Virginia Journeyman Plumber

Virginia Journeyman Plumber Exam: Complete 2026 Study Guide

You've put in the hours learning the trade. Now there's one thing standing between you and your journeyman license: the Virginia journeyman plumber exam. It's 80 questions, 210 minutes, and covers everything from drainage fixture unit calculations to backflow prevention device selection. Pass it, and you're a licensed journeyman plumber in Virginia — a credential that opens doors to better pay, more responsibility, and long-term career stability. This guide breaks down exactly what's on the exam, what to bring, and how to prepare so you walk in confident.

Virginia Journeyman Plumber Exam Overview

The VA plumber license test is administered by PSI Exams at testing centers across the state. Here's what you need to know before you schedule:

• Questions: 80 scored items (a small number of experimental questions may also appear and will count against your time but will not be scored)
• Time limit: 210 minutes (3.5 hours)
• Passing score: 60 out of 80 (75%)
• Format: Multiple choice, open book
• Exam fee: $100 (non-refundable and non-transferable; valid for one year from payment date)

Because this is an open-book exam, you must bring your own approved references — nothing is provided at the test site. More on that in the study materials section below.

You'll see your score on screen the moment you finish. If you don't pass, PSI will email you a diagnostic report showing your performance by topic, which is genuinely useful for planning a retake.

Topics Covered on the Virginia Journeyman Plumber Exam

The exam draws from 13 topic areas. Here's how they break down by item count, from heaviest to lightest:

Drainage, Waste, and Vents (24 items) — This is the biggest slice of the exam by far. Expect questions on fixture unit load calculations, sizing horizontal branches and stacks, slope requirements, cleanout requirements, and the full range of vent types.

Water Supply Systems (10 items) — Covers backflow prevention devices, cross-connection control, pipe materials, pressure requirements, and water hammer arrestors.

Backflow Prevention (10 items) — Enough of a focus that it gets its own section alongside Water Supply. You'll need to know hazard levels, device selection from Table 608.1, air gap dimensions, and vacuum breaker installation rules.

Storm Drainage Systems (10 items) — Rainfall rate calculations, vertical conductor sizing, approved pipe materials, and primary vs. secondary roof drain requirements.

Plumbing Fixtures (7 items) — Minimum fixture counts by occupancy, installation clearances, temperature limits, and accessible fixture requirements per ICC A117.1.

General Regulations (5 items) — Permit requirements, inspection stages, testing procedures, pipe protection, and support intervals by material type.

Standards of Practice (3 items) — Virginia contractor licensing law: prohibited acts, license classifications, grounds for denial or suspension, and exemptions.

Interceptors and Traps (4 items) — Trap dimensions and prohibited types, grease interceptor sizing and placement, oil separators, and specialty interceptors.

Standards of Conduct (2 items) — Disciplinary actions, reporting requirements, abandonment of work, and misrepresentation.

Renewal and Reinstatement (2 items) — Three-year license cycle, three-hour continuing education requirement, renewal and reinstatement fees, and the 24-month reinstatement window.

Definitions (1 item) — Plumbing code terminology covering drainage, venting, backflow, fixtures, and water supply systems.

Qualification for Licensure (1 item) — Education and experience requirements for the journeyman license, reciprocity, and application procedures.

Revocation of Licensure (1 item) — Grounds for revocation under § 54.1-1110, disciplinary options available to the Board, and the effect of revocation on future licensure.

When deciding where to focus your study time, follow the item counts above — Drainage, Waste, and Vents alone is 30% of your exam.

Sample Virginia Journeyman Plumber Practice Questions

Here are five sample questions drawn from the same topics you'll see on the real PSI journeyman plumber exam in Virginia. Work through them and see how you do — but we're not giving you the answers here.

Question 1 — Definitions (Medium)

The extension of a soil or waste stack above the highest horizontal drain connected to the stack is defined as a:
- A) Relief vent
- B) Branch vent
- C) Vent stack
- D) Stack vent

Question 2 — Backflow Prevention (Hard)

You are a journeyman plumber connecting portable cleaning equipment to the building's potable water distribution system. Which of the following backflow prevention methods is NOT permitted for this application?
- A) Pressure vacuum breaker assembly
- B) Air gap
- C) Reduced pressure principle assembly
- D) Double check backflow prevention assembly

Question 3 — Backflow Prevention (Easy)

A barometric loop used for backflow protection must extend vertically to what minimum height?
- A) 20 feet
- B) 35 feet
- C) 30 feet
- D) 25 feet

Question 4 — Definitions (Easy)

A pipe that conveys sewage containing fecal matter to the building drain or building sewer is defined as a:
- A) Soil pipe
- B) Waste pipe
- C) Discharge pipe
- D) Drain pipe

Question 5 — Storm Drainage Systems (Medium)

You are installing a sump pit for a storm water pumping system. What are the minimum dimensions required for the sump pit?
- A) 18 inches diameter, 18 inches deep
- B) 18 inches diameter, 24 inches deep
- C) 24 inches diameter, 36 inches deep
- D) 24 inches diameter, 24 inches deep

Know all the answers? Not sure about a few? Start with our free practice exam to test your knowledge before committing to a full study plan.

What Types of Questions to Expect

Our practice question bank covers all 13 exam topics. Here's what each section looks like and how many practice questions we offer:

• Drainage, Waste, and Vents (165 practice questions): The technical core of the exam. Expect sizing calculations, slope determinations, cleanout placement rules, and vent type selection — applied to real installation scenarios.
• Water Supply Systems (85 practice questions): Questions on pipe material selection, pressure-reducing valves, water hammer arrestors, and cross-connection protection methods.
• Backflow Prevention (55 practice questions): Device selection by hazard level and application, air gap minimum dimensions, reduced pressure assembly installation, and vacuum breaker height and placement rules.
• Storm Drainage Systems (58 practice questions): GPM formula applications, sizing vertical conductors and storm drains from tables, identifying approved pipe materials, and understanding primary vs. secondary drain requirements.
• Plumbing Fixtures (47 practice questions): Occupancy-based fixture count requirements, clearance dimensions, shower valve temperature limits, and accessible facility standards.
• General Regulations (37 practice questions): Permit exemptions, which inspections are required and when, system testing methods, and pipe support spacing by material.
• Standards of Practice (14 practice questions): Virginia contractor law questions covering license classifications, prohibited acts, exemptions, and grounds for denial or suspension.
• Interceptors and Traps (20 practice questions): Trap seal depth requirements, prohibited trap types, grease interceptor sizing and location rules, and oil separator design.
• Standards of Conduct (8 practice questions): Scenarios involving disciplinary actions, abandonment of work, misrepresentation, and reporting obligations.
• Definitions (10 practice questions): Straight definitional recall covering drainage, vent, backflow, fixture, and water supply terminology from the IPC.
• Renewal and Reinstatement (7 practice questions): License expiration timelines, CE hour requirements, fee distinctions between renewal and reinstatement, and the reinstatement eligibility window.
• Qualification for Licensure (5 practice questions): Experience and education combinations, apprenticeship exemptions, reciprocity rules, and application requirements.
• Revocation of Licensure (5 practice questions): Statutory grounds for revocation, Board disciplinary authority, and the impact of revocation on future applications.

Total: 516 practice questions across all topics.

Required Study Materials for the Virginia Journeyman Plumber Exam

Because the exam is open book, your references aren't just study tools — they're your lifeline on test day. You need to own them, know them, and have them tabbed before you walk in.

Required References:

• International Plumbing Code 2021 — This is your primary code book and the source of the vast majority of exam questions. Nearly everything in Drainage, Waste and Vents, Water Supply, Backflow Prevention, Storm Drainage, Fixtures, and General Regulations ties back to the IPC. Get familiar with every table and appendix.
• Virginia Board for Contractors Individual License and Certification Regulations — This covers the Virginia-specific licensing law tested in Standards of Practice, Standards of Conduct, Renewal and Reinstatement, Qualification for Licensure, and Revocation of Licensure.

Recommended Study Supplies:

• Sharpie Tank Highlighters — A solid set of highlighters makes a real difference on an open-book exam. These come in 12 colors with a chisel tip that's good for both broad highlighting and underlining. The ink is bright and smear-resistant once dry, which matters when you're flipping through a well-marked code book under time pressure.
• Redi-Tag Permanent Colored Tabs — You get 100 tabs in five colors, which is more than enough to color-code the IPC by topic area. Permanent adhesive means they won't fall off mid-exam. Tab every major table, every sizing chart, and every section that covers a high-weight topic.

Study Tips for the Virginia Journeyman Plumber Exam

Tab and highlight before test day. On an open-book exam, the winners aren't the smartest people in the room — they're the fastest at finding answers. Get your IPC and Virginia regulations fully tabbed and highlighted before you sit down to practice. 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.

Use a two-pass strategy on the exam. Work through every question once: answer the ones you know and skip the ones you don't. Then go back to the flagged ones. Just like our practice exams let you bookmark questions for review, the real exam does too. Don't sink too much time into any single question — the clock is always running.

Give yourself three to six weeks. Use the official exam bulletin as your roadmap for what's tested. Prioritize finding-it-fast skills over rote memorization. Aim for three clean practice runs at 80% or higher before your test date — setting your bar above the real cut score gives you a comfortable buffer.

Practice with a timer. Exam-clock anxiety is real, and the best way to beat it is to make the format feel routine. Our timed practice tests help you build pacing so you're never burning five minutes on one question. By test day, 210 minutes should feel familiar.

Focus on the heavy topics first. Drainage, Waste, and Vents is 30% of your exam. Water Supply, Backflow Prevention, and Storm Drainage each add another 12.5%. Those four areas together are more than two-thirds of your score — master them first.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does the Virginia Journeyman Plumber exam cost?
The exam fee is $100. It's non-refundable and non-transferable, and it's valid for one year from the date of payment. Make sure you're ready before you pay.

How many questions are on the exam and how long do I have?
The scored portion of the exam has 80 items and you have 210 minutes (3.5 hours). A small number of experimental questions may also appear — they count against your time but won't affect your score.

What is the passing score?
You need to answer 60 out of 80 scored questions correctly, which is 75%.

How do I register and schedule the exam?
You must have Board approval before scheduling. Once approved, you can register through PSI's exam registration page online 24 hours a day, or by calling PSI at (855) 340-3910. Phone registration is available Monday through Friday, 7:30 am to 10:00 pm ET, and Saturday through Sunday, 9:00 am to 5:30 pm ET.

Can I retake the exam if I fail?
Yes. You can't schedule a retake on the same day you tested, but you may be able to retest within two business days depending on space. Register online or call PSI at (855) 340-3910.

Is the exam open book?
Yes — all examinations are open book. You must bring your own references; they are not provided at the test site. Study guides and loose or unbound papers are not permitted, and your references must not contain any writing.

What references should I bring?
For the Journeyman Plumber exam, approved references are the International Plumbing Code 2021 and the Virginia Board for Contractors Individual License and Certification Regulations.

What ID do I need to bring?
One valid, non-expired, government-issued photo ID with your signature — driver's license, passport, military ID, or green card. The name on your ID must match exactly the name you used when registering.

Are calculators allowed?
No. Handheld calculators are prohibited electronic devices and are not allowed at the exam site.

How will I find out if I passed?
Your score appears on screen immediately at the end of the exam, and PSI will email you a score report. If you don't pass, the emailed report includes a diagnostic breakdown by topic — use it to focus your retake preparation.

Start Preparing Today

The Virginia journeyman plumber exam is challenging, but it's entirely passable with the right prep. Get your code books, tab them thoroughly, and practice under timed conditions until the format feels automatic.

Start right now with our free practice exam — 10 questions, no account required, no payment needed. It's a quick way to see where you stand and what topics need the most attention. When you're ready to go deeper, upgrade to the full practice exam for 516 questions across all 13 topics, timed to match the real thing, with a detailed score breakdown by topic area.

Visit the state licensing website for licensing requirements and the exam registration page when you're ready to schedule. Good luck — you've got this.