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Plumber Exam Schedule
Onondaga County Examining Board for Plumbers
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| Plumber Level |
Announcement |
Application Deadline |
Exam Date |
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Applications for exams, licenses, and registrations can be submitting to Plumbing Control in-person, by mail, fax or email.
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Master Exam Example
By vote of the full Examining Board for Plumbers of Onondaga County on January 11, 2024, the Board determined that it is in the best interest of the public, the plumbing community, and aspiring Master plumbers to publish a recent Master Plumber Exam with instructions and the grading Guide Key.
The Board encourages candidates to review the materials provided on this page, participate in the Study Guide Program, and remember to show all work, calculations, and reasons for their approach to test materials in order to demonstrate competence. |
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Exam Background
The Onondaga County Examining Board of Plumbers is established by County resolution and required by New York State General City Law GCT Section 44 to "examine all persons desiring or intending to engage in the trade, business, or calling of plumbing" and to provide "examining persons applying for certificates of competency as such employing or master plumbers...to determine their fitness and qualifications for conducting the business of master plumbers" and "to issue certificates of competency to all such persons who have passed a satisfactory examination before such Board and shall be by it determined to be qualified for conducting the business as employing or master plumbers." |
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About the Master Plumber Exam
The Master Plumber exam is given by the Board in the Spring and Fall each year. The content of the exam is drawn from the most current edition of the Plumbing Code of New York State and the most current edition of the Requirements for Implementation of the New York State Fire Prevention and Building Code. Beginning in the Fall of 2023, this exam is an open book test. Applicants are allowed to bring a copy of the most current edition of the Plumbing Code of New York State as their only reference.The exam is broken into three parts: Code and County Requirements, Drawings and Calculations, and a Practical portion.
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Part 1: Code and County Requirements
This portion of the exam is a series of multiple choice questions based on the Plumbing Code of New York State and Onondaga County's Requirements for Implementation of the New York State Fire Prevention and Building Code. The passing grade for this portion of the exam is 75%. Grading is performed by the Onondaga County Department of Personnel.
Part 2: Drawing and Calculations
Part 2 of the exam tests the candidate's ability to apply code requirements, perform calculations, and prepare sketches for typical plumbing installations. The Board has a series of different tests and changes are made in the content to keep the test challenging. Each test is unique, but all are grounded in the New York State Plumbing Code and the International Code Council (ICC) Codes upon which the New York State Plumbing Code is based on. |
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| Perfect |
100% |
| Good |
85% |
| Capable |
75% |
| Marginal |
65% |
| Minimal |
35% |
Incomplete, Not Done, or
Incorrect/Will Not Work |
0% |
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The passing grade for this portion of the exam is 75%. Grading is performed by the Examining Board of Plumbers. In any plumbing installation there is often several ways to complete the project to code, therefore there is not one correct solution. Below is the general grading key that the Board uses when evaluating answers.
The instructions identify the total points awarded for each section within Part 2 of the exam. Sections are broken down further into subparts. For example, on Drawing P1 (Dewey Dentist) tests the overall layout and suitability of the underfloor waste and storm, which counts for 10 points. The subpart regarding the invert elevations and pitch is worth 4 points. The storm and sanitary connections portion is worth 2 points. And the pipe sizing as supported by calculations is worth a total of 9 points.
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Part 3: Practical
This part of the exam is hands-on where candidates will demonstrate plumbing competence by fabricating several assemblies. The practical portion of the test is scheduled after a candidate passes both Part 1 and Part 2 of the test. Assemblies are reviewed by the Board for dimensional correctness, workmanship, and watertightness.
Observations Regarding Part 2
With the move to an open book test, passing Part 1 should be less of a problem for candidates who have studied and use the Code. Part 2 still presents a challenge for some candidates. The Board has offers the following observations of which future candidates should take note.
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Instructions
All candidates are encourages to review the example instructions from the Fall 2023 exam. Future exams will have different instructions which are tailored to the specific test items, but the form of the instructions will be similar on many exams, and unfortunately, are not always observed by the candidates.
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Point Values
The instructions often identify point values for specific portions of the exam. Candidates sometimes skip portions and may not realize that they are skipping portions with relatively high point values. Candidates are encouraged to plan their time during the exam to maximize their outcome.
Example
In the Fall 2023 exam, the three isometric drawings amounted to 25% of the total grade. As can be seen from the Guide Key, the isometric drawings are not exceptionally complicated. Other jurisdictions may have much more elaborate isometric drawing requirements, but this exam attests to the Onondaga County Examining Board for Plumbers what it believes a Master Plumber should be able to produce -- a suitable double commercial bathroom supply, waste and vent isometric in short order. Similarly, a successful Master Plumber candidate should be able to properly configure a two-temperature water heater and show a correct isometric.
Cost of Skipping
A candidate who skips a section of the exam, such as the above example, will then forfeit 25% of the grade from the start. Candidates are cautioned to pay attention to the point values for each item and plan their work accordingly.
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Guide Keys
The Board employs Guide Keys when grading exams. These are called Guide Keys because they act as a guide to the extent and content expected for each drawing. The Guide Keys are not taken as the only correct or perfect answer. They are taken as an illustration of one acceptable solution to the problem. Candidates who show equivalent skill in demonstrating their proposed solution will be successful. Click here for an example of a Guide Key.
Shortcomings
The following are some shortcomings identified by the Board from the Fall 2023 Exam. (Drawings included in Guide Key)
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| Drawing P1 |
- Different GPM values for stormwater shown on drawings P1 and P2
- 2" (oversized) waste for bar sinks
- Providing 4" minimum under-slab sanitary although that has not been required for at least two decades
- Did not show Invert Elevations at start and end of drains, or showed inverts which did not match with the indicated slopes
- Insufficient cover over building drains for protection from freezing (See Onondaga County Requirements for Implementation)
- Incorrect pipe slopes or inverts considering actual surface grades shown
- Incorrect DFU values shown
- Did not show calculations for pipe sizing or explain how sizing was arrived at. No documentation indicating that pipe sizing was other than "seat of the pants"
- Showing a combined building sewer: (BCNYS 704.1 and 1109.1) require separate connections
- Provide clean outs per code at connection of building sewer and drain for both sanitary and storm, or within Code required distance from that connection.
- Provide trap and co at property line at storm and sanitary prior to connection to combined sewer
- Providing backwater valves where not required by code
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| Drawing P2 |
- Failing to provide hot water re-cir
culation loop for both of the two temperatures
- Bypass on meter not provided
- Provided illegal bypass on backflow preventer
- Roof drain sizing not supported by calculations
- Unable to size water supply piping according to instructions. If it is maximum 5 fps for this test, piping should not be provided at 8 fps
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| Drawing P3 |
- No calculations provided for gallons per minute values
- No inclusion of half of parapet wall or end-wall in storm calcs
- No auxiliary means of drainage provided
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| Drawing P4 |
- No thermostatic mixing valve shown for 115 deg water
- No hot water recirc for each temperature
- Incorrect or missing check valves
- Lack of vents on waste and vent isometric
- Drawings which are not isometric
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Calculations
A constant theme in the instructions is for the candidate to show their calculations or methodology for their solution. The Board of Examiners cannot award a Certificate of Competence for a Master Plumber unless the candidate clearly shows that they know why the sizing they put on a drawing is correct.
Double Penalty
The Board makes efforts to avoid making a double grading penalty for a single candidate mistake. For example, if the candidate makes a mistake on the math addition on the Towne Fixture unit calcs and comes up with a very wrong sum of fixture units for water supply or drainage, the Board will look at the resulting pipe sizing for the candidate and see if the sizing is correct for the sum indicated.
Open Book Test
The current Master and Journeyman exam protocol encourages candidates to bring a copy of the current Plumbing Code of New York State with them for the exam.
ICC Commentary
The Board encourages candidates to obtain and study a copy of the Commentary for the International Plumbing Code (available on ICC site). This document amplifies and explains the thought processes and methodology of conforming to the plumbing code. Although the current 2020 version of the Plumbing Code of New York State is based on the 2018 ICC plumbing code, candidates will find that a more current copy of the ICC Commentary is more than adequate as a study guide. The Commentary for the International Plumbing Code must not be brought to the exam.
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