← Open Exam Hub

HVAC Practice Test 2026: 60 Exam Questions With Answers (Contractor & Journeyman)

Audio from the Open Exam Hub video of the same name; the video shows the numbers and practice questions on screen.

HVAC practice test: 60 original HVAC exam questions with answers and explanations for contractor and journeyman exam prep: refrigeration cycle (superheat, subcooling), electrical basics, airflow and psychrometrics, heating, EPA 608 safety and refrigerant handling, and codes, load calculation and controls. As of October 2026 there is no single national HVAC license exam: licensing is handled by states and sometimes cities, with contractor, journeyman and master levels. Many states use third-party vendors such as PSI, Pearson VUE or Prometric and reference books such as the NEC, International Mechanical Code and International Fuel Gas Code, and some exams are open book. Examples only: North Carolina's Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors board says you bring all allowed reference materials and wait 90 days to retest; Texas TDLR says its air conditioning and refrigeration contractor exams are given by PSI after eligibility approval and points to a candidate information bulletin. Check your own state board. EPA 608 is a federal certification required to handle refrigerant (it does not expire); NATE and HVAC Excellence are industry certifications, not licenses. Questions are original, not real exam questions. Not affiliated with any licensing board or exam vendor.

Full guide
Open Exam Hub: free exam prep
EPA 608 practice test
EPA 608 study plan
EPA 608 cheat sheet
Free practice questions, study guides and cheat sheets, no signup

Chapters
0:00 HVAC practice test
3:59 Section 1: Refrigeration Cycle and Components: Questions 1 to 10
11:00 Section 2: Electrical Basics: Questions 11 to 20
17:32 Section 3: Airflow and Psychrometrics: Questions 21 to 30
24:56 Section 4: Heating: Questions 31 to 40
31:39 Section 5: Safety and Refrigerant Handling: Questions 41 to 50
37:55 Section 6: Codes, Load Calculation and Controls: Questions 51 to 60
44:33 Score yourself

Exam facts are from the official State licensing boards, EPA, NATE pages as of 2026-10-20. Fees and rules can change, so confirm on the official site before you enroll. Open Exam Hub is an independent study resource, not affiliated with any licensing board or exam vendor. Practice questions are not from a real exam. Narration is an AI-generated voice.

Music
"Fresh Air" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Carefree" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Reminiscing" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

"Friday Morning" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

Sound effects: Kenney (kenney.nl), CC0.

Images
aging: "Aging Condenser Unit of a Split Air Conditioning System (7547606426)" by Chris Hunkeler from Carlsbad, California, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aging_Condenser_Unit_of_a_Split_Air_Conditioning_System_(7547606426).jpg
ducts: "Overhead ductwork installation in the east cavern. (CM007, 02-12-2019) (47051372082)" by MTA Capital Construction Mega Projects, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Overhead_ductwork_installation_in_the_east_cavern._(CM007,_02-12-2019)_(47051372082).jpg
airhandler: "HVAC Air Handler Unit, pic1" by Alf van Beem, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HVAC_Air_Handler_Unit,_pic1.JPG
furnace: "Condensing Furnace Outlet" by Wtshymanski, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Condensing_Furnace_Outlet.jpg

#hvac #hvacexam #practicetest