- What Is ACR Certification?
- Who Issues It and Who Administers the Exam
- What the Exam Actually Covers
- Exam Format and Question Style
- Eligibility and Experience Requirements
- Registration, Fees, and Scheduling
- Approved References and What You Can Bring
- After You Pass: Renewal and Insurance
- Who Hires ACR-Certified Contractors
- Mapping a Study Plan to the Domain Weights
- Frequently Asked Questions
- ACR certification is the Texas Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractor License credential, tested via the PSI-administered Environmental Air Class A exam.
- The exam has 120 scored plus 5 non-scored multiple-choice items, a 4-hour limit, and a 70% passing standard.
- The first-time pass rate was 36.62% for fiscal year 2026 through May 31, 2026.
- Total upfront cost is $189 ($115 TDLR application fee plus $74 PSI exam fee); renewal is $65 annually.
What Is ACR Certification?
ACR certification, in the Texas context, refers to the license issued by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) for individuals who install, maintain, service, and repair environmental air-conditioning and refrigeration systems. The credential that most contractors are targeting is the Class A license, which is validated through the PSI-administered Environmental Air Class A examination. Class A is the broadest tier available to residential and commercial contractors because it covers environmental air-conditioning work with no equipment-size limit.
If you're arriving at this page after searching general terms like What Is ACR?, ACR Meaning, or What Does ACR Stand For?, it's worth being precise: in this context ACR is not a generic industry abbreviation - it is a specific, regulated, state-administered licensing exam with its own fee schedule, domain outline, and renewal cycle. This article focuses exclusively on that Texas credential.
Who Issues It and Who Administers the Exam
Two organizations sit behind every ACR license. The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) is the state agency that sets eligibility rules, collects the application fee, and issues the actual license. PSI is the third-party testing vendor that builds, schedules, and scores the exam itself. This split matters practically: your application paperwork and $115 fee go to TDLR, while your exam-day logistics and $74 fee run through PSI.
Because PSI owns the exam content, it also owns the bulletin that governs what's allowed in the test room, which reference materials are current, and how the outline is weighted. The most recent PSI bulletin was updated July 9, 2026, and it flags an important reference change: 2024 editions of the IMC, IFGC, and UMC become the effective code references starting September 1, 2026. If you're testing near that date, confirm which code edition your exam session will use.
What the Exam Actually Covers
The Class A exam outline is built from 14 content domains, each carrying a specific weight calculated from PSI's official 120-scored-item outline. Understanding these weights is the single most useful thing you can do before opening a study guide, because it tells you exactly where your study hours pay off.
| 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%)
The largest single domain on the exam. Candidates must understand duct sizing, airflow balancing, static pressure concepts, and distribution system design for both residential and light-commercial installations.
- Expect scenario questions tied to duct layout and airflow correction
- Weight alone justifies more study time here than any other domain
Equipment Requirements and Design (11.67%)
Covers equipment selection, sizing rules, manufacturer specification compliance, and design constraints for Class A systems without size limits.
- Know load-based sizing logic, not just equipment names
- Second-highest weight - pairs naturally with HVAC Systems study
HVAC Systems (9.17%)
Tests broader system-level knowledge: how components interact across heating, cooling, and air-handling equipment in a working installation.
- Focus on system integration rather than isolated parts
- Frequently overlaps with Controls and Equipment Requirements questions
For a domain-by-domain breakdown with study suggestions for every one of the 14 areas, see the ACR Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 14 Content Areas. If you want a candid assessment of how tough this outline is in practice, read How Hard Is the ACR Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026.
Exam Format and Question Style
The Environmental Air Class A exam is a computer-based, in-person, open-book test administered at a PSI testing center. It contains 120 scored multiple-choice questions plus 5 non-scored items used for future exam development - you won't know which is which, so every question deserves full attention. You have 4 hours to complete it, and a raw score of 70% is required to pass.
Two format details set this exam apart from many other trade licensing tests:
- It's open-book. Approved references may include preexisting notes, highlighting, underlining, and permanent tabs - meaning your prep work on your reference materials before test day is legitimately useful during the exam.
- A nonprogrammable calculator is permitted, which matters for load calculations, duct sizing math, and piping problems that appear across several domains.
The exam is offered in both English and Spanish, so language shouldn't be a barrier to demonstrating your knowledge. For the exact scoring mechanics and what a "passing" result looks like on your score report, see ACR Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass.
Key Takeaway
Because the exam is open-book, your reference tabbing strategy is a study tactic in itself - organize your code books and manuals by domain weight, not by chapter order, so high-value domains like Air Distribution are fastest to find.
Eligibility and Experience Requirements
TDLR requires applicants to be at least 18 years old, plus one of two experience paths:
- 48 months of supervised practical experience completed within the preceding 72 months, or
- 12 months as a certified technician plus 36 months of qualifying experience completed within the preceding 48 months.
Approved substitutions may apply depending on formal training or education, so applicants with relevant coursework should confirm with TDLR whether any hours can be credited. Because these experience windows are rolling (measured against the preceding 72 or 48 months), timing your application matters - experience that falls outside the lookback period may not count.
A full walkthrough of qualifying experience paths, documentation, and substitution rules is available in ACR Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify.
Registration, Fees, and Scheduling
Two separate payments are involved in getting to the exam chair:
- TDLR application fee: $115
- PSI examination fee: $74
That's $189 before you've even sat for the test. Once licensed, the license itself runs on a one-year cycle and renews for $65, requiring 8 hours of continuing education per cycle - including 1 hour specifically on Texas law and rules. Budgeting for renewal and CE hours from day one avoids surprises later. A complete cost breakdown covering application, exam, retake, and renewal expenses is in ACR Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown.
Scheduling happens through PSI once TDLR approves your application. Because testing windows, blackout periods, and code-reference transition dates (like the September 1, 2026 shift to 2024 IMC/IFGC/UMC editions) can affect which version of the exam you sit, check current availability in ACR Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling before locking in a date.
Approved References and What You Can Bring
Since this is an open-book exam, the references you're allowed to use functionally become part of your preparation strategy. PSI permits approved references containing preexisting notes, highlighting, underlining, and permanent tabs - but the materials themselves must be on PSI's approved list, and you can't bring in loose supplementary notes that aren't part of an approved publication.
Given the upcoming reference edition change, candidates testing on or after September 1, 2026 should specifically confirm they're studying and tabbing the 2024 IMC, IFGC, and UMC editions rather than older versions still circulating in some study materials.
After You Pass: Renewal and Insurance
Passing the exam and getting licensed is not the end of the compliance picture. Class A contractors must maintain commercial general liability coverage of at least $300,000 per occurrence, $600,000 aggregate, and $300,000 for products and completed operations. This insurance requirement is ongoing - it's not a one-time condition of licensure, and lapses can jeopardize your ability to legally contract work.
On the licensing side, remember the annual $65 renewal fee and the 8-hour continuing education requirement, with 1 hour dedicated to Texas law and rules. Missing CE deadlines or letting insurance lapse can create renewal headaches even for contractors who passed the exam comfortably the first time.
Who Hires ACR-Certified Contractors
Class A licensure opens doors across residential and commercial HVAC/refrigeration work in Texas - from independent contracting businesses bidding on installation and service jobs, to larger mechanical contracting firms that need licensed techs on staff to legally pull permits and sign off on work. Because Class A has no equipment-size limit, it's the tier most often required for larger commercial systems, multi-family properties, and mixed-use buildings where smaller residential-only credentials don't qualify a contractor to work.
If you're weighing whether the investment of time, experience hours, and fees translates into real earning potential, two resources go deeper on that question: ACR Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis and Is the ACR Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026.
Mapping a Study Plan to the Domain Weights
With a 36.62% first-time pass rate reported for fiscal year 2026 through May 31, 2026, treating this exam casually is risky. The most efficient study plan allocates time proportionally to domain weight rather than spreading effort evenly across all 14 areas.
Heaviest domains first
- Air Distribution (15%)
- Equipment Requirements and Design (11.67%)
Mid-weight domains
- HVAC Systems (9.17%)
- Service (10%) and Testing (10%)
Lighter-weight domains and law
- Refrigeration Principles, Piping, Controls, Combustion Air, Safety, Ventilation, Venting (each 4-5%)
- Texas Laws and Rules (5%) - small weight, but foundational to renewal CE later
Timed practice and reference tabbing
- Full-length timed run-throughs under the 4-hour limit
- Finalize open-book reference tabs by domain
This is a starting framework, not a rigid schedule - adjust it based on where your practical experience is already strongest. For a more detailed step-by-step preparation roadmap, see the ACR Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt, and review current pass-rate context in ACR Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows. Running full-length timed practice sessions on our practice test platform before exam day is one of the most direct ways to convert domain study into exam-day speed.
If you'd rather have every core fact condensed onto a single reference page for last-minute review, the ACR Cheat Sheet 2026: One-Page Review of Must-Know Facts summarizes fees, format, and domain weights in one place.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. ACR certification here specifically refers to the Texas TDLR-issued Class A Contractor License, validated by the PSI Environmental Air Class A exam. It's a state-regulated license, not a manufacturer certificate or a national voluntary credential.
The exam contains 120 scored multiple-choice questions plus 5 non-scored items, for a total of 125 questions, within a 4-hour time limit. A 70% score is required to pass.
The TDLR application fee is $115 and the PSI examination fee is $74, for a combined $189 before licensure. Once licensed, renewal is $65 per year, with 8 hours of continuing education required, including 1 hour on Texas law and rules.
The exam is open-book, and approved references may include preexisting notes, highlighting, underlining, and permanent tabs. A nonprogrammable calculator is also allowed. However, materials must be on PSI's approved reference list.
Applicants must be at least 18 and generally need 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, subject to approved substitutions.