Pass608

    How to Pass the EPA 608 (Core, Type I, II, III)

    To pass the EPA 608, you need at least 70% on a closed-book, proctored test from a program on EPA's approved list. Most programs score that as 18 of 25 in each 25-question section. Study EPA's published topic list for Core and your Type, lock in the dozen numbers the rules turn on, and practice under your own program's time and calculator rules.

    Get the roles straight first. EPA writes the rules and keeps the question bank secret: it releases the bank "only to approved technician certification programs" (40 CFR 82.161(c)). The 87 programs on EPA's approved list (last updated Aug 20, 2026) give the test and issue your card. Pass608 is an independent study tool. We write original practice questions to EPA's published topics, and we don't test or certify anyone.

    What the test looks like

    Every test has two parts (40 CFR 82, subpart F, Appendix D; eCFR as of Sept 21, 2026): 25 Core questions, which every test includes, and 25 questions for your Type (I, II or III). That's 50 questions. Universal is 100: Core plus 25 each for Types I, II and III. You can take Universal in one sitting or build it by "combining passing scores on separate Type I, Type II, and Type III tests."

    The pass mark is 70% on the closed-book test and 84% for a Type I mail-in test. Type II, Type III and Universal are always closed-book and proctored, with a photo ID check. Programs draw questions at random from EPA's bank and must use multiple versions at every testing event.

    What's on each section

    EPA publishes the topics, not the questions. Its Test Topics page (last updated Dec 5, 2025; checked Sept 24, 2026) lists 40 Core topics, 10 for Type I, 20 for Type II and 22 for Type III.

    SectionEPA topicsWhat it comes down to
    Core40Refrigerant families, phaseout dates, venting ban, sales restriction, recovery gear, cylinders, safety
    Type I10Small appliances: recovery percentages, passive recovery, access valves
    Type II20Medium-, high- and very high-pressure systems: leak rates, evacuation levels, recovery speed
    Type III22Low-pressure systems such as centrifugal chillers: leak testing, water and oil handling, purge units

    Core. Chlorine destroys ozone. CFCs have a higher ozone-depletion potential than HCFCs, and HCFCs higher than HFCs. EPA's own examples: R-12 is a CFC, R-22 an HCFC, R-134 an HFC. R-134a, the one you'll see in the shop, is also an HFC. U.S. production and import of CFCs ended Jan 1, 1996. R-22 production and import ended in 2020; reclaimed or previously made R-22 can still be used for servicing (EPA). Knowingly venting CFC and HCFC refrigerant has been unlawful since July 1, 1992, and substitutes since Nov 15, 1995 (Clean Air Act §608). Add the sales restriction, the Montreal Protocol, the maximum penalty, certified recovery equipment and AHRI Standard 700 for reclaimed refrigerant. Shop topics: gauges, the refrigeration cycle, recovery speed, evacuation, PPE, yellow-and-gray recovery cylinders, the 80% fill limit, and nitrogen (never oxygen or compressed air) through a regulator with a relief valve. More in the Core guide.

    Type I. A small appliance is factory-made, charged and hermetically sealed with 5 lb of refrigerant or less (40 CFR 82.152). Under 82.156(b), recovery equipment made before Nov 15, 1993 must recover 80%. Equipment made on or after that date must recover 90% if the compressor runs and 80% if it doesn't. Pulling the appliance to 4 inches of mercury vacuum also meets the rule. With a dead compressor and a passive (system-dependent) device, install access valves on both the high and low sides. If the compressor works, run it. Remove solderless access fittings when you finish.

    Type II. Leak signs (excessive superheat, oil traces on hermetics), leak testing before charging, nitrogen as the best leak-test gas, leak-rate thresholds, recovery speed, and the evacuation table. A major repair means removing the compressor, condenser, evaporator or auxiliary heat exchange coil, or opening more than 4 square inches of flow area for more than 15 minutes (82.152). System-dependent recovery equipment can't be used on a system holding more than 15 lb (82.156). See the Type II guide.

    Type III. Pressurize for a leak test with hot water or a heating device such as Prevac before nitrogen. Excessive purging signals a leak. Recover liquid, then vapor. Heat the oil to 130 °F before draining it. Circulate or drain the water so tubes don't freeze during evacuation, and charge vapor before liquid. The evacuation level is 25 mm Hg absolute.

    The 18-of-25 line

    The rule sets percentages, not counts (Appendix D). On a 25-question block, 70% is 17.5, so 18 correct is the lowest whole-number pass. 84% of 25 is exactly 21.

    That's why some programs print "72%." Mainstream Engineering writes "72%, meaning you have to get 18 out of 25" per section, and Faraday states 72% per section. Same line, different arithmetic.

    How the line gets applied depends on your program:

    • Per section. Mainstream, RSES, Interplay and Faraday say each section must pass on its own. Get 17 in Core and you fail Core, even with a perfect Type section.
    • Overall per exam. SkillCat scores "70% overall on each exam," and Core passed on one of its exams does not carry over to another.
    • Type I open book. Mainstream's online open-book test needs "at least 21 correct in each section." SkillCat's open-book Type I passes at 70%. Neither open-book nor mail-in results count toward Universal.

    Practice to the stricter rule: 18 of 25 in every section.

    How programs differ

    EPA sets no time limit; your program does. Same for calculators and P/T charts: the rule only bars "notes or training materials," so each program writes its own list. From the programs' own pages, checked Sept 23, 2026:

    ProgramTime limitCalculator / P/T chartScoring
    Trade Masters Online30 min per sectionClean P/T charts allowed70%
    SkillCat (app)1 h per Type; 2 h UniversalNot stated70% overall per exam
    RSES (paper)2 hCalculator, P/T chart in the booklet70% each section
    TPC Training2 hFour-function calculator, P/T chart70% proctored; 84% non-proctored Core + Type I
    Faraday2 hNot stated72% per section
    Mainstream (online)3 h maximum"No calculator is allowed"18 of 25 per section

    Ask your proctor before test day and set your practice timer and calculator to match. The full table, with prices and retakes for 11 programs, is on the EPA 608 certification page.

    A realistic study plan

    Candidates report that about 25 hours of study or less was enough (four independent accounts). Those accounts come from people who passed, so build in slack. Here's how we'd spend 25 hours on Core plus one Type:

    BlockHoursWhat to do
    1. Baseline1Take a 25-question Core section cold. Note what you miss.
    2. Core7–8Work the 40 Core topics. Write down every date and number.
    3. Your Type7–8Same for your Type. Build the evacuation and leak-rate tables by hand.
    4. Numbers2–3Drill the list below until you can write it from memory.
    5. Timed tests4–5Full 50-question tests at your program's time and calculator rules. Review every miss.

    Going for Universal? Add a block 3 for each extra Type. Study Core first, because every test includes it.

    The numbers to know cold:

    • 5 lb: small-appliance ceiling (Type I)
    • 15 lb: system-dependent recovery limit; also the 84.106 leak-repair threshold
    • 50 lb: the 82.157 leak-repair threshold for ozone-depleting systems
    • 200 lb: the split in the evacuation table
    • Nov 15, 1993: the recovery-equipment date that picks the column
    • 80%: maximum fill for a recovery cylinder
    • 14.7: add it to psig to get psia
    • 130 °F: oil temperature before draining a low-pressure system
    • 25 mm Hg absolute: low-pressure evacuation level
    • 20 / 30 / 10: leak-rate triggers for commercial refrigeration, industrial process refrigeration (IPR) and comfort cooling
    • 70% / 84%: pass marks
    • $124,426: maximum civil penalty per day per violation (40 CFR 19.4, assessed on or after Jan 8, 2025)

    Older guides print $27,500 or $37,500: the maximums for 1997–2004 and 2009–2015 (40 CFR 19.4, Table 2).

    Start the free Core section — free account, no card

    The traps

    The 1993 column

    The evacuation table in 40 CFR 82.156 (eCFR as of Sept 22, 2026) has two columns, picked by when your recovery equipment was made. Values are inches of mercury vacuum unless marked.

    ApplianceEquipment made before Nov 15, 1993Made on or after Nov 15, 1993
    Very high-pressure00
    High-pressure, under 200 lb00
    High-pressure, 200 lb or more410
    Medium-pressure, under 200 lb410
    Medium-pressure, 200 lb or more415
    Low-pressure25 mm Hg absolute25 mm Hg absolute

    Read the equipment date and charge size in the question before you look at the choices. These levels apply before disposal or a major repair; the rule relaxes them for non-major repairs and leaking appliances (82.156(a)).

    psig vs psia

    Gauges read psig, pressure above atmosphere. The CFR's pressure classes use psia at 104 °F: low under 45, medium 45–170, high 170–355, very high above 355 (or a critical temperature below 104 °F). EPA's Type II topics say it plainly: add 14.7 to turn psig into psia. A gauge reading of 69 psig is 83.7 psia.

    Two leak-repair rules, not one

    40 CFR 82.157 (Section 608)40 CFR 84.106 (AIM Act)
    RefrigerantClass I or II (CFCs, HCFCs) and blends containing themHFCs, and substitutes with a GWP above 53
    SizeFull charge of 50 lb or moreFull charge of 15 lb or more
    AppliesOzone-depleting appliances only, since Apr 10, 2020From Jan 1, 2026
    Left out—Residential and light-commercial AC and heat pumps
    Leak-rate triggersCommercial refrigeration 20%, IPR 30%, comfort cooling and other 10%Same: 20%, 30%, 10%

    EPA's topic list still describes leak rates for "appliances containing more than 50 pounds," the 82.157 framing. HFC leak repair now sits in 84.106, and its "certified technician" is a 608-certified technician (84.102). The 35% and 15% triggers in older guides are pre-2019 rates. EPA said on May 21, 2026 it will reconsider "the rest of the 2024 ER&R Rule"; if the numbers change, we'll update this page.

    Recover, recycle, reclaim

    From 40 CFR 82.152 (eCFR as of Sept 22, 2026):

    • Recover: remove refrigerant "in any condition" and store it in an external container "without necessarily testing or processing it in any way."
    • Recycle: extract it and "clean it for reuse in equipment of the same owner" without meeting reclaim specs.
    • Reclaim: reprocess it to the Appendix A specs (based on AHRI Standard 700-2016) and verify it by the analysis Appendix A prescribes.

    Short version: take it out, clean it for the same owner, bring it to spec and prove it.

    80% and 80%

    A recovery cylinder is never filled past 80%. A small appliance needs 80% or 90% recovered, depending on equipment date and compressor. Same number, different jobs.

    The 2026 question bank

    ESCO Institute, an approved program, now offers a "2026" version of the EPA exam alongside the "2018" version (ESCO's site, checked Sept 24, 2026). ACHR News reported on Sept 19, 2026, quoting ESCO, that the new bank adds general-knowledge questions on A2L and A3 refrigerants and that exams based on the previous bank "can be administered only through Jan. 1, 2027." EPA has not published the change on its own pages as of Sept 24, 2026.

    EPA wrote in 2021 that its 608 test bank "already includes questions concerning A2L refrigerants" (86 FR 24468), so what's reported is expanded A2L and A3 coverage. Ask your program which version you'll sit. Our A2L/A3 practice set is live now: see what's reported and what's confirmed and the A2L practice set.

    Where to take the test

    Only an approved program can test you. EPA's list (Aug 20, 2026) has 87 programs: 12 flagged "Remote testing available," 3 online only, and 1 offering Type I by mail. Candidates sit the test one of four ways:

    1. Closed-book at a site: trade school, union hall or supply house.
    2. Live remote-proctored online, by webcam.
    3. SkillCat's app, on demand; a proctor reviews the attempt in 1–2 days.
    4. Open-book online Core + Type I, which can't count toward Universal.

    Programs must send results and a wallet card within 30 days of the test (Appendix D). Find a program on EPA's list, and compare rules and prices on our certification page.

    Want to see where you stand before you book? Start the free Core section — free account, no card

    Sources