North Carolina Plumbing Contractor Exam

Getting approved to sit for the NC plumbing exam is the hard part — documenting your hours, gathering notarized employer statements, submitting the application. But the exam day itself has its own set of logistics that trip people up, from the 90-day scheduling window to the specific book format requirements that PSI enforces at the testing center door.

Scheduling Through PSI

The NCPHFS does not administer exams directly. All plumbing exams are delivered through PSI Services (now part of the PSI/Scantron family) at their computer-based testing centers across the state. Once the board approves your application, you receive a Notice of Eligibility with a unique candidate ID.

You schedule the exam through PSI's online portal at psiexams.com or by calling 855-746-8173. The critical constraint: you must take the exam within 90 days of the board's approval date. This is the "Authorization Period," and it's a hard deadline — if you don't sit for the exam within that window, the authorization period expires; contact NCPHFS about the next application step.

Seven Testing Locations

PSI operates testing centers in seven cities across North Carolina:

• Asheville
• Charlotte
• Winston-Salem
• Raleigh
• Fayetteville
• Greenville
• Wilmington

Seat availability varies by location. The Raleigh and Charlotte centers tend to book up faster, so schedule as early as possible after receiving your eligibility notice — especially if you're aiming for a specific date. Smaller centers like Asheville or Wilmington sometimes have earlier openings.

What the Exam Covers

Contractor applicants take two separate exams in the same session:

• Technical Plumbing Exam: Up to 4 hours. Covers the 2018 NC State Plumbing Code (based on the 2015 IPC), including drain/waste/vent sizing, fixture unit calculations, water supply design, and code-specific requirements.
• Business and Law Exam: Up to 1.5 hours. Covers the NASCLA Contractors Guide to Business, Law and Project Management, including contract law, lien rights, insurance requirements, and NC-specific licensing statutes.

Technician applicants take only the technical exam. A passing score is 70% or higher on each exam.

Both exams are open-book. You're allowed to bring approved reference materials into the testing room, and this is where the format rules matter.

Book and Tab Requirements

PSI enforces strict rules about what you can bring:

• All reference books must be in softcover format. Hardcover editions are not permitted.
• Index tabs must be permanent and pre-printed. Handwritten tabs, Post-it notes, and adhesive flags are prohibited. Most exam-prep vendors sell pre-tabbed editions specifically for PSI testing — buy those rather than trying to tab your own copies.
• No loose papers, printed notes, or supplementary materials are allowed.

The required references for the technical exam include the 2018 North Carolina State Plumbing Code. For the business and law exam, you need the NASCLA Contractors Guide. Make sure you're buying the 2018 code edition — the 2024 code is not yet in effect and is not accepted as an exam reference.

Arrive at the testing center 30 minutes before your scheduled exam time with two forms of valid government-issued identification.

What Happens If You Fail

If you don't achieve 70% on either exam, you receive your score report immediately at the testing center. The retake process has two constraints:

1. 90-day mandatory waiting period. You cannot retake the exam sooner than 90 days after a failed attempt. No exceptions.
2. Re-Examination Application required. You must submit a paper Re-Examination Application (the online portal does not accept retake applications) along with another $150 non-refundable fee.

The waiting period resets with each failed attempt. If you fail twice, you've waited 6 months and spent $450 in exam fees before your third try. This makes preparation genuinely important — not because the exam is impossibly hard, but because each failed attempt costs real time and money.

What Happens After You Pass

You receive the License Activation Form at the testing center or from the board after passing. Submit it to the NCPHFS Raleigh office within 45 days along with the activation fee ($150 for contractors, $75 for technicians). After processing, the board mails your official state licensing certificate.

The North Carolina Plumber License Guide includes an Exam Preparation Timeline that maps every deadline — from scheduling through activation — so nothing falls through the cracks during the 90-day authorization window.

See more North Carolina guides →