- What Does ACR Mean in Texas?
- Who Administers the ACR Exam
- What the ACR Exam Actually Covers
- Exam Format, Fees, and Registration Mechanics
- Who Needs ACR and Who Hires ACR-Licensed Contractors
- Eligibility and Experience Requirements
- How Difficult Is the ACR Exam?
- After You Pass: Renewal, CE, and Insurance
- Mapping a Study Plan to the ACR Domains
- Frequently Asked Questions
- ACR stands for the Texas Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractor License, regulated by TDLR and tested by PSI.
- The Class A exam has 120 scored items, allows 4 hours, and requires a 70% score to pass.
- Air Distribution is the heaviest domain at 15% of scored content, followed by Equipment Requirements and Design at 11.67%.
- Total upfront cost is $189: a $115 TDLR application fee plus a $74 PSI exam fee.
What Does ACR Mean in Texas?
In the context of Texas construction trades, ACR refers to the Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractor License, a credential issued by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR). It is not a manufacturer certification, a national voluntary designation, or an engineering credential - it is a state-mandated license that legally authorizes an individual to perform, supervise, or contract for air conditioning and refrigeration work in Texas.
The specific exam most people mean when they ask "what does ACR mean" is the Environmental Air Class A examination, administered by PSI on behalf of TDLR. Class A covers environmental air-conditioning work with no equipment-size limit, which is why it's the license most commercial and larger residential contractors pursue. If you're just getting oriented, our companion pieces on What Is ACR? and ACR Meaning walk through the terminology in more depth, while What Does ACR Stand For? breaks down the acronym itself.
Who Administers the ACR Exam
TDLR is the state agency that owns the licensing program: it sets eligibility rules, collects the application fee, and issues the license once you've passed. PSI is the third-party testing vendor that actually builds, delivers, and scores the exam. This two-agency structure is common in Texas trade licensing, but it means candidates deal with two separate fee schedules and two separate sets of paperwork - one to TDLR to become approved to test, and one to PSI to schedule and sit for the exam itself.
The current PSI candidate bulletin for this exam was updated July 9, 2026, and it's worth reading in full before you schedule, since bulletins periodically change reference materials, testing policies, or scoring notes. A notable upcoming shift: the 2024 IMC, IFGC, and UMC code editions become the effective references starting September 1, 2026. If your test date falls near that transition, confirm which code edition your exam session will actually reference.
What the ACR Exam Actually Covers
The Class A exam draws its 120 scored questions from fourteen content domains, each weighted differently based on how frequently that knowledge is applied on real Texas HVAC/R jobs. Understanding the weighting isn't optional - it's the single most useful piece of information for deciding where to spend your study hours. For a full breakdown of every domain with sub-topics, see the ACR Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 14 Content Areas.
| Domain | Weight |
|---|---|
| Air Distribution | 15% |
| Equipment Requirements and Design | 11.67% |
| HVAC Systems | 9.17% |
| Service | 10% |
| Testing | 10% |
| Basic Refrigeration Components | 5% |
| Combustion Air | 5% |
| Controls | 5% |
| Piping | 5% |
| Refrigeration Principles | 5% |
| Safety | 5% |
| Texas Laws and Rules | 5% |
| Ventilation | 5% |
| Venting | 4.17% |
Air Distribution (15%)
As the largest single domain, Air Distribution deserves the most dedicated study time. Candidates need to understand duct sizing principles, airflow balancing, return and supply configurations, and how distribution problems manifest in system performance complaints.
- Duct system layout and sizing logic
- Airflow measurement and balancing concepts
- Diagnosing distribution-related comfort complaints
Equipment Requirements and Design (11.67%)
This domain tests whether candidates can match equipment specifications to job requirements - sizing, placement, clearances, and design constraints that show up on both residential and light commercial installations.
- Equipment sizing and load-matching fundamentals
- Installation clearance and access requirements
- Design constraints tied to structure type
HVAC Systems and Service (9.17% / 10%)
Together these two domains cover roughly a fifth of the scored exam. Expect scenario-based questions about system types, troubleshooting sequences, and standard service procedures rather than pure definitions.
- System configuration differences (split, packaged, ductless)
- Common service call diagnostic pathways
- Documentation and service standards
The remaining domains - Basic Refrigeration Components, Combustion Air, Controls, Piping, Refrigeration Principles, Safety, Texas Laws and Rules, Ventilation, and Venting - each carry 4.17%-5% of the exam. None can be skipped, since a candidate scoring poorly across several smaller domains can miss the 70% cutoff just as easily as one who neglects Air Distribution entirely.
Key Takeaway
Because Air Distribution, Equipment Requirements and Design, HVAC Systems, Service, and Testing together make up over half the scored questions, allocate your review time proportionally to these five domains before spending equal time on smaller ones.
Exam Format, Fees, and Registration Mechanics
The Class A exam is delivered as an in-person, computer-based test at a PSI testing center, offered in both English and Spanish. It consists of 120 scored questions plus 5 unscored pilot items (125 total on screen, though you won't know which are which), all multiple-choice, with 4 hours allotted and a 70% passing score required on the scored portion.
It's an open-book exam, but "open-book" has specific limits candidates often misunderstand:
- Approved references may already contain preexisting notes, highlighting, and underlining - you don't need a pristine, unmarked copy.
- Permanent tabs are allowed, which makes indexing your reference material by domain a genuinely useful prep tactic.
- A compliant nonprogrammable calculator is permitted for load and sizing calculations.
On the money side, the total cost to test is split across two payments: a $115 TDLR application fee and a separate $74 PSI examination fee. Candidates sometimes assume one fee covers both agencies - it does not. For the complete cost picture, including what happens if you need to retest, see ACR Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown.
Who Needs ACR and Who Hires ACR-Licensed Contractors
The Class A ACR license is required for anyone who wants to legally contract, supervise, or hold themselves out as a licensed air conditioning and refrigeration contractor in Texas for environmental air work without an equipment-size cap. In practice, that includes:
- Independent HVAC contractors bidding residential and commercial installation jobs
- Field supervisors and lead technicians moving into a contractor or business-owner role
- Mechanical companies that need a licensed individual of record to pull permits
- Technicians transitioning from certified-technician status into full contractor authority
Because the license is state-issued and legally required rather than optional or purely resume-boosting, its practical value differs from many voluntary industry credentials. If you're weighing whether pursuing it makes financial sense for your career stage, Is the ACR Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 and ACR Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis go deeper on that question, and ACR Jobs covers where licensed contractors typically find work.
Eligibility and Experience Requirements
Before TDLR will approve you to sit for the exam, you must be at least 18 years old and satisfy one of two experience pathways:
- 48 months of supervised practical experience within the preceding 72 months, or
- 12 months as a certified technician plus 36 months of qualifying experience within the preceding 48 months
Approved substitutions may apply toward these experience windows depending on your documented background, so it's worth confirming your specific situation against TDLR's current rules rather than assuming a generic timeline applies. A full walkthrough of documentation, acceptable experience types, and substitution rules is available in ACR Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify.
How Difficult Is the ACR Exam?
Public first-time pass-rate data for fiscal year 2026 (through May 31, 2026) shows a 36.62% first-attempt pass rate. That number alone tells you the exam rewards deliberate domain-by-domain preparation over general trade familiarity - plenty of experienced technicians sit down expecting to pass on job experience alone and come up short on the smaller, easily overlooked domains like Combustion Air, Venting, or Texas Laws and Rules.
Two resources worth reading before you schedule: How Hard Is the ACR Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026 unpacks why the exam trips up experienced candidates specifically, and ACR Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows puts the current pass-rate figure in context against prior periods.
After You Pass: Renewal, CE, and Insurance
Passing the exam and getting licensed isn't the finish line - Class A licensees have ongoing obligations:
- License renewal: The license is issued for one year and renews for $65.
- Continuing education: Renewal requires eight hours of continuing education, including one hour specifically on Texas law and rules.
- Insurance: Class A contractors must carry commercial general liability coverage of $300,000 per occurrence, $600,000 aggregate, and $300,000 for products and completed operations.
These ongoing requirements are a good reminder that the license functions as a legal operating credential, not a one-time certificate - budget for renewal fees, CE hours, and insurance premiums as part of the real cost of holding the license long-term.
Mapping a Study Plan to the ACR Domains
Generic study techniques only help if they're pointed at the right material. Given the domain weights above, a practical way to sequence preparation is to front-load the heaviest domains and treat the lighter ones as a final review pass rather than an afterthought.
Air Distribution & Equipment Requirements and Design
- Work through duct sizing and airflow balancing problems
- Practice equipment sizing and clearance scenarios
HVAC Systems, Service, and Testing
- Drill scenario-based troubleshooting questions
- Review standard testing procedures and instrumentation use
Mid-weight domains
- Refrigeration Principles, Basic Refrigeration Components, Controls, Piping
- Build calculator fluency for any numeric items
Remaining lighter domains and full review
- Combustion Air, Ventilation, Venting, Safety, Texas Laws and Rules
- Full-length timed practice run under 4-hour conditions
Tab your approved reference materials by domain during this process - since permanent tabs are allowed, this alone can save significant time during the actual 4-hour session. For a more detailed week-by-week methodology and reference-material recommendations, see the ACR Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt. When you're ready to test your recall under timed conditions, practicing on our full-length practice tests is the closest simulation you'll get to actual exam pacing before test day.
Key Takeaway
Don't wait until the final week to attempt timed practice questions - start weekly timed drills from week one so pacing under the 4-hour limit feels routine by test day, not a new stressor added on top of content review.
Frequently Asked Questions
ACR refers to the Texas Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractor License overseen by TDLR, with the Class A exam administered by PSI. It is not related to unrelated credentials outside Texas that also use the letters ACR.
The exam has 120 scored multiple-choice questions plus 5 unscored items, for a total of 125 on screen. Candidates get 4 hours to complete it and need a 70% score on the scored items to pass.
There are two separate fees: a $115 TDLR application fee and a $74 PSI examination fee, for a combined $189 before any retest costs.
Air Distribution, at 15% of scored content, is the single largest domain and the best starting point, followed by Equipment Requirements and Design at 11.67%.
You need to be at least 18 and generally have either 48 months of supervised practical experience in the preceding 72 months, or 12 months as a certified technician plus 36 months of qualifying experience in the preceding 48 months, subject to approved substitutions.