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Yes, for most people, mainly because of time and code navigation
The BCIN exams are hard for most first-time candidates, mainly because 70 open book questions in 3 hours leaves about 2.5 minutes per question to find and read the right article. The Ministry does not publish pass rates for any exam, but it has cited low pass rates as one reason it changed the exam program.
This page explains what is actually known, what is only rumoured, and where marks are usually lost. We do not invent pass rates and we do not use leaked exam content.
What we know about pass rates
| Claim | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Ministry publishes pass rates per exam | No; none found for any of the 16 exams | MMAH and Humber pages |
| Ministry cited low pass rates when changing the exams | Yes | ERO notice 019-6433 decision |
| Exams cut from 75 to 70 questions | Yes | ERO 019-6433; Humber exam format |
| "On average less than 45% pass" | Unconfirmed; quoted in municipal summaries of the 2019 consultation, not seen in a primary Ministry document | Secondary sources |
| Specific numbers posted on forums ("only 30% pass") | Unverified anecdotes | Online forums |
The honest summary: a large share of attempts fail, enough that the Ministry treated it as a problem, but nobody outside the Ministry knows the exact rate per exam. Be wary of any prep provider quoting a precise figure without a source.
Why an open book exam is still hard
The clock
| Format fact | What it means |
|---|---|
| 70 questions, 4 options each | Every question worth the same |
| 3 hours | About 2 minutes 34 seconds per question |
| 70% to pass | 49 correct; 21 can be wrong or skipped |
| Open book | Only the Compendium, the three Ministry Code and Guide books, a calculator and blank paper |
If you know a number by heart, a question takes 30 seconds. If you have to find it, read the exceptions and check a table note, it can take 5 minutes. Candidates who run out of time often leave the last 8 to 10 questions as guesses, which is enough to turn a pass into a fail.
Finding things in the PDF
Online candidates use the PDF that Humber provides in the browser, and home candidates cannot use split screen. Searching a two-volume Compendium in a browser is slower than flipping a tabbed hard copy. Knowing which Part and Section a topic lives in, and which words the Code uses, is the skill being tested as much as the rule itself. Our guide on how to pass the open book BCIN exam covers search technique, and BCIN exam day covers the setup.
Exceptions and definitions
Many questions turn on an exception in a later sentence, or on a defined term in Division A ("dwelling unit", "storey", "exit", "building area"). Reading only the first sentence of an article is the classic way to choose a wrong answer that looks right.
Calculations and Supplementary Standards
Technical exams include calculations and table work: footing widths, joist and rafter spans, spatial separation and unprotected openings, occupant load, fixture counts, SB-2 fire resistance and SB-12 energy packages. These take the longest and are where people lose the most marks. Our free calculation lab walks through each method, including spatial separation, SB-2 fire resistance and SB-12 energy efficiency.
Which exams are harder
There is no official ranking, so this is a description of what each exam demands rather than a pass-rate league table.
| Exam | What makes it demanding |
|---|---|
| General Legal/Process | Narrow but detailed: the Building Code Act, Division C, timelines, who may do what. Wording traps |
| Designer Legal/Process | Similar to General Legal with a designer focus; less to cover |
| House | All of Part 9 as it applies to houses, plus SB-12 and other standards; lots of numbers |
| Small Buildings | House content plus Part 3 items, Part 9 for other occupancies, spatial separation and more calculations; widely described as a big step up from House |
| Large Buildings and Complex Buildings | Part 3 in depth: classification, construction articles, exits, fire alarm and sprinkler triggers |
| On-site Sewage Systems | Self-contained Part 8, heavy on flows, clearances and bed sizing |
| Plumbing, HVAC, Building Services, Structural, Fire Protection | Specialist tables and sizing; more reliance on referenced standards that are not in the exam book |
The Ministry's study guides list exactly what each exam includes and excludes. Studying outside your syllabus wastes time; missing an included section, such as the new Part 2 on farm buildings, costs marks.
Is the 2024 exam harder than 2012?
Since March 30, 2026 every exam is based on the 2024 Building Code. Humber's news page says the 2024 Code brought 1,730 amendments to harmonize with the 2020 national codes, added Part 2 Farm Buildings, and revised Parts 3, 7 and 9. The exam format stayed the same apart from the earlier change to 70 questions. It is not clearly harder, but prep material written for the 2012 Code can now give wrong article numbers and values. See 2024 Ontario Building Code changes.
How to make it easier
- Shrink the book to your syllabus using the Ministry study guide, then our free chapter-by-chapter guide for your exam.
- Practise search, not memory. Learn the Part and Section map and the Code's own words.
- Train the clock. Do full 70-question timed runs and aim to finish the first pass with 20 to 30 minutes left.
- Drill the calculations until each takes under 4 minutes.
- Give yourself a plan. Our BCIN study plan has 4, 6 and 8 week schedules.
If an attempt does not go your way, results, retakes and appeals explains what to do next. You can retake without a waiting period.
Sources
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- A free practice quiz for each exam
- Every answer cites its 2024 OBC article
- Full 70 question timed simulations with a paid plan
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