Plumbing exam study guide: what to study

Start with your state’s official guide

These are free, and they’re the only place to find the exact rules for your exam. Texas also publishes review courses with sample questions.

Which code each state tests

Editions change. North Carolina says its 2024 codes won’t apply to exams before May 1, 2027 at the earliest. Always check your handbook for the current edition before you buy a book.

How to study the code

1. Learn the definitions chapter first. Exams use exact code terms, like soil pipe, trap arm and flood-level rim.
2. Work through the core chapters: general regulations (Chapter 3 in both IPC and UPC), water heaters (Chapter 5), water supply (Chapter 6), sanitary drainage (Chapter 7), vents (Chapter 9) and traps (Chapter 10).
3. Practice sizing. Total up fixture units from a drawing and look up the pipe size in the tables. Washington tests this in two separate drawing exercises.
4. Read the parts of your state’s plumbing law that the handbook lists. Texas names specific sections of its law and board rules.
5. If your exam is open book, tab the book as you study, using only the tabs your state allows.

Reading the code for free

IAPMO, which publishes the UPC, posts read-online versions of several editions, from 2012 to 2027, on its website. Printed and tabbed copies cost money. Buy the exact edition your exam uses.

We don’t reproduce code text here, because the codes are copyrighted. Our practice questions explain the ideas in plain words and point you to the chapter to read.

About “questions and answers PDFs”

Official exam questions aren’t published, so a PDF that claims to have the real questions isn’t from the state. The sample questions in the Texas review courses are the closest you’ll get. Use practice questions to find your weak spots, then go back to the code.