What's on the EPA 608 test

The four types

• Type I: servicing small appliances. [EPA certification requirements]
• Type II: servicing or disposing of medium-, high-, or very high-pressure appliances, except small appliances, motor vehicle air conditioners (MVACs) and MVAC-like appliances. This is the regulation’s wording. [40 CFR 82.161] EPA’s summary page says “high- or very high-pressure appliances”; the regulation also names medium-pressure. [EPA certification requirements]
• Type III: servicing or disposing of low-pressure appliances. [EPA certification requirements]
• Universal: servicing all types of equipment. [EPA certification requirements] What Universal takes.

How many questions

The regulation sets the structure certifying organizations build their tests from. “All Type I, Type II and Type III, certification tests will include 25 questions from Group I and 25 questions from Group II.” [40 CFR 82 Subpart F, Appendix D] That is:

For Universal, the regulation says “Tests for Universal technicians will include 100 questions.” [40 CFR 82 Subpart F, Appendix D] The sums are ours. The operative section puts it as “at least 25 questions drawn from the core group and at least 25 questions drawn from each relevant technical group,” [40 CFR 82.161] so a certifying organization may ask more, and 50 is the minimum the two rules describe.

What Group I and the technical groups cover

The regulation lists the areas. Group I: [40 CFR 82 Subpart F, Appendix D]

1. Environmental impact of CFCs, HCFCs, and substitute refrigerants
2. Laws and regulations
3. Changing industry outlook

The technical groups, for Type I, Type II and Type III: [40 CFR 82 Subpart F, Appendix D]

4. Leak detection
5. Recovery Techniques
6. Safety
7. Shipping
8. Disposal

What EPA lists as test topics

EPA’s Test Topics page has four lists, headed Core, Type 1 (Small Appliances), Type 2 (High-Pressure) and Type 3 (Low-pressure). [EPA test topics] The headings under each:

• Core: Environmental Impacts; Clean Air Act and Montreal Protocol; Section 608 Regulations; Substitute Refrigerants and oils; Refrigeration; Leak Detection; Three R Definitions; Recovery Techniques; Dehydration Evacuation; Safety; Shipping.
• Type 1 (Small Appliances): Recovery Requirements; Recovery Techniques; Safety.
• Type 2 (High-Pressure): Leak Detection; Leak repair requirements; Recovery Techniques; Recovery Requirements; Refrigeration; Safety.
• Type 3 (Low-pressure): Leak Detection; Leak repair requirements; Recovery Techniques; Recharging Techniques; Recovery Requirements; Refrigeration; Safety.

The study guide lists the topics under each heading, in EPA’s words.

The passing score

“The passing score for the closed-book Type I, Type II, Type III and Universal certification test is 70 percent. The passing score for Type I certification tests using the mail-in format is 84 percent.” [40 CFR 82 Subpart F, Appendix D] The regulation gives percentages. It does not say how a certifying organization applies them to each group of questions, so ask your organization how it scores.

Closed book and mail-in

Organizations that provide Type I certification only may give it in an on-site format or a mail-in format. [40 CFR 82 Subpart F, Appendix D] Type II and Type III tests must be closed-book and proctored. [40 CFR 82 Subpart F, Appendix D] The certification page has the rules in full.

What we do not say here

We do not state a time limit, a price, a pass rate or a number of retakes. The sources above do not give them. Your certifying organization does.

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