South Carolina - Air Conditioning Exam: Step-by-Step Study Guide
Preparing for the South Carolina - Air Conditioning exam is easier one step at a time. This guide starts with the key facts from the official bulletin, then covers the topics on the exam, the reference books, sample questions with answers, and a simple way to prepare. PSI gives the exam.
South Carolina - Air Conditioning Exam Overview
Start with the facts. Here's what the official bulletin says:
| Questions | 80 questions |
| Time limit | 4 hours |
| Passing score | 56 correct answers out of 80 scored questions |
| Books in the exam room | Open book |
| Exam fee | $64 |
On exam day
- You must bring one valid, unexpired, signature-bearing photo ID (such as a state driver's license, state ID card, US passport, US military ID, US alien registration card, or Canadian government ID) matching the name you registered under.
- You should arrive at least 30 minutes before your appointment.
- The examinations are open book: candidates may bring the listed reference books, which must not be written in or contain additional loose or attached papers, and proctors inspect all books before and after the examination.
- Highlighting and underlining are allowed and only permanent tabs may be used, but books must otherwise be unmarked (not written in).
- You may bring a silent, battery-operated, non-programmable calculator without paper tape printing or an alphabetic keyboard.
- Only approved items may be taken into the examination room, and personal items such as electronic devices, writing devices, reading material, bags, food and drinks must be left in secure storage.
References you may bring
- 2021 International Mechanical Code with SC modifications; or 2018 South Carolina Mechanical Code (2021 IMC with SC modifications or 2018 SC Mechanical Code)
- 2021 International Gas Code with SC modifications; or 2018 South Carolina Fuel Gas Code (2021 with SC modifications or 2018 SC Fuel Gas Code)
- Code of Federal Regulations - 29 CFR Part 1926 (OSHA) -OR- Code of Federal Regulations - 29 CFR Part 1926 Selections by PSI (with latest available amendments)
- Manual N - Commercial Load Calculation for Small Commercial Buildings (5th Edition, 2012 printing)
- Manual D - Residential Duct Systems (3rd Edition, 2016 printing)
- Manual J - Residential Load Calcs (Eighth Full Edition, 2016 printing)
- ACCA Ductulator
- Modern Refrigeration and Air Conditioning (21st or 22nd edition)
Scheduling, changes and retakes
- You may register and schedule online at https://test-takers.psiexams.com/sccon, available 24 hours a day, or by telephone with a PSI registrar at (855) 340-3701.
- Minimum qualifications must be met before registering, and the Registration Confirmation Notice issued after PSI approval is valid for 1 year or until an examination classification has been failed twice within the referenced time frame.
- You may cancel and reschedule without forfeiting your fee if your cancellation notice is received 2 days before the scheduled examination date, and voice mail or email is not an acceptable cancellation.
- If you fail to cancel in time, do not appear, arrive after the examination start time, or lack proper ID, your registration is invalid and you forfeit your examination fee.
- Your score is given immediately after the examination on screen and on a printed official report, with a diagnostic report of strengths and weaknesses if you do not pass.
- Except for Burglar and Fire Alarm, an examination may be taken only 2 times in a 12-month period and thereafter only once in six months, and a candidate who passes an exam may not take it again.
- After passing the required examinations, you submit the commercial license application with an experience affidavit documenting the required experience.
Source: Commercial Contractor Candidate Information Bulletin, Updated 8/27/2026. Check the bulletin before test day: fees and rules can change.
Topics on the South Carolina - Air Conditioning Exam
Next, the content. The official content outline has 41 topics:
| Topic | Questions | Share of the exam |
|---|---|---|
| General Piping | 1 | 1% |
| General Tubing | 1 | 1% |
| Pipe Assembly | 1 | 1% |
| Piping Systems | 4 | 5% |
| Drain Piping | 1 | 1% |
| Valves | 1 | 1% |
| Piping Specialties | 1 | 1% |
| Pumps | 2 | 2% |
| Piping Insulation | 1 | 1% |
| Hangers and Supports (General) | 1 | 1% |
| Mechanical Sound, Vibration, and Seismic Control | 1 | 1% |
| Water Treatment for Mechanical Systems | 1 | 1% |
| Heating and Cooling Principles | 2 | 2% |
| Refrigerants | 1 | 1% |
| Load Calculations | 7 | 9% |
| Heating and Cooling Equipment | 1 | 1% |
| Air Compressors | 1 | 1% |
| Testing, Adjusting, and Balancing (TAB) | 2 | 2% |
| HVACR Control Fundamentals | 1 | 1% |
| Control Schematics and Wiring Diagrams | 1 | 1% |
| HVACR Control Systems | 1 | 1% |
| Machine Room | 1 | 1% |
| Air Conditioning Systems | 3 | 4% |
| Heat Pumps | 4 | 5% |
| Furnaces (Warm Air Heating Equipment) | 2 | 2% |
| Specialized Heaters | 2 | 2% |
| Chimneys, Flues, Vents, and Vent Connectors | 3 | 4% |
| Combustion Air | 2 | 2% |
| General Fuel Knowledge | 1 | 1% |
| Natural Gas | 2 | 2% |
| LP Gas | 2 | 2% |
| General Duct Systems Knowledge and Principles | 4 | 5% |
| Duct Conversions/Equivalencies | 4 | 5% |
| Mechanical Sheet Metal Devices/Systems | 2 | 2% |
| Duct System Components | 5 | 6% |
| Metal Ducts | 3 | 4% |
| Fiberglass Ducts | 1 | 1% |
| Filtering Systems | 1 | 1% |
| Ventilation Equipment and Devices | 1 | 1% |
| Exhaust Systems | 2 | 2% |
| Safety | 2 | 2% |
A Simple Plan to Prepare for the South Carolina - Air Conditioning Exam
Step one is the books. This is an open-book exam, so the references on the bulletin's list are what you'll work from, while you study and in the exam room. Get the editions the bulletin names.
Step two is learning your way around them. Go through each book's table of contents and index until you know where the major subjects are. You don't need to memorize the books. You need to find things in them.
Step three is marking them up. Highlight the sections you use most. The exam facts above list the bulletin's rules on tabs and markings, so follow them exactly.
Step four is timed practice. Our practice exams run on a clock, so you get used to the real exam's pace: about 3 minutes per question.
Along the way, give the most time to the biggest topics. Load Calculations and Duct System Components make up 15% of the exam.
The last step is consistency. Keep practicing until you pass several practice exams in a row. That's the signal you're ready.
Reference Books for the South Carolina - Air Conditioning Exam
The bulletin lists the Air Conditioning reference books as the mechanical and gas codes, 29 CFR 1926 (OSHA) or the PSI Selections version, ACCA Manuals N, D and J, the ACCA Ductulator, and Modern Refrigeration and Air Conditioning.
Where to get them:
- OSHA 29 CFR 1926
- Manual N - Load Calculation for Small Commercial Buildings
- SC Fuel Gas Code 2021
- Manual J - Residential Load Calculation
- MR&AC 22nd
On Test Day
Go through the exam at a steady pace. On your first pass, answer the questions you know and bookmark the ones you don't. Every exam lets you come back to bookmarked questions.
On your second pass, return to your bookmarks one at a time. You have 4 hours for 80 questions, which is about 3 minutes per question, so keep moving and don't let one question hold you up. Before you finish, answer anything you skipped. A blank can't earn a point.
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.
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.
Sample South Carolina - Air Conditioning Practice Questions
Here are a few questions from our practice question bank, each with its answer and reference.
Sample 1 — Heat Pumps
Question: A residential lot has limited yard area, so you specify a vertical closed ground loop instead of a horizontal one for a ground-source heat pump. Vertical ground loops may be installed to depths of as much as what?
- A. 100 ft
- B. 400 ft
- C. 200 ft
- D. 600 ft
Correct Answer: B
Per Modern Refrigeration and Air Conditioning, Section 40.4.5, closed ground loops are buried vertically or horizontally; vertical ground loops may be as deep as 400′ and require less ground surface area than horizontal loops.
Reference: Modern Refrigeration and Air Conditioning (20th ed.), Page 1099
Sample 2 — General Duct Systems Knowledge and Principles
Question: While balancing a system using the long method, you measure an average velocity of 600 fpm at a supply outlet whose free grille area is 72 in². What airflow rate is being delivered at that outlet?
- A. 600 cfm
- B. 150 cfm
- C. 1,200 cfm
- D. 300 cfm
Correct Answer: D
Modern Refrigeration and Air Conditioning (22nd ed.), Section 31.2.4: airflow rate (cfm) = velocity (fpm) × free area (in²) ÷ 144 in²/ft². Here (600 × 72) ÷ 144 = 300 cfm. Only the free area of the openings is used — the grille rim and bars are excluded.
Reference: Modern Refrigeration and Air Conditioning (22nd ed.), Pages 707 to 708
Sample 3 — Duct Conversions/Equivalencies
Question: A supply branch runout is sized at 8 inches round and carries 450 Cfm. What is the approximate air velocity in that airway?
- A. 860 Fpm
- B. 1,030 Fpm
- C. 1,470 Fpm
- D. 1,290 Fpm
Correct Answer: D
Per the duct flow/velocity relationships in ACCA Manual D Appendix 1, V (Fpm) = 183.4 x (Cfm / D squared) = 183.4 x (450 / 64) = about 1,289 Fpm. (Equivalently, 8-inch area = 0.349 SqFt; 450 / 0.349 = 1,290 Fpm.) This exceeds the Table N3-1 branch duct limit, so the airway would have to be increased.
Reference: ACCA Manual D (3rd ed.), Appendix 1 — Tables and Equations, Sections A1-11 and A1-15 (Pages 89-90)
Sample 4 — Air Conditioning Systems
Question: A contractor is selecting a compressor for a single screw compressor application. How does a single screw compressor differ from a twin screw compressor?
- A. It uses a single helical rotor with no meshing components
- B. It uses one main rotor that meshes with two star-shaped rotors
- C. It uses a single rotor with sliding vanes instead of helical lobes
- D. It uses one male and one female rotor of identical shape
Correct Answer: B
A single screw compressor uses one main rotor that meshes with two star-shaped rotors, which are driven by the main rotor. The basic operating principles are the same as those of other screw compressors.
Reference: Modern Refrigeration and Air Conditioning (20th ed.), Chapter 18, Section 18.2.4 — Single Screw Compressor
Practicing Online vs. With a PDF
A PDF lets you read questions at your own pace. The real exam runs on a clock. 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 show your score by topic, so you always know what to study next.
Your Next Step
Take the free South Carolina - Air Conditioning practice exam to see where you stand. Then study the topics that need the most attention, one at a time. For the official rules, read the exam bulletin, and see the licensing board's website.