The Florida Air Conditioning Trade Knowledge Exam
The Air Conditioning Trade Knowledge exam is a required part of the Air Conditioning Contractor — Class A license in Florida, and is also sat by the Air Conditioning Contractor — Class B and Certified Mechanical Contractor. It is open book, like every Florida CILB exam, so the tested skill is as much knowing where to find an answer as knowing it cold.
- 130
- Questions
- 7.5 hr
- Time limit
- 70%
- To pass
- Open book
- Format
What's on the Trade Knowledge exam
The exam follows the official DBPR content outline. These are its weighted domains. Study time is best spent where the exam puts its points.
Load Calculation & System Design
Manual J/D/S concepts, equipment sizing, and psychrometrics.
Refrigeration Cycle & Equipment
Vapor-compression cycle, refrigerants, charging, and heat pumps.
Ductwork & Ventilation
Duct design and sealing, air distribution, and ventilation requirements.
Controls & Electrical
Thermostats, motors, wiring, and troubleshooting.
Code Compliance
Florida Mechanical Code, energy conservation, and refrigerant regulations (EPA 608).
Sample questions
Original, exam-style questions with the answer and an explanation, so you can see how LicenseReady drills the Trade Knowledge material.
What refrigerant is most commonly used in modern residential split air conditioning systems?
R-410A
R-410A (Puron) is the standard refrigerant for modern residential split AC systems. R-22 (Freon) was phased out under the Clean Air Act and is no longer manufactured for new equipment in the United States.
Source: ACCA/ASHRAE Fundamentals — Refrigerants
What is the purpose of a Manual J calculation in HVAC design?
To calculate the heating and cooling load of a building
Manual J is the industry-standard method for calculating the heating and cooling loads of a residential building based on climate, orientation, insulation, windows, and other factors. It determines the required equipment capacity.
Source: ACCA Manual J — Residential Load Calculation
Reference books you'll use
The Trade Knowledge exam is open book. These are the approved references its questions come from. Tabbing them in advance is half the battle.
RACT is a 1,700-page textbook — it answers almost any fundamentals, electrical, or troubleshooting question, but only if you tab it by unit. Build the tab set below and trust the symptom tables over memory.
Certification types are the classic question: Type I small appliances, II high-pressure, III low-pressure, Universal all three.
Code questions give themselves away with words like 'minimum', 'required', or 'permitted'. Go to the code — never answer a code question from memory when the book is on the desk.
Guides that cover this exam
Longer reads on how to prepare: study plans, costs, and what to do if an attempt doesn't go your way.
Florida Contractor Exam Prep: Format, Rules, and a Study Plan That Works
How the open-book Florida contractor exam really works: reference rules, pacing math, evidence-based study methods, and an 8-week study plan.
The Florida HVAC License, Explained: Class A, Class B & the Exams
How to get a Florida HVAC license: Class A vs Class B vs Mechanical, the two exams (trade + Business & Finance), costs, and how to prepare.
Frequently asked questions
How many questions is the Florida Air Conditioning Trade Knowledge exam?
130 questions. You have 7.5 hours and need 70% correct to pass.
Is the Air Conditioning Trade Knowledge exam open book?
Yes. Every Florida CILB construction exam is open book: you bring approved, tabbed reference books. The challenge is finding answers fast enough, so pacing and tabbing matter as much as knowledge.
What topics are on the Trade Knowledge exam?
The exam is weighted across 5 domains: Load Calculation & System Design, Refrigeration Cycle & Equipment, Ductwork & Ventilation, Controls & Electrical, Code Compliance. Heavier-weighted domains deserve more study time.
Study notes by email
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LicenseReady is an independent exam-preparation service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or approved by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR), the Construction Industry Licensing Board (CILB), or Professional Testing, Inc. All practice questions are original content created by LicenseReady — they are not actual examination questions. Exam-structure information comes from publicly available DBPR publications. Third-party product names (AIA, ACCA, and others) are trademarks of their respective owners, used only to identify the referenced works.