NGWA CPI study plan

Define the four exam domains in your own words and list the sub-skills you currently lack for each, ranking them by confidence gap.

Sketch a typical residential pump system from well to pressure tank to house, labeling every component and stating each component's function in one sentence.

Explain the relationship among pump capacity, total dynamic head, and flow rate, and calculate TDH for two worked examples you write yourself.

Describe the difference between a jet pump, a submersible pump, and a line-shaft turbine pump, including the depth range and setting where each is normally chosen.

Compute drawdown, static water level, and pumping water level from a set of hypothetical well log numbers you construct.

Compare specific capacity across three wells you invent and explain what a low specific capacity implies about the aquifer or the well screen.

Sequence the steps of a submersible pump installation from hole completion to disinfection, listing the safety check at each step.

Diagnose four common pump-system faults (short cycling, loss of prime, sand production, low pressure) by matching symptoms to likely causes.

Explain the hydrologic cycle as it applies to a drilled well, including recharge, cone of depression, and aquifer confinement.

Distinguish confined from unconfined aquifers and state how each affects static water level and long-term yield.

Summarize the well construction practices that protect groundwater: casing depth, grout seal, sanitary seal, and wellhead completion.

Identify the setback and separation distances commonly regulated for wells relative to septic systems, property lines, and contamination sources, and flag where local rules may differ.

Read a pump curve and select a pump for a stated flow and head requirement, documenting why the operating point falls on the curve's efficient region.

Size a pressure tank for a given pump cycling allowance and explain the role of precharge pressure.

Trace a typical pump control circuit from breaker to pressure switch to contactor to motor, describing what each device protects against.

Calculate full-load current draw and voltage drop for a single-phase submersible motor run on a long drop cable.

Explain the purpose and wiring of pressure switches, float switches, and level electrodes in tank-fill and booster applications.

Describe motor protection devices (overload relays, thermal protectors, lightning arrestors) and state the failure each prevents.

Interpret nameplate data on a submersible motor and match it to correct control-box and starting-capacitor requirements.

Outline lockout/tagout and verify-the-dead-circuit procedure for servicing a pump control panel.

Explain grounding and bonding requirements for pump equipment and why an ungrounded submersible motor is a shock and fire hazard.

Describe how variable-frequency drives affect pump motors, including bearing currents and cable length limits, at a conceptual level.

List the electrical safety hazards specific to wet well and outdoor pump installations and the PPE and test instruments used to control them.

Practice interpreting a motor-insulation resistance test result and state when a motor should be pulled rather than restarted.

Summarize the regulatory layers that govern water wells (federal, state, local) and identify which layer typically sets construction standards.

Explain licensing, permitting, and record-keeping obligations a pump installer or well contractor must meet, noting that specifics vary by jurisdiction.

Describe water-quality testing parameters (coliform bacteria, nitrate, arsenic, hardness, pH) and what each result signals for treatment decisions.

Outline disinfection procedure after well or pump service and the waiting period and retest that follow.

Complete a timed 60-question self-made practice set spanning all four domains and score it by domain.

Re-teach your two weakest sub-skills from memory without notes, then check against your earlier materials.

Recompute two TDH and wire-sizing problems cold to confirm the methods have stuck.

Build a one-page formula and conversion sheet you can reconstruct mentally on exam day.