This Plumber cheat sheet boils the journeyman licensing exam down to the code facts boards test most, from UPC/IPC administration to DWV sizing and backflow. It's a premium cheat sheet built by Capital Prep — the one premium prep we trust — and it's yours free. Back it up with the rest of your free plumber toolkit: the practice test, study guide, and flashcards.
Plumber exam at a glance
- Questions: ~80-100 multiple-choice (varies by state)
- Time: About 3-4 hours (varies by state)
- Passing score: ~70-75% correct (set by your state board)
- Format: Computer-based; often open-book on the adopted UPC or IPC code
- Cost: Commonly ~$75-150 exam fee (e.g., Texas CBT $68.50 to Pearson VUE)
What’s on the Plumber cheat sheet
- Codes & Administration (~28%) — UPC vs. IPC, local amendments, permits, and the rough-in/top-out/final inspection stages — the most heavily weighted area.
- Systems, Fixtures & Materials (~17%) — the two plumbing systems, approved pipe materials, lead-free rules, and DFU/WSFU fixture-unit sizing.
- Water Supply & Backflow (~14%) — WSFU sizing, water hammer, cross-connection control, and matching air gaps, RPZs, and check valves to the hazard.
- Sanitary & Storm Drainage (~14%) — drainage slope minimums, DFU-based pipe sizing, cleanout placement, and separate storm conductors.
- Venting & Traps (~14%) — vent types, trap-arm limits, the 2-to-4-in. trap seal, and why the S-trap is prohibited.
- Heaters, Gas, Safety & Math (~13%) — T&P relief valves, expansion tanks, gas piping, trench safety, and pipe-sizing math.
How to use it in your final week
- Lock in the slope rule cold: ¼ in. per foot for pipe 2½ in. and smaller, ⅛ in. per foot for 3-to-6-in. pipe — and remember over-sloping strands solids too.
- Drill the backflow hierarchy from the sheet: an air gap is the most reliable protection, and a high-hazard connection under back-pressure needs an RPZ installed above grade.
- Rehearse fast code lookups against your tabbed UPC or IPC book — on an open-book exam, knowing where the fixture-unit, vent, and slope tables live beats memorizing numbers.
- Read the sheet the morning of the test for a final pass on memory hooks: 3-in. minimum water-closet drain, 2-to-4-in. trap seal, S-trap prohibited, and 1 psi ≈ 2.31 ft of head.
The cheat sheet is your review layer — your Plumber practice test drives the exam-readiness ring at the top of this page. Download it, review, then take a full practice exam (or drill with the study guide and flashcards) to see where you stand.
Plumber cheat sheet FAQ
Yes — it downloads as a PDF with no account and no sign-up. It sits alongside Career Employer's free plumber practice test, study guide, and flashcards, so your whole prep stack costs nothing.
It compresses the highest-yield facts a journeyman exam tests: UPC vs. IPC administration, DWV and water-supply systems, pipe materials, fixture-unit sizing, drainage slope, venting, traps, backflow prevention, water heaters, and plumbing math. Everything is organized by the content areas most state boards weight heaviest.
It flags where the two model codes diverge — air admittance valves, some venting rules, and certain sizing tables — so you know which facts are code-specific. Because each state adopts its own edition and local amendments, confirm your jurisdiction's code before test day.
No. Many state exams are open-book on the adopted UPC or IPC code, but only the approved, tabbed code book is allowed at the testing center — not this sheet. Use the cheat sheet to cram beforehand and to speed up your code lookups, then leave it in the car.
Click the download button or the preview card at the top of this page to open the PDF instantly. Bookmark the page so you can find it again during your final week of prep.
References
- 1.International Code Council. “International Plumbing Code (IPC) — model code.” codes.iccsafe.org, 2026. ↑
- 2.International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials. “Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC).” iapmo.org, 2026. ↑
- 3.U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. “Cross-Connection Control.” epa.gov, 2026. ↑
- 4.Texas State Board of Plumbing Examiners. “Journeyman Plumber License.” tsbpe.texas.gov, 2026. ↑
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