Troubleshooting and Certification Exam Preparation
The final course of the HVAC-R technician program, followed through a fourth-year apprentice in Louisville preparing for the NATE core and specialty exams and the Kentucky journeyman license exam: how each exam is built and paced, a weighted study plan, one diagnostic method for every system, refrigerant-side, electrical, air-side, heat pump, commercial and industrial faults, ASHRAE 15, Section 608, AIM Act and OSHA review, the calculations most tested, exam technique and error logs, full mock exams and the final weeks before certification.
RAC-430 12 lessons · 3 h 28 min ▶ Video lessons coming soon
Offered by HSM University · HVAC-R
This is the American version of this course. See the Canadian version.
What you'll learn
- Describe the EPA Section 608, NATE and Kentucky journeyman exams, including their formats and pass marks, and set pacing checkpoints for each
- Use an exam blueprint and honest self-ratings to build a weighted, spaced study plan, and adjust it weekly against the evidence
- Apply an eight-step diagnostic method to any refrigeration or air conditioning system, ranking possible causes by likelihood and time to check
- Diagnose refrigerant-side faults from suction, head, superheat, subcooling and amps, and separate faults that look alike with confirmation tests
- Diagnose supply, control circuit, switching, motor, capacitor, winding and electronic control faults safely and calculate the values the checks require
- Diagnose airflow, reversing valve, defrost, supplementary heat and condensate faults in air conditioning and heat pump systems
- Recognize faults in walk-ins, display cases, ice machines, racks, chillers and cooling towers, and respond safely to ammonia and carbon dioxide alarms
- Explain the roles of the mechanical code with ASHRAE 15 and 34, Section 608, the AIM Act rules, the NEC and fuel gas code and OSHA standards, and apply the requirements most often tested
- Carry out the pressure, temperature, heat, capacity, electrical and fan law calculations most used on the exam, and check answers by estimation
- Read multiple-choice questions accurately, eliminate distractors, manage time and keep an error log that directs further study
- Run full mock exams under real conditions, interpret block scores, explain how chance affects scores near the pass mark and apply a readiness rule
- Plan the final weeks and exam day, lead a service call from complaint to record, and plan continuing learning after certification
Course content
12 lessons · 3 h 28 min total · final exam
- 1 Certification exams today and how they are built 18 min · quiz
- 2 Using the exam blueprint and building a study plan 17 min · quiz
- 3 A systematic diagnostic method for every system 18 min · quiz
- 4 Refrigeration circuit faults 18 min · quiz
- 5 Electrical and control faults 17 min · quiz
- 6 Air-side and heat pump faults 17 min · quiz
- 7 Commercial and industrial system faults 17 min · quiz
- 8 Codes, regulations and safety review 17 min · quiz
- 9 Theory and calculations review 17 min · quiz
- 10 Practice exam strategy and error logs 17 min · quiz
- 11 Full mock exams 17 min · quiz
- 12 The final weeks and certification 18 min · quiz
- E Final exam 20 questions
Requirements
Recommended background. You can start any course at any time.
Description
The final course of the HVAC-R technician program, followed through a fourth-year apprentice in Louisville preparing for the NATE core and specialty exams and the Kentucky journeyman license exam: how each exam is built and paced, a weighted study plan, one diagnostic method for every system, refrigerant-side, electrical, air-side, heat pump, commercial and industrial faults, ASHRAE 15, Section 608, AIM Act and OSHA review, the calculations most tested, exam technique and error logs, full mock exams and the final weeks before certification.