- What This Cheat Sheet Covers (and What It Doesn't)
- Exam Format and Logistics at a Glance
- Fees, Voucher Rules, and Renewal Numbers
- The Six Preparation Topics, One Line Each
- Edition Traps: 2021 vs. 2024 IECC
- Scoring and Open-Book Realities
- Facts Not Verified (Do Not Memorize These)
- Mapping the Six Topics to a Study Sequence
- FAQ
- The ICC exam is 50 four-option multiple-choice questions in two hours, listed at US$320 on ICC's product page.
- Passing requires a scaled score of 75, which is not necessarily 75% raw accuracy.
- The exam is open book, but only references approved for your purchased code edition are allowed.
- ICC lists exam 79 in both 2021 and 2024 editions; match study materials to the edition you buy.
What This Cheat Sheet Covers (and What It Doesn't)
This page is a compact review of the Residential Energy Inspector/Plans Examiner credential from the International Code Council (ICC). In ICC's catalog, the selected credential maps to examination 79, titled Residential Energy Inspector/Plans Examiner. "REI-PE" is the shorthand used on this site; it is not asserted to be ICC's official exam code, so do not search ICC's system for that abbreviation and expect a match.
If you are new to the credential, start with What Is REI-PE? for the background, then come back here for the quick-reference facts. If you want the longer-form plan, the REI-PE Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt goes deeper than a one-page review can.
Exam Format and Logistics at a Glance
| Item | Verified Fact |
|---|---|
| Issuer | International Code Council (ICC) |
| Exam title | Residential Energy Inspector/Plans Examiner (ICC exam 79) |
| Questions | 50 |
| Time allowed | Two hours |
| Question style | Four-option, single-answer multiple choice |
| Reference policy | Open book; restrictions published by ICC |
| Remote delivery | PRONTO remote proctoring, per ICC's IECC/HERS Compliance Specialists page |
| Editions listed | 2021 and 2024 code editions (ICC list updated January 12, 2026) |
Fifty questions in two hours works out to a little over two minutes per item on average. That sounds generous until you remember the exam is open book. Candidates who treat "open book" as "no preparation needed" tend to burn their time paging through the code for answers they could have located in seconds with proper tabbing. Fast navigation is the real skill being tested. For a candid look at how that plays out, see How Hard Is the REI-PE Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026.
Delivery is verified through PRONTO remote proctoring on ICC's compliance-specialist page. No additional exam-79 testing provider is asserted here, so check ICC's own scheduling flow for the options available to you at purchase. For scheduling mechanics, see REI-PE Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling.
Fees, Voucher Rules, and Renewal Numbers
Exam purchase
- Listed price: US$320 on ICC's current examination product page.
- Use window: an exam purchase must be used within 365 days.
- Refunds and transfers: purchases are non-refundable and non-transferable.
- Member discount: not verified. The member and non-member price fields on the product page did not resolve cleanly, so do not assume a discount exists or guess its size.
Packages are not the standalone price
ICC has also offered a training-plus-exam bundle tied to a 2026 conference at $500. That package is separate from the standalone exam price, so do not compare the two numbers as if they were the same product. The bundle's promised online study guide could not be retrieved, so its contents are unverified.
Renewal
| Renewal Element | Figure |
|---|---|
| Cycle | Three years |
| Total CEUs | 1.5 |
| Minimum Part 1 CEUs | At least 0.8 qualifying |
| Fee (member) | $105 |
| Fee (non-member) | $130 |
Renewal charges are separate from exam fees. One note on sourcing: ICC's renewal bulletin shows conflicting date indicators (parsed text reads July 28, 2026; the rendered cover reads January 6, 2026). The fee and CEU tables agree across both, so the figures above are reliable, but check ICC's live bulletin before you pay.
The Six Preparation Topics, One Line Each
The six topic phrases below come from the curriculum of an ICC course that explicitly prepares candidates for exam 79 using the 2024 IECC. They are unweighted preparation topics, not six verified formal exam domains, official percentage allocations, or an exhaustive blueprint. Treat them as a study checklist, not a scoring map. A deeper walk-through lives in REI-PE Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 6 Content Areas.
1. History and future of energy codes
Context questions: how the IECC evolved and where residential energy requirements are heading.
- Know why edition differences matter when a jurisdiction adopts a specific cycle
- Expect this area to reward reading comprehension of code intent, not memorized tables
2. Administration and documentation requirements
The paperwork side of enforcement: what must be submitted, reviewed, and retained.
- Practice locating the administrative chapter quickly in your approved reference
- Plans examiners are tested on what construction documents must show
3. Compliance options
The routes by which a residential project can demonstrate code compliance.
- Be able to tell the pathways apart and know when each applies
- Questions here often hinge on choosing the right path for a stated scenario
4. Specific thermal envelope and systems provisions
The technical core: insulation, fenestration, air leakage, and the mechanical and system requirements that accompany them.
- Expect scenario questions that require reading a table and applying a climate-based requirement
- Inspectors should be able to connect a requirement to what is physically verifiable on site
5. How the IECC relates to existing buildings
Alterations, additions, and changes to existing homes, and which provisions follow them.
- Distinguish new construction rules from existing-building rules
- Read scope language carefully; the exceptions are where questions live
6. Expanded appendices of the 2024 IECC
Material that sits outside the main chapters but may still be tested for the 2024 edition.
- Know that appendices exist and where to find them in the book
- A 2021-edition candidate should confirm what applies to their edition rather than assume
Key Takeaway
Do not allocate study hours by guessing at weights. ICC's current edition-specific blueprint and weightings could not be verified, so spread preparation across all six topics and weight your extra time toward your personal weak spots.
Edition Traps: 2021 vs. 2024 IECC
This is the single most expensive mistake available to a candidate. ICC's January 2026 exam list shows exam 79 in both the 2021 and 2024 code editions, and no edition was fixed in the purchase assignment behind this site's research. That means two things:
- Confirm the edition at purchase. Read the product page and the checkout details so you know which edition your exam covers.
- Match your references to it. ICC's approved-reference list is edition-specific. A 2024 book on a 2021 exam is a problem in both directions.
The six preparation topics above are drawn from a 2024 IECC course. They are not a verified 2021 outline, so a 2021-edition candidate should not assume topic six (expanded appendices of the 2024 IECC) maps neatly onto their exam.
Scoring and Open-Book Realities
ICC's passing-score policy requires a scaled score of 75. A scaled score is not the same as getting 75% of questions right, so you cannot reverse-engineer a fixed count of correct answers out of 50 from that number. Details are covered in REI-PE Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass.
On pass rates: ICC's "up to 90%" claim for course participants is marketing language for those who take its courses. It is not a population pass rate for exam 79, and it should not be quoted as one. For what the available data does and does not show, see REI-PE Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows.
Open-book discipline
- ICC publishes what you may and may not bring; read that page for your delivery method before test day.
- Permitted references must match your edition and appear on the approved list.
- Tabbing and highlighting rules vary by test setting, so verify them rather than relying on forum memory.
- Practice with the same books you will use on exam day so the page layout is second nature.
Facts Not Verified (Do Not Memorize These)
A trustworthy cheat sheet lists its blind spots. These items could not be confirmed in accessible issuer material:
- Formal exam weights for the current edition. ICC's certification exam catalog did not render the edition-specific blueprint in a verifiable way.
- Education or experience prerequisites for exam 79. No exam-specific minimum was found. See REI-PE Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify for the current state of what is and isn't established.
- HERS status as a prerequisite. HERS Rater or Rating Field Inspector status belongs to a separate combined IECC/HERS designation; it is not established as a requirement for standalone exam 79.
- Member price. A verified member discount or complete member/non-member price pair is unresolved.
- Salary or earnings premium. No exam-79-specific salary estimate or demonstrated certification premium was verified. If you are weighing the credential's value, REI-PE Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis and Is the REI-PE Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 discuss it without inventing figures.
Key Takeaway
If a study site, forum post, or recruiter quotes you a precise salary bump, pass rate, or domain percentage for this specific exam, ask for the source. For exam 79, those numbers are currently not verifiable in ICC's public material.
Mapping the Six Topics to a Study Sequence
Because the technical provisions carry the heaviest practical load, this sequence front-loads orientation and the paperwork chapters, then spends the longest block on envelope and systems. Adjust the pacing to your own timeline and to the edition you purchased.
Orientation and Administration
- Confirm your edition and assemble matching approved references
- Cover history and future of energy codes, then administration and documentation requirements
- Tab the administrative chapter for fast lookup
Compliance Options
- Work through each compliance pathway and when it applies
- Build a one-line decision rule for each route
Thermal Envelope and Systems
- Drill the tables for insulation, fenestration, and air leakage until lookups are quick
- Add the mechanical and systems provisions that accompany the envelope
Existing Buildings and Appendices
- Separate existing-building rules from new-construction rules
- Locate and skim the appendices relevant to your edition
Timed Practice
- Run 50-question sets against a two-hour clock using your actual books
- Review misses by topic and revisit the weakest area
The REI-PE practice test is built for exactly the final step here: timed sets that show you which of the six topics is costing you points. For structured instruction beyond self-study, see REI-PE Training.
FAQ
ICC's product page confirms 50 questions and a two-hour time limit. Questions are four-option, single-answer multiple choice.
Yes. ICC publishes restrictions on what you may bring, and approved references must match the code edition of your purchased exam. Check the approved list for your edition before test day.
A scaled score of 75. This is not necessarily 75% raw accuracy, so there is no fixed number of correct answers you can count on.
Whichever edition your purchased exam covers. ICC lists exam 79 in both the 2021 and 2024 editions, so confirm the edition at purchase and match your references and study materials to it.
The renewal cycle is three years and requires 1.5 CEUs, including at least 0.8 qualifying Part 1 CEUs. The renewal fee is $105 for members and $130 for non-members, separate from the exam fee. Confirm the details on ICC's current renewal bulletin.
For a broader introduction to the credential itself, read REI-PE Certification, or browse REI-PE Jobs to see where the credential fits in energy code enforcement and plan review work. When you are ready to test your recall under time pressure, head to the main practice test site.