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Journeyman General Mechanical Examination Review, 3rd Edition, is an illustrated review designed to prepare practicing air-conditioning contractors and senior year apprentices for the Journeyman HVAC or General Mechanical Exam. Includes over 500 questions and answers from previous municipal and state certification tests.
From the Introduction
Unfortunately, there are no existing "Standards" for writing examinations, testing, or grading at this time. Neither are there any standards set for experience, residency or educational qualifications for applicants. Examinations and qualification requirements vary from place to place. But the basics do not change, most exams will ask questions about service and construction. Some questions will be practical, some theoretical. In addition most examinations will test the candidates knowledge on Code Questions.
Although different areas around the country use different building codes, most local codes are usually referral codes, that is, they refer to other standards and are based, in general, upon those standards. For this reason, most codes are quite similar although, of course, there may be sharp regional differences owing to hurricanes, earthquakes and other conditions that are unique to specific areas. Such standards as ASHRAE 15: Safety Code for Mechanical Refrigeration; ASME B31.9 piping code; SMACNA duct construction and installation manuals and the NFPA National Fire Code Standards make up the basis for all local codes. You should be thoroughly familiar with these standards.
Because South Florida was the first to require certification examinations for journeyman general mechanical, and many other regions around the country have borrowed from these exams through the years, many of the questions and problems in this book have been taken for those exams. Many of these examination questions were written by me twenty-five years ago when I was Chairman of the Mechanical Contractor's Examining Board, and are still current.
This book is divided into six parts. In Part 1 I have tried to familiarize the reader with the language and construction of tests generally so he need not walk into the exam room cold. To many, the thought of sitting in a "classroom" or "examination room" is a disturbing and intimidating experience; I have given some hints about what to expect in the exam room and hints about what, where, when and how to study. Part 1 ends with 300 of the most frequently asked questions - they should be reviewed over and over and over again.
It is suggested that you treat the questions found in the following pages as an actual exam. Before looking for answers, find a quiet place to sit down, and work the questions as though you were in an actual examination room. Allow an average of 2-1/2 minutes per question. Of course, some questions will be much more difficult than others, and some will be problem-type questions, but, on average, you will have to answer 25 questions in an hour to pass the exam. Examiners usually allow four hours for a 100-question exam or eight hours for a 200-question exam; to complete your work, you will have to answer each question in approximately two minutes. That will require a good deal of concentration and self-discipline. Timing is essential in any exam; do not spend more time on one question than is allowable. If you can't answer a question in the allotted time, pass it by and go to the next, returning afterwards if you have additional time left at the remainder of the exam.
After you have answered all the 300 questions in the allowable time, check your answers with those at the end of each section and mark your grade. The passing grade is usually 70%. Allowing 0.333 points per each correct answer, you will have had to answer 210 correctly to achieve a passing grade. If you examine the questions you missed, you will notice that they fall into some kind of pattern; your weakness will either be in a particular category such as heating or pressure piping, or you will not be sharp enough with formulas, or what-have-you. Whatever the case may be, your weakness is the area that should receive your concentrated attention and study.
Part 2 is the technical section beginning with a basic math review and ending with symbols; very important for recognition tests. All the basic formulas and tables are presented here. I have tried to keep this material lean, and have relied more on modern graphic illustrations than on complex calculations. Charts, tables and "Speed-O-Graphs" are used to help the reader find answers quickly; time is the most important element in any examination.
Part 3 deals with basic field application problems. Concentrate on those subjects that are your weakness. In those areas in which you are particularly weak go to your other reference books for in-depth study. This book is designed to give you the confidence and experience you need to take, and pass any journeyman's certification exam. It is not designed to teach you your trade or profession.
Part 4 offers quizzes and tests in specific subject areas related to the information presented in Part 2, and Part 3 and concludes with a typical "final exam." Our strategy is to direct your studies in the right places, help structure your study plans, show you how to study and provide quizzes and tests to sharpen your test-taking skills. The questions and quizzes presented here are actual examinations and are representative of what one might expect to encounter in the exam room.
Part 5 gives the answers to all, as well as to the 300 questions in Part 1.
Part 6 is the Appendix, it represents important conversion tables and other quick-reference material.
Contents
What to Bring to the Examination Room. The Day of the Examination. Tactics Used by the Test Writers and the Strategy Used to Beat Them. 300 Answers to Questions from Previous Examinations. Basic Mathematics. Pipefitter's Formulas and Tables. Fans, Pulleys, and Belts. Useful Electrical Data. General Safety Requirements. Useful Conversion Factors. Decimals of a Foot. Inch-Foot-Decimal Conversion. Calculated Lengths of Pipe for Various Bends. Pressure Temperature Chart. Refrigerant Circuit Accessories. Scheme for the Identification of Piping Systems. Refrigerant Piping Test Procedures. Hangers, Straps, and Chains.
About the Author
John Gladstone, BS, MA, is former Chairman of the Examinations Committee of the Dade County Mechanical Contractors Examining Board. He is the author of several books on air conditioning and construction as well as numerous articles for the technical press, and has taught air conditioning design and license preparation at Miami-Dade Community College for ten years. Gladstone is a life Member of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers, Certificate Member of the Refrigeration Service Engineers Society, and a Founding Member of the Associated Air Balance Council. |
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