sure to drill those until I was consistently hitting 80%+ in those areas.

Happy to share more specifics if anyone's prepping right now. There's also a decent HIC study guide floating around that covers the InterNACHI standards breakdowns if anyone needs a pointer. What topics are people finding hardest?

J
Jessica L.
May 28, 2026
Congrats on passing! I'm scheduled for mine in six weeks and the moisture/thermal sections are killing me too. One exam tip I picked up from my study group: pay close attention to how questions are worded around "should" vs "must" — that distinction trips people up constantly on the HIC. Did you find the actual exam matched what the practice questions were testing, or were there surprises?
S
Sofia R.
May 28, 2026
Two attempts is nothing to be embarrassed about honestly. I know three inspectors at my firm who took it three times. The HIC isn't just about field knowledge, it's about understanding how they want you to think about liability and reporting standards, which is a totally different skill. The practice tests helped me get into that headspace more than any reading did.
C
Chloe W.
May 28, 2026
78 is solid, nice work. For anyone else studying — don't sleep on the roofing section. I thought I knew roofs cold from field work and still got hammered on the exam version of those questions. The wording is very specific.

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