Site analysis, occupancy groups, programming diagrams, egress, accessible clearances, RCPs, finishes and code review: in your notes it's a wall of text. Here every topic fits on one page, with the drawing and what you need to remember. 64 illustrated pages.
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One topic per page, a drawing that shows how it works, and boxes with what you need to know:
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These are real pages from the book. The table of contents is the full one: 11 parts and 60 topics.
You've read the section on exit separation three times. You close your notes...
...and the next morning you can't remember how far apart the exits go or how much turning space a wheelchair needs. It was just lines of text.
Here exit separation is one page: one floor plan, the diagonal measured and the two exits placed, with the section to check written right next to it.
And on the pages around it, every topic gets its own: site analysis, client and brand standards, evidence-based design, sustainability and universal design.
First you understand why each space is planned that way. Then the order sticks on its own.
The exam, existing conditions, pre-design, design intent, programming, space planning, initial drawings, FF&E and finishes, schematics and code review, visualization and final review: 64 pages, all drawn
Picture this:
Instead of rereading half a page on exit separation without being able to see it...
...you open the page and find one floor plan with the diagonal measured, the two exits placed and the section to check written next to it.
And adjacency matrices, bubble diagrams, accessible routes, RCPs and finish boards turn into drawings and tables you can read at a glance.
You stop repeating and start understanding.
That's what The NCIDQ IDFX Sketchbook does: 64 pages in 11 parts, 60 drawn topics, and at the end the frequent mix-ups and an exam day checklist. Because what you see in order, you remember.
Because what your brain sees organized, it remembers.
How the IDFX, IDIX and IDPX fit together, the six content areas and their weights, eligibility, fees and deadlines, item types and exam rules.
Site analysis, solar orientation and climate, zoning and change of use, surveying an existing building, construction types, hazardous materials, IBC occupancy groups and a first occupant load.
Six market sectors and their priorities, client and brand standards, evidence-based design, sustainability and wellness, universal design and research methods.
From client interview to concept statement, the elements and principles of design, and color theory with its schemes.
Validating the program, square footage and gross area, adjacencies and circulation, adjacency matrices, bubble, block, stacking and parti diagrams, ergonomics and specific user needs.
Building the floor plan, circulation, exit separation and egress paths, accessible routes and turning space, door clearances and reach ranges, daylight and structure. You place two exits on a drawn plan and check them against the 2021 IBC, without rereading the code section.
Drawing types and graphic standards, elevations and sections, reflected ceiling and lighting layouts, finish plans and drawing symbols.
Selecting and applying finishes, durability, sustainable choices, fire ratings, budgets and lead times, significant and custom FF&E, and millwork versus FF&E products.
Refining the design, spatial awareness, signage and wayfinding, a code review step by step, life safety checks, accessible restrooms and a final universal design check.
Presentation methods, visualization techniques and the software used to show a design.
The frequent mix-ups side by side, an exam day checklist and what comes after: the IDIX and the IDPX.
At the end of the book: A frequent mix-ups page and an exam day checklist.
Every ADA and IBC number from the book on two printable pages, each one next to the section to check, so you can review clearances and egress at a glance.
Quiz yourself on 250 IDFX terms: the term on the front, and on the back a one-line definition with a tiny sketch. Print them and review in short sessions.
📄 This is a digital PDF book sent to your email: nothing is printed or shipped.
PDF by email: The NCIDQ IDFX Sketchbook reaches your inbox as a PDF, and the two free books come by email too. One-time payment, no installments or hidden costs.
Taking the IDFX in your final year or right after graduating? Every content area in blueprint order, one page per concept, so you can build your study plan around it.
A full review of the six content areas at a glance, with the frequent mix-ups and an exam day checklist at the end. If you're retaking it, start with egress and code review.
You switched careers and draw plans every day. Here codes, clearances and programming diagrams are drawn the way you already think.
📄 This is a digital PDF book sent to your email: nothing is printed or shipped.
30-day guarantee: tell us what didn't work and we'll refund 100%.
You have 30 days to try The NCIDQ IDFX Sketchbook and the two bonus books. If it doesn't work for you, tell us what didn't work and we'll refund 100% of what you paid. One-time payment, no subscriptions.
You get The NCIDQ IDFX Sketchbook as a high-resolution PDF by email, at the address you enter at checkout. You can read it on your phone or print it. The two bonus books, IDFX Code and Clearance Numbers Sheet and 250 IDFX Terms on Cards, come by email too.
A one-time payment of US$ 27. No installments, no subscription.
Final-year students and recent grads taking the IDFX, people retaking it, and career changers already working at a design or architecture firm. It's not a beginner's course and it doesn't reteach design school: it puts what the IDFX covers in blueprint order, one page per concept. Check the table of contents above.
CIDQ's 2026 IDFX blueprint and candidate information at cidq.org, the 2021 International Building Code and the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design. The exam references ICC A117.1-2017, so each accessibility figure tells you where to check it there. Where a figure depends on an official table, the page tells you to check the official reference.
No. It's an independent study guide, not affiliated with or endorsed by CIDQ, ICC or the U.S. Access Board. It doesn't reproduce exam items, code text or code tables.
No. It's a visual review to use alongside your education, your work experience and CIDQ's official practice questions and demo exam. It doesn't give you a certificate, CEUs or any credential: it's study material.
No. The book has no exam items. Any practice question we offer, like the optional IDFX Practice Sets, is written by us for training and isn't an official question from any exam.
Yes. The book, the numbers sheet and the 250 term cards are all made to print at home or at a print shop.
You have 30 days: tell us what didn't work and we'll refund 100%.
You don't have to reread the same page hoping it sticks this time.
You don't have to memorize clearances and code rules you can't picture.
And you definitely don't have to walk into the exam not knowing where to start.
There's an easier way. And it's one click away. Now it's your turn.
One-time payment: US$ 27 · Guarantee: 30 days · PDF by email
YES, I WANT THE NCIDQ IDFX SKETCHBOOK FOR US$ 27📄 This is a digital PDF book sent to your email: nothing is printed or shipped.
