What is your home inspection IQ?

[Bill Kibbel]

A co-worker sent me a link to this little quiz.

www.midwestinsp.com/home_inspection_quiz.htm

I usually do well on tests so I was annoyed that I got one wrong.

"Evidence of Powder Post Beetles includes 1/2" Diameter exit holes."

I clicked false thinking adult lyctid exit holes are 1/32" to 1/16" diameter. Maybe they're bigger in the Midwest!

[hausdok]

Hi William,

They're outta their tree. No way are lyctid emergence holes larger than 1/16". Whoever thinks they are is doing some serious drugs and needs help.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[kurt]

No way; 1/2" exit holes? Uh uh.....

This is the sort of test that doesn't "test" anything, other than the test writers ability to write confusing questions.

What the heck does the following question prove?

"A cricket is to a fireplace as a valley is to intersecting roof lines." True or False?

Tests like this are kind of interesting, but also kind of goofy.

[Richard Moore]

1/2" exit holes? Maybe near Three Mile Island!

"A cricket is to a fireplace as a valley is to intersecting roof lines."

Is "Huh?" a choice? Are you suppose to guess that he means chimney instead of fireplace and, maybe, valley flashing and not just valley...or is it just deliberately wrong and false?

Who needs this?

[Jim Katen]

Originally posted by kurt

Tests like this are kind of interesting, but also kind of goofy.

When you consider that the people who wrote that test actually run a school for home inspection, I'd say that it's more depressing than interesting or goofy.

- Jim Katen, Oregon

[Chad Fabry]

1/2 inch exit hole.... I answered "carpenter bee" it wasn't one of the choices, but I'm sticking to it.

[chrisprickett]

They need spell check and a punctuation primer.

[crusty]

"A cricket is to a fireplace as a valley is to intersecting roof lines as a trick question is to a real assessment as a test writer is to a home inspector or educator.

[kurt]

Originally posted by Jim Katen

When you consider that the people who wrote that test actually run a school for home inspection, I'd say that it's more depressing than interesting or goofy.

- Jim Katen, Oregon

Say wha...? I figured it was some goofy test put together by an associate editor @ a generic home maintenance magazine.

Who, where, and what school are we talking about? If you don't want to post it here, email me @ kurtmitenbuler@yahoo.com

After taking part in one small aspect of developing the NHIE, I have a large amount of respect for what it takes to build a good test. This was not a good test.

[Chad Fabry]

Mitenbuler probably wrote the questions I got wrong on the NHIE.

[Bill Kibbel]

Kurt,

The quiz is a link from the "Midwest Inspectors Institute." www.midwestinsp.com

I will give them credit for not promising an endless gold mine after only a 3 day course.

[kurt]

Originally posted by Chad Fabry

Mitenbuler probably wrote the questions I got wrong on the NHIE.

Not me; I was a minor functionary brought in as a sample test taker & performed the most base rudimentary aspects of the psychometric process. IOW, I was a grunt.

[kurt]

One thing that licensing brings is State Certified Education Providers. Seems like there is a new one here in Illinois every week. Most of them are pathetic, kind of like the Midwest operation.

[Jim Baird]

Hey Chad,

Remember that the carpenter bee hole is ingress/egress and not an exit only!