The EPA Section 608 technician certification — adaptive practice for the Core exam and the Type I/II/III service material.
EPA Section 608 certification is federally required for any technician who services equipment containing regulated refrigerants. The exam has four parts — a Core section everyone takes (ozone depletion, the Clean Air Act rules, refrigerant families, the three Rs, safety) plus Type I (small appliances), Type II (high-pressure systems), and Type III (low-pressure chillers); passing Core and all three types earns Universal certification.
Keentune drills both halves with questions that meet you at your level and get harder as you improve: the regulations everyone must know, and the service practices — recovery levels, evacuation targets, leak testing — that the Type sections test. Every answer comes with an explanation that names the classic mix-up, built from the public EPA regulations (40 CFR Part 82).
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What’s on the EPA 608 exam
Sections
4 — Core + Type I, II, III
Questions
25 per section (100 total)
Passing score
18 of 25 (72%) per section
Scoring
Each section scored independently
Universal
Core + all three types
Expires
No — 608 certification is for life
Core
25 Q
Everyone takes it: ozone depletion and the Clean Air Act, refrigerant families, the three Rs, the venting prohibition, sales restriction, and cylinder safety.
Type I — small appliances
25 Q
Servicing small, factory-sealed appliances — recovery equipment, required recovery levels (90%/80%/4 inHg), and system-dependent vs self-contained recovery.
Type II — high-pressure
25 Q
High- and very-high-pressure systems — required recovery vacuums, leak-inspection and repair thresholds, and refrigerant-specific rules.
Type III — low-pressure
25 Q
Low-pressure chillers — deep-vacuum recovery to 25 mm Hg absolute, pressurization limits for leak detection, and low-pressure hazards.
Format and passing marks from 40 CFR Part 82 Subpart F (App. D) and epa.gov (verified 2026-07-11).
Sample EPA 608 questions
Worked examples with the answer explained — the same teaching you get after every question in practice. Original questions written by Keentune, not real exam items.
Core rules
Before opening a refrigerant system for major service, what does the Clean Air Act require a technician to do with the refrigerant?
• Recover it
• Vent it slowly outdoors
• Mix it with nitrogen first
• Let it boil off
Answer: Recover it
Section 608 prohibits knowingly venting (releasing) regulated refrigerant to the atmosphere, so it must be recovered — removed and stored in an approved container. The trap is any option that lets it escape: there’s no “slow” or “outdoor” exception (only a few tiny de minimis releases during a good-faith recovery attempt are allowed). Rule: recover, never vent — the three Rs are recover, recycle, reclaim.
Recovery — Type I
Recovering from a small appliance whose compressor is NOT running, using recovery equipment made after November 1993, to what level must the refrigerant be recovered?
• 80%, or a 4-inch mercury vacuum
• 100% — a full evacuation every time
• 25%, then recycle the rest
• Any amount, then vent the rest
Answer: 80%, or a 4-inch mercury vacuum
For small appliances (Type I), recovery equipment made after Nov 1993 must pull 90% of the charge when the appliance’s compressor is running, or 80% when it isn’t — or reach a 4-inch mercury (inHg) vacuum. Compressor off means the 80% / 4-inHg standard. The trap is “100%”: a full evacuation isn’t required for small appliances, only these levels. Rule: Type I = 90% (compressor on) / 80% (compressor off), or 4 inHg.
Practice by section
Core — rules & refrigerants
Ozone science, the venting prohibition, certification types, sales restriction, the three Rs, and cylinder safety.
Original practice aligned to the public EPA Section 608 requirements (40 CFR Part 82) — never actual exam questions. Keentune is independent study practice, not affiliated with the EPA or any EPA-approved certifying organization, and does not guarantee a pass.
No. Section 608 technician certification is valid for life — it doesn’t expire, and there’s no renewal or continuing-education requirement.
What’s the difference between Type I, II, III, and Universal?
Type I covers small appliances, Type II high-pressure systems, and Type III low-pressure chillers — each a separate 25-question section. Passing Core plus all three types earns Universal certification, which covers every category.
What score do I need to pass the EPA 608 exam?
You need 72% — 18 of 25 questions — in each section, and each section is scored independently. You keep the sections you pass; if you miss one type you generally retake only that section (retake rules vary slightly by certifying organization).
How much does the EPA 608 exam cost?
It varies by the EPA-approved certifying organization — roughly $20 to $150 depending on whether you test online, proctored, or by mail, and how many types you take (cost as of 2026 — check your testing provider).
Is the EPA 608 exam open-book?
The proctored Core and Type exams are closed-book. Some organizations offer an open-book mail-in version for Core and Type I only, which requires a higher 84% to pass and can’t earn Type II or III.
Do I need EPA 608 certification?
Federal law (Clean Air Act Section 608) requires certification for any technician who maintains, services, repairs, or disposes of equipment that could release regulated refrigerants.
All exam, test, and product names and trademarks are the property of their respective owners and are used here for identification and reference only. Keentune is independent study practice — not affiliated with, authorized, or endorsed by any of these organizations.