ICC F25 Journeyman Plumber (2015 IPC) Exam: A Practical Study Guide
The ICC F25 Journeyman Plumber (2015 IPC) exam tests the rules and the reference books behind the work. This guide lays out the job: the key facts from the official bulletin, what the exam covers, the books you need, sample questions with answers, and how to get ready. Pearson VUE gives the exam.
The ICC F25 Journeyman Plumber (2015 IPC) Exam at a Glance
Here's the rundown from the official bulletin:
| Questions | 70 questions |
| Time limit | 3 hours |
| Passing score | 70% correct |
| Books in the exam room | Open book |
| Exam fee | $120 |
On exam day
- The exam consists of multiple-choice questions.
- You may bring copyrighted, bound books to the test administration, including those specifically listed as approved references. However, training materials such as presentations, study guides, or practice questions are not permitted. All exam questions are based solely on the approved reference list, and only those references may be used as the basis for appealing exam questions.
References you may bring
- 2015 International Plumbing Code®
Scheduling, changes and retakes
- Exams are scheduled through PearsonVUE at www.pearsonvue.com/ICC, where candidates can create an account, schedule an exam, locate a test center, purchase vouchers and request accommodations.
- Results for examinations taken electronically are available immediately after the examination is completed.
- You must wait 10 days before retaking a failed exam.
- After passing, contact the jurisdiction in which you wish to be licensed for any other requirements, because ICC is not a licensing agency.
Source: National Contractor/Trades Examination Information Bulletin, PUBLISHED June 30, 2026; ICC Exam Catalog, checked October 6, 2026. Check the bulletin before test day: fees and rules can change.
What the ICC F25 Journeyman Plumber (2015 IPC) Exam Covers
The official content outline breaks the exam into 7 topics:
| Topic | Questions | Share of the exam |
|---|---|---|
| Administration General Regulations | 28 | 40% |
| Plumbing Fixtures | 12 | 17% |
| Water Supply and Distribution | 10 | 14% |
| Sanitary Drainage | 9 | 13% |
| Plumbing Vent Requirements | 5 | 7% |
| Traps, Interceptors, and Separators | 5 | 7% |
| Storm Drainage | 1 | 1% |
How to Get Ready for the ICC F25 Journeyman Plumber (2015 IPC) Exam
Treat your reference books like your tools. On an open-book exam you don't need every rule memorized. You need to know which book holds it and where to find it.
Buy the books the bulletin lists, in the editions it names. An older or newer edition can put the answer on a different page, or change it.
Learn your way around each book before you study anything else. The table of contents and the index are your layout.
Highlight what you look up most. The exam facts above list the bulletin's rules on tabs and markings, so follow them exactly.
Do the big jobs first. Administration General Regulations and Plumbing Fixtures make up 57% of the exam.
Put in the reps with timed practice exams. The clock trains you to find answers at the pace the real exam needs: about 2 minutes 34 seconds per question.
Measure twice. When you miss a practice question, find the section in your book, read it and mark it. Keep at it until you pass practice exams consistently.
The Books for the ICC F25 Journeyman Plumber (2015 IPC) Exam
The listed reference for this exam is the 2015 International Plumbing Code®.
Where to get them:
Working the Exam on Test Day
Work the exam in two passes. On the first pass, answer everything you know and bookmark the rest. Every exam lets you come back to bookmarked questions. On the second pass, go back to your bookmarks and take them one at a time.
Don't get hung up on one question. You have 3 hours for 70 questions, which is about 2 minutes 34 seconds per question. Before you finish, make sure nothing is left blank.
Study Tips
On an open-book exam, the winners aren't the smartest people in the room — they're the fastest at finding answers. Buy the required book, practice with it open, and tab and highlight each section the first time a question sends you there. Learn the index and table of contents until you can land on any topic in seconds. That speed is what separates a pass from a fail.
Know your way around each book's index and table of contents. Open-book exams reward speed: you need to find specific items quickly.
On an open-book exam, work through every question once: answer the ones you know and skip the ones you don't. Then go back to the ones you flagged. You can bookmark questions for later review, just like on our exams — and don't sink too much time into any single question. The clock is still running.
Give yourself at least three to six weeks. Use your exam's candidate bulletin as your roadmap for what's tested, and spend your time on finding-it-fast skills over rote memorization. In practice, aim for three clean passes at 80% or higher — setting your practice bar above the real cut score gives you a comfortable margin on test day.
Practicing against a ticking clock is the best way to beat exam-clock anxiety. Use these timed tests to build your pacing, so you learn to move steadily and never burn too long on a single question. By test day, the format feels routine.
This practice exam mirrors the real Pearson VUE exam — the same number of questions, drawn from the same topics. Practicing in that format now means no surprises when you sit for the real thing.
Sample ICC F25 Journeyman Plumber (2015 IPC) Questions
These come from our practice question bank, each with its answer and the reference behind it.
Sample 1 — Sanitary Drainage
Question: Which of the following discharges to the building drainage system is permitted to be made through an indirect waste pipe by means of an air break, rather than requiring an air gap?
- A. A sterilizer discharging potable water
- B. Filter backwash from a swimming pool
- C. A food preparation sink in a restaurant
- D. A boiler discharging nonpotable water
Correct Answer: D
IPC 2015, Section 802.1.5 permits devices and equipment such as process tanks, filters, drips and boilers that discharge nonpotable water to discharge through an indirect waste pipe by means of an air break or an air gap. Potable clear-water waste (802.1.3), swimming pool waste (802.1.4) and food-handling equipment (802.1.1) all require an air gap.
Reference: IPC 2015 Section 802.1.5
Sample 2 — Plumbing Vent Requirements
Question: A combination waste and vent system is being installed for floor drains and lavatories in a commercial building. The only vertical pipe permitted is the connection between the fixture drain and the horizontal combination waste and vent pipe. What is the maximum vertical distance permitted for that connection?
- A. 8 feet
- B. 6 feet
- C. 4 feet
- D. 5 feet
Correct Answer: A
IPC 2015, Section 915.2 permits only one vertical pipe in a combination waste and vent system — the connection between the fixture drain and the horizontal combination waste and vent pipe — and limits that vertical distance to 8 feet.
Reference: IPC 2015 Section 915.2
Sample 3 — Traps, Interceptors, and Separators
Question: A vitrified clay acid-resisting trap is being installed underground to serve a laboratory sink. The trap must be embedded in concrete extending how far beyond the bottom and sides of the trap?
- A. 2 inches
- B. 4 inches
- C. 12 inches
- D. 6 inches
Correct Answer: D
IPC 2015 Section 1002.9 requires that a vitrified clay or other brittleware acid-resisting trap installed underground be embedded in concrete extending 6 inches beyond the bottom and sides of the trap.
Reference: IPC 2015 Section 1002.9
Sample 4 — Storm Drainage
Question: You are installing an engineered controlled flow roof drain system on a warehouse with a single roof area of 14,000 square feet. What is the minimum number of roof drains required for this roof?
- A. Three
- B. Six
- C. Four
- D. Two
Correct Answer: C
Per IPC 2015, Section 1110.4, not less than two roof drains are required in roof areas of 10,000 square feet or less, and not less than four roof drains are required on roofs over 10,000 square feet in area. A 14,000-square-foot roof therefore requires a minimum of four drains.
Reference: IPC 2015 Section 1110.4
Why Practice Online Instead of With a PDF
A PDF is like reading about a job instead of doing it. Our practice exams are timed and on a screen, so you practice finding answers with the clock running. Each attempt draws a new set of questions from our bank, and your results break your score down by topic so you know where to put in more work.
Get Started
Take the free ICC F25 Journeyman Plumber (2015 IPC) practice exam to see where you stand, then put your time into the topics that need it. For the official rules, read the exam bulletin, and see the licensing board's website.