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The EPA Section 608 technician certification — adaptive practice for the Core exam and the Type I/II/III service material.
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EPA Section 608 certification is federally required for any technician who services or disposes of equipment containing regulated refrigerants — the ozone-depleting CFCs and HCFCs and their non-exempt substitutes, such as HFCs. 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, and the AIM Act rules in 40 CFR Part 84 that now cover HFC leak repair and reclaim). It is written from the current regulations, not from any certifying organization’s question bank, so it is not keyed to a particular edition of anyone’s exam.
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Varies by certifying org — ESCO added a 2026 bank (see FAQ)
Core
25 Q
Everyone takes it: ozone depletion and the Clean Air Act, refrigerant families, global-warming potential and safety classes (A1, A2L, A3), the three Rs, the venting prohibition (which also covers non-exempt substitutes such as HFCs), sales restriction, and cylinder safety.
Type I — small appliances
25 Q
Servicing small, factory-sealed appliances (five pounds of refrigerant or less) — 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, leak-repair rules (two regimes as of 2026: one for ozone-depleting refrigerants, one for HFC systems under the AIM Act), 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, Appendix D (unchanged since 2016) and epa.gov; exam editions from ESCO Institute’s public Section 608 page (verified 2026-10-02).
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.
Ozone science, GWP and refrigerant safety classes (A1, A2L, A3), 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. EPA is a US government agency; Section 608 program names are used here for identification only.
No. Section 608 technician certification doesn’t expire, and there’s no renewal or continuing-education requirement (as of 2026 — the rule reserves EPA’s right to add recertification in the future). Technicians certified on an older exam stay certified when a certifying organization updates its questions.
Is there a new EPA 608 exam in 2026?
The certification and its format haven’t changed: the federal rules for the test (40 CFR Part 82, Appendix D) were last amended in 2016, and it is still Core plus Types I, II and III at 25 questions each. What changes is the question bank. ESCO Institute, one EPA-approved certifying organization, released an updated Section 608 test bank in August 2026 and lists its 2018 exam as available until January 1, 2027, with separate study materials and pressure-temperature charts for each (as of October 2026). If you test through ESCO, check which edition you are booked on and study the matching materials. Keentune’s practice is written from the current regulations — including the AIM Act rules for HFCs and the A2L and A3 refrigerant safety classes — rather than from any organization’s question bank, so it isn’t keyed to either edition.
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?
The rule sets the closed-book passing score at 70% per section, which on 25 questions means 18 correct (17 is 68%). Each section is scored independently: you keep the sections you pass, and if you miss one type you generally retake only that section (retake rules and fees vary 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?
Type II, Type III and Universal must be taken closed-book and proctored. The rule also allows a mail-in Type I format, which requires a higher 84% to pass, and EPA says a Core section taken open-book can’t be used toward Universal. Not every organization offers the mail-in option (as of 2026).
Do the leak-repair rules apply to HFC systems?
Since January 1, 2026, many of them, yes. The older Section 608 rule now covers only appliances holding 50 pounds or more of an ozone-depleting refrigerant (such as R-22). The AIM Act’s Emissions Reduction and Reclamation rule (40 CFR Part 84) applies leak repair to appliances holding 15 pounds or more of an HFC refrigerant, except residential and light-commercial air conditioning and heat pumps. Both work the same way: calculate the leak rate each time refrigerant is added, repair within 30 days when it is over the threshold for the appliance’s category, and verify the repair. Thresholds and dates are set by rulemaking and change, so check epa.gov for current values before your exam (as of October 2026).
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 — ozone-depleting refrigerants and their non-exempt substitutes, such as HFCs.
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.