- 90 questions, 4-hour limit, 70% passing score - General Knowledge and Systems & Sizing lead at 14 questions each.
- Written exam fee is $175, non-refundable, plus a 4% surcharge if paying by credit card.
- Eligibility requires 3,000 hours of qualifying work experience or an approved HVAC/R curriculum under 34-31-28(c).
- Active certification costs $220 and needs a $20,000 performance bond; inactive certification is $110 with no bond.
Exam Snapshot: The Numbers That Matter
This is a one-page reference, not a tutorial - bookmark it for the week before your appointment. The Alabama Board of Heating, Air Conditioning & Refrigeration Contractors calls this credential the Refrigeration Contractors Examination; the testing provider, Prov, Inc., lists it internally as "Refrigeration." Both refer to the same commercial refrigeration contractor exam this site is built around. The current blueprint is the Prov candidate bulletin revised September 4, 2026, so make sure any materials you use reflect that revision.
Format basics: 90 computer-based multiple-choice questions, a 4-hour time limit, and a passing score of 70%. That works out to roughly 2.6 minutes per question if you use the entire window, though most candidates finish with time to review flagged items. For a deeper breakdown of what a passing score actually requires, see AL-REFRIG Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass.
Domain Weights at a Glance
The official bulletin allocates questions across 17 domains. Study time should roughly mirror this distribution - the four largest domains alone account for over half the exam.
| Domain | Questions |
|---|---|
| 1. General Knowledge | 14 |
| 2. Piping | 13 |
| 3. Systems & Sizing | 14 |
| 4. Maintenance/Troubleshooting | 13 |
| 5. Plan Reading | 2 |
| 6. Electrical Applications for Refrigeration Systems | 8 |
| 7. Business Organization | 1 |
| 8. Risk Management | 2 |
| 9. Project Management | 2 |
| 10. Estimating | 3 |
| 11. Safety and Environmental | 2 |
| 12. Labor Laws | 2 |
| 13. Payroll and Employment Taxes | 3 |
| 14. Financial Management | 3 |
| 15. Contracts | 2 |
| 16. Lien Laws | 2 |
| 17. Licensing Laws | 4 |
General Knowledge & Systems & Sizing (14 questions each)
These two domains are jointly the largest on the exam and deserve the bulk of your technical review time.
- Refrigeration cycle fundamentals, load calculations, and equipment selection logic
- Sizing decisions tied to application type - commercial refrigeration equipment specifically, not residential HVAC
Piping & Maintenance/Troubleshooting (13 questions each)
Together these two domains contribute 26 questions - nearly a third of the exam.
- Line sizing, refrigerant flow, and installation practices referencing current mechanical code
- Diagnostic sequencing: identifying failure points before recommending a fix
For a domain-by-domain walkthrough of what each of the 17 areas actually tests, see AL-REFRIG Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 17 Content Areas. If you're still calibrating how tough this exam is relative to your background, How Hard Is the AL-REFRIG Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026 breaks down the format and content load in more depth.
Registration & Fee Mechanics
The written examination fee is $175, paid to the Board and non-refundable once submitted. If you pay by credit card, expect a 4% service fee added on top. Board approval must happen before you can schedule with Prov - you cannot register directly without that approval step.
Once approved, your examination eligibility is valid for one year from the date of approval. If you don't schedule and sit for the exam within that window, you'll need to reapply. Scheduling happens through Prov, either at a physical test center or remotely via Examroom after completing a system check.
Key Takeaway
Cancel or reschedule at least 3 business days before your appointment. Anything closer forfeits your $175 fee entirely - there's no partial refund or grace period built in.
A full cost breakdown, including certification and renewal fees beyond the exam itself, is covered in AL-REFRIG Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown.
Eligibility Recap Under 34-31-28(c)
Under Code of Alabama section 34-31-28(c), you qualify one of two ways: 3,000 hours of qualifying work experience, or graduation from an approved heating, air conditioning, or refrigeration curriculum. There's no informal middle ground documented in current guidance.
- Work-experience route: notarized employer affidavits plus corresponding W-2s covering the claimed hours.
- Curriculum route: official graduation documentation from an approved program.
- All applicants: citizenship or lawful-presence documentation is required regardless of route.
A full eligibility walkthrough, including edge cases and documentation tips, lives at AL-REFRIG Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify.
Test-Day Rules: What You Can and Can't Bring
This exam is open-book, which changes how you should prepare - the test is less about memorizing raw numbers and more about knowing where to find and apply them quickly.
- Allowed: highlighting, permanent tabs, and formulas handwritten in ink directly in your reference books.
- Allowed: a simple four-function calculator - nothing scientific or programmable.
- Prohibited: other handwritten notes, movable tabs, added photocopied sheets, and exam-preparation guides brought into the testing session.
Because it's open-book, the real prep advantage comes from familiarity, not access. Knowing exactly which chapter covers piping sizing versus electrical applications saves you minutes you don't have to spare across 90 questions in four hours.
Reference Books to Confirm Before You Buy
Two references appear on both the Board's and Prov's official lists: the 2021 International Mechanical Code and the 2020 NFPA 70 National Electrical Code. These are safe purchases regardless of which list you're cross-checking.
Beyond those two, the Board and Prov lists diverge on other titles and editions. Don't assume a book is approved just because it appeared in a prior year's list or a general HVAC/R catalog - confirm the exact title and edition with Prov before spending money on anything else.
After the Exam: Retakes and Licensing
If you don't pass on your first attempt, you submit a re-examination request through Form EA-5 or the Board's re-examination portal and pay another $175 exam fee. There's also a separate path under Rule 440-X-3-.07: the Board may approve a $375 practical examination after a failed written attempt, upon written request, held within six months of the last unsuccessful written exam. This practical option is not a mandatory second stage - it's a discretionary alternative, not something everyone goes through.
Passing the written exam is not the finish line. You still need to submit a separate licensing application afterward - passing and licensing are two distinct steps in the Board's process.
If you're weighing whether to retake immediately or take more time to study, AL-REFRIG Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows and AL-REFRIG Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt are worth reading before you decide.
Renewal & CE Cheat Sheet
| Certification Type | Initial/Annual Cost | Bond Required | Authorizes Contracting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active | $220 | $20,000 performance bond | Yes |
| Inactive | $110 | None | No |
Note that the $20,000 figure is the bond amount, not the premium you'd pay to obtain it - the actual premium cost is a separate, smaller expense set by your bonding company.
- Renewal deadline: annually by December 31; late renewal adds a $250 fee.
- CE requirement: normally 4 Board-approved continuing-education hours per year, with up to 4 hours carried forward to the next cycle.
- First-renewal exemption: available under Rule 440-X-4-.10.
- CE proof deadline: submit before November 1 each year.
- Deficiency fee: under Rule 440-X-4-.03 (effective July 14, 2025), a $25 fee applies to hours submitted after November 1 but before January 1; deficiency-extension applications must reach the Board before December 31.
Also worth remembering: your state contractor certification and any EPA Section 608 technician certification are entirely separate credentials with their own requirements - one doesn't substitute for the other.
Final-Week Review Plan
In the last stretch before test day, structure your remaining hours around the domain weights rather than reviewing everything equally. A short spaced-repetition pass on formulas and code sections tends to outperform re-reading entire chapters this close to the exam.
Heavy Domains First
- Drill General Knowledge and Systems & Sizing practice questions - 28 combined questions on the real exam
- Review piping sizing tables and troubleshooting decision trees
Electrical & Mid-Weight Topics
- Electrical Applications for Refrigeration Systems (8 questions) - wiring, controls, and safety interlocks
- Licensing Laws (4 questions) and Estimating, Payroll, and Financial Management (3 each)
Low-Weight Cleanup & Logistics
- Quick pass on the remaining low-question domains: Plan Reading, Risk Management, Project Management, Safety, Labor Laws, Contracts, Lien Laws, Business Organization
- Tab and organize confirmed reference books; confirm test-center or remote check-in details
For a full first-attempt strategy that goes beyond this final-week sprint, see AL-REFRIG Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt. And if you're still deciding whether the whole process is worth pursuing given career payoff, Is the AL-REFRIG Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 and AL-REFRIG Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis lay out the bigger picture.
Once you've got the fee structure, domain weights, and test-day rules memorized, the best way to confirm you're ready is running full-length practice sessions on the main practice test platform. Simulating the 90-question, 4-hour format ahead of time removes most of the surprise on exam day, and you can revisit this page - or the practice test homepage - anytime you need a quick refresher.
FAQ
90 computer-based multiple-choice questions with a 4-hour time limit and a 70% passing score, per the Prov candidate bulletin revised September 4, 2026.
Yes. Open-book testing is available at Prov test centers or remotely through Examroom after a system check. You can highlight, use permanent tabs, and write formulas in ink, but photocopies, prep guides, and other handwritten notes are prohibited.
You submit a re-examination request via Form EA-5 or the Board's portal and pay another $175 fee. A $375 practical exam option also exists under Rule 440-X-3-.07 within six months of the failed attempt, but it's discretionary, not mandatory.
Active certification costs $220 initially and annually, requires a business name and a $20,000 performance bond, and authorizes contracting work. Inactive certification costs $110, needs no bond, and does not authorize contracting.
CE proof must be submitted before November 1. Hours submitted after November 1 but before January 1 incur a $25 deficiency fee under Rule 440-X-4-.03, and extension applications must reach the Board before December 31.