ICC Prestressed / Post-Tensioned Concrete Special Inspector

HoldPoint study map

Course outline

Unit and lesson titles below are HoldPoint original material. They are not an official exam bulletin.

1. Tendon systems and approved documents

   Identifying the system on the drawings and the hardware on the deck before anyone stresses anything.

   • Bonded versus unbonded systems as an inspection problem
   • Tendon identification, packaging and damage in transit
   • Anchorage hardware and bursting reinforcement
   • Approved stressing equipment and calibration records
   • Shop drawings versus the structural drawing
   • Corrosion protection that has to be intact before placement
   • Incompatible hardware substitutions
   • Practice: identify six system mismatches
   • Unit review: Tendon systems and approved documents

2. Placement, ducts and reinforcement coordination

   Profile, supports, and the mild reinforcing that the tendons have to live with.

   • Tendon profile: supports, chairs and drape
   • Ducts: alignment, splices and watertightness
   • Mild reinforcing conflicts at anchors and high points
   • Openings, sleeves and tendons that were “moved a little”
   • Minimum cover to tendons and to anchors
   • Marking and as-built locations before the pour
   • Lost tendons and the notification path
   • Practice: check a slab band against the profile drawing
   • Unit review: Placement, ducts and reinforcement coordination

3. Stressing operations and elongation

   The stressing sequence is the inspection. Elongation and gauge pressure are evidence, not folklore.

   • Pre-stressing checklist: concrete strength, curing, access
   • Sequence, stage stressing and the drawing that governs it
   • Elongation versus gauge pressure: both, and what disagreement means
   • Wedges, seating and the observation at the anchorage
   • Broken wires or strands during stressing
   • Restressing, shimming and engineer direction
   • Safety perimeter and who may be in it
   • Practice: read four stressing records for completeness
   • Unit review: Stressing operations and elongation

4. Grouting, protection and concrete placement around PT

   After stressing, the system still has to be protected, grouted, or encapsulated as specified.

   • Grouting of bonded tendons: mix, pumping and vents
   • Ungrouted ducts discovered after the fact
   • Encapsulation and grease for unbonded systems
   • Cutting tails and covering anchorages
   • Concrete placement around tendons without displacing profile
   • Patching at stressing pockets
   • Fire and corrosion protection of exposed hardware
   • Practice: six post-stressing observations
   • Unit review: Grouting, protection and concrete placement around PT

5. Records, deficiencies and coordination

   The stressing record is the product. Deficiencies that cannot be hidden by a later pour.

   • What a complete stressing record contains
   • Profile deviations found after the pour
   • Low elongation with matching gauge pressure
   • Damaged sheathing and the repair that has to be inspected
   • Coordination with the reinforced-concrete inspector
   • Deferred stressing on a multi-level building
   • Closeout package for the PT system
   • Practice: route five PT deficiencies
   • Unit review: Records, deficiencies and coordination

6. Mixed review and exam navigation

   Stems that mix system type, profile and stressing evidence, and how to keep those classifications separate.

   • How a PT stem hides bonded versus unbonded
   • Placement items versus stressing items
   • The unused concrete-strength number
   • Mixed set: drape, elongation and grout vents
   • Timed retrieval across Chapter 17 and ACI 318
   • What you do not calculate for the engineer
   • Final self-assessment
   • Handoff to reinforced concrete and ACI field testing
   • Unit review: Mixed review and exam navigation

Fit check

Who this roadmap is for

Special-inspection personnel preparing for the Prestressed Concrete credential scope.

Always confirm the current ICC eligibility rules, exam outline, references, fees, and scheduling policies before purchasing materials or setting an exam date.

Study sequence

A controlled preparation roadmap

1. 01

   Verify the current program

   Start with the official source links below. Record the current outline, permitted references, eligibility rules, and any application steps that apply to your route.

2. 02

   Map the reference set

   Turn each published domain into a retrieval map. Practice where to look before trying to memorize isolated answers.

3. 03

   Build the Prestressed Concrete core

   Study tendon, duct, anchorage, and reinforcement placement alongside stressing operations and elongation records, then connect both to field decisions and documentation.

4. 04

   Practice under controlled timing

   Use short lookup drills first, then mixed review. Track missed concepts and slow retrievals separately so each can be corrected.

5. 05

   Recheck before exam day

   Return to the credentialing body for last-minute policy or reference changes. Do not rely on a third-party summary for current exam administration.

Primary sources

Verify current program facts

Exam outlines, editions, eligibility, fees, and administration policies can change. These credentialing-body pages are the authority; HoldPoint is an independent preparation provider.

• ICC certification and testingInternational Code Council

Common questions

Before you build a study plan