CPI designation comes before or after step 7?

Not sure if anyone else is unclear on this so I’ll just ask. To become a CPI one must do the following (listed below). The part I’m unclear on is whether your designation of CPI does not come until after you have completed step 7 (courses to be completed in the first year). If these are required for the CPI designation than it should just say complete these courses and then you get the designation (must be done in a year). The way it’s explained in the video is ambiguous to me. Anyone have any insight on this?

Certification Requirements:
Step #1: Join InterNACHI.
Step #2: Pass the InterNACHI Online Inspector Examination (This exam free, online, and open to everyone, including non-members. It can be taken again and again to help identify strengths and weaknesses).
Step #3: Complete the InterNACHI Code of Ethics Course (online and free for members).
Step #4: Complete the InterNACHI Residential Standards of Practice Course (online and free for members).
Step #5: If you have never performed any fee-paid inspections, you must submit four mock inspection reports to InterNACHI’s Report Review Committee (free service for members). If you have already performed any fee-paid inspections, you can skip this step.
Step #6: After joining InterNACHI and completing the above requirements, you must sign your affidavit to become a certified home inspector.

And, Step #7, within the first year after joining InterNACHI, you must complete the following training courses:

Before, during and after. Have to sign the affidavit before do the training after.

I’ve been a full time inspector for 13 years. No prospect has ever asked me if I was a CPI or even if I was a NACHI member.

True for all professional designations in nearly all industries. Consumers don’t know anything about them enough to ask about them, but professional designations still work really well for marketing purposes. Remember, your marketing should always be providing evidence that answers the consumer’s question they have rolling around in their heads: “Did I find the right inspector?” Don’t make the consumer research your industry or think. Just hit them with the answer to that question. It’s really why CMI works so well.

Hi, John. I understand what you’re asking, so we’ve updated that page to make things more clear. Please visit https://www.nachi.org/cpi-requirements.htm. By completing Step #1 through Step #6, you will become an InterNACHI Certified Home Inspector and will be awarded the CPI® designation.