Ontario Building Code (BCIN) · House 2024 and Small Buildings 2024
Five BCIN exam practice test questions, answers included.
Five original practice questions for the Ontario Building Code exams House 2024 and Small Buildings 2024: a stair rise at a shared entrance, a snow load from SB-1 values, a garage door into a bedroom, a flashing calculation and a barrier-free corridor. Pick an answer, then open the explanation. Every question in the bank explains all four options, not just the right one.
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85 free BCIN questions in all
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A new triplex has an exterior stair from the front walk up to the porch at its shared entrance, which serves all three dwelling units. What is the maximum rise permitted for each step of this stair?
- 150 mm
- 180 mm
- 200 mm
- 240 mm
Show the answer
B. Correct. The notes to Div. B Table 9.8.4.1. treat as private only the stairs of a single house (one dwelling unit, or a house plus its secondary suite), exterior stairs to its garage included. A stair at a shared entrance serving three dwelling units is therefore a public stair, with a maximum rise of 180 mm.
Source: 2024 Ontario Building Code, our Unit C: Rooms, glazing, doors, stairs, guards and means of egress; Div. B 9.8.4.1.(1) and Table 9.8.4.1.
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A detached house in Windsor has a gable roof well over 4.3 m wide. The climatic data table for Windsor lists its ground snow load Ss as 0.8 kPa and its rain load Sr as 0.4 kPa. What specified snow load must the roof framing be designed for?
- 0.76 kPa
- 0.84 kPa
- 1.0 kPa
- 1.2 kPa
Show the answer
C. Correct. Div. B 9.4.1.1.(3) takes the location data from SB-1, and Div. B 9.4.2.2.(1) gives S = 0.55 x 0.8 + 0.4 = 0.44 + 0.4 = 0.84 kPa for a roof wider than 4.3 m. Div. B 9.4.2.2.(2) sets 1 kPa as the least specified snow load, so the roof is designed for 1.0 kPa.
Source: 2024 Ontario Building Code, our Unit D: Structure, site, foundations and masonry; Div. B 9.4.2.2.(1), (2), Div. B 9.4.1.1.(3); SB-1 Table 2
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Plans for a new detached house show the only door from the attached garage opening into a ground-floor bedroom. The door is specified as tight-fitting, weather-stripped and fitted with a self-closing device. Does the layout comply with the Building Code?
- No, since the door also needs a 20 min fire-protection rating.
- Yes, since the door meets the tight-fitting and self-closing rules.
- Yes, provided the bedroom has a smoke alarm and an egress window.
- No, since a doorway from the garage may not open into a bedroom.
Show the answer
D. Correct. Div. B 9.10.13.15.(2) does not allow the door opening from an attached or built-in garage into the home to be placed in a bedroom or other sleeping room, however well the door itself is built. The doorway has to move to another room.
Source: 2024 Ontario Building Code, our Unit B: Fire protection, fire safety and sound; Div. B 9.10.13.15.(1) and (2); Div. B 9.10.9.18.(3)
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A bungalow's window head trim sits 500 mm below the underside of the eave, measured vertically. The builder wants to leave out the head flashing over this window. What is the least horizontal eave overhang that permits this?
- 125 mm
- 500 mm
- 1 000 mm
- 2 000 mm
Show the answer
D. Correct. Div. B 9.27.3.8.(3) requires flashing over a wall opening when the drop from the eave's underside down to the top of the trim exceeds a quarter of the eave's horizontal overhang. To omit it, 500 mm must be no more than a quarter of the overhang: overhang = 4 x 500 mm = 2 000 mm.
Source: 2024 Ontario Building Code, our Unit E: Wood-frame construction, building envelope and finishes; Div. B 9.27.3.8.(3)
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A corridor in a one-storey medical office building forms part of the barrier-free path of travel. It will stay 1 400 mm wide over its 70 m length, and no room or alcove along it leaves a clear area. What does Div. B 3.8.1.3. require along this corridor?
- Nothing more, as 1 400 mm exceeds the 1 100 mm minimum width.
- A clear space 1 800 mm by 1 800 mm at each end of the corridor only.
- A clear space 1 800 mm by 1 800 mm at intervals of 30 m or less.
- A clear space 1 800 mm by 1 800 mm only where the corridor turns.
Show the answer
C. Correct. Because the corridor is under 1 600 mm wide, Div. B 3.8.1.3.(4) calls for unobstructed spaces at least 1 800 mm wide and 1 800 mm long located no more than 30 m apart along the path.
Source: 2024 Ontario Building Code, our Unit G: Part 2 and Part 3 provisions for small buildings; Div. B 3.8.1.3.(1) and (4)
Want ten more with every option explained? Free BCIN exam practice questions: no account, no email, printable. With ten more on each unit page below, that makes 85 free BCIN questions in all.
The BCIN House and Small Buildings exams at a glance
How many questions are on the BCIN exam?
70 multiple-choice questions, each with four options, in three hours, open book. The pass mark is 70%, on the whole paper, with no minimum for any topic. House 2024 and Small Buildings 2024 use the same format. Source: Humber Polytechnic's Examination Format page (read October 28, 2026).
The House and Small Buildings exams are two of the Ontario Building Code qualification exams that the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH) writes and Humber Polytechnic schedules and delivers. Designers who submit drawings for a building permit, and building officials who review plans or inspect, qualify in a class of buildings by passing the technical exam for that class, along with a legal exam such as General or Designer Legal/Process. Your BCIN is the number MMAH's QuARTS system gives you when you open an account; anyone may write the exams, with no education or experience prerequisite.
Small Buildings covers both classes. Passing Small Buildings qualifies you for House as well; House covers houses only. MMAH's syllabi put the whole of Part 9 on both exams, with exceptions for House, plus slices of Parts 3 to 7, 11 and 12 and of the supplementary standards; Small Buildings adds more of Part 3. MMAH publishes no weights by topic, so our timed mock draws its 70 questions from our seven units in proportions we set from the syllabi.
The exams are on demand: you register and pay $150 at least seven days ahead, then book a sitting online at home or at an Ontario college test centre, proctored through Meazure Learning. They have tested the 2024 Building Code since March 30, 2026. Results come from MMAH through QuARTS, and you may rewrite by registering and paying again.
The full BCIN practice exam
One bank, both exams, every answer explained.
550 original practice questions on the 2024 Building Code, 400 Standard and 150 Advanced, written across both syllabi: 483 are on the House syllabus and 549 on Small Buildings. Each explains why every option is right or wrong and cites the Article behind it. Timed 70-question mock exams in three hours, for House or for Small Buildings, are scored against the 70 percent pass mark and broken down by unit, so you can see which part of the Code needs work before you book.
One $99 BCIN Exam Pass covers all four BCIN exams: House 2024, Small Buildings 2024 and the two Legal/Process exams, General and Designer. Also preparing for another exam? All-Access covers the BCIN exams for $119, along with every other exam on TicketPrep.
What the House and Small Buildings exams cover
The Part 9 syllabus, studied as seven units.
MMAH publishes, for each exam, the Building Code Parts, Sections and Articles it covers, but not how many questions any of them gets. Our 550-question bank groups that material into seven study units of our own, with 92 sub-topics; the counts and the mock draws below are ours, not MMAH's. Each unit links to ten free questions on it.
- A
Compliance, administration and general requirements · 29 in our bank · mock: House 4, Small 4
Division A on what the Code governs and which Parts apply, defined terms and the objectives behind each requirement; the general sections of Division B Part 1 and Part 9; Division C on design, permits, occupancy before completion, inspections and alternative solutions; Part 11 for existing buildings; and Section 9.41 on a change of use. Free Unit A questions: compliance and administration →
- B
Fire protection, fire safety and sound · 84 in our bank · mock: House 12, Small 11
Section 9.10: building size for fire purposes, construction types and ratings, fire separations, closures and fire blocks, spatial separation, flame spread, fire alarm and detection, smoke alarms and firefighting access, with the Part 3 provisions and the SB-2 and SB-3 rating methods it relies on, and sound transmission in Section 9.11. Free Unit B questions: fire protection and sound →
- C
Rooms, glazing, doors, stairs, guards and means of egress · 61 in our bank · mock: House 9, Small 8
Room and ceiling heights, hallways and doorways, glass, windows, doors and skylights, stairs, ramps, landings, handrails and guards (with SB-7), and Section 9.9 on means of egress, from exit types and dimensions to egress from bedrooms and exit signs. Free Unit C questions: stairs, guards and egress →
- D
Structure, site, foundations and masonry · 124 in our bank · mock: House 18, Small 15
Materials and grades, structural loads and SB-1 climatic data, the Part 4 references, excavation and backfill, dampproofing, waterproofing and soil gas, drainage, footings and foundation walls, slabs, columns, crawl spaces, masonry and ICF walls, chimneys and fireplaces. Free Unit D questions: structure, foundations and masonry →
- E
Wood-frame construction, building envelope and finishes · 148 in our bank · mock: House 22, Small 17
Wood-frame construction in Section 9.23, steel stud framing, roof-space venting, insulation, air and vapour barriers, the Part 5 references, roofing and roof drainage, cladding, stucco, interior finishes and flooring, garages and carports, and cottages, log construction and park model trailers. Free Unit E questions: wood frame, envelope and finishes →
- F
Building services, energy and water efficiency · 52 in our bank · mock: House 4, Small 7
Plumbing facilities and the Part 7 references, ventilation and carbon monoxide alarms, the Part 6 installation standards, heating and air conditioning, lighting outlets and electrical facilities, and energy and water efficiency in Part 12, SB-12 and SB-10. Part of this unit is on the Small Buildings syllabus only. Free Unit F questions: building services and energy →
- G
Part 2 and Part 3 provisions for small buildings · 52 in our bank · mock: House 1, Small 8
The Part 2 and Part 3 provisions that reach small buildings: farm buildings, occupancy classification and building size, hazardous areas, service facilities, barrier-free design, food premises and the special Sections on self-service storage, pools and spas, tents, signs and rack storage. Almost all of it is on the Small Buildings syllabus only. Free Unit G questions: Part 3 for small buildings →
Where our questions come from
Every question original, every one cited.
The seven units and 92 sub-topics in our BCIN bank are our own, built from MMAH's 2024 syllabi for House and Small Buildings and the 2024 Building Code as published in MMAH's Compendium. Every question records the Division and Article it was written from, and every one went through a separate, blind verification pass in which every calculation is recomputed. Questions explain each requirement in their own words and cite the Article number; we never reproduce Building Code text, tables or definitions, and we leave out of our public pages any question whose answer rests on a 2026 amendment. Nothing is copied from courses, workbooks or recalled exam questions. For the format, the fees and what you may bring, read the BCIN exam guide. Read how our questions are made.
Edited by Trevor Mulder · Last checked against Humber Polytechnic's examination format, registration and FAQ pages, its Candidate Protocol (revised March 31, 2026) and MMAH's study guides for the 2024 Building Code examinations.
Why open book is not easy
An open Code does not tell you where to look.
You can bring the whole Compendium to the House or Small Buildings exam and still run out of time: 70 questions in 180 minutes is about two and a half minutes each, and many are scenarios that need two or three Articles read together. Knowing that Part 9 limits stair rise does not tell you that a stair serving three units is not a private stair. Knowing that SB-1 lists snow loads does not give you the specified load for a narrow porch roof. Our explanations give the reason and the Article behind every option, and our mock exams put 70 questions in front of you in three hours, so you practise finding the answer at exam pace, not just knowing it exists.
How TicketPrep prepares you
Built like a study tool, not a quiz app.
Both exams, one bank
House 2024 and Small Buildings 2024 from one Part 9 bank, each question tagged with the exam or exams whose syllabus it is on, at Standard and Advanced levels.
Every answer explained
Why the right answer is right, and why each of the other three is wrong, with the Division and Article behind it, so you learn where to look.
Timed mock exams
70 questions in three hours for either exam. MMAH publishes no weights by topic, so the draw from our seven units is ours, set from the syllabi.
Scores by unit
Each mock is scored against the 70 percent pass mark, with your score in each unit, so a weak part of the Code shows up before exam day.
BCIN exam questions
Before you start.
How many questions are on the BCIN House and Small Buildings exams?
What is the pass mark for the BCIN exams?
Is the BCIN exam open book?
Which Building Code edition do the exams use?
Do I need House or Small Buildings?
Is the BCIN practice test free?
Are these real BCIN exam questions?
What happens if I fail?
Find out where you stand.
Fourteen free questions for each exam. No account and no email to start: you see right or wrong as you go and your score at the end. Your email is optional, only to unlock the written explanations.
Then one BCIN Exam Pass is $99 one-time for all four BCIN exams, House, Small Buildings and the two Legal/Process exams, 120 days of access, not a subscription, with a 7-day money-back guarantee. Write a BCIN exam your pass covers and don't pass? You get 120 more days free. All-Access is $119 and covers the BCIN exams with every other exam on TicketPrep.
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