- Overview of the AHC Exam Content Outline
- How the 10 Domains Fit the Three-Part Exam
- Domain 1: Architectural Drawings
- Domain 2: Specifications
- Domain 3: Codes and Standards
- Domain 4: Detailing (Scheduling)
- Domain 5: Estimating
- Domain 6: Hardware
- Domain 7: Doors and Frames
- Domain 8: Project Management (Coordination)
- Domain 9: Keying
- Domain 10: Electrified Hardware
- Sequencing Your Domain Study by Exam Part
- Registration, Fees, and Eligibility
- Who Hires for These Domains
- FAQ
- The AHC Exam Content Outline (June 13, 2024) organizes content into 10 domains tested primarily on Part 1.
- Part 1 is 200 multiple-choice questions in 4 hours, proctored remotely via Prolydian with MonitorEDU and two cameras.
- Parts 2 (5 hours, Scheduling & Doors/Frames) and 3 (3 hours, Specification Essay) are in-person and must be passed after Part 1.
- Only Part 2 permits DHI Sequence and Format, manufacturer catalogs, and NFPA 80 (2019) - not every part is open-book.
Overview of the AHC Exam Content Outline
The Architectural Hardware Consultant (AHC) credential, administered by the Door and Hardware Institute (DHI), is built around a formal AHC Exam Content Outline finalized June 13, 2024. That outline breaks the required knowledge base into 10 content areas, ranging from reading construction documents to programming electrified hardware. Understanding these domains isn't academic - they directly define what shows up in the Part 1 question bank and what you'll be asked to produce during the in-person scheduling and specification-writing sessions.
This guide walks through all 10 domains individually, explains how each one maps to the exam's three parts, and shows you how to sequence your preparation so you're not relearning the same material three times. If you haven't yet read our overview of what AHC certification actually involves, that's a useful companion piece before diving into domain-level detail.
How the 10 Domains Fit the Three-Part Exam
The AHC credential requires passing three separate exam parts, and all three must be passed to earn certification:
- Part 1 (Exam line): 200 multiple-choice questions, 4 hours, delivered through Prolydian with MonitorEDU remote proctoring and a two-camera setup. This is where the 10 content domains are tested most directly, and it must be passed before you can sit for the in-person parts.
- Part 2 (Scheduling & Doors/Frames): 5 hours, held at DHI Classroom Series or DHI Canada events, requires a laptop with typed responses in Prolydian. Domains 4, 6, and 7 dominate this section.
- Part 3 (Specification, Essay): 3 hours, also in-person with typed responses. Domain 2 (Specifications) is the backbone here, supported by Codes and Standards and Hardware knowledge.
| Exam Part | Format | Duration | Primary Domains Tested |
|---|---|---|---|
| Part 1 (Exam) | 200 MCQ, Prolydian/MonitorEDU, remote | 4 hours | All 10 domains |
| Part 2 (Scheduling & Doors/Frames) | Typed responses, in-person, laptop required | 5 hours | Detailing, Hardware, Doors and Frames |
| Part 3 (Specification) | Essay, typed responses, in-person | 3 hours | Specifications, Codes and Standards |
Note that open-book access is not universal: Part 2 permits the DHI Sequence and Format for the Hardware Schedule, manufacturer catalogs, and NFPA 80 (2019), but that permission doesn't extend to every part of the exam. If you're still deciding how much this format affects your prep timeline, our difficulty breakdown of the AHC exam goes deeper into why the three-part structure changes how candidates should study compared with a single-sitting exam.
Domain 1: Architectural Drawings (Construction Documents)
Architectural Drawings
This domain tests your ability to read and interpret construction documents the way an architect or specifier would present them - floor plans, elevations, door and frame details, and general notes.
- Identifying door swing, hand, and location from plan symbols
- Cross-referencing drawing details with schedules
- Recognizing when drawings conflict with specifications
Candidates coming from a hardware distribution or sales background often find this domain unfamiliar at first, since day-to-day work rarely requires reading full construction document sets. Budget extra review time here if your background is sales-heavy rather than drafting-heavy.
Domain 2: Specifications
Specifications
Specifications govern the written requirements for hardware products and installation, and this domain feeds directly into Part 3's essay format.
- CSI format and division structure as applied to openings
- Writing clear, enforceable hardware specification language
- Resolving conflicts between specifications and drawings or schedules
Key Takeaway
Because Part 3 is a written specification essay, practicing actual specification drafting - not just recognizing correct answers on multiple choice - is essential prep for this domain.
Domain 3: Codes and Standards
Codes and Standards
This domain covers the regulatory backbone of door hardware decisions, including fire and life-safety code requirements that intersect with almost every other domain.
- Fire door assembly requirements and labeling
- NFPA 80 concepts, which also carry over into Part 2 as an allowed reference
- Accessibility requirements affecting hardware selection and mounting
Because NFPA 80 (2019) is one of the permitted references during Part 2, candidates sometimes assume codes knowledge is "open book" everywhere. It isn't - Part 1's multiple-choice questions on codes still require memorized understanding, not lookup.
Domain 4: Detailing (Scheduling)
Detailing / Scheduling
Detailing is the practical skill of building a hardware schedule - grouping openings, assigning hardware sets, and following a consistent sequence and format.
- DHI Sequence and Format conventions for hardware schedules
- Grouping openings logically by function and hardware set
- Cross-checking schedule entries against drawings and specifications
This domain is the most directly tested skill in Part 2, where you'll build schedules under time pressure with your laptop and the permitted references. Treat Part 1 study of this domain as the theory layer and Part 2 practice as the applied layer.
Domain 5: Estimating
Estimating
Estimating knowledge covers how hardware quantities, product selections, and costs get translated into a workable bid or budget.
- Take-off methods for counting openings and hardware sets
- Recognizing how substitutions or allowances affect pricing
- Understanding the estimator's role relative to the specifier and scheduler
Domain 6: Hardware
Hardware
This is the largest single knowledge domain in practical terms - the physical products themselves: hinges, locksets, exit devices, closers, and the terminology that ties them together.
- Function and application of core hardware categories
- Matching hardware types to door/frame material and traffic requirements
- Recognizing manufacturer catalog conventions referenced during Part 2
Domain 7: Doors and Frames
Doors and Frames
This domain covers door and frame construction, materials, and how physical characteristics constrain hardware selection.
- Hollow metal, wood, and specialty door construction differences
- Frame anchoring and preparation requirements
- Fire-rated assembly compatibility between doors, frames, and hardware
Domain 8: Project Management (Coordination)
Project Management / Coordination
This domain tests the consultant's role in coordinating between architects, contractors, distributors, and installers throughout a project's lifecycle.
- Submittal review and approval workflows
- Sequencing hardware delivery against construction schedules
- Communicating changes across specification, schedule, and installation teams
Domain 9: Keying
Keying
Keying covers master key systems, keying schedules, and how access control planning intersects with hardware specification.
- Master key system hierarchy and terminology
- Keying schedule development and conflict avoidance
- Coordinating keying decisions with electrified and access-controlled openings
Domain 10: Electrified Hardware
Electrified Hardware
The newest-feeling domain for many candidates, covering electrified locks, exit devices, power transfer, and access control integration.
- Fail-safe vs. fail-secure hardware behavior
- Power supply and wiring coordination basics for openings
- Integration points between electrified hardware and life-safety code requirements
This domain rewards candidates with security integrator or access control backgrounds and often requires the most catch-up study for those coming purely from a mechanical hardware background. For a broader sense of where this domain and others tend to trip people up, see our analysis of AHC pass rate data.
Sequencing Your Domain Study by Exam Part
Because Part 1 must be passed before you're eligible for the in-person Parts 2 and 3, the most efficient sequencing studies Part 1's full domain range first, then narrows focus onto the domains that resurface in scheduling and specification work.
Foundational Domains
- Architectural Drawings, Codes and Standards, Hardware basics
- Build vocabulary before tackling applied domains
Applied Domains
- Doors and Frames, Detailing, Estimating
- Practice building sample hardware schedules using DHI Sequence and Format
Specialized Domains
- Keying, Electrified Hardware, Project Management
- Review manufacturer catalog conventions you'll reference in Part 2
Part 1 Simulation, Then Parts 2/3 Prep
- Full-length timed practice under 4-hour conditions
- Shift into specification-writing drills once Part 1 readiness is confirmed
This is a general cadence, not a rigid rulebook - adjust it based on your prior experience. For a more detailed week-by-week plan, our AHC study guide for passing on your first attempt expands on this structure with specific practice recommendations.
Registration, Fees, and Eligibility
Domain mastery only matters if you're eligible to sit for the exam in the first place. DHI recognizes four eligibility routes to the AHC exam:
- Completing the DHI AHC course pathway from COR101 through AHC315
- Holding the DHC credential and completing AHC307, AHC310, and AHC315
- Documenting five industry years plus 100 related education hours
- Documenting ten industry years
DHI recommends AHC390 as exam preparation regardless of which route you take. On cost, the Part 1 exam fee is $850 for members or $1,050 for non-members, with retakes priced at $115 per failed part for members or $250 for non-members. Certification isn't a one-time event either - renewal runs on a three-year cycle requiring 30 continuing-education points, including at least 24 technical points, with single-credential renewal costing $175 for members or $210 for non-members.
For a full eligibility breakdown, read our AHC eligibility and prerequisites guide, and for the complete fee structure including renewal math, see our AHC certification cost breakdown. If you want to know exactly what score threshold applies to Part 1, our passing score guide covers that in detail.
Who Hires for These Domains
The blend of domains tested - drawings, specifications, codes, scheduling, hardware, doors/frames, coordination, keying, and electrified hardware - reflects the actual job of an architectural hardware consultant: someone who sits between architects, contractors, and hardware distributors to make sure openings are specified, scheduled, and installed correctly. Employers hiring for these roles typically include hardware distributors, architectural firms with specification departments, and door/frame manufacturers looking for consultants who can speak both technical and commercial language.
If you're weighing whether the credential translates into better job prospects or pay, our AHC salary guide and ROI analysis of AHC certification both dig into that question directly, and our AHC jobs overview covers the kinds of roles that list this credential as a preferred or required qualification.
Once you've mapped out which domains need the most attention, reinforcing them with realistic timed practice is the fastest way to close gaps before exam day - you can start working through domain-based questions on our AHC practice test platform to see where your knowledge actually stands versus where you assume it stands.
FAQ
No. All 10 domains inform the Part 1 multiple-choice bank, but Parts 2 and 3 concentrate on the domains most relevant to scheduling (Detailing, Hardware, Doors and Frames) and specification writing (Specifications, Codes and Standards).
It varies by background, but Electrified Hardware and Keying tend to require the most catch-up study for candidates coming from purely mechanical hardware roles, while Architectural Drawings is often unfamiliar to candidates from sales-focused backgrounds.
Part 2 permits the DHI Sequence and Format for the Hardware Schedule, manufacturer catalogs, and NFPA 80 (2019), but this does not mean every part of the exam is open-book. Part 1's multiple-choice questions require memorized knowledge across all 10 domains.
Yes. Part 1 must be passed first, and Parts 2 and 3 must also be passed before the AHC credential is awarded, since all three parts are required.
Our AHC cheat sheet compiles the must-know facts across all domains into a single-page review format for final-week study.