Arizona Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Commercial Contractor (C-39) Highlighted & Tabbed Book Package

The Arizona Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Commercial Contractor (C-39) Highlighted & Tabbed Book Package is designed for contractors preparing for the Arizona R-39R/C-39 Air Conditioning and Refrigeration trade examination. This package brings together the HVAC, refrigeration, mechanical, fuel gas, boiler, duct design, and OSHA references used to support exam preparation for Arizona’s air conditioning and refrigeration contractor licensing process.

The C-39 trade exam is a serious contractor licensing exam. It covers refrigeration, air conditioning, warm air heating, controls, motors, boilers, ventilation, evaporative cooling, fuel piping, water piping, hydronic systems, testing, balancing, inspections, sizing, and estimating. Candidates need more than general field experience. They need to know how to work through technical reference materials, locate information quickly, understand code-based requirements, and connect trade knowledge to the way exam questions are written.

This highlighted and tabbed book package helps organize the study process. Key sections are highlighted to guide review, while permanent tabs help candidates move through the references more efficiently. For an open book trade exam, speed and familiarity matter. Large code books and HVAC references can be difficult to use under time pressure unless the candidate has spent time learning where major topics are located.

This package is built for commercial HVAC and refrigeration contractors, qualifying parties, business owners, technicians, installers, service professionals, and tradespeople preparing for the Arizona C-39 examination. It is especially useful for candidates who already understand the work but want organized references that support focused study, book navigation, and exam-day readiness.

What You Get

• Highlighted reference books: Key areas are highlighted to help direct attention to important exam-related material.
• Permanent tabs: Tabs are placed to help candidates locate major topics and important sections more quickly during study and open book reference use.
• Commercial HVAC and refrigeration study support: The package supports preparation across refrigeration, air conditioning, heating, ventilation, fuel gas, mechanical code, boilers, duct design, and OSHA safety topics.
• Organized exam preparation structure: The books are prepared to help reduce search time, improve reference familiarity, and support more efficient study sessions.

Please allow up to 15 business days for tabbed and highlighted book package orders

Exam Details

The Arizona R-39R/C-39 Air Conditioning and Refrigeration examination is administered through PSI for the Arizona Registrar of Contractors. The exam contains 80 questions, requires a minimum passing score of 70%, and allows 210 minutes of testing time.

The content outline includes the following subject areas:

• Refrigeration: 12 items
• Air Conditioning: 12 items
• Warm Air Heating: 12 items
• Controls and Motors: 8 items
• Boilers: 4 items
• Ventilation: 4 items
• Evaporative Coolers: 4 items
• Fuel Piping Systems: 5 items
• Water Piping Systems: 5 items
• Steam, Hot, Chilled, and Condensing Water: 5 items
• Testing, Balancing, and Inspections: 5 items
• Sizing and Estimating: 4 items

The exam may include questions based on the listed reference materials, trade knowledge, and general industry practices. Code questions are based on the code editions listed for the examination. This makes it important to study the correct code editions and understand how those books are organized. For non-code references, later editions may be used as they become available, but candidates should still prepare with the materials that best match the exam outline and the product package they are purchasing.

The C-39 exam is broad because commercial air conditioning and refrigeration work touches many systems. Candidates should prepare for questions involving refrigeration cycle principles, comfort cooling, heating equipment, motors and controls, boiler operation, ventilation requirements, evaporative cooling equipment, fuel gas piping, water piping, hydronic systems, inspection practices, system balancing, equipment sizing, and estimating concepts.

Open Book Test

The Arizona R-39R/C-39 Air Conditioning and Refrigeration trade examination is an open book test using approved reference materials. Candidates are responsible for bringing their own references to the examination center.

The approved references allowed in the examination center include Code of Federal Regulations - 29 CFR Part 1926 (OSHA), International Fuel Gas Code, 2018 Edition, and International Mechanical Code, 2018 Edition. These books may be highlighted, underlined, annotated, and indexed before the examination session. Candidates may not write, highlight, underline, or index the references during the examination.

Additional papers, whether loose or attached, are not permitted with approved references. References may be tabbed or indexed with permanent tabs only. Permanent tabs are defined as tabs that would tear the page if removed. Temporary tabs, removable sticky tabs, or loose papers are not permitted in the examination center.

Modern Refrigeration and Air Conditioning, Low Pressure Boilers, ACCA Manual D, and the ACCA Ductulator are study references connected to the examination content, but they are not listed as allowed in the examination center for this trade exam. These materials are useful for learning and review, but candidates should distinguish between study materials and exam-room-approved references when preparing their books for test day.

Candidates may use a silent, nonprinting, non-programmable calculator in the examination center. Because the exam has 80 questions and a 210-minute time limit, candidates should practice locating answers quickly and avoid relying on long reading during the actual exam.

Licensing Steps

Arizona contractor licensing is handled by the Arizona Registrar of Contractors. Applicants should begin by identifying the proper license classification and reviewing the examination requirements for that classification. The person completing the required examination process must be the qualifying party for the license.

For many new Arizona contractor license applicants, the licensing process includes the Arizona Statutes and Rules Exam, also known as the SRE. The SRE is a computer-based course and exam provided and maintained by the Arizona Registrar of Contractors. It covers Arizona statutes and rules that apply to contractors. The C-39 trade examination is separate from the SRE and focuses on air conditioning and refrigeration trade knowledge.

Once all required examinations are completed, the applicant submits the completed license application and score report to the Arizona Registrar of Contractors for processing. Licensing applications cannot be accepted until examination requirements have been completed. Original score reports must be submitted within the required period after passing the examination.

A practical licensing path includes confirming the C-39 classification, studying the trade references, becoming comfortable with open book rules, completing the Arizona statutes and rules requirement when applicable, scheduling the PSI trade exam, passing the required examination, and submitting the contractor license application package to the Arizona Registrar of Contractors.

State Requirements

The Arizona Registrar of Contractors issues separate commercial, residential, and dual license classifications for particular trades and fields of construction. The C-39 classification is the commercial air conditioning and refrigeration contractor classification. Candidates pursuing this license should prepare for commercial HVAC and refrigeration work rather than limiting their study to residential service conditions.

The trade exam content reflects the broad nature of commercial HVAC and refrigeration contracting. Candidates should be prepared for technical questions involving mechanical systems, refrigeration equipment, fuel gas, ventilation, heating, piping, boilers, controls, motors, testing, balancing, inspection, sizing, and estimating. The state licensing process also requires applicants to satisfy the examination and application requirements connected to the qualifying party and license classification.

Arizona licensing is not based on the trade exam alone. Applicants may need to meet state application, entity, bonding, experience, background, and business requirements depending on the license classification and applicant structure. The trade examination is one major part of the process, but the license is issued only after the Arizona Registrar of Contractors reviews and processes the completed application.

Candidates should keep their study focused on the official C-39 content outline. HVAC experience helps, but the exam also measures the ability to interpret code books, apply safety standards, understand system requirements, and use reference materials efficiently under timed conditions.

Reference Books

Please allow up to 15 business days for tabbed and highlighted book package orders

• Code of Federal Regulations - 29 CFR Part 1926 (OSHA)
  This construction safety reference supports OSHA-related exam content and covers federal construction standards used to address jobsite safety, hazard recognition, worker protection, and safe construction practices.
• International Fuel Gas Code, 2018
  This code reference supports questions involving fuel gas systems, gas piping, combustion air, appliance installation, venting, safety requirements, and related fuel gas provisions.
• International Mechanical Code, 2018
  This mechanical code reference supports commercial HVAC and mechanical system questions involving ventilation, duct systems, equipment installation, exhaust systems, combustion air, refrigeration, and related mechanical requirements.
• Modern Refrigeration and Air Conditioning, 22nd edition
  This HVAC and refrigeration textbook supports review of refrigeration principles, air conditioning systems, service concepts, components, troubleshooting, equipment operation, and applied HVAC knowledge.
• Low Pressure Boilers 5th Edition
  This boiler reference supports study of boiler operation, safety, controls, fuel systems, water systems, steam and hot water concepts, and maintenance topics relevant to the boiler portion of the exam outline.
• Manual D, 2016, 3rd Ed
  This ACCA duct design reference supports study of residential duct system design principles, airflow, friction rate, duct sizing, duct layout, and system distribution concepts that help candidates understand air movement and duct performance.
• Ductulator
  This duct sizing tool supports study and practice for airflow, duct sizing, friction loss, and quick duct design calculations used in HVAC system planning and review.

Test Information and Study Materials

The Arizona C-39 exam rewards candidates who combine trade experience with organized reference use. Because the test covers many HVAC and refrigeration subject areas, candidates should avoid studying only the areas they use most often in the field. A technician who is strong in service work may still need additional review in fuel gas code, boiler systems, water piping, testing and balancing, or estimating. A contractor who manages crews may need extra practice with technical calculations, control concepts, refrigeration cycle details, and mechanical code navigation.

The OSHA reference should be reviewed for construction safety rules that apply to commercial work. Safety questions may involve worksite hazards, personal protective equipment, ladders, scaffolds, electrical safety, excavation concerns, fall protection, and other construction-related standards. Candidates should become familiar with where major OSHA topics are located before the exam.

The International Fuel Gas Code is important for gas piping and fuel-burning equipment. Candidates should understand how to locate tables, sizing information, appliance provisions, venting requirements, combustion air requirements, shutoff requirements, and installation rules. Fuel gas questions often require candidates to identify a correct code provision rather than rely on memory alone.

The International Mechanical Code is one of the most important references for this exam. Candidates should study the organization of the book and learn where to find requirements related to mechanical equipment, ventilation, exhaust systems, duct systems, refrigeration, boilers, hydronic systems, and related commercial mechanical installations. Code book familiarity helps reduce search time and improves confidence during the exam.

Modern Refrigeration and Air Conditioning supports broader HVAC and refrigeration theory. Candidates should use it to review system operation, refrigerants, compressors, evaporators, condensers, metering devices, controls, troubleshooting, heat transfer, service procedures, and equipment types. This helps connect hands-on HVAC experience to the technical language used in exam questions.

Low Pressure Boilers is useful for reviewing boiler construction, operation, safety devices, controls, steam systems, hot water systems, maintenance, and related system components. Even though boilers represent a smaller portion of the outline, those questions can still affect the final score.

Manual D and the Ductulator support airflow and duct design study. Candidates should practice duct sizing concepts, friction rate, equivalent length, velocity, airflow, and distribution design. Even when a tool or study reference is not allowed in the exam room, working through it during preparation can help build understanding for sizing and estimating questions.

A strong study routine should include timed practice. Candidates should select a subject area, locate related sections in the books, and practice finding answers quickly. The goal is to know which book to use, which tab to open, and which section is most likely to contain the answer. Repeated practice builds speed and reduces the stress of searching through large technical books during the exam.

How 1 Exam Prep Helps You Reach Your Goal

1 Exam Prep helps contractor candidates prepare with organized study materials, trade-focused review, and reference navigation support. This highlighted and tabbed book package is designed to help Arizona C-39 candidates move through the approved code references and supporting HVAC study materials with a clearer plan.

For many candidates, the challenge is not only learning HVAC and refrigeration concepts. The challenge is knowing where to find information quickly inside large reference books. 1 Exam Prep helps simplify that process by preparing books with highlights and tabs that support focused review and faster navigation.

The highlighted sections help direct attention to important material, while the tabs make it easier to move between major subjects during study sessions. Candidates can use the package to review refrigeration, air conditioning, heating, controls, boilers, ventilation, fuel gas systems, water piping, mechanical code, OSHA safety, and sizing topics in a more structured way.

1 Exam Prep’s approach is practical and exam-focused. The goal is to help candidates study with less confusion, use their references more effectively, and build confidence through consistent preparation. No book package can guarantee a passing score or license approval, but organized references can make the preparation process clearer, more efficient, and easier to manage.

FAQ Section

Is the Arizona C-39 Air Conditioning and Refrigeration exam open book?

Yes. The Arizona R-39R/C-39 Air Conditioning and Refrigeration trade exam is open book using approved reference materials. Candidates must bring their own approved references and follow the examination center rules for highlighting, annotations, indexing, and tabs.

How many questions are on the Arizona C-39 exam?

The exam contains 80 questions. The minimum passing score is 70%, and the time allowed is 210 minutes.

What topics are covered on the C-39 exam?

The exam covers refrigeration, air conditioning, warm air heating, controls and motors, boilers, ventilation, evaporative coolers, fuel piping systems, water piping systems, steam, hot, chilled and condensing water, testing, balancing, inspections, sizing, and estimating.

Which books are allowed in the examination center?

The approved exam-room references listed for this exam include Code of Federal Regulations - 29 CFR Part 1926 (OSHA), International Fuel Gas Code, 2018 Edition, and International Mechanical Code, 2018 Edition.

Are all books in this package allowed in the exam room?

No. Modern Refrigeration and Air Conditioning, Low Pressure Boilers, Manual D, and the Ductulator are study references connected to exam preparation, but they are not listed as allowed in the examination center for this exam.

Can I write in my books during the exam?

No. References may be highlighted, underlined, annotated, and indexed before the exam, but candidates may not write, highlight, underline, or index references during the examination session.

Are removable tabs allowed?

No. Tabs must be permanent. Permanent tabs are tabs that would tear the page if removed. Temporary sticky tabs and removable tabs are not permitted.

Who administers the Arizona C-39 trade exam?

The Arizona Registrar of Contractors has contracted with PSI to conduct the trade examination program for Arizona contractor licensing.

Does this package include the Arizona Statutes and Rules Exam?

This product is a highlighted and tabbed book package for the Arizona C-39 Air Conditioning and Refrigeration trade exam. The Arizona Statutes and Rules Exam is a separate requirement for many new Arizona contractor license applicants.

Is this package helpful for experienced HVAC technicians?

Yes. Field experience is valuable, but the exam also requires candidates to use code books and technical references efficiently. Highlighted and tabbed books help experienced tradespeople connect practical knowledge with the references used for the exam.