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NFPA Certification · Last updated November 2026

NFPA Certified Fire Inspector (CFI) Exam: free practice test

NFPA's current fire inspector certification, built on the job performance requirements in Chapter 7 of NFPA 1030 (2024 edition), which replaced the three inspector levels of NFPA 1031. Field Inspection is 55% of the exam, Administration 24%, Plans Review 16% and Legal 5%. You also complete a 17-activity practicum.

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About the CFI exam

NFPA's current fire inspector certification, built on the job performance requirements in Chapter 7 of NFPA 1030 (2024 edition), which replaced the three inspector levels of NFPA 1031. Field Inspection is 55% of the exam, Administration 24%, Plans Review 16% and Legal 5%. You also complete a 17-activity practicum.

What's on the exam

CFI
Administration, Permits and Reports
6 key facts
Legal Authority and Enforcement
6 key facts
Occupancy Classification and Occupant Load
6 key facts
Means of Egress
7 key facts
Building Construction and Interior Finish
6 key facts
Fire Protection Systems
6 key facts
Fire Hazards, Hazardous Materials and Site Access
6 key facts

Each branch is a topic in the official outline. Members see every key fact on the full mind map. Read the free study guide →

How to pass the CFI exam

  • 72 questions in 3 hours is 2½ minutes each, which is generous. Use it to look up the exact table value rather than relying on memory.
  • Field Inspection is 55%: occupancy classification, occupant load, egress, fire protection systems and hazards. That's where most of your tabs should go.
  • Know which book answers which question: occupancy and egress are in NFPA 101, sprinkler installation in NFPA 13, inspection frequencies in NFPA 25, alarm rules in NFPA 72, and permits, access and hazards in NFPA 1.
  • The CFI-I closed to new applicants after 30 June 2026. Check with your employer or AHJ which credential they require before you apply.

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Create a free account after the test: your score by topic, a mistakes bank, the complete study notes for the first topic, flashcards and the Fire Protection Formulas & Values Sheet.

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What's in the premium CFI prep

Premium CFI prep is studied one topic at a time. Each step starts with that topic's key notes and flashcard deck, then its own question sets of 25, so you master one topic before you move to the next. When every topic is strong, the 6 full mock exams show you're ready.

3,000practice questions, every answer explained
6full-length mock exams, 72 questions each, timed
800flashcards with spaced repetition, sorted by topic
60comprehensive key notes across 7 topics

Your step-by-step study path

  1. 1
    Administration, Permits and Reports9 key notes, 115 flashcards, then 450 practice questions in 18 sets of 25
    Notes free with an account
  2. 2
    Legal Authority and Enforcement9 key notes, 115 flashcards, then 425 practice questions in 17 sets of 25
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  3. 3
    Occupancy Classification and Occupant Load9 key notes, 115 flashcards, then 425 practice questions in 17 sets of 25
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  4. 4
    Means of Egress9 key notes, 115 flashcards, then 425 practice questions in 17 sets of 25
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  5. 5
    Building Construction and Interior Finish8 key notes, 115 flashcards, then 425 practice questions in 17 sets of 25
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  6. 6
    Fire Protection Systems8 key notes, 115 flashcards, then 425 practice questions in 17 sets of 25
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  7. 7
    Fire Hazards, Hazardous Materials and Site Access8 key notes, 110 flashcards, then 425 practice questions in 17 sets of 25
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  8. Final step: 6 full mock exams72 questions each, timed like test day. Pass them, then book your exam.
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Read the complete CFI study notes for “Administration, Permits and Reports”

Our first full set of comprehensive notes, about 13 minutes of reading: Applying the right code · Writing the inspection report · Permits · Complaints and plan review applications · Modifications and equivalency, a worked exam example, the traps examiners use and a one-minute recap. Create a free account to read it and see how premium notes work before you decide.

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Study tools included

3,000 practice questions

3,000 exam-style questions per exam, organized topic by topic in sets of 25. Every answer explained, with the rule it comes from.

6 full mock exams

6 full-length timed mock exams per exam, with real question counts and time limits, so test day feels like practice day.

Exam Readiness Score

One 0 to 100 number that tells you when you're ready to book. Reach 80 and you're covered by our Pass Guarantee.

800 flashcards + spaced repetition

800 flashcards per exam, in a deck for each topic, that come back right before you'd forget them. Five minutes a day keeps every number fresh.

60 comprehensive key notes

60 key notes per exam, split across its topics and each explained in full: the concepts, worked exam examples, the traps examiners use and a quick recap. Your first set is free with an account.

Mind maps

See the whole exam on one screen: every topic and the facts under it.

Sample questions with answers

These are the questions in the free test above, with answers. Try the test first. You'll learn more by getting some wrong.

1. Which entry best documents a violation in a fire inspection report?
Answer: "Second-floor east stair door wedged open; self-closing exit door must be kept closed or held by an approved release device; correct by the reinspection date". A good report entry states the specific condition, its location, the requirement it violates and the corrective action with a time frame. Vague entries can't be enforced and won't hold up if the case goes further.
2. An owner can't meet a specific code requirement in an existing building and proposes an alternative arrangement. Under the equivalency provisions of NFPA 1 and NFPA 101, what is required for approval?
Answer: Technical documentation showing the alternative gives an equivalent level of protection, approved by the AHJ. Equivalency lets the AHJ approve systems, methods or devices of equivalent or superior quality, strength, fire resistance, effectiveness or safety, provided technical documentation demonstrates the equivalence.
3. An owner refuses a fire inspector entry to a commercial building for a routine inspection, and no emergency exists. Following Camara v. Municipal Court and See v. City of Seattle (1967), the inspector should:
Answer: Obtain an administrative inspection warrant. The 1967 U.S. Supreme Court decisions held that non-emergency code inspections without consent require a warrant. Administrative warrants are based on a reasonable inspection program, not on probable cause of a specific violation.
4. Under NFPA 101, a room becomes an assembly occupancy when it is used for gathering of how many people or more?
Answer: 50. NFPA 101 defines assembly occupancy as one used for a gathering of 50 or more persons for deliberation, worship, entertainment, eating, drinking, amusement, awaiting transportation or similar uses.
5. Under NFPA 101, a building provides overnight medical care for patients who are mostly incapable of self-preservation. It becomes a health care occupancy at what number of such patients?
Answer: 4 or more. Health care occupancy: used to provide medical or other treatment or care simultaneously to four or more patients on an inpatient basis, where the patients are mostly incapable of self-preservation.
6. A single-story office building has a gross floor area of 22,500 ft². Using the NFPA 101 business-use occupant load factor of 150 ft² (gross) per person, what is the occupant load?
Answer: 150. Occupant load = area ÷ factor = 22,500 ÷ 150 = 150 people. Business uses gross area, so you don't deduct corridors, restrooms or walls.
7. Under NFPA 101, what is the egress capacity of a new stair with a clear width of 44 in., using 0.3 in. per person?
Answer: 146 persons. Capacity = width ÷ factor = 44 ÷ 0.3 = 146.7, rounded down to 146 persons. Level components and ramps use 0.2 in. per person, so a 44 in. corridor carries 220.
8. For how long must emergency lighting for means of egress operate under NFPA 101 after normal power fails?
Answer: 1½ hours. Emergency lighting must last at least 1½ hours, with an initial average of 1 ft-candle (minimum 0.1 ft-candle at any point) along the path of egress, measured at floor level.
9. Under NFPA 101, new handrails on stairs must be installed at what height, measured from the leading edge of the treads?
Answer: 34 to 38 in.. New handrails are 34 to 38 in. above the tread nosings. Don't confuse them with guards, which must be at least 42 in. high where there's a drop-off.
10. Under NFPA 220, a building of Type V (000) construction has:
Answer: Combustible structural elements with no fire resistance rating. Type V uses structural elements of any material permitted by code, typically wood frame. The (000) means no fire resistance rating for exterior bearing walls, columns and beams supporting more than one floor, or floors. Type II (000) is the noncombustible, unprotected type.
11. Under NFPA 101, an exit stair enclosure connecting five stories must have a fire resistance rating of at least:
Answer: 2 hours. Exit enclosures connecting four or more stories need a 2-hour rating; those connecting fewer than four stories need 1 hour. Doors in the 2-hour enclosure are rated 1½ hours.
12. Under NFPA 25, how often must control valves secured in the open position with tamper-evident seals be inspected?
Answer: Weekly. Sealed control valves are inspected weekly. Valves that are locked or electrically supervised may be inspected monthly, because the lock or supervisory signal gives extra assurance.
13. During an inspection of a sprinklered warehouse (standard spray sprinklers), stock is piled to within 10 in. of the sprinkler deflectors. What clearance is required?
Answer: At least 18 in.. NFPA 1 and NFPA 13 require at least 18 in. between the top of storage and standard spray sprinkler deflectors so the spray pattern can develop. 10 in. is a violation to write up.
14. Under NFPA 1, a fire department access road must have at least what unobstructed width and vertical clearance?
Answer: 20 ft wide, 13 ft 6 in. clear height. NFPA 1 requires an unobstructed width of at least 20 ft and vertical clearance of at least 13 ft 6 in. Dead ends longer than 150 ft need an approved turnaround.
15. An inspector finds a tank of liquid labeled with a flash point of 120°F. Under the classification used in NFPA 1 and NFPA 30, it is a:
Answer: Class II combustible liquid. Class II combustible liquids have a flash point at or above 100°F and below 140°F. Class IIIA is 140°F to below 200°F; Class I liquids (flammable) are below 100°F.

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Certification guide

How to get NFPA fire certification: CFPS, CFI and CFPE: NFPA runs several professional certifications for people who reduce fire loss. Three of them have open-book multiple-choice exams that suit most fire protection careers: the [Certified Fire Protection Specialist (CFPS)](https://www.nfpa.org/for-professionals/certification/cfps), the new [Certified Fire Inspector (CFI)](https://www.nfpa.org/en/for-professionals/certification/cfi) and the [Certified Fire Plans Examiner (CFPE)](https://www.nfpa.org/for-professionals/certification/cfpe). Here is who each one is for, what it takes and what it costs.

CFI exam FAQ

How many questions are on the CFI exam?

72 multiple-choice questions, with a time limit of 3 hours. Format: open book: printed nfpa 1 (2024), nfpa 13 (2022), nfpa 25 (2023), nfpa 72 (2022), nfpa 101 (2024) and the ifsta fire inspection and code enforcement manual, 9th edition. code handbooks are not allowed in the exam.

What is the passing score for CFI?

Not published by NFPA; practise to 75% or higher. A 17-activity practicum must also be approved.

How much does the CFI exam cost?

US$499 initial application and exam (2026). Fees and reference editions change, so confirm on nfpa.org before you apply.

Which languages is the CFI exam offered in?

English.

Where do I take the CFI exam?

Prometric (in-person computer-based test centers worldwide).

Is this CFI practice test free?

Yes. The 15-question practice test on this page is free, with an explanation for every answer and no signup. A free account also unlocks the complete study notes for the first topic. The full CFI prep is Premium at $147 a month for this exam.

What's in the premium CFI prep?

3,000 practice questions organized topic by topic (Administration, Permits and Reports: 450; Legal Authority and Enforcement: 425; Occupancy Classification and Occupant Load: 425; Means of Egress: 425; Building Construction and Interior Finish: 425; Fire Protection Systems: 425; Fire Hazards, Hazardous Materials and Site Access: 425), 6 full-length timed mock exams of 72 questions, 800 flashcards and 60 comprehensive key notes split across all 7 topics, plus a mistakes bank and the Readiness Score.

Compare CFI with the other NFPA certifications

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Exam details are summarized from the official candidate information available in November 2026. NFPA changes formats and fees, so confirm with National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) before you book. CFPSExamPrep is not affiliated with NFPA or Prometric.

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