Iowa HVAC Exam Prep: 1,450 Practice Questions for the Master HVAC/Refrigeration Exam
PassProfessor’s Iowa HVAC Exam Prep is built for candidates for Iowa’s Master HVAC/Refrigeration license, issued by the Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board. The bank holds 1,450 original practice questions: a 1,250-question HVAC core covering the trade itself, plus 200 Iowa questions on Iowa law, exam administration, and trade application.
Every question is an original item written for this program, and every question comes with an explanation for every answer: why the keyed answer is right and why each other option is wrong, grounded in the cited code, standard, manual, or rule.
The exam, in facts
- Iowa licenses the trades through the Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board (PMSB) in the Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing, under Iowa Code Chapter 105. The Master HVAC/Refrigeration license is the individual credential; the Contractor license is a separate, entity-level license that requires a master of record for the discipline.
- The Master HVAC/Refrigeration with Gas exam is administered by Kirkwood Community College, the Board’s contracted exam provider: open book, 100 questions, 4 hours, 75% to pass, $119 per attempt.
- Kirkwood’s published outline (percent of the exam): Refrigeration Term System, Operation 20 – Venting, Duct, Combustion Air 18 – HVAC Terms, Principles, Administration 16 – HVAC Installation 14 – HVAC Electrical 13 – Boilers, Exhaust, & Fire Protection 11 – Gas Piping 8.
- The references allowed in the room are Modern Refrigeration and Air Conditioning (21st edition), the IMC 2024, and NFPA 54 (2024) – Iowa’s content keys the 2024 editions (the state Mechanical Code adopted the IMC 2024 effective March 26, 2025), though the physical books you bring may be any edition.
- Three fee instruments stay separate: the Board’s $35 exam-candidate application per trade exam, Kirkwood’s $119 per exam attempt, and the Board’s $240 master license fee per 3-year period. Board approval comes first and stays valid 1 year, with unlimited attempts inside it (each attempt paid).
- Master eligibility runs through the journeyperson tier: a licensed journeyperson with at least 2 years of journeyperson experience (or a previously licensed master). Licenses run 3 years expiring June 30, with 8 hours of continuing education per period for a single license.
How the practice program works
The full practice exam draws 100 questions in 240 minutes – the same length and time as the real Master exam – weighted to Kirkwood’s published outline across the bank’s 19 topics, and every attempt draws a fresh assortment, so no two practice exams are the same.
Each of the bank’s 19 topics has its own drill, so you can drill Iowa licensing law on its own or work the trade topics one at a time:
- Refrigeration Principles & Components — 114 questions
- Refrigerants, Recovery & Handling — 55 questions
- Cooling Systems: Service, Diagnostics & Repair — 91 questions
- Heating Systems — 212 questions
- Air Distribution, Duct Design & Airflow — 114 questions
- Controls & Electrical for HVAC — 110 questions
- Piping, Brazing & Gas Piping — 65 questions
- Ventilation, Venting, Combustion Air & IAQ — 87 questions
- Load Calculation & System Design — 41 questions
- Safety, Testing & Code Practice — 85 questions
- Commercial Refrigeration Systems — 41 questions
- Equipment Installation & Commissioning — 75 questions
- Hydronics & Boilers — 35 questions
- Business & Law Practice — 50 questions
- Plan Reading & Construction Documents — 25 questions
- Packaged & Manufactured Systems — 50 questions
- Iowa Licensing Law & Rules — 76 questions
- Exam Administration — 24 questions
- Trade Application — 100 questions
Try the free 12-question sample first — it uses a fixed set of questions so you can see exactly how explanations read before you buy.
Our practice exam is scored against a 75% practice benchmark, set to mirror Kirkwood’s published 75% passing standard for the Iowa Master HVAC/Refrigeration exam. PRACTICE BENCHMARK ONLY — your score here is a study signal, not a result on the real exam.
Questions
Which Iowa license does this cover?
The Master HVAC/Refrigeration license – the exam this program mirrors is the Master with Gas sitting. Iowa’s Contractor license is a separate entity credential built on top of a master of record, not a second trade exam; the Journeyperson exam (75 questions) is a shorter sitting on the same foundations.
Is the practice exam timed like the real one?
Yes. The full practice exam allows 240 minutes for 100 questions, matching the Kirkwood Master exam. The real exam is open book; how you use references while practicing is up to you.
Are these real exam questions?
No. Every question is original to PassProfessor, written from Kirkwood’s published exam outline and the cited references. Nothing here is copied or paraphrased from a licensing exam or a competitor’s bank.
What does the 75% benchmark mean?
Our practice exam is scored against a 75% practice benchmark, set to mirror Kirkwood’s published 75% passing standard for the Iowa Master HVAC/Refrigeration exam. PRACTICE BENCHMARK ONLY — your score here is a study signal, not a result on the real exam.
Enroll: Product: /product/iowa-hvac-exam-prep/ — $79 for the full program.