Written Exams

The SPF Written Examinations cover critical areas of knowledge and skills that each candidate is required to demonstrate. The written examinations shall provide documented proof of the candidate’s knowledge to be able to complete the tasks within their specific level of certification.  All Written Exams are available in English. Currently the Assistant, Installer, and Master Installer level exams are also available in Spanish.
 
Written Exam Preparation
SPFA PCP Exam Preparatory Courses are designed to prepare you for the PCP Written Exam. The courses are not mandatory, but are strongly encouraged. If you are taking a course, check with the course provider to see if they will provide you with a printed copy of the Study Guide on the day of the course which will serve as your course manual. If printed copy isn’t included, they should provide you with a digital copy. Each of the seven PCP Exam Prep Courses are available online and on demand. Contact certdirector@sprayfoam.org for details.

Self-Study is also acceptable for those who have SPF experience. For each certification level, a Study Guide has been developed to cover all of the learning objectives a contractor is expected to know for that specific level. Each level builds on the lower levels, so be sure to review the information in the level you are seeking as well as the lower levels. For example, a Master Installer combined exam is 3 parts and will cover the information in the Assistant, Installer and Master Installer Study Guides/Courses.

You may purchase the Study Guides from the SPFA Online Store. Be sure to review the Study Guides prior to taking the exams. The Learning Objectives (LO) are defined to help identify important information in each section.

Other SPF industry training is available. This may or may not cover all of the Learning Objectives in the PCP.  Check with the course provider on the content of the courses they teach.
 

---

Exam Questions Posed
The written examination shall be constructed in multiple-choice formats in order to maintain objectivity. Each question will have four choices in which one shall be true and three shall be completely false. Each question shall be related to the job task listing.
 
Written Exam Sample questions:

1. Medium density spray polyurethane foam is a:

2. For spray foams, maximum continuous service temperature should not exceed:

 
Answers: 1. (a); 2. (b)
 
The number of questions in each exam is listed below. Note: the SPF Assistant exam is the same exam for both Insulation and Roofing.
 

Insulation	Roofing Installer	Supplier Rep	Field Examiner
Assistant - 150	Assistant - 150	Insulation - 250	FE Exam - 150
Installer - 100	Installer - 150	Roofing - 250
Master Installer - 150	Master Installer - 125	Both - 400
Project Manager - 125	Project Manager - 125

 

---

Time Allowed for an Exam
 
Two (2) hours will be allowed for each part of the written exams. Below is a chart with the number of hours for each exam.
 

Insulation and Roofing (Combined Exam)	Field Examiner	Supplier Representative
Assistant - 2 hours	FE Exam - 2 hours	Insulation - 2 hours
Installer - 4 hours		Roofing - 2 hours
Master Installer - 6 hours		Both - 4 hours
Project Manager - 8 hours

                      

---

Passing Grade
The passing grade is 75% for a single written exam. In order to pass the combined exam, you must pass each part. The final overall grade is not what determines pass/fail in the combined exam, it is the passing of each part with a minimum of 75%. If you fail the Combined Exam, you may retake just the section(s) you failed.
 
Re-Examination
There is no limit to the number of times unsuccessful individuals may take the examination. Examination individuals will be charged the full examination fee for each examination session scheduled.
 
Exam Registration – Scheduling an Exam
Complete and submit the Enrollment Order Form (F-222-003) to sign up for an exam. SPFA PCP staff will follow up with you on details to schedule an exam.

Questions – contact admin@spfapcp.org or call 1-866-222-5000

Exam Registration – Scheduling a remote on-line Exam

1. Call or email the SPFA PCP office at admin@spfapcp.org or 866-222-5000, and advise which exam(s) you’d like to take by completing the F-222-003 SPFA PCP Enrollment Order Form and providing payment for the exam(s) and online fee(s) you may wish to purchase. You must provide an email address that you have access to as you will need to create an account and re-set a password.
2. Once your payment is processed, SPFA PCP will enroll you into the appropriate exam(s) in Smarter U and will email you the receipt as well as instructions for logging in to ProctorU and booking your exam time/date.  (see sample email template an individual can expect to receive)
3. You will also receive an email SPFA Exam Day – What to Expect to have a greater understanding of additional steps to allow ProctorU remote access and what browsers are compatible.

Dear Name:

You have been assigned the exam:  SPFA XXXXXXX Exam in the online account of Spray Polyurethane Foam Alliance Professional Certification Program (SPFA-PCP). To arrange this proctored online exam, please follow these instructions:

STEP 1: Create a custom password for yourself on the Smarter U account:
a) Go to http://learn.sprayfoam.org

b) Enter joe@sampleemail.com as your username

c) Enter this case sensitive password: Password123! or use the forgot password function.

d) Create a NEW password and keep this information as you will need this new password to give to ProctorU on the arranged day of the online exam.

STEP 2: Create an account for yourself with Proctor University to book the online exam:
a) Go to: https://www.proctoru.com/portals/spfa

b) Create an account by clicking on "Signup".

c) Click on “Schedule a new session” and book your online exam for a date and time that works for you. ProctorU is available 24/7 and even available to book on holidays. You will receive a confirmation email, and a timer on your ProctorU page will start a countdown to your exam date and time.

d) At your selected date and time, return to ProctorU and click on the “GO” button.

e) This will take you to a page of instructions which will connect you with the proctor. The proctor will walk you through their security process, confirm your identity which you will need to show photo identification and walk you through logging in to SmarterU. You will need your SmarterU username and password, ProctorU will NOT have this information. (Reminder: this information is found in Step 1).

f) The ProctorU staff will then enter in a customized proctor code that they have access to as this will allow access to your exam. The proctor will continue to monitor you the entire time you take the exam to ensure security. You are allowed a maximum of 2 hours for all SPFA individual exams; the one exception is the combined supplier representative exam which allows up to 4 hours. 

g) You will be advised of whether you passed or failed the exam upon completion and can then log out of the SmarterU system. 

h) After you log out of SmarterU, you may then disconnect from ProctorU.

Please contact the SPFA office if you have any questions at: 1-866-222-5000.
 

---

Exam Day 

You must present a form of ID: with a photo and signature. This proof of identity must be government issued proof of identification.

THIS IS REQUIRED FOR BOTH IN-PERSON and REMOTE TESTING.

In the United States, examples of acceptable forms of photo ID are:

• Driver’s license
• Passport
• Military identification

PLEASE NOTE THAT PHOTO ID CANNOT BE EXPIRED. 

Admitting the Candidates to the in-person Exam

Candidates should enter and leave the examination room through a single check- in point staffed by one or more examiners. Candidates will be required to present photo identification and their examination notice at the check-in table.
 
What to Bring

• Valid ID (see details above)
• Calculator (must be strictly a calculator not just a function on cell phone, tablet, etc.  The calculator cannot have internet capabilities)
• Pencils (#2 pencils which have been sharpened) (only required for paper exam)
• Blank Scratch Paper
• Laptop or tablet may be acceptable in some testing conditions where the exam administrator has approved use of personal computer or tablet.

Please put the calculator, pencils and blank scratch paper in clear plastic bag to show to Examination Administrator.
 
What NOT to Bring
 The following is a list of items you are not permitted to have during your examination:

• Papers or books other than the materials listed above
• Food, beverages, bags (including pocketbooks and purses) or electronic devices
• Training organization manuals
• Manufacturer instructions, guidelines and technical data sheets
• Equipment manufacturer operating guidelines
• Electronic devices (including, but not limited to: cell phone, smart phones, notebooks, electronic tablets, etc. The only permitted electronic device is a calculator, unless you have been notified that the use of personal computer or tablet is acceptable.)

Eating, drinking, and tobacco use are prohibited in the examination room. Unauthorized paper shall not be brought into or removed from the examination room. You may not leave the examination room without the examination administrator’s permission. You must present acceptable photo ID each time you enter the examination room.
 
Taking the Exam
You must remain in your seat during the examination except when authorized to leave by the examination administrator.
 
As you progress through the examination, answer every question presented even if you are unsure of your answer choices. You can mark these questions for later review and return to them to re-evaluate your response if time permits. All unanswered questions will be scored as incorrect when your time expires.
 
Reporting a Problem with Your Exam Experience
 Raise your hand to notify the exam administrator if:

• You need additional scratch paper or pencil
• You need to take a break (examination time will NOT be suspended)
• You need to leave the examination location for any other reason

In the event that you encounter negative conditions at the examination location such as bad lighting, excessive noise or uncomfortable temperature conditions we recommend that you immediately notify the examination administrator. In unlikely cases where such conditions may occur, it does not modify or change the required passing score.
 
After the Written Exam
If you complete the examination before the time limit has expired you may conclude your exam appointment and leave. 
 

---

Exam Fees
Exam fees cover the cost of exam coordination, staffing, exam development, review, production and scoring. Please refer to the Fees page for current examination fees. 

Remote Testing Fees
Please note that remote testing is available and this allows you to take the PCP Written Exams in the comfort of your home, office or wherever reliable internet is available. An additional fee for the remote proctoring service will apply. The remote proctor fee is based on number of consecutive exams taken. For example, if you are taking the 3 part Master Installer Written exams (total 6 hours) but want to take parts 1&2 at the same time and take part 3 on the following day, the remote proctor fee will be priced accordingly.