EPA Section 608 Technician Certification Test (40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F) — exam facts
United States (federal)
Sources below were read between 2026-09-03 – 2026-10-15
| Administering body | United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) — rule-setting only — exam delivered by EPA-approved certifying organizations; there is no single national test vendor EPA states that tests must be administered by an EPA-approved certifying organization, that EPA does not issue certification cards, and that it does not review or approve preparatory training. EPA also states that Section 608 technician credentials do not expire. Source: US EPA — Section 608 Technician Certification Requirements (2026-09-03) |
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| Questions | 50–100 questions The count is fixed by Appendix D to Subpart F and does not vary by certifying organization — but it depends on which certification you sit. Each section is 25 questions. Type I, Type II and Type III are each the Core section plus one technical section; Universal is the Core section plus all three technical sections. Source: 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F — Recycling and Emissions Reduction (incl. § 82.161 and Appendix D), eCFR (2026-10-14) |
| Time limit | Not published by US EPA No time limit exists in § 82.161 or in Appendix D to Subpart F, and EPA publishes none. Any time allowance is set by the certifying organization giving the test. What we read and found nothing in: 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F — Recycling and Emissions Reduction (incl. § 82.161 and Appendix D), eCFR (2026-10-14) · US EPA — Section 608 Technician Certification Requirements (2026-09-03) · US EPA — Certification Programs for Section 608 Technicians (2026-09-03) |
| Passing score | 70% This is the one figure the regulation itself fixes, so it does not vary by certifying organization. It applies to the closed-book, proctored test for every type. A Type I certification taken in the mail-in, open-book format requires 84 percent instead. Source: 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F — Recycling and Emissions Reduction (incl. § 82.161 and Appendix D), eCFR (2026-10-14) |
| Fees | Not published by US EPA EPA sets no fee and publishes none; the regulation allows certifying programmes to charge “reasonable fees”, and EPA's directory of approved programmes lists no prices. There is no EPA application fee and no renewal fee, because EPA states the credential does not expire. What we read and found nothing in: 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F — Recycling and Emissions Reduction (incl. § 82.161 and Appendix D), eCFR (2026-10-14) · US EPA — Certification Programs for Section 608 Technicians (2026-09-03) · US EPA — Section 608 Technician Certification Requirements (2026-09-03) |
| Languages offered | Not published by US EPA Neither § 82.161 nor Appendix D mandates any language, and EPA publishes no list. Language depends on the approved certifying organization; EPA's directory annotates some individual programmes as offering Spanish. What we read and found nothing in: 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F — Recycling and Emissions Reduction (incl. § 82.161 and Appendix D), eCFR (2026-10-14) · US EPA — Certification Programs for Section 608 Technicians (2026-09-03) |
| Outline and weights | Universal certification: Core 25 + Type I 25 + Type II 25 + Type III 25 = 100 scored questions. EPA's Section 608 Technician Certification Test Topics, with Appendix D to 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F (topics page last updated December 5, 2025; Appendix D as in the eCFR on October 14, 2026) gives the scored items in each section: Core 25, Type I (small appliances) 25, Type II (medium-, high- and very-high-pressure) 25, Type III (low-pressure) 25. EPA publishes the subject areas and the test structure, not the questions: certifying organizations build their tests from a bank that EPA releases only to approved programs, and each sets its own time limit, fee and format. Last checked 2026-10-15. Source: US EPA — Section 608 Technician Certification Test Topics (page last updated December 5, 2025) (2026-10-15) |
Change log
- 2026-10-15EPA's Section 608 test-topics page (last updated December 5, 2025), the certification-types page (July 15, 2026), the approved-programs list (August 20, 2026, 87 organizations) and 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F on the eCFR (current October 14, 2026) re-read. The structure in Appendix D (25 questions per section, 70% for the closed-book tests, 84% for mail-in Type I) and the rule that EPA releases its question bank only to approved programs (§82.161(c)) are unchanged. EPA's pages read do not mention a revised question bank or a January 1, 2027 date; those remain trade-press reports.
- 2026-09-23Noted a question-bank change reported by the trade press (ACHR News, September 19, 2026): exams from the current Section 608 question bank may be given only through January 1, 2027, after which EPA-approved certifiers use a revised bank of about 400 questions that adds A2L and A3 refrigerants (such as R-32, R-454B and R-1234yf). The four-section, 25-question, 70% structure in 40 CFR Part 82, Subpart F, Appendix D is unchanged, and existing certifications remain valid. This comes from a press report, not an EPA notice; confirm the date with your certifying organization.
- 2026-09-03Fact sheet created. Question count and passing score are cited to the regulation itself; fee, time limit and language are recorded as not published by EPA because they belong to the certifying organization, not to EPA.