Employment Ready Certifications
Discipline-specific exams used by community colleges, trade schools, apprenticeship programs, manufacturers, and wholesalers to validate the retained knowledge needed for employment or career advancement.
A standardized measure of readiness.
For students and entry-level technicians who aren't yet ready to sit for technician-level exams, Employment Ready Certifications are discipline-specific exams administered at the end of a training module or course.
They give instructors valuable feedback to validate each participant's understanding — and whether they need additional training, and in what area — while providing employers a standardized measurement of a job applicant's knowledge and readiness, regardless of where they trained.
Unlike grades, standardized tests can be used repeatedly to measure growth and compare achievement by subject-matter category within an institution, across a state, or across the nation.
Upon passing with a 70% or higher, the candidate is issued a Certificate of Achievement. Some credentials may lead to additional patches awarded.
Leading publishers have crosswalked their titles to the HVAC Excellence competency and task list. Look for the HVAC Excellence logo on the cover, or the crosswalk on their website.
24 Employment Ready Certifications.
Search by name or topic, or show only exams also available in Spanish.
| Certification | Questions | Topics Covered |
|---|---|---|
| Air Conditioning ES | 100 | Air conditioning & refrigeration theory, equipment service, systems & components, troubleshooting, refrigerant flow control theory & application. |
| Basic Refrigeration & Charging Procedures ES | 50 | AC&R theory, systems & components, air supply & delivery, troubleshooting, theory & application, special components, system charging. |
| Brazing & Soldering ES | 50 | Types of copper tubing, cutting/bending/swaging, proper tool use, torch safety, brazing, soldering, flaring, leak testing. |
| Building Automation Systems | 100 | DDC fundamentals, networks, controllers, digital logic & programming, sensor & actuator installation and applications. |
| Carbon Monoxide & Combustion Analysis | 100 | Combustion theory & fuels, CO safety, building pressure measurements, combustion analysis, measurements, health effects. |
| Carbon Monoxide Safety | 50 | Alarms & response, building pressure measurements, combustion gas knowledge, measurements, instrumentation & tools. |
| Combustion Appliance Zone | 50 | Building pressure knowledge & measurements, static pressure, pressure imbalances, CAZ testing. |
| Electrical ES | 100 | Components, meter usage, safety, theory, troubleshooting, motors & capacitors, interpreting electrical diagrams. |
| Electric Heat ES | 100 | Systems & components, installation & service, safety, theory & application, troubleshooting. |
| Fuel Oil Combustion | 50 | Combustion knowledge, fuel properties, advanced combustion, analysis, draft. |
| Gas Heat | 100 | Combustion theory, electrical troubleshooting, furnace install/service/troubleshooting, heating safety, systems & components. |
| Geothermal Heat Pumps | 100 | Components & controls, loops, heat pump cycle, service, theory, troubleshooting, reading schematics. |
| Heat Pumps ES | 100 | Components & controls, heat pump cycle, service, theory, troubleshooting, reading schematics. |
| Light Commercial Air Conditioning | 100 | Commercial AC systems & components, installation & service, refrigeration theory & application, troubleshooting. |
| Light Commercial Refrigeration | 100 | Equipment installation & service, refrigeration systems & components, theory & application, troubleshooting. |
| Mini-Split Core Essentials | 100 | Basic operation, concepts, and installation of mini-split systems. |
| Natural Gas Combustion | 50 | Fuel properties, combustion knowledge, analysis, draft. |
| Oil Heat | 100 | Combustion theory & fuels, safety, heating systems & components, installation & service, troubleshooting. |
| Pressure Enthalpy | 50 | Refrigeration cycle as a repeatable system, determining parameters, capacity & efficiency, evaluation & troubleshooting. |
| Psychrometrics | 50 | Air properties, psychrometric chart reading, mixed-air system calculations, airflow formulas, process evaluation, balancing. |
| Residential & Light Commercial Hydronic Heat | 100 | Theory & principle, installation, design & function, service, component recognition. |
| System Diagnostics & Troubleshooting | 50 | Recovery requirements, AC&R theory, air supply & delivery, equipment & tools, systems & components, evacuation. |
| System Recovery & Evacuation ES | 50 | Safety, refrigerant recovery process, recycling & reclamation, evacuation process, proper tool use, deep vacuum, filter drier use. |
| Water Heaters | 50 | Safety, sizing, components, theory, typical operation & installation, meter usage, servicing, troubleshooting. |
ES = also available in Spanish
Become a Proctor
HVACR wholesalers, educators, and trainers interested in proctoring exams should complete the online application.
Comparative Analysis
Proctors can log in to review candidate test results and access detailed statistical reports.
U.S. Department of Energy · Energy Skilled
ESCO credentials carry recognition that helps employers and learners trust the quality and consistency of the assessment.