INTERNACHI Study Guide 2026
Everything you need to pass the INTERNACHI exam in one place: the exam format, every topic to study, real practice questions with explanations, flashcards, and full-length practice tests. Free, no sign-up needed.
📋 INTERNACHI Exam Format at a Glance
📚 INTERNACHI Topics to Study (15)
✍️ Sample INTERNACHI Questions & Answers
1. What is the primary concern of electrical systems in home inspections?
The paramount concern when inspecting electrical systems is ensuring the safety of the occupants and compliance with current electrical codes. Inspectors look for hazards like improper wiring, overloaded circuits, lack of grounding, and outdated components that could lead to electrical fires, shocks, or system failures. Aesthetic appeal or consumption rates are secondary to safety.
2. An inspector is examining the interior of an attached garage and notes that the entry door leading into the house is a standard, hollow-core interior door. Why is this a significant defect?
The door between an attached garage and the living area is part of the fire separation. Building codes require this door to be a solid wood door at least 1-3/8 inches thick, a solid or honeycomb-core steel door of the same thickness, or a door with a minimum 20-minute fire rating. A hollow-core door offers minimal fire resistance and is a serious safety hazard.
3. A home inspector identifies a horizontal framing member in the upper third of the attic space, connecting opposing rafters near the ridge. What is the primary function of this component?
This component is a collar tie (or ridge strap). Its primary function is to connect opposing rafters in the upper third of the attic space to resist wind uplift forces that could pull the rafters apart at the ridge. Rafter ties, located in the lower third, are responsible for resisting the outward thrust of the rafters at the wall's top plate.
4. While inspecting the junction of a roof plane and a vertical sidewall, an inspector should look for which type of flashing to be interwoven with the shingle courses?
Step flashing consists of individual pieces of metal installed with each course of shingles and bent to go up the adjacent vertical wall. This method is critical for preventing water intrusion at roof-to-wall intersections.
5. When inspecting the guardrails on a porch that is 48 inches above the adjacent ground, you find that the balusters (spindles) are spaced 7 inches apart. What should be reported?
A common safety standard, and a specific item InterNACHI inspectors must report on, is improper spacing between balusters. Generally, balusters should be spaced so that a 4-inch sphere cannot pass through, to prevent small children from falling through. A 7-inch spacing is a significant safety hazard that must be reported as a defect in need of correction.
6. According to the InterNACHI Standards of Practice for an exterior inspection, what is the generally recommended minimum slope for the ground surface within the first 10 feet of the foundation?
The InterNACHI Standards of Practice and general building principles recommend that the ground should slope away from the foundation with a minimum fall of 6 inches within the first 10 feet. This positive grading is crucial for directing surface water away from the structure and preventing moisture intrusion into the basement, crawlspace, or foundation, which could lead to significant structural damage.