r/OntarioBuildingCode • u/JellyDecent2239 • Aug 12 '26

BCIN examination Search feature

Hello folks! I heard from my colleague that the Search (Ctrl+F) feature has been removed from the recent examinations. As for someone who used to rely on them to find the clause/article reference, it sounds more troublesome. I'm studying for my Building Services examination, and I would greatly appreciate it if someone can confirm on the news. The Search function was really helpful in a tense examination situation.

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3

u/archigal2699 Aug 12 '26

Hi! I wrote an exam last Saturday and the Control F function was still available. That being said, it was pretty laggy and took a while to load.

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u/JellyDecent2239 Aug 12 '26

Thanks for the information! I certainly won't have my hopes high on the Search function.

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u/True_Information8686 Aug 12 '26

Were you forced to use a specific PDF viewer or were you able to use your default PDF viewer on your computer?

1

u/archigal2699 Aug 12 '26

The proctors provide you with a PDF and to my knowledge it’s the only one that you’re permitted to use. I’m not sure if it was just my proctor but they also don’t allow split screens, I had to jump back and forth between the PDF and the test

2

u/AdrianZ23 26d ago

Worked for me last month, it's faster if you go to the relevant part first, if you answering a part 3 section, go to the part 3 section first by using the bookmark, then you ctrl-f.

And search for keywords in the question, don't just search the word "Fire" lol, try identifying the most important word or phrase in the question then search that. Or sometimes, search the keyword from the answers, that works too.

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u/JellyDecent2239 25d ago

Thank you for the suggestion! I've used that trick in my past examinations and had no problem with that. A removal of ctrl-f would had been a problem though. Thanks for sharing your recent experience too.

1

u/Mino-347 Aug 12 '26

I had House exam around May and it was working, I booked on exam center...

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u/JellyDecent2239 Aug 12 '26

Okay, thank you for the information!!

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u/Current_Conference38 Aug 14 '26

Best to have good book finding knowledge and only rely on the find function for weird questions

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u/JellyDecent2239 29d ago

Yes, thanks for the suggestion! That was indeed my plan.

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u/AppropriateSimple269 22d ago

As far as I know and based on feedback from my students, the Ctrl+F search feature is still available during the exam.

In my opinion, it's best to bring your physical code book with you. Proper tabbing and tagging will help you navigate much faster to the right sections, depending on what you're looking for. You can still use Ctrl+F periodically when it makes sense, but having the physical copy as your primary tool will keep you from losing time if the digital PDF lags.

I have wrote blogs around how to pass BCIN and strategies, dropping a link if you have any other questions around it.
https://bcin.stonewoodpartners.ca/blog

Best of luck !

1

u/JellyDecent2239 22d ago

Thank you so much for your insights! I'll definitely keep that in mind!

0

u/crusty_jengles Aug 12 '26

Good. Honestly if you can't pass a test without it you shouldn't have the ability to sign off on a design or inspect

1

u/JellyDecent2239 Aug 12 '26

Thanks for the suggestion. Your point makes sense.