10 exam-style questions with answers and explanations, straight from our 1,030-question bank. Tap an answer to check yourself. When you're ready, take the scored version in the free practice test.
The RCI exam has 100 questions and runs 7 hours.
These 10 free RCI questions are organized by exam domain, so you can see how each part of the Registered Construction Inspector in Building blueprint is tested. Reveal the answer and explanation under each question.
A wall-finish submittal reports ASTM E84 indices of 20 for flame spread and 180 for smoke developed, and claims a one-hour partition rating. Applying the 2018 IBC, which claim does the evidence support?
Correct answer: D - Class A finish is demonstrated; a one-hour assembly rating is not.
A competent person initially permitted work in a 4-ft-6-in-deep soil trench without a protective system because no cave-in indicators were present. After heavy rain, the inspector sees fresh cracks along the edge and soil sloughing into the occupied trench. The crew needs several more minutes to finish a pipe joint. What takes priority now?
Correct answer: D - Get workers out and prevent reentry pending competent-person reassessment and protection.
The specified concrete strength is 4,000 psi at 28 days. The latest valid standard-cured strength test is 3,720 psi; all earlier strength tests exceed 4,000 psi, and every average of three consecutive tests exceeds 4,000 psi. Sampling, curing, and testing requirements were met. Under ACI 318 strength-acceptance criteria, how should the inspector interpret these results?
Correct answer: C - Both the individual result and the running averages meet the strength criteria.
A beam connection is designated slip-critical. Bolt grade, installation, and required pretension have been verified. Shop primer covers the entire contact area between the connected plates, but its suitability for this use has not been documented. Which submittal addresses the unresolved connection requirement?
Correct answer: B - Coating qualification data covering slip resistance and application conditions.
Type S mortar is specified using the ASTM C270 proportion specification. Materials and batching records conform, and no workmanship deficiencies are observed. Mortar sampled in the field produces a 28-day compressive strength of 1,250 psi. The owner requests removal of the masonry because the result is below the 1,800-psi laboratory property-specification value. What is the technically sound interpretation?
Correct answer: C - The laboratory property limit is not an automatic rejection criterion for field-sampled mortar.
Exposure 1 plywood roof sheathing was briefly wetted by rain before dry-in. It is now dry, flat, and undamaged, with no delamination; its grade, span, spacing, and fastening meet the approved details. Permanent roofing will protect it from weather. A superintendent asks whether the rain exposure alone requires replacement. The appropriate response is to:
Correct answer: C - Retain the panels; brief construction exposure does not by itself require their replacement.
A nonbearing steel-stud partition has an approved head detail allowing 3/4 in of vertical movement beneath the floor above. The installer has driven screws through unslotted portions of both the head track and the studs, locking them together. When the floor deflects downward, what is the principal consequence of this installation?
Correct answer: A - Unintended vertical load can pass from the floor into the partition.
Eight equal-area catch cans exposed for the same irrigation cycle collect 0.4, 0.5, 0.5, 0.6, 0.6, 0.7, 0.7, and 0.8 in of water. The project requires lower-quarter distribution uniformity of at least 80%. The contractor proposes doubling the entire zone's run time without changing heads, pressure, or the distribution pattern. Which assessment belongs in the acceptance report?
Correct answer: A - Uniformity is 75%; correct the distribution pattern and retest rather than merely doubling run time.
The approved pile criteria require both a toe elevation at or below -40.0 ft and at least 20 blows per final inch using the specified hammer. Driving stops after resistance rises abruptly to 30 blows per inch at elevation -36.0 ft. Hammer operation has been verified, and no revised acceptance criteria have been issued. Which statement accurately characterizes the pile's status?
Correct answer: B - High driving resistance does not establish compliance with the required founding elevation.
A brick-veneer detail shows a clear drainage cavity, continuous flashing above a window, and weeps discharging to the exterior. Before concealment, the inspector finds mortar droppings bridging the cavity and plugging the weeps. The exposed mortar joints and window perimeter sealant are sound. Which correction restores the function of the specified detail?
Correct answer: B - Remove the cavity obstructions and reopen the weeps while preserving the flashing's continuity.
The RCI exam also covers these domains. Drill them in the full free practice test:
The full bank has 1,020 more RCI questions with explanations.
Continue in the free practice test →
View plans