EPA Section 608 Technician Certification

The EPA 608 Certification Test

The EPA 608 certification test is the federal Section 608 test for technicians who service or dispose of equipment that could release refrigerant. It has four 25-question sections, Core, Type I, Type II and Type III: you take the Core plus the type you need, which is 50 questions, or all four for Universal, which is 100, and the passing score on the closed-book test is 70 percent. The EPA does not give the test or set its fee or time limit; EPA-approved certifying organizations do.

At a glance

Questions	100For Universal: Core plus Types I, II and III, 25 questions each. A single type is 50 questions: the Core and that type.
Delivery	The EPA does not give the test itself. It is administered by EPA-approved certifying organizations, such as ESCO Institute, Mainstream Engineering Corporation, RSES and many trade schools, as a closed-book proctored test in person or, with some programs, remotely online. Type I alone may also be taken in an open-book mail-in format. Each organization sets its own fee.
Eligibility	No prerequisites are stated. Certification is required of technicians who maintain, service, repair or dispose of equipment that could release refrigerants; apprentices are exempt while closely and continually supervised by a certified technician.
Passing standard	70 percent on the closed-book Type I, Type II, Type III and Universal tests, each built from 25 Core questions plus 25 questions for each equipment type; 84 percent for the open-book mail-in Type I format. Universal certification covers all equipment types and needs Core plus Type I, II and III, with the Core taken as a proctored closed-book test.
Retakes	EPA sets no retake rule; retakes, waiting periods and fees are decided by the certifying organization. Section 608 credentials do not expire.
Outline in force	EPA Section 608 Technician Certification Test Topics (web page last updated December 5, 2025)

Exam facts are taken from EPA’s own published material, last checked October 2, 2026. Source. Confirm fees, dates and rules with the organization you register with before you book.

Section	Questions
Core	25
Type I (Small Appliances)	25
Type II (High-Pressure)	25
Type III (Low-Pressure)	25

Who has to be certified

EPA's regulations under Section 608 of the Clean Air Act require certification of technicians who maintain, service, repair or dispose of equipment that could release refrigerants. It is a legal requirement for doing the work, not an optional credential.

There is one exemption: an apprentice does not need to be certified while closely and continually supervised by a certified technician. The EPA states no prerequisites for taking the test, and once you hold the credential it does not expire.

Four sections, four certifications

The test is modular. Everyone takes the Core. You add the section for the equipment you work on, and each section is 25 questions.

Core: what applies to all refrigerant work. Ozone depletion, the Clean Air Act and the Montreal Protocol, the Section 608 regulations, recovery, safety and shipping.
Type I: small appliances.
Type II: high-pressure and very high-pressure appliances, other than small appliances and motor vehicle air conditioners.
Type III: low-pressure appliances.
Universal: all three types. It needs the Core plus Type I, Type II and Type III, 100 questions in all.

The EPA does not give the test

The EPA writes the rules and oversees the program. The test itself is administered by EPA-approved certifying organizations, such as ESCO Institute, Mainstream Engineering Corporation, RSES and many trade schools.

It is a closed-book, proctored test, given in person or, with some programs, remotely online. The exception is Type I, which may also be taken on its own in an open-book, mail-in format.

Because the organizations run the test, they also set what the EPA does not: the fee, the time limit, and the rules on retakes and waiting periods. Two technicians who tested with different organizations can truthfully report different prices and different time limits for the same certification.

The passing score

The regulation sets 70 percent as the passing score on the closed-book test, and 84 percent on the open-book, mail-in Type I format.

Certifying organizations generally apply the 70 percent to each 25-question section separately, which works out at 18 correct out of 25. We describe that as the organizations' practice because we could not confirm it in the EPA's own wording. Ask your certifying organization how it scores, and prepare as if a strong section will not make up for a weak one.

What to ask your certifying organization

The EPA publishes no fee and no time limit, and this page states neither, because any figure would be true of one organization and wrong for another. Before you book, ask the organization you plan to test with:

what the test costs, and what a retake costs;
how long you get, for a single type and for Universal;
whether it offers remote online proctoring or in-person testing only;
how it applies the passing score to each section, and whether a failed section can be retaken on its own;
what you may have with you, such as a pressure-temperature chart.

The open-book Type I option

Type I alone may be taken in an open-book, mail-in format, and the passing score for that format is higher: 84 percent.

It is a route to Type I certification only. Universal certification needs the Core taken as a proctored, closed-book test, so if Universal is where you are heading, plan on the proctored test from the start.

What the questions come from

The EPA publishes the topics for each section: ten for the Core, three for Type I, six for Type II and seven for Type III. They are listed in the outline below. The EPA does not say how many questions are drawn from each topic.

The Type II topics note that a standard pressure-temperature chart may be used. The EPA does not state how many answer choices a question has or whether a calculator is allowed, so we do not either.

One caution. The EPA's test-topics page still describes the covered equipment in terms of CFC and HCFC appliances and names some older details. The regulation itself, 40 CFR Part 82 Subpart F, also applies some requirements, the venting prohibition for example, to substitute refrigerants such as HFCs. Where study material and the current regulation disagree, the regulation is right.

What is tested

The 4 domains of the current outline and the share of the exam each one carries.

Domain	Weight	What it covers
CORECore10 tasks	25%	Environmental impacts: how chlorine from CFC and HCFC refrigerants destroys stratospheric ozone, which common refrigerants are CFCs, HCFCs or HFCs, their relative ozone-depletion potential and atmospheric effects, and the evidence for and health and environmental effects of ozone depletion. Clean Air Act and Montreal Protocol: CFC and R-22 phaseout dates, the bans on venting during service and at disposal and on venting substitute refrigerants, the maximum Clean Air Act penalty, and the Montreal Protocol's role. Section 608 regulations: high- versus low-pressure refrigerants, system-dependent versus self-contained recovery equipment, which equipment the rule covers, third-party certification of recovery and recycling equipment, the purity standard for reclaimed refrigerant, the sales restriction and the venting prohibition. and 7 more tasks
T1Type I (Small Appliances)3 tasks	25%	Recovery requirements: what counts as a small appliance, and the evacuation levels required with a working or non-working compressor for recovery equipment made before versus after November 15, 1993. Recovery techniques: using pressure and temperature to identify a refrigerant and detect noncondensables, passive (system-dependent) recovery with operating and inoperative compressors, fitting high- and low-side access valves, removing solderless fittings after service, and R-134a as the likely substitute for R-12. Safety: the decomposition products formed when refrigerants are exposed to high temperatures.
T2Type II (High- and Very High-Pressure)6 tasks	25%	Leak detection: signs of leakage in high-pressure systems, leak testing before charging or recharging, and the order of preference for leak-test gases. Leak repair requirements: allowable leak rates for commercial and industrial process refrigeration and for other appliances holding more than 50 pounds, leak repair recordkeeping, and extensions to repair deadlines. Recovery techniques: speeding recovery by removing liquid first, chilling the recovery vessel or heating the appliance, avoiding cross-contamination when a machine changes refrigerants, and waiting after reaching the required vacuum to see whether pressure rises. and 3 more tasks
T3Type III (Low-Pressure)7 tasks	25%	Leak detection: preferred ways to pressurize a low-pressure system for leak testing (hot water or built-in heating, then nitrogen), signs of air leaking in such as excessive purging, the maximum leak-test pressure for centrifugal chillers, leak inspections for appliances over the leak rate, and reporting of chronically leaking appliances. Leak repair requirements: allowable annual leak rates for commercial and industrial process refrigeration and for other appliances holding more than 50 pounds. Recovery techniques: recovering liquid first and then vapor, heating oil to 130 degrees F before draining it, circulating or removing chiller water to prevent freezing during evacuation, and the high-pressure cut-out setting of recovery units used on low-pressure appliances. and 4 more tasks

Practice for the EPA 608 exam

See how you would do on questions written to the same outline before you pay the exam fee.

The free EPA 608 diagnostic is being prepared and is not open yet. The exam facts and the content outline on this page are current.

The EPA 608 exam: common questions

What is the EPA 608 certification test?

The test for EPA Section 608 Technician Certification, required under the Clean Air Act of technicians who maintain, service, repair or dispose of equipment that could release refrigerants. It has a 25-question Core and three 25-question Type sections.

How many questions are on the EPA 608 exam?

25 in each section. A Type I, Type II or Type III certification is 50 questions, the Core plus that type. Universal is 100: the Core plus all three types.

What score do you need to pass the EPA 608 test?

70 percent on the closed-book test, and 84 percent on the open-book mail-in Type I format. Certifying organizations generally apply the 70 percent to each 25-question section, which is 18 of 25; confirm that with yours.

How long is the EPA 608 test?

The EPA sets no time limit. The certifying organization that gives you the test sets it, so ask them before test day.

How much does the EPA 608 test cost?

There is no federal fee. Each EPA-approved certifying organization sets its own price, so the cost depends on where you test.

Is the EPA 608 test open book?

No, with one exception. The Type I, II, III and Universal tests are closed-book and proctored. Type I alone may be taken in an open-book mail-in format, which has a higher passing score of 84 percent.

Can I take the EPA 608 exam online?

With some certifying organizations. The test is proctored and closed-book, and some programs offer it remotely online as well as in person.

Which EPA 608 certification do I need?

The one that matches the equipment you work on: Type I for small appliances, Type II for high- and very high-pressure appliances, Type III for low-pressure appliances. Universal covers all three.

Does EPA 608 certification expire?

No. Section 608 credentials do not expire.

How many times can you retake the EPA 608 test?

The EPA sets no retake rule. Retakes, waiting periods and retake fees are decided by the certifying organization.

EPA Section 608 Technician Certification is a federal certification established under the Clean Air Act and overseen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). This site is an independent study resource; it is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or approved by the EPA or by any EPA-approved certifying organization, and it does not issue Section 608 certification. Practice questions here are original and are not taken from the EPA test bank.