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The CIEC exam has 120 questions and runs 3 hours.
These 10 free CIEC questions are organized by exam domain, so you can see how each part of the Council-certified Indoor Environmental Consultant blueprint is tested. Reveal the answer and explanation under each question.
Reception staff develop headache and nausea shortly after a portable generator starts beside the building's outdoor-air intake. One employee becomes confused. The consultant has not yet measured carbon monoxide. What is the first instruction to give?
Correct answer: D - Move occupants to fresh air and call emergency services.
Several older guests from rooms served by separate air-handling systems are hospitalized with pneumonia after staying at a hotel. They all used the indoor spa, whose water-management records show repeated disinfectant-control failures. Public health officials are coordinating the investigation. Which exposure hypothesis deserves priority?
Correct answer: B - Legionella carried in inhaled droplets from spa water.
An older coastal hotel develops new dampness behind vinyl wall covering during hot, humid weather, including rain-free periods. Rooms are maintained at 24°C and 45% relative humidity; the outdoor dew point is 25°C, and the concealed wall surface is 19°C. Exhaust keeps the rooms negative to outdoors, and gaps are visible around exterior-wall penetrations. Which mechanism should lead the investigation?
Correct answer: C - Humid outdoor air leaking inward and condensing at the cooled wall surface.
During commissioning, an air handler delivers 2,400 cfm and its outdoor-air damper indicator reads 50% open. Stable temperature traverses show return air at 76°F, outdoor air at 36°F, and well-mixed air at 66°F upstream of all coils. There is no intervening heat gain or loss. The design requires at least 800 cfm of outdoor air. What do the measurements indicate about outdoor-air delivery?
Correct answer: A - Approximately 600 cfm; below the specified minimum.
An office air handler's MERV 8 filters are replaced with same-size MERV 13 filters. Supply airflow drops immediately even though fan speed and damper settings are unchanged. The new filters are correctly installed with no bypass gaps. Before approving the upgrade, which system constraint should the consultant evaluate?
Correct answer: A - Fan capacity to overcome filter resistance at the required airflow.
Matched indoor and outdoor spore-trap samples yield 700 and 3,200 spores/m³, respectively. Aspergillus/Penicillium-like spores dominate the indoor sample but are scarce outdoors, where basidiospores predominate. A musty odor is strongest beside a cabinet against a previously water-damaged wall; no growth is visible on accessible surfaces. How should these findings guide the next stage of the investigation?
Correct answer: A - Inspect the suspect wall cavity with appropriate controls for disturbance.
A calibrated photoionization detector reads 0.3 ppm in a corridor and 6 ppm beside a refinishing bench, reported as isobutylene equivalents. The products in use contain several volatile ingredients. Without compound-specific analysis, what useful finding can the consultant take from this survey?
Correct answer: D - A spatial response pattern that helps locate possible emission sources.
At a public elementary school's scheduled AHERA reinspection, an accredited inspector finds known asbestos-containing pipe insulation intact, covered, and unlikely to be disturbed. No renovation is planned. A parent asks whether the school must remove it to remain open. Which response reflects AHERA's approach?
Correct answer: B - Maintain in-place management, periodic surveillance, and required reinspections.
Twelve hours after a clean supply-water leak, the source has been repaired and standing water removed. Wetted gypsum wallboard has no swelling, its seams remain intact, and inspection finds no mold growth or musty odor. The wall cavity can be accessed for drying, and other hazardous materials have been ruled out. Which material-management plan is justified?
Correct answer: D - Dry in place, monitor material moisture, and verify that the wall cavity also dries.
Representative 8-hour personal sampling during a non-IDLH dust-removal task shows 0.60 mg/m³ of respirable crystalline silica. Feasible engineering controls are in place, but respiratory protection remains necessary. Oxygen is normal, no gas or vapor hazard is present, and the applicable 8-hour PEL is 0.05 mg/m³. Medical, fit-testing, and other program requirements will be met. Which listed respirator has the lowest OSHA assigned protection factor that is sufficient?
Correct answer: C - A full-facepiece air-purifying respirator with P100 filters.
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