Kentucky · Journeyman & Master HVAC Licensing

Bluegrass Superheat

Your study bench for the Kentucky Journeyman HVAC Mechanic exam and the Master HVAC Contractor exam after it. Built on KRS 198B.650–.689, 815 KAR Chapter 8, the Kentucky Mechanical Code (IMC/IFGC), and EPA Section 608. Progress saves in this browser.

Book when you're ready. Kentucky HVAC exams are scheduled anytime through the approved provider (ICC/PROV-style testing; the Master exam runs through PSI) — open book with your permitted references tabbed and highlighted. Pass first, then apply to the HBC Division of HVAC: 500 Mero St, Frankfort · (502) 573-0364.

Journeyman HVAC Mechanic First target

Exam~60 questions · 3 hours · open book · 70%
Experience2 yrs / 4,000 hrs under a Master (1 yr = 1,500+ hrs)
Education creditApproved trade education may substitute up to 1 year
Fees (815 KAR 8:010)$50 application · $50 exam · $50 annual renewal
May doPerform HVAC work under a Master's general direction — solo truck legal
SupervisesApprentices — and must be physically on site with them
ReferencesKY Mechanical Code (IMC/IFGC) — tabbed & highlighted

Master HVAC Contractor Next step

Exam (PSI)100 questions · 240 min · 70%
ContentKY Mechanical Code, IMC/IFGC + business & law
Experience2 yrs as journeyman under a Master (or 2 yrs master elsewhere, or 2 yrs as mechanical engineer)
Fees$250 application · $150 exam · $250 annual renewal
Insurance (KRS 198B.668)$500k GL / $300k property damage
May doContract, advertise, pull permits — primarily responsible for all work

The three-tier structure — know it cold

TierMay doSupervision required
Master ContractorContract, advertise, pull permits, carry legal responsibility
Journeyman MechanicPerform HVAC workMaster's general direction — no physical presence required
ApprenticeAssist onlyJourneyman physically on site, personally observing
The physical-presence rule attaches to a journeyman supervising an apprentice — not to a master supervising a journeyman. A licensed journeyman can legally run a truck alone. (815 KAR 8:010, KRS 198B.650(10))

EPA Section 608 — the federal layer

Anyone who opens a refrigerant circuit needs EPA 608 certification — get Universal. It never expires. Since Jan 1, 2026, new ducted residential systems use sub-700-GWP refrigerant — in practice R-454B or R-32 (A2L, mildly flammable) — while servicing existing R-410A equipment remains legal. EPA violations can reach $48,000+ per day.

Official resources

The exam draws from the Kentucky Mechanical Code (IMC/IFGC), the licensing law, and trade fundamentals. Tab your code books as you go — this guide is the map.

Question
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Answer
Click card or press Space to flip · / to move

Closed-book practice for an open-book exam: clear 70% from memory and exam day with the books is yours. Explanations cite the source to tab.

Browse the bank

Search every question as a study reference — correct answers and explanations shown.

Timed simulations matched to the real formats. The real exams are open book — run these closed-book first, then with your tabbed code books at exam pace.

Journeyman simulation 60 Q · 3 hrs · 70%

Trade questions across every category, at the Kentucky journeyman format.

Master simulation 100 Q · 4 hrs · 70%

The full bank including every business & law question, at PSI master length.

Paper practice exam

Print a randomized mock exam with the answer key on its own last page — work it with your tabbed books at ~3 minutes per question.

The calculations that separate passing from failing: superheat and subcooling, airflow, temperature rise, and Ohm's law at the condenser. Drills first, then the generator, then graded exercises.

Quick drills

Charge & airflow generator — infinite reps Streak game

Freshly generated numbers every time — superheat, subcooling, temperature rise, CFM, and motor amps. A wrong answer resets the streak.

Streak: 0

Graded exercises — full method

Each step is a dropdown; grade when done. The key steps count double — no partial credit for "close," same as exam day.

The open-book exam is a race against the index. Code Race trains the reflex: a situation flashes up, you name where it lives — 15 seconds each, 10 rounds. Wrong answers show the right source.

Keys 1–4. Scoring: 10 points + 1 per second left. Ceiling ≈ 250.

Or press Ctrl+P with this tab open. The tab list is a checklist of every section to flag in your permitted references before exam day.

Twelve weeks to exam-ready. You book the test when you're ready, so the plan ends with scheduling it. Checkboxes save in this browser.

Toward Master & your own shop: two years as a licensed journeyman under a Master qualifies you for the Master exam — PSI, 100 questions, heavier on business & law, the KRS 198B company rules, and insurance. Everything tagged Master here aims there.

Backup & restore progress

Your streaks, scores, and checklists live in this browser. To move them: Show backup code, copy, paste on the other device, Restore.

Sources & accuracy. Compiled August 2026 from KRS 198B.650–.689 and 815 KAR 8:010 (primary-source verified), KRS 227A.030(10) and KRS 318.010 (trade boundaries), the KY HVAC Candidate Information Bulletin, EPA Section 608 regulations, and standard IMC/IFGC trade references. The exam is open book — your code books are the authority; verify every table against them. Confirm current fees and requirements with the HBC Division of HVAC, (502) 573-0364.