Skip to content
BCIN ExamBCIN Exam

BCIN exam

The Small Buildings exam

The technical exam for all Part 9 buildings (residential, business, mercantile and low-hazard industrial up to 3 storeys and 600 m2) plus the Part 3 fire safety, barrier-free and special-building provisions that apply to small buildings.

Houses and Part 9Technical

multiple choice questions
70
multiple choice questions
to finish
3 hours
to finish
to pass
70%
to pass
you work from the code
Open book
you work from the code

Last updated

Who needs it

Building officials and BCIN designers working on Part 9 buildings beyond houses (small apartments, offices, stores, small industrial). Passing Small Buildings also grants the House qualification, so many candidates take it instead of House.

Passing Small Buildings also covers: House.

Free Small Buildings study guide

One chapter per section of the exam, following the Ministry's study guide for the Small Buildings exam, in plain language, with every rule linked to the 2024 OBC article it comes from.

  1. 1Code structure, objectives and farm building scopeDivision A, Division B Part 1, SA-1 and SB-1, and farm building scope and classification.6 min read
  2. 2Part 3 classification, construction and building sizeCombustible and noncombustible construction, fire ratings, firewalls, occupant load, building height and area.7 min read
  3. 3Spatial separation and exposure protection (Part 3)Limiting distance, unprotected openings, exposing building face construction and protection, with the guide's exclusions.5 min read
  4. 4Fire alarm, firefighting, emergency power and floor openingsFire alarm and detection systems (with exclusions), standpipes, sprinklers, fire department connections, emergency power for fire alarms.7 min read
  5. 5Floor areas, exits, vertical transportation and service facilitiesThe listed Part 3 items on corridors, egress doorways, assembly separations, hazardous areas, exits, revolving doors, door hardware.7 min read
  6. 6Plumbing facilities, health care, food premises and barrier-free designPlumbing fixture requirements (except assembly and care occupancy tables), health care facility systems.7 min read
  7. 7Special buildings and structures (Part 3)Self-service storage, public pools, public spas, tents and air-supported structures, signs, and shelf and rack storage.5 min read
  8. 8Parts 4 to 7 provisions referenced by Part 9Structural loads on guards and firewalls, foundations, structural material standards, environmental separation.6 min read
  9. 9Part 9 general, structure, rooms, glass and windowsPart 9 application, materials, structural requirements, room and space design, barrier-free requirements in Part 9, glass.6 min read
  10. 10Stairs, guards and means of egress (Part 9)Stairs, ramps, handrails and guards (SB-7, SB-13 not listed), and the full Part 9 means of egress section for small buildings.6 min read
  11. 11Fire protection and sound transmission (Part 9)All of 9.10 and 9.11: classification, ratings, construction types, fire separations, service rooms, firewalls, spatial separation.8 min read
  12. 12Foundations, framing and structure (Part 9)Excavation, dampproofing, drainage, footings and foundations, floors-on-ground, columns, crawl spaces, roof spaces, masonry, chimneys.7 min read
  13. 13Envelope, roofing, cladding and finishes (Part 9)Heat transfer, air leakage and condensation control, roofing, cladding, stucco, interior finishes and flooring.6 min read
  14. 14Part 9 services and special buildingsPlumbing facilities, ventilation, heating and air-conditioning, electrical facilities, garages, cottages, log construction.7 min read
  15. 15Energy efficiency, renovation and Division C administrationPart 12 resource conservation (SB-10, SB-12), Part 11 compliance alternatives, and the Division C items on design, permits, occupancy.6 min read
Start with chapter 1

Small Buildings calculations

The Calculation Lab works through the calculations this exam asks for, step by step, with worked examples and the traps that cost marks.

Open the Calculation Lab

Practise for the Small Buildings exam

Start with the free quiz. When you are ready, paid prep adds the full question bank and timed simulations in the real exam format.

  • Free account

    $0

    free account, no card

    • A short timed Small Buildings quiz
    • Free practice questions, every answer explained and cited
    • The Study room: each guide chapter beside the code PDF
    • Timed lookup drills and Find it fast search lists
    • A one page cheat sheet and a hint sheet for every exam
    • The Calculation Lab
    Start the free quiz

  • Small Buildings prep

    CA$99

    one payment, 6 months of access

    • The full question bank, every answer explained and cited
    • The words to search with every answer, to find it fast
    • Timed 70 question, 3 hour simulations with the code PDF, like the real exam
    • Practice by study guide section or question type
    • Progress by section, weakest first
    • Everything in the free account
    Get Small Buildings prep

  • Recommended

    All exams

    Regular price CA$299, now CA$199.

    one payment, 6 months of access

    • Covers all 16 exams
    • Everything in One exam, for every exam
    • Cheaper than buying exams one at a time from the third exam on
    • Add exams as your BCIN categories grow, at no extra cost
    Get all exams

Prices in Canadian dollars. No subscription: nothing renews. Paid prep opens soon. Create a free account now to take the free quiz, and we will email you when it opens.

Frequently asked questions

How many questions are on the Small Buildings exam?
70 multiple choice questions in 3 hours. You need 70% to pass.
Is the Small Buildings exam open book?
Yes. The exam is open book: you work from the code, so knowing where to find an answer quickly matters as much as knowing it.