Where to study

Tests

Driving testsCitizenship testsSchool and university admissionsNursing, medicine and healthEnglish and French testsTeachingMoney, law and insuranceTrades and work licencesPilots, drones, boats and radio

Countries

United StatesCanadaUnited KingdomAustraliaNew Zealand

United States · Certification test

EPA universal certification

Universal is the Section 608 certification from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for every kind of appliance the rule covers: small appliances, high-pressure equipment and low-pressure equipment. The test has 100 questions, 25 each in Core, Type I, Type II and Type III, and every section must be closed-book and proctored. You can earn EPA universal certification in one sitting, or build it from separate passing scores on the Type I, II and III tests.

  • 4Sections, 25 questions each
  • One sitting or severalHow you can build Universal
  • Closed-book and proctoredEvery section, Type I included
Where to study

Updated October 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

What a universal card lets you do

You can maintain, service, repair and dispose of all the appliances covered by Type I, Type II and Type III, and buy refrigerant for any of them. Car air conditioning is the exception: servicing it for pay needs Section 609 certification.

EPA Type 1 certification →EPA Type 2 certification →EPA Type 3 certification →

How do you get EPA universal certification?

  • Pass Core, Type I, Type II and Type III under closed-book, secure, proctored conditions with an approved program.
  • Take them in one 100-question test, or combine passing scores from separate tests.
  • Don’t count an open-book Core score: EPA says it can’t be used for Universal.
  • Don’t count a mail-in Type I test either. Type I has to be taken closed-book too.

If you pass some sections and not others

You keep what you passed. On Mainstream Engineering’s Universal test, passing Core and at least one type gets you a card for those types, and a retake covers only the sections you failed. The Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) also says you don’t retake a section you’ve passed, and a type section counts only once Core is passed. Each section is scored on its own, and the guide’s FAQ explains the 18-of-25 pass mark.

Taking the universal test online or in person

Mainstream Engineering gives its Universal test online through ProctorU, or in person with a proctor found through its testing locator. One program on EPA’s list gives Universal only, to its own students; the approved programs page names it.

Taking the EPA 608 test online →EPA 608 certification cost →ESCO, Mainstream and other approved programs →
Sources: EPA · eCFR · Mainstream Engineering and 5 more. Checked October 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.

Explore

Everything else, in one place

OverviewStudy optionsGet certifiedOnline testCostStudy guideCardLookup

Certification types

Type IType IIType IIIUniversalSection 609

Programs and states

ESCO and othersBy state