How To Prepare For Plumber's Licensing Exam

When you begin preparing for the Plumber’s Licensing Exam, you should also have your copy of the local plumbing code with you. 

When you set out to study for the plumber’s licensing exam, make sure you’re referencing the correct and complete code. Two major plumbing codes form the basis for most plumbing codes adopted in the United States. First is the Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC), created by the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO). This code is popular in western parts of the United States. The second code, the International Plumbing Code (IPC) created by the International Code Council (ICC), is used widely across the eastern and southern United States.

If you have any question about which plumbing code is used in your area or you’re unsure how to obtain it, ask your local administering agency. Often, states, counties, or cities will add items that make the code unique to that locality. While administering agencies can make plumbing codes more stringent, they cannot relax them.

The IAPMO’s Uniform Plumbing Code Illustrated Training Manual is a good study resource when your state or local agency is using the UPC.

The International Plumbing Code: Code & Commentary is a helpful resource for locations using the IPC.

Instead of trying to learn every aspect of every conceivable plumbing situation, a near-impossible task, use the resources available to you—resources like the plumbing code used in your area. As you work, refer to the codebook whenever you need it. You know which areas of plumbing are difficult for you. You may struggle with a type of plumbing to which you haven’t been exposed. Maybe you run into the same problem repeatedly and try to find a way around it because you don’t know the solution. When you’re in these situations, open your codebook. Each time you do, you not only gain insight into the solutions you need, you learn more about plumbing code and the way the codebook presents information.

The codebook can be an invaluable resource during the plumber’s licensing exam, as many states allow for an open-book examination depending on local rules and regulations. Nevertheless, there is no replacement for exam study and preparation. Don’t expect to walk into the test with your codebook, open it for the second time, and pass the test. You still need to know where to go to find the right answers. So, open the codebook often beforehand and learn where to find answers. The more prepared you are for the test, the more you’ll relax, and the more clearly you’ll think during the exam.

As you train in the industry and familiarize with the proper techniques of competent plumbing professionals, you’ll come to recognize much of the basic plumbing code. When it comes time to take the licensing test, though, details are important. And knowledge of details comes from a thorough code review.
 

Understand each section’s concepts—and the intentions of the specific code—before moving to the next section. To maximize your review time, always take your codebook and this guidebook with you. When you take your study resources with you, you can read and ask your coworkers questions. Many times, experienced plumbers will be able to clarify difficult concepts for you. Your coworkers, like this guide, are excellent study resources.

As you read, write down important facts, as well as any questions you might have. Your notes will serve two purposes. First, they’ll serve as a personalized study guide. Second, they’ll help reinforce information in your mind. According to one learning theory, the more of your senses that you involve in learning, the more learning that you’ll do. So read it, write it, say it, and hear it—as much as you can.