©2023 Examination Board of Professional Home Inspectors
Examination Fee
• The cost of the National Home Inspector Examination is $225 per test in most states and in Canada. Please confirm when you call or register online.
• Veterans Reimbursement: If you pass the NHIE and you are eligible for GI Bill education benefits you may be eligible to get reimbursed for the cost of this exam. You will need to complete a VBA-22-0803- ARE and submit it to the VA for reimbursement. When you submit the VBA-22-0803-ARE make sure you remember to include a copy of your receipt of paid in full for this exam, and a copy of your exam results. For questions, please contact the Department of Veterans Affairs.
To Change or Cancel a Reservation Without Penalty
• To change or cancel a reservation without a monetary penalty, notify the test administrator’s Customer Care Center no less than two business days before the scheduled examination.
• Cancellations received less than two business days before the scheduled examination will be charged the full examination fee.
• Candidates will have 1 year to take the examination from the date the examination registration fee is received by PSI, or the
examination registration fee will be forfeited.
• If you are absent for a scheduled examination and have not rescheduled or cancelled according to policy, your examination
registration fee will be forfeited.
• If you are taking the exam through a different test administrator, contact them (See “Registration Information” section) for their
policies and procedures.
Permitted Absence from a Scheduled Examination
If you are unable to attend the examination on the day you are scheduled to test, you may be excused for the following reasons:
• Illness of either yourself or an immediate family member
• Death in your immediate family
• Disabling traffic accident
• Court appearance or jury duty
• Military duty
Re-examination Procedures
• To make an appointment for re-examination, follow the online or telephone procedures outlined previously for making an examination appointment.
• You may retake the National Home Inspector Examination as many times as you wish (unless otherwise regulated by your state). However, you must wait 30 days between retakes. Each examination requires a separate fee.
Special Examination Arrangements and Services
• EBPHI certifies that its test administrators comply with the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act (42 USCG Section 12101, et. seq.) and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, as amended (42 U.S.C. 2000e, et. seq.) in accommodating individuals who,
because of a disability, need special arrangements to enable them to take the examination. If you need special arrangements
for testing because of a disabling condition, you may ask for special testing services. All examination sites provide access for individuals with movement disabilities.
• Any individual requesting special testing arrangements due to impaired sensory, manual, or verbal skills or other disability must submit a request to the appropriate test administrator. This request must include your name, address, social security number, test date desired, test location, time of examination and a description of the special requirements. This request must also include supporting documentation from a physician or other qualified professional reflecting a diagnosis of the condition and an explanation of the need for test aids or modifications.
• Test administrators will provide auxiliary aids and services except where it may fundamentally alter the examination or results or result in an undue burden. Due to the unique nature of each request for special arrangements and the types of variables involved with testing (testing frequencies as permitted by each state and individual test center capabilities), an individual requesting special services should do so in advance.
• Test administrators will determine the time and place of specially arranged examinations and confirm these arrangements with the individuals directly. All special examination arrangements are subject to the Examination Board of Professional Home Inspectors’ policies.
• Candidates must register for their examination by telephone with a PSI representative, if approved for ADA accommodations.
Reporting Time
Specific reporting times will be given when you make your examination reservation. It is suggested that you report for testing at least 30 minutes before your examination appointment. Allow additional time to find the test center.
Tardiness
Individuals who arrive late for their scheduled examination forfeit their reservation. Persons excluded from testing because of lateness will be considered absent and the individual’s examination registration fee will be forfeited.
At the Testing Center
• When you arrive at the test center, report to the test center manager. Present your confirmation number, identification, and any other required documents.
• The test center manager will assign you a seat and assist you with your computerized testing unit. You will have an opportunity to go through a tutorial to become familiar with the system. The time you spend on the tutorial will not reduce the time allotted for taking your examination.
• You are given four hours to complete the National Home Inspector Examination. The timing of the examination begins the moment you look at the first question on your exam. After four hours have elapsed, the testing unit will automatically turn off. Alert the test center manager when you have completed your test by raising your hand.
• If you encounter any problem during the exam, please notify the test center manager immediately. If your problem is not addressed to your satisfaction, contact EBPHI by email at info@homeinspectionexam.org.
Examination Comments
• Should you wish to comment on any question on the exam, be sure to flag it and then follow the instructions at the end of the test. Comments are accepted only for specific, individual questions; a failing score on the NHIE is not considered grounds for comment.
• Comments on questions on the National Home Inspector Examination are reviewed by the Examination Board of Professional Home Inspectors with advice from its test development contractor. Should a question require modification or elimination such that
failing scores might be changed, affected candidates will be rescored. In no case will resolution of candidate comments result in
modification of individual candidate scores. Comment determinations that do not affect passing scores will not be applied but may
affect future versions of the exam.
Test Center Regulations
To ensure that all individuals are tested under equally favorable conditions, the following regulations and procedures are observed at each test center:
• No personal belongings such as briefcases, large bags, study materials, extra books or papers, electronic pagers or cell phones are permitted in the testing room. Any items brought into the testing room will be collected and returned after the test is
completed. Test administrators are not responsible for lost or misplaced items.
• No one is permitted to eat, drink, or smoke during the examination.
• Under no circumstances will you be permitted to work beyond the time allotted for the examination. Time limits are generous,
with ample time to answer all questions and to check all work.
• You may not leave the room during an examination without permission from the test center manager. If you need to leave the
examination for any reason, no extra time will be allowed for the examination.
• Examinees using any type of format to copy or photograph some or any part of the questions or answers, using notes, books, or other aids, taking part in an act of impersonation, or removing test materials or notes from the testing room will be summarily dismissed from the examination and reported to the Examination Board of Professional Home Inspectors and/or their respective regulatory agency and may be subject to penalties.
• The use of calculators is not permitted.
• Test center personnel are not familiar with the questions on the NHIE and have been instructed not to attempt to assist with the tested material.
Policies, Procedures, Content
Cancellations and Delays
Test administrations are delayed or cancelled only in emergencies. If severe weather or a natural disaster makes the test center inaccessible or unsafe, the test administration may be cancelled. Listen to your local radio stations for announcements and information regarding severe weather conditions that may result in test delays and/or cancellations.
How the Test Is Scored
The National Home Inspector Examination® is scored by a scaled scoring system, which is used by exams like the ACT and SAT in the United States. Since there are multiple versions of the NHIE, a scaled scoring system is a fair way to evaluate, score and adjust for differences in difficulty between the questions that appear on different versions of the exam. This method takes the raw score (the number of questions answered correctly) and converts it to a score between 200 and 800, with a passing scaled score of 500. A criterion-reference technique establishes the passing point for each exam. Based on the difficulty rating for each item, a panel of experts sets the passing score under the guidance of a psychometrician. The psychometrician consultant performs a statistical analysis following each administration of the exam.
Using Your Score Report
If you took this examination to qualify for licensing or other regulation in your state, contact the regulating agency to determine how to submit your passing score report. You will find links to various regulatory bodies at www.nationalhomeinspectorexam.org.
At PSI, Inc. test centers, you will receive an original copy of your score report prior to your departure. If you are taking the exam through a different test administrator, contact them for information. Upon passing the NHIE you are also able to add your
credentials to our Home Inspector Database located on our website. When you submit your name to be entered to our Inspector Database you will also receive a communications toolkit to promote your achievement! Submit your information at
https://nationalhomeinspectorexam.org/ inspectordatabase