ACI Special Inspector study plan
ACI Special Inspector · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
Concrete Construction Inspection
Define the special inspector's roles and responsibilities on a concrete project and distinguish them from the contractor's quality-control duties
Identify the reference standards and code sections that govern concrete construction inspection
List the sequence of inspection hold points from pre-placement through final acceptance
Explain how inspection records and daily reports are documented and distributed
Your checkpoint
A one-page inspection responsibility matrix mapping each project party to its concrete inspection duties, with cited code references
Concrete Construction Inspection
Describe formwork, shoring, and falsework requirements to verify before placement
Verify reinforcement size, spacing, cover, laps, and support against the approved drawings
Check embedded items, blockouts, and construction joint preparation prior to authorization
Explain how to document pre-placement acceptance and issue a placement authorization
Your checkpoint
A completed pre-placement inspection checklist covering forms, reinforcement, and embeddings, with pass/fail criteria for each line item
Concrete Construction Inspection
Sequence the steps of concrete placement inspection from truck arrival through finishing
Evaluate slump, temperature, and air content results against specification limits and decide on acceptance
Identify improper placement, consolidation, and curing practices and state the corrective action
Describe cold-weather and hot-weather placement precautions an inspector must verify
Your checkpoint
A field decision guide that converts out-of-tolerance slump, temperature, and air results into accept, retest, or reject actions
Concrete Construction Inspection & Concrete Field and Laboratory Testing Knowledge
Explain curing methods and duration requirements and verify them in the field
Describe sampling frequency and location requirements for field test specimens
Identify common concrete defects and the inspection evidence needed to characterize them
Summarize the concrete testing standards an inspector relies on during placement
Your checkpoint
A mid-plan self-test of at least 40 original practice questions across Domains 1 and 2, scored with a written list of missed topics
Concrete Field and Laboratory Testing Knowledge
Describe proper sampling procedures for fresh concrete and the effect of sampling errors on results
Explain slump, air content, and fresh temperature test procedures step by step
Calculate yield, unit weight, and relative yield from field data
State the acceptance criteria and tolerances applied to each fresh-concrete test
Your checkpoint
A step-by-step field test procedure card for slump, air content, temperature, and unit weight, each with its acceptance tolerance
Concrete Field and Laboratory Testing Knowledge
Describe specimen molding, initial curing, and transport requirements for compressive strength cylinders
Explain standard versus field curing and how each affects reported strength
Compute compressive strength and interpret break results against specified strength
Identify testing errors that invalidate strength results and how to document them
Your checkpoint
A worked problem set of at least 10 strength and yield calculations with shown steps and interpreted pass/fail conclusions
Concrete Field and Laboratory Testing Knowledge & Concrete Construction Inspection
Explain laboratory qualification, calibration, and reporting requirements for concrete testing
Interpret a certificate of calibration and a strength test report for completeness and compliance
Diagnose nonconformance scenarios and state the required follow-up inspection and testing
Reconcile conflicting field and laboratory results using specification acceptance rules
Your checkpoint
A written case analysis of three nonconformance scenarios, each with the governing requirement, required follow-up, and documentation trail
Concrete Construction Inspection & Concrete Field and Laboratory Testing Knowledge
Recall key code and standard requirements across both domains without references
Apply inspection and testing knowledge to timed, scenario-based questions
Prioritize remaining weak areas and close them with targeted review
Build a personal exam-day checklist of formulas, tolerances, and procedures
Your checkpoint
A full-length timed practice exam of at least 60 original questions, scored, with a written remediation plan for every missed domain
Milestones
Week 2: Can complete a pre-placement checklist from memory and justify each hold point with a code reference
Week 4: Scores at least 70 percent on the 40-question mid-plan self-test and has a written list of weak topics
Week 6: Correctly performs strength and yield calculations on 8 of 10 problems without reference material
Week 8: Scores at least 80 percent on the full-length timed practice exam, with no domain below 70 percent