Free EPA 608 Practice Test · Exam Section
EPA 608 Type II Practice Test
25 exam-style questions, one at a time — just like exam day. Score and full explanations at the end. Free, no signup.
Type II is the certification most residential and commercial HVAC technicians need — it covers high-pressure and very-high-pressure appliances: split-system air conditioners and heat pumps, rooftop and packaged units, supermarket refrigeration, and process refrigeration running refrigerants such as R-22, R-410A, and R-404A. These 25 questions drill the numbers the real Type II section is built on: evacuation levels by charge size, the 10, 20, and 30 percent leak-rate trigger thresholds for comfort cooling, commercial, and industrial process refrigeration, leak detection methods, and pressure-temperature relationships.
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Question 1 of 25.Using recovery equipment manufactured after November 15, 1993, a technician is recovering refrigerant from a high-pressure appliance that normally contains 250 pounds of R-22. Before opening the appliance for a major repair, it must be evacuated to what level?
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Using recovery equipment manufactured after November 15, 1993, a technician is recovering refrigerant from a high-pressure appliance that normally contains 250 pounds of R-22. Before opening the appliance for a major repair, it must be evacuated to what level?
- 0 inches Hg vacuum (atmospheric pressure)
- 4 inches Hg vacuum
- 10 inches Hg vacuum (correct answer)
- 15 inches Hg vacuum
Under EPA's evacuation table in 40 CFR 82.156, a high-pressure appliance normally containing 200 pounds or more of refrigerant must be evacuated to 10 inches Hg vacuum with recovery equipment built after November 15, 1993. The tempting answer of 15 inches Hg is the requirement for medium-pressure appliances (such as R-134a or R-12 systems) with 200 pounds or more, not for high-pressure refrigerants like R-22; 4 inches Hg applies only when using older, pre-November 1993 recovery equipment.
A technician is disposing of a high-pressure R-410A split system that normally contains 45 pounds of refrigerant, using recovery equipment built after November 15, 1993. To what level must the system be evacuated?
- 15 inches Hg vacuum
- 10 inches Hg vacuum
- 4 inches Hg vacuum
- 0 inches Hg vacuum (atmospheric pressure) (correct answer)
High-pressure appliances normally containing less than 200 pounds of refrigerant only need to be evacuated to 0 inches Hg vacuum, meaning the pressure is reduced to atmospheric. Choosing 10 inches Hg is tempting because that level does apply to high-pressure appliances, but only when the normal charge is 200 pounds or more; this 45-pound system falls below that threshold, so no vacuum below atmospheric is required.
Refrigerant is being recovered from an R-134a centrifugal chiller that normally contains 600 pounds of refrigerant, using recovery equipment manufactured after November 15, 1993. What is the required evacuation level before opening the chiller for a major repair?
- 15 inches Hg vacuum (correct answer)
- 10 inches Hg vacuum
- 0 inches Hg vacuum (atmospheric pressure)
- 25 mm Hg absolute
R-134a is a medium-pressure refrigerant under EPA's current classifications, and a medium-pressure appliance normally containing 200 pounds or more must be evacuated to 15 inches Hg vacuum. The distractor of 25 mm Hg absolute is the deep-vacuum requirement for low-pressure appliances such as R-123 chillers covered on the Type III exam; 10 inches Hg would be correct only if this medium-pressure appliance held less than 200 pounds.
Using recovery equipment built after November 15, 1993, a technician recovers refrigerant from an R-12 cold-storage system that normally contains 150 pounds. Before a major repair, the system must be evacuated to:
- 0 inches Hg vacuum (atmospheric pressure)
- 10 inches Hg vacuum (correct answer)
- 15 inches Hg vacuum
- 20 inches Hg vacuum
R-12 is a medium-pressure refrigerant, and medium-pressure appliances normally containing less than 200 pounds must be evacuated to 10 inches Hg vacuum with current recovery equipment. Answering 0 inches Hg is tempting because that is the rule for high-pressure appliances under 200 pounds (like R-22 or R-410A systems), but EPA requires a deeper evacuation for medium-pressure refrigerants because their lower operating pressures leave proportionally more refrigerant behind at atmospheric pressure.
Before disposing of an appliance that uses R-503, a very high-pressure refrigerant, a technician using recovery equipment built after November 15, 1993 must evacuate the appliance to:
- 10 inches Hg vacuum
- 15 inches Hg vacuum
- 0 inches Hg vacuum (atmospheric pressure) (correct answer)
- 25 mm Hg absolute
Very high-pressure appliances, which use refrigerants such as R-13 and R-503, only need to be evacuated to 0 inches Hg vacuum regardless of charge size, because these refrigerants have such low critical temperatures that pulling a deeper vacuum recovers very little additional refrigerant. The 25 mm Hg absolute answer is the deep-vacuum requirement for low-pressure appliances at the opposite end of the pressure spectrum, not for very high-pressure systems.
While recovering the charge from a 300-pound R-22 system, a technician finds that leaks in the appliance make it impossible to reach the required vacuum level. What does EPA require in this situation?
- Repair every leak before any refrigerant may be recovered
- Evacuate the leaking appliance to the lowest attainable level that does not exceed 0 psig (correct answer)
- Continue running the recovery machine until 10 inches Hg is reached, regardless of contamination
- Vent the remaining refrigerant, since the leaks make recovery impracticable
When leaks prevent evacuation to the prescribed level, EPA allows the technician to evacuate the appliance to the lowest attainable level that does not exceed 0 psig, because continuing to pull a vacuum on a leaking system would draw air and moisture in and substantially contaminate the recovered refrigerant. Venting is never permitted simply because recovery is difficult; the knowing release of refrigerant remains illegal under Section 608.
A technician must open a 300-pound R-22 system to replace a liquid-line filter drier, a non-major repair that will not be followed by evacuation of the appliance to the environment. Instead of evacuating to the normal vacuum level, the technician may evacuate the appliance to:
- 0 psig (correct answer)
- 10 inches Hg vacuum
- 15 inches Hg vacuum
- 25 mm Hg absolute
EPA allows medium-, high-, and very high-pressure appliances to be evacuated to just 0 psig (atmospheric pressure) before opening when the repair is not major and the appliance will not be vented to the environment afterward. Choosing 10 inches Hg is tempting because that is this appliance's normal Table 1 requirement, but that deeper level is only mandatory for major repairs (such as removing the compressor, condenser, or evaporator) or for disposal.
Under EPA regulations, which of the following service jobs on a high-pressure appliance is classified as a major repair?
- Replacing a liquid-line filter drier
- Replacing a thermostatic expansion valve
- Replacing a leaking service-valve core
- Removing and replacing the compressor (correct answer)
EPA defines a major repair as maintenance, service, or repair involving removal of the compressor, condenser, evaporator, or auxiliary heat exchanger coil, and these jobs require full evacuation to the Table 1 vacuum levels first. Replacing a thermostatic expansion valve is the tempting distractor because it opens the refrigerant circuit, but it is still considered non-major, so the appliance may instead be evacuated to 0 psig if it will not be vented to the environment.
System-dependent (passive) recovery equipment may be used on an appliance only if the appliance's full charge does not exceed:
- 5 pounds of refrigerant
- 10 pounds of refrigerant
- 15 pounds of refrigerant (correct answer)
- 50 pounds of refrigerant
EPA limits system-dependent recovery equipment, which relies on the appliance's own compressor or internal pressure, to appliances with a full charge of 15 pounds or less, unless the equipment is permanently attached as a pump-out unit; larger systems require self-contained (active) recovery equipment. The 5-pound figure is a tempting distractor because it is the charge threshold in the definition of a small appliance, which is a different concept from the passive-recovery limit.
Before opening the low side of a large refrigeration system for service, a technician wants to isolate the refrigerant charge in the receiver rather than recover it. How is this done?
- Front-seat the king valve and operate the compressor to pump the charge into the receiver (correct answer)
- Back-seat the king valve and shut the system off immediately
- Mid-seat the king valve and open all access ports to equalize pressures
- Front-seat the suction service valve while the compressor is off
Front-seating (closing) the king valve at the receiver outlet blocks liquid from leaving the receiver, so running the compressor pumps the system charge into the condenser and receiver, where it is trapped; the isolated low side can then be evacuated and opened while most of the charge stays in the system. Back-seating is the tempting wrong answer because it is the valve's normal fully open operating position and would isolate nothing.
Compared with servicing an R-22 system, what additional equipment consideration applies when recovering R-410A?
- R-410A must be recovered with low-pressure recovery equipment to avoid overheating
- The recovery machine and recovery cylinder must be rated for R-410A's higher operating pressures (correct answer)
- Any DOT recovery cylinder may be used as long as it is filled to no more than 90 percent
- No special equipment is needed because R-410A operates at lower pressure than R-22
R-410A operates at roughly 50 to 60 percent higher pressure than R-22, so both the recovery machine and the recovery cylinder must be rated for its higher pressures; standard cylinders rated for lower-pressure refrigerants can rupture and must not be used. The distractor about using any DOT cylinder fails on two counts: the cylinder's service-pressure rating must match the refrigerant, and the safe filling limit is 80 percent, not 90 percent.
A technician must recover the entire charge from a system holding several hundred pounds of refrigerant. Which approach removes the bulk of the charge in the least amount of time?
- Recover vapor only, because liquid can never enter a recovery machine
- Recover vapor first, then liquid, to keep cylinder pressure low
- Recover the entire charge as vapor with the appliance heated
- Recover liquid from the liquid port first, then finish by recovering the remaining vapor (correct answer)
Liquid refrigerant is far denser than vapor, so removing liquid first transfers most of the charge quickly, and the recovery job is then finished by pulling the remaining vapor. The idea that liquid can never enter a recovery machine is the tempting distractor: while some machines need a throttling device or push-pull configuration to handle liquid safely, liquid recovery is a standard, approved technique and is precisely what makes large recovery jobs practical.
In the push-pull method of refrigerant recovery, the recovery machine:
- Pulls vapor from the recovery cylinder and discharges it into the appliance, pushing liquid into the cylinder (correct answer)
- Pulls liquid from the recovery cylinder and pushes it through the appliance to flush oil from the circuit
- Alternates between the appliance's high and low sides every few minutes to keep the pressures equalized
- Discharges regulated nitrogen into the appliance to force the remaining liquid into the cylinder
In push-pull recovery, the machine pulls vapor off the recovery cylinder and discharges that high-pressure vapor into the appliance, which pushes liquid refrigerant out of the appliance's liquid port and into the cylinder; it is the preferred method for transferring large amounts of liquid quickly. The nitrogen option is the tempting distractor because nitrogen is used for leak testing, but forcing refrigerant with nitrogen would contaminate the recovered charge with a non-condensable gas.
Recovery of a large charge is slowing down because the pressure in the recovery cylinder has risen close to the pressure in the appliance. Which action will speed up the recovery?
- Warm the recovery cylinder with a heat gun
- Crack the cylinder's vapor valve open to the atmosphere to relieve pressure
- Chill the recovery cylinder, for example by packing it in ice (correct answer)
- Switch to longer, smaller-diameter hoses
Cooling the recovery cylinder lowers the saturation pressure of the refrigerant inside it, which restores the pressure difference that drives refrigerant from the appliance into the cylinder and shortens recovery time. Venting vapor from the cylinder would also lower its pressure, which makes it a tempting choice, but intentionally releasing refrigerant to the atmosphere is illegal under Section 608; heating the cylinder or using longer, narrower hoses would each make recovery slower, not faster.
To allow room for liquid expansion as temperature rises, a refrigerant recovery cylinder should never be filled beyond what portion of its capacity?
- 60 percent by weight
- 80 percent by weight (correct answer)
- 85 percent by weight
- 90 percent by weight
The safe filling limit for recovery cylinders is 80 percent of the cylinder's capacity by weight, which leaves vapor space for the liquid to expand if the cylinder warms up; a liquid-full cylinder can build hydrostatic pressure rapidly and rupture. The 85 and 90 percent answers are tempting because they still appear to leave some vapor space, but neither leaves enough room for thermal expansion; the fill level is controlled by weighing the cylinder on a scale during recovery, not by estimating how full it looks.
A recovery cylinder of R-22 has been allowed to sit until its temperature stabilizes at 75°F, yet its pressure gauge reads well above the published saturation pressure of R-22 at 75°F. What does this indicate?
- The cylinder was overfilled with liquid refrigerant
- The refrigerant contains excess oil from the compressor
- The cylinder's pressure gauge has drifted out of calibration
- The cylinder contains non-condensable gases such as air (correct answer)
Once temperature has stabilized, a cylinder containing pure saturated refrigerant will show the pressure listed on the pressure-temperature chart for that temperature, so a higher reading means non-condensables such as air are present and adding their own partial pressure. Overfilling is the tempting distractor, but an overfilled cylinder at rest still shows saturation pressure at moderate temperatures; its danger is hydrostatic pressure when the cylinder warms, not an elevated reading at a stable 75°F.
Which gas should be used to pressurize a high-pressure system when leak testing after a repair?
- Dry nitrogen (correct answer)
- Compressed air
- Oxygen
- Acetylene
Dry nitrogen is inert, non-condensing, and inexpensive, and because it is not a refrigerant it may be vented after the leak test; it must always be introduced through a pressure regulator with a relief valve in the line, since nitrogen bottles are stored at very high pressure. Compressed air is the tempting distractor because it seems harmless, but air or oxygen mixed with refrigerant oil inside a system can ignite or explode under pressure, which is why both are prohibited for leak testing.
A technician recovering 350 pounds of R-22 from a supermarket rack system wants to shorten the total recovery time. Which practice accomplishes this?
- Recover vapor only through the vapor port, using long hoses with the valve cores left in place
- Recover from the liquid and vapor ports simultaneously through short, large-diameter hoses with the cores removed (correct answer)
- Close the recovery cylinder valve every few minutes so the appliance and cylinder pressures can equalize
- Set the recovery cylinder in warm sunlight so its rising pressure pushes refrigerant through faster
Drawing refrigerant from both the liquid and vapor ports at the same time, through short, large-diameter hoses with restrictive Schrader valve cores removed, minimizes pressure drop and moves the large charge far faster than single-port vapor recovery. Recovering vapor only through long hoses with the cores in place is the classic slow method that the correct technique is designed to avoid, and a warm, high-pressure cylinder actually reduces the pressure difference that drives recovery.
What can happen if a technician energizes the compressor of an appliance while the system is still under a deep vacuum?
- The compressor will complete its pump-down cycle faster
- The deep vacuum improves the dielectric strength around the motor windings
- The motor windings can arc and be severely damaged or destroyed (correct answer)
- Nothing, because a compressor cannot start against a vacuum
In a deep vacuum there is no refrigerant vapor to cool the hermetic motor and the thin residual atmosphere has poor dielectric strength, so energizing the compressor, or even applying a high-voltage insulation test, can cause the windings to arc and burn out. The idea that vacuum improves insulation is the tempting distractor because it inverts the truth: reduced pressure makes electrical breakdown easier, not harder, which is exactly why compressors must never be started or megohm-tested under vacuum.
An office building's comfort-cooling chiller has a full charge of 300 pounds of R-22. Under EPA's leak repair regulations, the owner must have leaks repaired when the appliance's annualized leak rate exceeds:
- 5 percent
- 10 percent (correct answer)
- 20 percent
- 30 percent
For comfort-cooling appliances with a full charge of 50 pounds or more, the leak-rate trigger is 10 percent of the full charge per year; exceeding it obligates the owner to repair the leaks or develop a retrofit/retirement plan. The 20 and 30 percent figures are tempting because they are the real trigger rates for commercial refrigeration and industrial process refrigeration respectively, but the stricter 10 percent rate applies to comfort cooling.
A supermarket's rack refrigeration system (commercial refrigeration) has a full charge of 400 pounds. Its EPA leak-rate trigger for mandatory repair is:
- 10 percent
- 15 percent
- 20 percent (correct answer)
- 35 percent
Commercial refrigeration appliances with a full charge of 50 pounds or more have a leak-rate trigger of 20 percent per year under the current EPA regulations. The 35 percent answer is a tempting trap because it was the commercial trigger rate under the older rules, but EPA lowered the thresholds to 10 percent for comfort cooling, 20 percent for commercial refrigeration, and 30 percent for industrial process refrigeration.
An appliance with a full charge of more than 50 pounds has exceeded its applicable leak rate. In general, within how many days of discovery must the owner or operator have the leak repaired?
- 7 days
- 60 days
- 1 year
- 30 days (correct answer)
EPA generally requires leaks on appliances above the trigger rate to be repaired within 30 days, with an extension to 120 days available for industrial process refrigeration when an industrial process shutdown is required. One year is the tempting distractor because it is the time allowed to complete a retrofit or retirement plan, which is the alternative path an owner may choose instead of repairing, with the plan itself due within 30 days.
A commercial refrigeration system has a full charge of 200 pounds. Three months after it was last serviced, a technician must add 20 pounds of refrigerant to restore the full charge. What is the annualized leak rate?
- 10 percent
- 20 percent
- 40 percent (correct answer)
- 80 percent
The annualized leak rate takes the percentage of full charge lost, here 20 divided by 200 or 10 percent, and scales it to a full year: 10 percent over three months equals 40 percent per year, which is well above the 20 percent commercial trigger, so repair is required. The 10 percent answer is the tempting mistake of stopping before the annualizing step; EPA's leak rate is always expressed as a yearly rate, not the raw percentage added on one service call.
A commercial refrigeration appliance with a full charge of 700 pounds has exceeded its leak-rate trigger. Until the problem is resolved, how often must the owner conduct leak inspections?
- Once every 3 months (correct answer)
- Once per calendar year
- Once every 3 years
- Only when refrigerant is next added
Commercial and industrial process refrigeration appliances with a full charge of 500 pounds or more that have exceeded their trigger rate must receive leak inspections once every three months, and quarterly inspections continue until the appliance stays below the trigger. Once per calendar year is the tempting distractor because annual inspection is the correct frequency for comparable appliances holding 50 to under 500 pounds, but this 700-pound system falls in the quarterly tier.
A relief valve releases a large amount of R-410A into a small equipment room while a technician is working inside. What is the greatest immediate danger?
- R-410A is highly flammable and will ignite from electrical sparks
- R-410A is acutely toxic even in trace concentrations
- The release will raise the room's temperature to dangerous levels
- The refrigerant can displace the oxygen in the room and cause suffocation (correct answer)
R-410A is an A1 refrigerant, meaning low toxicity and no flame propagation, but it is much heavier than air, so a large release settles and displaces breathable oxygen, and a technician can lose consciousness with little warning; this is why equipment rooms need refrigerant monitors and why a self-contained breathing apparatus is required to enter during a major leak. Flammability is the tempting distractor because some newer refrigerants like R-32 are mildly flammable A2Ls, but R-410A itself is not classified as flammable.
FAQ: The EPA 608 Type II Exam
What equipment does Type II certification cover?
High-pressure and very-high-pressure appliances, except small appliances and motor vehicle A/C: residential split-system air conditioners and heat pumps, rooftop and packaged units, supermarket refrigeration, and commercial and industrial process refrigeration running refrigerants such as R-22, R-410A, and R-404A. This is the certification most residential and light-commercial HVAC technicians need, and it requires passing the proctored Core section too.
What are the leak-rate trigger thresholds Type II tests?
For appliances with a full charge of 50 pounds or more, repairs are triggered when the annualized leak rate exceeds 10 percent for comfort cooling, 20 percent for commercial refrigeration, and 30 percent for industrial process refrigeration. The exam loves to swap those three numbers between categories, so this drill hits the thresholds from several angles until the pairing is automatic.
Does Type II cover the new A2L refrigerants like R-32 and R-454B?
Yes — the same Section 608 rules apply. New residential and light-commercial systems manufactured or imported since January 1, 2025 must use refrigerants at or below 700 GWP, in practice the mildly flammable A2Ls R-32 and R-454B, and EPA has not created a separate federal certification for them. Existing R-410A systems may be serviced and recharged indefinitely. Supplemental A2L safety training is smart (and some employers require it), but Type II is the legal credential for the work.
Are these questions taken from the real EPA 608 exam?
No. Real exam items belong to the EPA-approved certifying organizations (ESCO Institute, Mainstream Engineering, and others) and are confidential — be wary of any site claiming to have them. Our questions are original, written to mirror the style, difficulty, and published EPA test topics for each section. Scoring well here is strong evidence you are ready, not a preview of the exact questions you will see.
What score do I need to pass the real EPA 608 exam?
The regulation sets the pass mark at 70 percent per section, which in practice means 18 of 25 correct (72 percent) on each 25-question section. The one exception is the open-book Type I route, which requires 84 percent — 21 of 25 — in both its Core and Type I sections. Certification never expires once earned, so passing is a one-time job.
Is this practice test really free?
Yes. Every question, explanation, and score report on HVACTechTest is free, with no signup, no credit card, and no trial that expires. Retake any test as many times as you want.
The Other EPA 608 Sections
25 questions
Type III — Low-Pressure Appliances
Centrifugal chillers running in a vacuum: 25 mm Hg evacuation, the 10 psig leak-test ceiling, and ASHRAE 15 equipment rooms.
30 questions
Core — Required of Every Candidate
Ozone depletion, the venting prohibition, recovery/recycle/reclaim, safety, cylinders, and the HFC phasedown — the section everyone must pass.
25 questions
Type I — Small Appliances
Factory-sealed appliances with 5 lb of refrigerant or less: the small-appliance definition and the 90%/80% recovery requirements.
Scoring above 70%? Time to book the real exam
Our certification guide compares where to take the EPA 608 exam — in person, online proctored, or open book — with verified 2026 costs. And if you are starting your HVAC career from scratch, a trade-school program pairs exam prep with the hands-on skills employers hire for.