- You need 70% correct on 100 multiple-choice questions to pass the MD-JHVACR exam.
- That means roughly 70 correct answers out of 100 within the 240-minute limit.
- Refrigeration and Air Conditioning carries the most weight at 25 items, so it decides more of your score than any other domain.
- The exam is open-book, but only specific approved references and permanent tabs are allowed - no handwritten notes.
The Passing Score: 70% on 100 Questions
The Maryland Board of Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors sets a straightforward standard for the full Journeyman HVACR exam, administered through PSI Services LLC: you need 70% correct on a 100-question, multiple-choice, computer-based test. There's no domain-by-domain minimum published by the Board - the 70% threshold applies to your overall score across all six content areas.
In practical terms, that's approximately 70 correct answers out of 100. Because the exam is scored as a single composite, a strong showing in one domain can offset a weaker one, but you can't count on that cushion if you walk in unprepared for the largest content areas. If you want a deeper breakdown of how each domain is weighted before you build a study plan, the MD-JHVACR Exam Domains 2026 guide walks through all six areas in detail.
Exam Format, Timing, and Open-Book Rules
This is the full HVACR Journeyman examination - not the Journeyman Restricted version - and its format directly shapes how you should think about hitting 70%. The exam is:
- 100 multiple-choice questions, delivered via computer at a PSI test center
- Open-book, with a specific list of approved references
- Limited to 240 minutes total
- Scored against a fixed 70% passing standard set by the Board
Because the exam is open-book, some candidates assume the passing score is easier to hit than a closed-book test would suggest. That's only partly true. You're allowed to consult references, but flipping through unfamiliar material under time pressure eats into your 240 minutes fast. Candidates who haven't already worked through the material tend to run out of time before they run out of questions, which turns a knowledge problem into a pacing problem. If you're still weighing how tough this exam actually is relative to other trade licensing tests, How Hard Is the MD-JHVACR Exam? covers that comparison directly.
Before you can even schedule a seat, you need an approved application on file with PSI. Eligibility currently requires an active Maryland HVACR apprentice license, at least four years as a licensed apprentice, and 6,000 hours of supervised training completed during that period - subject to Board-approved credit or exemption routes under Business Regulation section 9A-302. Graduates of an approved Maryland Apprenticeship and Training Council program who apply for licensure within two years of graduation may qualify through the exam-waiver route instead. Full eligibility mechanics, including how the hours and years requirements interact, are covered in the MD-JHVACR Requirements 2026 article.
Key Takeaway
Open-book does not mean open-notes. Treat your references as a backup for edge cases, not a substitute for knowing the core material cold - you don't have time to look up everything and still finish in 240 minutes.
How Domain Weight Affects the Passing Math
The Board-linked PSI bulletin (updated September 1, 2024) lays out the official item allocation across the six domains in this order:
| Domain | Content Area | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Electrical Knowledge, Motors, and Controls | 20 |
| 2 | Piping | 15 |
| 3 | Refrigeration and Air Conditioning | 25 |
| 4 | Heating Systems | 20 |
| 5 | Air Distribution Systems | 15 |
| 6 | Safety | 5 |
Refrigeration and Air Conditioning is the largest single domain at 25 questions - a quarter of the entire exam. Weakness there is the fastest way to fall short of 70%, since no other domain can offset a poor showing on a quarter of the test. Electrical Knowledge, Motors, and Controls and Heating Systems are tied for second at 20 questions each, meaning together with Refrigeration and Air Conditioning, those three domains make up 65 of the 100 questions on the exam.
Refrigeration and Air Conditioning (25 questions)
The single largest domain, so it deserves the largest share of your study hours relative to its weight.
- Refrigerant cycle fundamentals and system components
- Cooling load and equipment sizing concepts tied to ACCA Manual J
- Troubleshooting logic for common AC and refrigeration faults
Safety (5 questions)
The smallest domain by question count, but not one to skip - every point still counts toward your 70% target.
- OSHA 29 CFR 1926 references relevant to HVACR field work
- Safe handling of refrigerants, pressurized systems, and electrical hazards
Piping and Air Distribution Systems each carry 15 questions, and while lighter than the top three domains, they're still worth roughly the same weight as a small quiz on their own. For a question-by-question breakdown of what's actually tested inside each of the six areas, see the complete domains guide.
What You Can Actually Bring Into the Test
Since the passing score is tied to an open-book format, the reference materials you're permitted to use directly affect how achievable 70% is on test day. The Board's approved reference list for the MD-JHVACR exam includes:
- IMC 2012 (International Mechanical Code)
- Modern Refrigeration and Air Conditioning, 19th, 20th, or 21st edition
- ACCA Manual J, 2006 eighth edition
- The listed OSHA 29 CFR 1926 reference
- The ACCA Ductulator
You're allowed to advance-highlight these texts and add permanent tabs before test day, which is a meaningful advantage if you organize them by domain. What's prohibited is just as important: handwritten reference notes, loose papers, and general study guides are not permitted at the testing station. A silent, nonprogrammable calculator without an alphabetic keyboard is allowed, but that's the extent of outside tools.
If you want a condensed reference of the facts most likely to matter on test day - without violating the no-handwritten-notes rule during the actual exam - the MD-JHVACR Cheat Sheet 2026 is built for pre-exam review, not for bringing into the testing room.
Scheduling Your Prep Around the Score You Need
Hitting 70% overall means your prep time should roughly track question weight, not just personal comfort with a topic. A candidate who spends equal time on all six domains is under-preparing for Refrigeration and Air Conditioning and over-preparing for Safety, relative to how the exam actually scores.
Refrigeration and Air Conditioning + Heating Systems
- Work through refrigerant cycle diagrams and equipment troubleshooting scenarios
- Review Manual J load calculation logic tied to heating and cooling equipment selection
Electrical Knowledge, Motors, and Controls
- Motor types, control circuits, and wiring diagram interpretation
- Practice reading schematics under time pressure since this domain often involves diagram-based questions
Piping and Air Distribution Systems
- Ductulator practice for duct sizing problems
- Piping code requirements from IMC 2012
Safety + full-length review
- OSHA 29 CFR 1926 key sections
- Timed practice runs at 100 questions in 240 minutes to build pacing habits
Rotating through domains in short, focused blocks like this - rather than one long unfocused review - tends to work better for a six-domain, weighted exam because it forces you to revisit the heavier domains more than once before test day. For a more detailed week-by-week breakdown built specifically around passing on the first try, see the MD-JHVACR Study Guide 2026. You can also run full-length timed sets on the practice test platform to see where your score sits relative to 70% before you spend money on the real exam.
If You Miss 70%: Retake Timelines and Costs
Falling short of 70% isn't the end of the process, but it does cost time and money. Under current Board guidance, candidates must wait 30 days before reapplying after a first failed attempt, and 60 days for any subsequent failed attempts. Each attempt also carries the $150 exam fee - the Board's retake policy doesn't waive or discount it.
That waiting period is a good reason to treat your first attempt seriously rather than as a "practice run." A candidate who fails by a few points on Refrigeration and Air Conditioning or Electrical Knowledge, Motors, and Controls has real, identifiable gaps to close in the following 30 to 60 days - using that window to specifically drill the domains that dragged the score down is far more useful than repeating a generic review.
Key Takeaway
Budget for the possibility of a retake, both in time and in the $150 fee, but focus your energy on closing domain-specific gaps rather than re-cramming everything equally.
Once licensed, journeyman services remain performed under the direction and control of an appropriately licensed contractor, and licenses renew on a two-year cycle with no continuing-education requirement from the Board. For a full accounting of every fee involved - exam, license, and renewal - see the MD-JHVACR Certification Cost 2026 breakdown. And if you're still deciding whether the licensing path is worth the time investment relative to the jobs it opens up, Is the MD-JHVACR Certification Worth It? and the MD-JHVACR Salary Guide 2026 both address that from different angles.
To see how your own preparation stacks up before committing to a test date, try a full-length practice exam modeled on the same 100-question, six-domain structure the Board actually uses.
Frequently Asked Questions
You need 70% correct overall on the 100-question exam, which works out to roughly 70 correct answers. This is a single composite score across all six domains, not a per-domain minimum.
No published Board guidance sets separate minimums per domain. The 70% standard applies to your total score across all 100 questions, though performing poorly on a heavily weighted domain like Refrigeration and Air Conditioning (25 questions) makes reaching 70% overall much harder.
It helps, but only if you already know the material well enough to use the approved references quickly. With 240 minutes for 100 questions, spending too long searching references for answers you should already know can cost you time on later questions.
You'll need to reapply and retake the exam, paying the $150 fee again. Current Board guidance requires a 30-day wait after a first failed attempt and a 60-day wait for any subsequent failures.
No. Handwritten reference notes, loose papers, and study guides are prohibited. You can only use the specific approved references - IMC 2012, Modern Refrigeration and Air Conditioning, ACCA Manual J, the listed OSHA 29 CFR 1926 reference, and the ACCA Ductulator - with advance highlighting and permanent tabs allowed.