ESCO Institute EPA Section 608 Preparatory Manual

Great right to the point study guide about the EPA 608 certification exam

This is an excellent resource for learning about hvac and preparing for the EPA 608 test. I originally purchase the (blue cover) EPA 608 Study Guide which is horrible and packed with useless information and poorly written. This booklet is excellent and full of valuable information. This will prepare you for epa 608.

You will easily pass the EPA test if you UNDERSTAND the information in this book. To that end I suggest a 2 step process. Step 1: Get familiar with the basics of HVAC/R. I spent a few weeks reading through “Refrigerant Charging and Service Procedures for AIR CONDITIONING” by Craig Migliaccio. That provides a framework to better study for the EPA test. Step 2: Then spend a few weeks reading through this book. Read through it EVERY day. After a week or so you will be able to speed read through the book quickly. By about 3 weeks you will be able to skim through all 4 sections in 20 to 30 minutes. Repetition is the key, don't get bogged down early on trying to memorize. When you are ready to test it is available from Esco as an on line proctored test using zoom if you have high speed internet. If not, call Esco (number is on the inside of the front cover) and request an emailed list of local authorized testing sites for the Esco test. Mainstream engineering also has a test but I recommend taking the test from the company that provided the study material, in this case Esco. A few words about the test and the on line practice tests. The on line practice tests I took were questions from 2018. They were almost all just memory of the book info. The actual test I took was a little more difficult. It required knowledge of the book info and in many cases application of that info to a situation. Don't just rely on the practice test. Step 1 is important in that respect. If you apply yourself and use this process you will easily pass the test. If your time is limited, focus your study during Step 2 on the Core Section and the Type I, Type II, or Type III Section that is most important to you. Building a strong foundation will pay off later.

It's kind of pricey for such a small pamphlet but it's straight info for the test. I took the ESCO online course then followed it with this pamphlet and scored over 90% on all the sections and now have my EPA608 Universal license. It was much faster and cheaper than taking courses at the local college.

This is a great document to help revise for EPA608, but after taking the exam today, there were a few questions especially in the Type I & III which weren't covered or covered well (even in practice questions) but this should still get you 90% of the way there. I do recommend asking AI for background / reasons on topics as the document doesnt explain why for some rules and if you understand the Physics behind it, it helps to remember the key bits for the test. I found some of the recovery vacuums and leak stuff easier to remember if formatted into my own table. Also note on the back cover charts, most of the pressures are PSI, but where they go negative to PSIG, this changes to inches of Mercury. They do note this but its easily missed. I took the exam online via the ESCO Institute web page noted in the booklet, they also provide practice tests.

you will pass your test guarantee

Yes, this is a thin pamphlet. However, it only contains the information you need to know to prepare for EPA Section-608 HVACR technician certificate. I was able to pass Universal-rating at my 1st attempt thanks to this pamphlet. The test fee was a hefty $100, and in Massachusetts the test centers/proctors are VERY limited, and I took my exam at a Johnston Supply. Of the 100 questions (Universal), I had missed 4 questions and I did see a question that was not really covered in this pamphlet (a question in the CORE section, but I got all questions correct for the CORE). If you need to get EPA HVACR certificate, this is the only study material you need.

Book is very informative however it is outdated and missing current information that is needed.