How to Pass the Open Book BCIN Exam

Know the clock

Every question is worth the same. A 6 minute calculation that you get right costs you two or three easy questions you never reached. Pace is a scoring decision.

Step 1: shrink the book to your syllabus

The Compendium is two large volumes. Your exam covers a fraction of it. The Ministry publishes a study guide for each exam listing every included section and every excluded article.

Before you study anything else:

1. Print or save your exam's study guide.
2. Mark each included section in your hard copy with a tab or highlight. Humber allows hard copies that are highlighted or tabbed, with minimal annotations.
3. Cross out or note the excluded items in your study notes, so you do not waste time on them.
4. List the Supplementary Standards your syllabus names. The House syllabus, for example, names SB-1, SB-2, SB-3, SB-7, SB-9 and SB-12.

Remember you cannot write in your materials during the exam, so do this beforehand.

Step 2: learn the map

You should be able to say, without looking, roughly where these sit for your exam:

• Division A, Part 1: which Part of Division B applies to a building (Article 1.3.3.3 sets the Part 9 limits: 3 storeys or less, building area not over 600 m², and certain occupancies) and the list of defined terms.
• Division B: the technical Parts. For House and Small Buildings, most questions sit in Part 9, with some in Parts 3 to 7, 11 and 12.
• Division C: permits, inspections, qualifications and alternative solutions.
• The Act: for legal exams, the sections on permits, orders, unsafe buildings, inspections and appeals.

A useful drill: pick 20 random topics from your syllabus and time how long it takes to open the right Section in the code. Repeat until each takes under 30 seconds.

Step 3: search the PDF with the code's own words

Humber provides the digital Compendium during online exams, and you may not use your own copy. A PDF viewer's search (Ctrl+F on Windows, Cmd+F on Mac) is your fastest tool, if you search well.

Search for the code's terms, not the question's. Questions are written in plain language. The code uses defined terms. "Railing" will not get you far. "Guard" will. "Deck" is less useful than "guard" plus the height you are checking.

Search for article numbers. If you know the answer is in 9.8.8, search "9.8.8." with the trailing period. Article numbers in the 2024 code can also carry a letter, such as 1.3.3.3A, so type them exactly.

Search for numbers with units. Code values are metric and usually written with a space before the unit, such as "600 m". Try a couple of forms if the first finds nothing.

Use distinctive phrases. Two or three words that only appear in the sentence you want ("rough-in for a subfloor") beat a single common word.

Use the hard copy for tables. Large span and fastening tables can be awkward in a PDF. If you have the hard copy tabbed, flipping can be faster.

Check in the first minute how search behaves in the exam viewer, so you are not learning the tool on question 40.

Step 4: let Division A definitions do the work

Many questions are decided by a definition. Is it a "storey"? Is that space a "dwelling unit" or a "suite"? Is the measurement "building height" (in storeys) or a height in metres? Defined terms appear in italics in the code text, which is your cue to check the definition.

Learn the definitions that drive your syllabus. For Part 9 exams that includes building area, building height, grade, first storey, dwelling unit, suite, limiting distance, exposing building face, fire separation and fire-resistance rating. The definitions are in Division A, Part 1.

Step 5: read tables properly

Tables carry a large share of the numbers you will be asked for.

• Read the title and the "Forming Part of Sentence" line, so you know which rule the table serves.
• Read the column headings and units before the body.
• Read every note under the table. Limits, exceptions and interpolation rules often sit there.
• For span tables, confirm species, grade, spacing, load and whether the value is for a floor, a roof or a ceiling before you pick a number.

Step 6: work in two passes

First pass (about 120 minutes). Go through all 70 in order. Answer anything you can find in under 2 minutes. If a question needs a long calculation or you cannot find the Section, pick your best guess, flag it (or note its number on your blank paper, since you cannot count on a flag feature), and move on. Never leave a blank.

Second pass (the rest). Go back to the flagged questions, quickest ones first, since every question is worth the same. You now have time to work calculations and read whole Sections.

Final minutes. Make sure every question has an answer.

A four week practice plan

Our free study guide for each exam follows the Ministry syllabus section by section, with the 2024 articles cited and search tips. Start with your exam's page, such as House, Small Buildings or General Legal/Process, and try the free timed quiz to test your pace.