- What "17 Domains" Actually Means
- Two Components, One-Year Window
- Domains 1-4: Terminology, Tolerances, Lightweight Concrete, and ACI 301
- Domains 5-11: Slabs, Placing, Weather, Curing, Consolidation
- Domains 12-16: Code, Formwork, Inspection Manual, IBC, and CRSI
- Domain 17: Plans Reading
- Reference Conflicts You Should Know About
- Mapping the Training Curriculum to the Domains
- A Domain-Ordered Study Sequence
- Frequently Asked Questions
- The "17 domains" are 16 reference headings from ACI's Job-Task Analysis plus Plans-Reading; they are unweighted, not an official blueprint.
- CCSI testing has two separate components: roughly 80 written-inspection questions and roughly 20 plans-reading questions, each requiring at least 70%.
- Both components are open book, but only with approved listed references, so knowing where things sit in each document matters.
- Domain 14 (ACI SP-2) spans pp. 12-16 of the JTA, the longest span of any domain.
What "17 Domains" Actually Means
If you are searching for the official Concrete Construction Special Inspector exam blueprint with percentage weights, stop looking: it does not exist in public form. The seventeen areas in this guide come from the American Concrete Institute's published Job-Task Analysis (JTA) for the Concrete Construction Special Inspector program, a 17-page document approved 2/17/2014. Domains 1 through 16 reproduce the JTA's reference headings. Domain 17 is the Plans-Reading Exam. The number seventeen is a serialization count we use for organization, not an ACI-published weighted breakdown.
Each JTA section carries Understand, Know, and Identify statements, sometimes with nested clauses and version limitations. A strong preparation plan reads those statements directly from the source document rather than relying on a summary. This article tells you where each domain lives in the JTA (page spans are listed below) so you can pull the primary text yourself.
Two Components, One-Year Window
Before diving into domains, you need to understand how they are tested. Under the governing policy, Certification Policies for Concrete Construction Special Inspector (ACI CPP 630.1-15), certification involves two separate written components:
| Component | Approximate Questions | Time | Passing Requirement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Written inspection | About 80 multiple-choice | Three hours | At least 70% |
| Plans reading | About 20 multiple-choice | One hour | At least 70% |
Both are open book with approved, listed technical references, and both must be passed within one year of each other. Question counts are approximate, and because the components are separate, you should not think of this as a single 100-question, four-hour test. Oral administration requires ACI approval.
One point of confusion deserves attention: some course marketing and the generic JTA introduction mention "performance" examinations. The exact program and policy specify written inspection plus plans reading. There is no third CCSI practical exam. The separate prerequisite, ACI Concrete Field Testing Technician Grade I, has its own assessment requirements, but that practical belongs to Grade I, not to the Inspector credential. For how the passing threshold works in practice, see CCSI Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass.
Domains 1-4: Terminology, Tolerances, Lightweight Concrete, and ACI 301
Domain 1: ACI Concrete Terminology (JTA pp. 1-2)
This is the vocabulary foundation. An open-book exam still punishes slow lookups, and terminology errors cascade into misreading every other document.
- Learn ACI's definitions as ACI states them, not as field slang uses them.
- Be able to distinguish similar-sounding terms quickly, since the questions reward precision.
Domain 2: ACI 117, Specification for Tolerances for Concrete Construction and Materials (JTA p. 2)
The tolerance specification is short in the JTA but pervasive in practice. Plans-reading preparation also touches placement, spacing, and cover tolerances, so Domain 2 supports Domain 17.
- Know how tolerances apply to concrete construction and to materials.
- Be able to tell what is a tolerance on placement versus a specified dimension.
Domain 3: ACI 213R, Guide for Structural Lightweight-Aggregate Concrete (JTA pp. 2-3)
Lightweight-aggregate concrete behaves differently from normalweight mixes in handling, absorption, and placement. Candidates should read the JTA's specific statements for what an inspector is expected to understand about it.
Domain 4: ACI 301, Specifications for Structural Concrete (JTA pp. 3-4)
ACI 301 is the construction specification an inspector most often enforces against the contract documents. The pinned program reference is ACI 301-16. Note that the program calls it Specifications for Concrete Construction, while the JTA and the reviewed CP-21 description title it Specifications for Structural Concrete. Retain each source's label rather than assuming a single title.
Domains 5-11: Slabs, Placing, Weather, Curing, Consolidation
This block is the heart of field inspection: the stretch of the work where concrete goes from truck to finished element. The pinned references are ACI 302.1R-15, 304R-00(09), 304.2R-96, 305R-10, 306R-10, 308R-01, and 309R-05, with the reviewed CP-21 record additionally labeling 304.2R-96(08) and 308R-01(08). Reapproval suffixes differ across sources, so check which edition your Sponsoring Group authorizes.
Domain 5: ACI 302.1R, Guide to Concrete Floor and Slab Construction (JTA pp. 4-5)
Slab construction ties to subgrade preparation, jointing, finishing, and curing. It overlaps conceptually with the training curriculum's building slabs and pavement slabs material.
Domain 6: ACI 304R, Guide for Measuring, Mixing, Transporting, and Placing Concrete (JTA p. 5)
Covers the chain from batching to the point of placement. Pair it with the curriculum's batching/mixing and conveying topics.
Domain 7: ACI 304.2R, Placing Concrete by Pumping Methods (JTA pp. 5-6)
Pumping changes how mixes are proportioned, how lines are primed, and what an inspector watches for during placement.
Domain 8: ACI 305R, Guide to Hot Weather Concreting (JTA pp. 6-7)
Hot-weather concerns include accelerated setting, moisture loss, and temperature control. Candidates searching for ACI hot and cold weather concrete material should treat Domains 8 and 9 as a paired study unit.
Domain 9: ACI 306R, Guide to Cold Weather Concreting (JTA pp. 7-9)
At three pages, this is one of the longer JTA sections. Cold-weather protection ties directly to curing and protection tasks named in the issuer's scope.
Domain 10: ACI 308R, Guide to Curing Concrete (JTA p. 9)
Curing is a short JTA section but a high-consequence field task. Source titles and reapproval labels for 308R differ, so note which version your references carry.
Domain 11: ACI 309R, Guide for Consolidation of Concrete (JTA pp. 9-10)
Consolidation methods, equipment, and the consequences of under- or over-consolidation. Plan to cross-reference this with formwork and reinforcement congestion questions.
Domains 12-16: Code, Formwork, Inspection Manual, IBC, and CRSI
Domain 12: ACI 318, Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete (JTA pp. 10-11)
The pinned reference is ACI 318-14, specifically chapters 1-2, 17, 19-20, and 25-26. Candidates exploring "ACI 318 inspection" content should note that this subset, not the entire code, is what the program lists. Chapters 17, 19, 20, 25, and 26 deal with anchoring, concrete properties, reinforcement properties, and reinforcement details respectively, so they connect closely to the plans-reading tasks.
Domain 13: ACI 347R, Guide to Formwork for Concrete (JTA pp. 11-12)
The pinned reference is ACI 347R-14. Formwork installation and removal, reshoring, and form-surface preparation are named in the issuer's scope.
Domain 14: ACI SP-2, Manual of Concrete Inspection (JTA pp. 12-16)
This is the longest section in the JTA, spanning five pages. It is where the inspector's day-to-day responsibilities live: reports, materials inspection and testing, handling and storage, preconcreting inspection, concreting operations, and postconstruction inspection. Because it is the broadest domain, give it the most calendar time, but do not interpret that as an official weighting.
- Pull the published Understand, Know, and Identify statements directly from JTA pp. 12-16.
- Note the naming conflict: the JTA says ACI SP-2, while the program lists MNL-2 without a stated edition and the reviewed CP-21 record shows MNL-2(19).
Domain 15: ICC 2015 International Building Code (JTA p. 16)
The pinned references are IBC 2015, chapters 17 and 19 (special inspections and concrete). Never substitute a newer IBC edition, even if your local jurisdiction has adopted one, because the exam is built on the listed edition. Candidates comparing credentials should be aware that ICC runs its own special inspector exams; for a discussion of that distinction, keep the ICC program separate from this one and do not import its content.
Domain 16: CRSI Manual of Standard Practice (JTA pp. 16-17)
A reinforcing-steel reference covering size, grade, placement, bending, and splicing conventions. See the conflict note below about the CRSI title.
Domain 17: Plans Reading
Domain 17 is a distinct test component, roughly 20 multiple-choice questions in one hour, and it demands a different skill from the other sixteen. Instead of recalling document content, you interpret drawings. The published scope for plans-reading preparation retains these task areas:
- Drawing titles, numbers, revisions, and approval dates
- Reinforcing size, grade, location, spacing, and splicing
- Placement, spacing, and cover tolerances
- Hook, bend, tie, stirrup, and supplemental-reinforcement schedules
- Concrete-form shapes and sizes, section details, and general requirements
- Information gathered across multiple drawings
- Stations, grids, and detail references
- Subgrade and form-surface preparation, joints, and blockouts
- Specified strength, slump, admixtures, exposure, and durability
- Post-tensioning steel, dowels, and other embedded items
Key Takeaway
Plans reading is where Domains 2, 12, and 16 pay off together: tolerances, code reinforcement requirements, and rebar practice all show up on drawings. Practice cross-referencing sheets rather than reading one sheet in isolation. Our practice test site includes original drawing-style exercises for building this habit.
Reference Conflicts You Should Know About
ACI's own documents do not always agree on titles and editions. Rather than silently picking one, treat these as open items to confirm with your Sponsoring Group before buying anything:
| Item | Live Program Says | JTA / Reviewed CP-21 Say |
|---|---|---|
| CRSI reference | Manual of Standard Inspection | Manual of Standard Practice (CP-21 lists 2009) |
| Inspection manual | MNL-2, no edition stated | JTA: ACI SP-2, Manual of Concrete Inspection; CP-21: MNL-2(19) |
| ACI 301 title | Specifications for Concrete Construction | Specifications for Structural Concrete |
| ACI 308R | 308R-01 | CP-21 labels 308R-01(08); reapproval suffixes vary |
The reviewed CP-21 reference package record carries 2016 publication metadata, and current store retrieval returned an error during our review, so we retain those labels as provenance rather than reconfirmed availability. The ACI CP-21 package's price and contents should be checked directly with ACI. For cost context beyond the reference package, see CCSI Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown.
Mapping the Training Curriculum to the Domains
ACI's public on-demand course is organized into five modules. It is supplementary and unweighted, and it is not a substitute blueprint or five additional official domains. It is still useful for seeing how topics connect:
- Module 1: inspection and the inspector, reports, statistical quality assurance, inspecting and testing materials, handling and storage
- Module 2: concrete fundamentals, proportioning and control of mixtures, batching and mixing
- Module 3: preconcreting inspection, concreting operations, form removal, reshoring, curing and protection, postconstruction inspection
- Module 4: building slabs, pavement slabs and bridge decks, architectural concrete, special methods
- Module 5: special concrete, precast and prestressed concrete, grout, mortar, and stucco, testing, records, and reports
The course currently lists USD 290 for members and USD 390 for nonmembers, 180-day access, and 10 PDH/1 CEU. Its module quizzes require 80%, not the certification's 70%. Course time and credit are not examination duration and do not substitute for recertification. Local Sponsoring Groups set their own examination prices; for example, ACI Intermountain's dated October 2026 Salt Lake County offering lists USD 1,350 member and USD 1,450 nonmember for guides, three review days, and both exams, with review October 5-7 and the exam October 8. That is a local bundle, not a national standalone exam fee. More on timing is in CCSI Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling.
A Domain-Ordered Study Sequence
Rather than a generic schedule, order your study by dependency: vocabulary first, then the controlling specifications, then field operations, then drawings. This is one reasonable ordering, not an issuer-prescribed one.
Foundations
- Domain 1 terminology and Domain 2 tolerances
- Skim Domain 4 (ACI 301) to see how specifications are organized
Placement Lifecycle
- Domains 5, 6, 7, and 11
- Tab your open-book references as you go
Weather, Curing, Formwork
- Domains 8, 9, 10, and 13
- Domain 3 for lightweight concrete
Code and Inspection Manual
- Domain 12 chapters 1-2, 17, 19-20, 25-26
- Domain 14 (SP-2/MNL-2), the longest block
- Domains 15 and 16
Drawings and Integration
- Domain 17 plans-reading drills across multiple sheets
- Timed written-inspection sets against the three-hour limit
For a broader study framework, see CCSI Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt, and for a realistic read on difficulty, How Hard Is the CCSI Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026. Independently authored practice questions, including those on our site, are supplementary knowledge preparation only. They are not actual ACI questions, not an official mock exam, and cannot certify field competence or replace experience, Grade I certification, or ACI assessment.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. The seventeen areas are a serialization of the JTA's reference headings (Domains 1-16) plus Plans-Reading (Domain 17). They are unweighted, and no domain is identified as highest-weighted.
Yes, both components are open book with approved listed technical references. Bring only what your Sponsoring Group authorizes, and confirm editions in advance rather than assuming newer editions are acceptable.
You need current ACI Concrete Field Testing Technician Grade I certification (or a previous Grade I plus passing its current written exam within one year of your first Inspector exam passed), plus acceptable employer-verified experience. Education and experience alternatives apply. See CCSI Requirements 2026 for the breakdown.
Certification is valid five years after all requirements are satisfied. Recertification uses current criteria, including the Field I condition and both examinations; experience is not reevaluated at the same level.
There is no single national standalone fee. Local Sponsoring Groups set prices, and bundles often include review days and guides. The reviewed CP-21 package quote was USD 305 member and USD 575 nonmember but was not reconfirmed. See CCSI Certification Cost 2026 and, for realistic expectations on earnings, CCSI Salary Guide 2026.