NC Plumbing Contractor study plan

Map the drainage, waste, and vent chapters of the adopted plumbing code and list every table used for fixture units, slopes, and pipe sizing

Compute drainage fixture unit loads, building drain and branch sizes, and required slope for three sample layouts you draw yourself

Identify trap arm length limits, trap-to-vent distances, cleanout placement rules, and where each applies on your sample layouts

Write out the code definitions for drainage terms (fixture branch, building drain, stack, horizontal branch) from memory and correct them

Classify each vent type (individual, common, wet, circuit, stack, relief, studor/air admittance where adopted) and state the conditions that permit its use

Calculate minimum vent sizes from fixture unit tables and verify developed lengths and offsets against code limits

Solve five venting scenarios that mix wet venting and common venting, showing the code section basis for each answer

Distinguish the general building and plumbing code definitions that are commonly confused (occupancy, plumbing fixture, habitable space, inaccessible)

Size water service and distribution piping using the fixture unit and equivalent length method for a two-bath single-family dwelling plus a small commercial restroom

Determine static and residual pressure requirements and verify whether a booster pump or pressure-reducing valve is needed

Compare approved water pipe materials and joint methods and state where each is permitted and prohibited

Locate the protection requirements for water pipe in slabs, against freezing, and where it crosses sewer lines

Apply general regulations on support and spacing of pipe, sleeves and penetration protection, trenching and bedding, and excavation safety

Apply fixture clearances, installation heights, and the minimum number of required fixtures by occupancy type

Match each fixture and fixture fitting to its required flow rate, trap size, and vent size

Connect plumbing appliance requirements (water heaters, expansion control, relief valves, dishwashers, clothes washers) to their installation rules

Read a plumbing plan and a riser diagram you supply yourself and identify every fixture, valve, cleanout, and vent shown

Perform a material take-off from that plan, counting pipe by size and material, fittings, hangers, and fixtures

Price the take-off into a labor and material estimate with overhead and markup applied

Verify trap, flow, and vent sizing for every fixture in the take-off against the code tables

Interpret an isometric plumbing drawing by converting its three-dimensional pipe runs into a plan and elevation sketch and back again

Compute pressure drop and sizing through a multi-story stack and offset using developed length and elevation change

Explain the hierarchy of cross-connection control: air gap, reduced-pressure principle assembly, double check, and vacuum breaker, and identify which application requires which

Locate the requirements for backflow prevention at the service, at boiler connections, at irrigation, and at chemical injection points

Outline the licensing pathway for a plumbing contractor: qualification, examination, bond, insurance, and renewal obligations

Explain how the code is adopted locally, which edition governs, and how amendments and local ordinances take precedence

Identify the contract elements, lien and notice requirements, change order handling, and dispute provisions that apply to plumbing work

Draft a permit, inspection, and project-closeout sequence for a mid-size commercial plumbing job

Complete two full-length timed practice exams under test conditions and score each

Review every missed question from weeks 1 through 7 and rewrite each as a corrected one-line rule with its code reference

Recompute the three most error-prone calculation types (drainage sizing, water sizing, isometric offsets) from scratch

Build a final one-page formula and table sheet for test-day recall