CHFM Practice Questions (2026) — Free Sample Questions with Answers

Answer: A

Require a supervisor to verify PM completion before closeout: Correct. The root cause is a process that lets PM work orders close unverified; a completion check fixes it for every work order, not just this switch.

Retrain the technician who closed the work order without doing it: Retraining may be part of the response, but it targets one person; the process still lets any order close without proof.

Replace the failed transfer switch with a newer model: The switch failed for lack of maintenance; new equipment would face the same process gap.

Add a second transfer switch to serve the same critical loads: Redundancy masks the failure without fixing the maintenance process.

Root cause analysis looks past the failed part and the individual to the process that allowed the failure, and fixes that.

Answer: A

1. 1. Room pressure vs reference = −0.006 in. w.c.
2. 2. Corridor pressure vs reference = +0.003 in. w.c.
3. 3. Room vs corridor = −0.006 − 0.003 = −0.009 in. w.c.
4. 4. CDC minimum for an AIIR = 0.01 in. w.c. negative; 0.009 is less than 0.01, so the room does NOT meet the minimum.

−0.009 in. w.c.: Correct. Room minus corridor = −0.006 − (+0.003) = −0.009 in. w.c. The room is negative, but it does NOT meet the CDC minimum differential of 0.01 in. w.c. negative, so airflow must be adjusted and the room retested.

−0.006 in. w.c.: This is the room reading against the ceiling reference, not against the corridor.

−0.003 in. w.c.: Adds the corridor reading instead of subtracting it (−0.006 + 0.003).

+0.003 in. w.c.: This is the corridor reading against the reference, not the room-to-corridor differential.

Pressure differential = room minus adjacent space, each measured against the same reference. An AIIR must be at least 0.01 in. w.c. negative to the corridor, so −0.009 in. w.c. does not meet the CDC minimum.

Answer: C

No fire watch is needed, because the outage will be shorter than 10 hours: Ten hours is the sprinkler impairment threshold, not the fire alarm one.

Begin a fire watch only if the AHJ orders one after being notified: The owner must start the fire watch; it does not wait for an AHJ order.

Notify the AHJ and start a fire watch, or evacuate, since it exceeds 4 hours: Correct. A required fire alarm out of service more than 4 hours in 24 hours requires evacuation or an approved fire watch, plus AHJ notification (9.6.1.6). Seven hours exceeds 4, and working sprinklers do not change the alarm rule.

Implement ILSM signage and staff alerts, without a fire watch: ILSM supplements but does not replace the code-required fire watch for an alarm outage over 4 hours.

Fire alarm out more than 4 h in 24 h, or sprinklers more than 10 h in 24 h: evacuate or fire watch, and notify the AHJ.

Answer: B

1. 1. Alteration cost to the primary function area = $900,000.
2. 2. Disproportionality threshold = 20% of that cost.
3. 3. 0.20 × $900,000 = $180,000 available for the path of travel (restrooms, route, phones, fountains).

$90,000: Uses 10% of the alteration cost; the disproportionality threshold is 20%.

$180,000: Correct. Path-of-travel costs are disproportionate when they exceed 20% of the cost of the alteration to the primary function area: 0.20 × 900,000 = 180,000.

$225,000: Uses 25% of the alteration cost, which is above the 20% threshold.

$270,000: Uses 30% of the alteration cost, which is above the 20% threshold.

When a primary function area is altered, the path of travel to it must be made accessible up to 20% of the alteration cost; beyond that the cost is disproportionate, and the most important elements go first.

Answer: A

Construction manager at risk: Correct. CMAR brings the contractor in during design for estimating and constructability and then commits to a GMP, while the owner keeps a separate contract with the architect.

Design-bid-build: The contractor joins only after bidding, so there is no preconstruction input.

Design-build: Design-build puts the architect under the design-builder, not under a separate owner contract.

Integrated project delivery: IPD uses a multi-party agreement with shared risk and reward, not a separate architect contract plus a GMP.

CMAR: separate owner–architect contract, contractor in early, GMP. Design-build: one contract for design and construction.

Answer: B

1. 1. Path via MEP rough-in: 5 + 10 + 7 + 3 = 25 days (critical).
2. 2. Path via Framing: 5 + 6 + 7 + 3 = 21 days.
3. 3. Total float of Framing = 25 − 21 = 4 days.

0 days: Treats Framing as critical; the critical path runs through MEP rough-in.

4 days: Correct. MEP rough-in (10 days) and Framing (6 days) both follow Demolition and both precede Drywall, so Framing can slip 10 − 6 = 4 days without delaying the project.

6 days: This is Framing's duration, not its float.

10 days: This is the duration of the parallel critical activity, not the float.

The critical path is the longest path; an activity's total float is how far it can slip before the project end date moves.

Answer: A

1 and 2 only: Correct. A planned water outage needs coordination with infection prevention and the units on alternate supplies (bottled water, waterless hand hygiene, toilet flushing) and flushing afterwards, because stagnant or disturbed water can carry sediment and waterborne pathogens.

1 and 3 only: A fire watch is an impairment measure for fire protection systems; the sprinklers stay in service on their separate supply, so none is needed.

2 and 4 only: Infection prevention input applies to utility outages that affect water and hand hygiene, not only to construction ICRA permits.

3 and 4 only: Neither belongs: the sprinklers are not impaired, so no fire watch is needed, and infection prevention must be part of a domestic water outage plan.

Plan domestic water shutdowns with the affected users and infection prevention, confirm whether fire protection is affected before adding impairment measures, and flush before returning the system to use.

Answer: D

1. Electricity: 6,000,000 kWh × 3.412 kBtu/kWh = 20,472,000 kBtu.
2. Natural gas: 150,000 therms × 100 kBtu/therm = 15,000,000 kBtu.
3. Total site energy = 35,472,000 kBtu.
4. Site EUI = 35,472,000 kBtu ÷ 150,000 sq ft = 236.5 kBtu/sq ft.

100.0 kBtu/sq ft: Counts only the natural gas.

136.5 kBtu/sq ft: Counts only the electricity.

140.0 kBtu/sq ft: Adds kWh to kBtu without converting the electricity to kBtu.

236.5 kBtu/sq ft: Correct. Electricity 6,000,000 × 3.412 = 20,472,000 kBtu; gas 150,000 × 100 = 15,000,000 kBtu; total 35,472,000 kBtu ÷ 150,000 sq ft = 236.5 kBtu/sq ft.

Site EUI = all fuels converted to kBtu, summed, ÷ gross floor area.

Answer: A

An isolated power system with a line isolation monitor: Correct. Wet procedure locations need special protection against shock. Where power interruption cannot be tolerated, an isolated power system with a line isolation monitor is used, because it limits fault current without tripping.

Ground-fault circuit interrupters protecting each receptacle: GFCIs are acceptable in wet procedure locations only where interruption of power can be tolerated, because they trip on a fault.

Hospital-grade receptacles throughout the room: Hospital-grade receptacles improve mechanical grip but do not protect against shock from a ground fault.

Tamper-resistant receptacles on all circuits: Tamper-resistant receptacles address pediatric access, not ground-fault shock protection.

Wet procedure locations need GFCI or isolated power; when power cannot be interrupted, use an isolated power system.

Answer: B

1 and 2 only: Nurse call is a critical branch load, not life safety.

1 and 3 only: Correct. Exit signs and means-of-egress illumination are life safety branch loads, along with fire alarm and medical gas alarm systems. Nurse call is on the critical branch, and vacuum pumps are on the equipment branch.

2 and 4 only: Neither belongs on the life safety branch: nurse call is critical branch and vacuum pumps are equipment branch.

3 and 4 only: Vacuum pumps are equipment branch loads, connected with delayed transfer.

Life safety branch: egress lighting, exit signs, alarm systems. Critical branch: patient-care task lighting, selected receptacles, nurse call. Equipment branch: motors such as vacuum pumps and medical air compressors.

Answer: A

1. Bid N repairs = 25 h/quarter × 4 quarters × $90/h = $9,000 per year.
2. Bid N annual cost = $84,000 + $9,000 = $93,000; Bid M = $96,000.
3. Three-year difference = 3 × ($96,000 − $93,000) = $9,000 in favor of Bid N.

Bid N, by $9,000: Correct. Bid N repairs = 25 h × 4 quarters × $90 = $9,000 a year, so N costs $93,000 a year against $96,000 for M; over three years N is lower by 3 × $3,000 = $9,000.

Bid N, by $29,250: Treats the 25 quarterly hours as 25 hours a year: repairs = 25 × $90 = $2,250, so N = $86,250 a year and the gap becomes 3 × $9,750 = $29,250.

Bid N, by $36,000: Compares only the contract prices (3 × $12,000) and ignores Bid N's out-of-scope repairs.

Bid M, by $45,000: Treats the 25 hours as monthly: repairs = 25 × 12 × $90 = $27,000, so N = $111,000 a year and M appears lower by 3 × $15,000.

Compare service bids on total expected cost for the same scope and period, including work one bidder excludes.

Answer: D

1. Weighted score = 0.4 × life safety + 0.3 × patient care + 0.2 × financial + 0.1 × strategic.
2. Project 1: 1.2 + 1.2 + 0.8 + 0.4 = 3.6.
3. Project 2: 0.8 + 0.3 + 1.0 + 0.5 = 2.6.
4. Project 3: 1.2 + 1.5 + 0.4 + 0.4 = 3.5.
5. Project 4: 2.0 + 1.2 + 0.2 + 0.3 = 3.7, the highest.

Project 1: Project 1 has the highest unweighted total (15) but a weighted score of only 3.6.

Project 2: Project 2 has the best financial and strategic scores, but its weighted score is only 2.6.

Project 3: Project 3 has the highest patient care score, but its weighted score is 3.5.

Project 4: Correct. Weighted scores: Project 1 = 1.2 + 1.2 + 0.8 + 0.4 = 3.6; Project 2 = 0.8 + 0.3 + 1.0 + 0.5 = 2.6; Project 3 = 1.2 + 1.5 + 0.4 + 0.4 = 3.5; Project 4 = 2.0 + 1.2 + 0.2 + 0.3 = 3.7.

In weighted scoring, multiply each score by its weight before summing; the unweighted total or one criterion can rank projects differently.

Answer: D

1. Hours of coverage = 24 h × 365 days = 8,760 h/yr.
2. Worked hours per FTE = 2,080 − 200 PTO = 1,880 h/yr.
3. FTEs = 8,760 ÷ 1,880 = 4.66.

4.12 FTEs: Subtracts one operator's paid time off from the 8,760 hours of coverage instead of adding the relief it requires.

4.21 FTEs: Divides 8,760 by 2,080 and ignores paid time off, which must also be covered.

4.31 FTEs: Adds only one operator's 200 hours of paid time off to the coverage hours.

4.66 FTEs: Correct. Each FTE works 2,080 − 200 = 1,880 hours; 8,760 ÷ 1,880 = 4.66 FTEs.

For a 24/7 post, divide 8,760 hours by the hours each FTE actually works after paid time off.