- AZ-ACR refers specifically to the R-39R/C-39 (CR-39) trade exam administered through PSI for the Arizona ROC.
- The trade exam has 80 scored questions, a 210-minute limit, and requires a 70% score to pass.
- Refrigeration, Air Conditioning, and Warm Air Heating are the joint-largest domains at 12 questions each.
- The trade exam costs $66 per attempt; the separate Statutes and Rules Exam (SRE) costs $61.
What Is AZ-ACR, Exactly?
AZ-ACR, in the context of this site, refers to the Arizona R-39R/C-39 (CR-39) Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (Residential/Commercial) Examination - the trade competency exam that a qualifying party must pass to hold a residential/commercial air conditioning and refrigeration contractor's license in Arizona. This is not a generic industry certification; it's a state-specific licensing exam tied directly to Arizona's contractor licensing statutes and administered on behalf of the Arizona Registrar of Contractors.
If you've landed here searching for an "Arizona CR-39 practice test" or trying to understand the "R-39R HVAC exam," you're in the right place. This article breaks down exactly what the exam covers, how it's structured, and what it takes to qualify - using only verified details from the official PSI trade outline and candidate bulletin, not facts borrowed from other certifications that happen to share the same acronym.
Who Administers the Exam
Two organizations are involved in getting an Arizona air conditioning and refrigeration contractor licensed:
- Arizona Registrar of Contractors (ROC) - the state licensing authority that sets qualification requirements, license classifications, and renewal rules under Arizona Revised Statutes sections such as 32-1122 and 32-1123.01.
- PSI Services LLC - the testing provider that develops, delivers, and scores the trade exam and the companion Statutes and Rules Exam (SRE), both by computer.
The ROC decides who is eligible to test and grants the license; PSI runs the actual testing sessions, whether at a physical test center or through remote proctoring. Understanding this division matters because questions about eligibility go to the ROC, while questions about scheduling, scoring, and test-day rules go to PSI.
Exam Format and Fees
The R-39R/C-39 (CR-39) trade exam outline is precise about structure. Here's what candidates should expect on test day:
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Scored questions | 80 |
| Time allowed | 210 minutes |
| Passing score | 70% |
| Unscored experimental questions | 5-10 (may be added by PSI within the time limit) |
| Format | Computer-based multiple choice |
| Delivery options | Test center or remote-proctored |
| Trade exam fee | $66 per attempt |
| Statutes and Rules Exam (SRE) fee | $61 (separate, online) |
Note that the 5-10 unscored questions are mixed in with the 80 scored ones without being labeled, so candidates should treat every question on the screen as if it counts. This is a detail candidates often overlook when estimating pacing - with 210 minutes for up to 90 total questions, there's roughly two minutes per question on average, but scenario-based items in domains like Sizing and Estimating or Fuel Piping Systems can take longer to work through than a simple terminology question.
For a full walk-through of scoring mechanics and what "70%" actually means in terms of correct answers needed, see AZ-ACR Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass. For a cost breakdown that includes both exams and how they fit into the broader licensing budget, read AZ-ACR Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown.
The 12 Domains You'll Be Tested On
The trade outline (revised June 8, 2023) divides the 80 scored questions across twelve content domains. This weighting is the single most important piece of information for planning your study time, because it tells you exactly where the exam concentrates its questions.
Domain 1: Refrigeration - 12 questions
Refrigerant cycles, component function, and system troubleshooting form one of the three joint-largest domains on the exam.
- Compressor, condenser, evaporator, and metering device interactions
Domain 2: Air Conditioning - 12 questions
Cooling system design, equipment selection, and airflow principles are weighted equally with Refrigeration.
- Split systems, packaged units, and ductwork basics
Domain 3: Warm Air Heating - 12 questions
Gas- and electric-fired forced air heating equipment rounds out the trio of largest domains.
- Furnace operation, venting, and combustion safety
Together, Refrigeration, Air Conditioning, and Warm Air Heating account for 36 of the 80 scored questions - nearly half the exam. Any serious study plan has to weight these three domains heavily.
The remaining nine domains carry smaller but still meaningful allocations:
- Domain 4: Controls and Motors - 8 questions
- Domain 5: Boilers - 4 questions
- Domain 6: Ventilation - 4 questions
- Domain 7: Evaporative Coolers - 4 questions
- Domain 8: Fuel Piping Systems - 5 questions
- Domain 9: Water Piping Systems - 5 questions
- Domain 10: Steam, Hot, Chilled, and Condensing Water - 5 questions
- Domain 11: Testing, Balancing, and Inspections - 5 questions
- Domain 12: Sizing and Estimating - 4 questions
Key Takeaway
Don't over-index on the smaller domains at the expense of Refrigeration, Air Conditioning, and Warm Air Heating - those three alone represent 45% of scored questions. For a domain-by-domain study breakdown, see AZ-ACR Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 12 Content Areas.
Open-Book References and Materials
Unlike many licensing exams, the R-39R/C-39 (CR-39) exam is partially open-book. Candidates are permitted to bring specific reference materials into the testing session:
- OSHA 29 CFR Part 1926 or PSI's selected equivalent, with the latest available amendments
- 2018 International Fuel Gas Code
- 2018 International Mechanical Code
These are the only editions approved for use during the exam. Other textbooks listed on the trade outline are study-only references - meaning you should read them while preparing, but you cannot bring them into the test session. Confirm current allowed editions before test day, since code editions are periodically updated.
Candidates may highlight, underline, annotate, and add permanent tabs to their approved references in advance. What's prohibited is bringing in loose additional papers or writing in the references during the actual test session. If you test remotely, be aware that scratch paper and breaks are not permitted under remote-proctoring rules - a meaningful difference from in-person test-center testing. The general bulletin also permits a silent, nonprinting, nonprogrammable, nonscientific calculator, which is worth practicing with ahead of time since Sizing and Estimating and other domains may involve basic calculations.
Learning to navigate your code books quickly - knowing which chapter covers which topic without flipping through the entire volume - is a skill in itself. This is covered in more depth in AZ-ACR Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt.
Who Can Sit for the Exam
Eligibility to test is tied to Arizona's contractor licensing framework rather than to the exam itself. The qualifying party for a license ordinarily needs four years of practical or management trade experience, with at least two of those years falling within the preceding ten years. Qualifying technical training can substitute for up to two years of that experience requirement.
Exam results must also fall within the two years preceding the license application - passing the trade exam years before applying for a license won't satisfy the requirement. Contractor licenses themselves renew on a biennial (two-year) cycle, and license fees plus bond obligations are entirely separate from the exam fees discussed above.
For the full eligibility breakdown, including how technical training credit works, see AZ-ACR Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify.
Retakes, Waiting Periods, and the SRE
If you don't pass on your first attempt, Arizona's rules require a 30-day waiting period before you can retake the trade exam. That waiting period increases significantly for repeat failures: starting with a fourth attempt, candidates must wait 90 days before testing again. This structure makes it worthwhile to treat every attempt seriously rather than treating the exam as low-stakes practice.
Separately, candidates must also pass the Arizona Statutes and Rules Exam (SRE), an online exam distinct from the trade exam, with its own $61 fee. The SRE covers Arizona's specific contracting statutes and rules rather than technical HVAC/R content, so it requires its own dedicated study track rather than being folded into trade-exam prep.
Who Actually Takes This Exam
The R-39R/C-39 (CR-39) exam is taken by individuals seeking to become the qualifying party for a residential/commercial air conditioning and refrigeration contracting license in Arizona. That typically includes:
- Experienced HVAC/R technicians moving into business ownership or a qualifying-party role for an existing contracting company
- Field supervisors and lead technicians whose companies need a licensed qualifying party
- Contractors expanding operations into Arizona who need a locally licensed qualifier
This is a distinct path from general HVAC technician certifications you might pursue for employment - it's specifically about the exam required to hold a residential/commercial A/C and refrigeration contractor license under Arizona ROC rules. If you're weighing whether pursuing this license lines up with your career goals, Is the AZ-ACR Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 and AZ-ACR Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis dig into that question further, and AZ-ACR Jobs looks at where licensed contractors find opportunities in Arizona's market.
A Focused Way to Prepare
Rather than a generic study calendar, an effective prep sequence for this exam follows the domain weighting directly. Spend the most calendar time on the three 12-question domains, then move through the mid-weight domains, and finish with a full-length timed practice run under the 210-minute limit using your approved references.
Refrigeration, Air Conditioning, Warm Air Heating
- Work through refrigerant cycles, cooling equipment selection, and forced-air heating systems - the three domains worth 36 of 80 questions combined
Controls and Motors, plus the 5-question domains
- Cover Controls and Motors (8 questions), then Fuel Piping Systems, Water Piping Systems, Steam/Hot/Chilled/Condensing Water, and Testing, Balancing, and Inspections
Boilers, Ventilation, Evaporative Coolers, Sizing and Estimating
- Finish the four smallest domains, then practice navigating your approved code books quickly
Timed full-length review
- Run a complete 210-minute practice session with only the approved references to simulate real test-day conditions
For candidates unsure how difficult this exam is relative to their current experience level, How Hard Is the AZ-ACR Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026 covers that in detail, and AZ-ACR Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows reviews what's publicly known about outcomes. You can also run through timed questions on our practice test platform to get comfortable with the pacing before test day.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. In this context, AZ-ACR refers specifically to Arizona's R-39R/C-39 (CR-39) trade exam, administered by PSI for the Arizona Registrar of Contractors, required for a residential/commercial air conditioning and refrigeration contractor license. It is not a general industry HVAC technician certification.
The trade exam includes 80 scored questions with a 210-minute time limit. PSI may also insert 5-10 unscored experimental questions within that same time window, so the total question count on screen may exceed 80.
A 70% score is required to pass the R-39R/C-39 trade exam. See AZ-ACR Passing Score 2026 for a detailed breakdown.
Only specific approved references are allowed: OSHA 29 CFR Part 1926 (or PSI's equivalent selection with current amendments), the 2018 International Fuel Gas Code, and the 2018 International Mechanical Code. Other textbooks on the outline are for study purposes only and cannot be brought into the test session.
You must wait 30 days before retaking the trade exam. If you reach a fourth attempt, the waiting period increases to 90 days. Careful first-attempt preparation, such as following the domain weighting outlined in the AZ-ACR Study Guide, can help avoid repeat attempts.
Understanding exactly what AZ-ACR covers - and confirming you're studying the right R-39R/C-39 (CR-39) content rather than material for an unrelated credential sharing the same abbreviation - is the first step toward a confident test day. Explore the related guides linked throughout this article, or start practicing with real exam-style questions on the AZ-ACR practice test platform.