Consumers want certified technicians because they need assurance that their home comfort system is being serviced and installed by knowledgeable technicians. Manufacturers need it to stop poor installation and service which adversely affects heating or cooling system performance because that is often erroneously attributed to their unit instead of poor installation or service. Technicians feel that NATE Certification shows that they are better trained and that makes them more marketable.

To be a successful HVAC/R technician today, you need more than skills under your belt. You need the badge of excellence, NATE certification. Consumers do not know who to trust with their home comfort needs--but they have learned that technicians wearing the NATE logo know heating and air conditioning! Many technicians claim they're the best, but NATE-certified technicians carry a wallet card to prove it!

Certification is important because pride, proficiency, and professionalism count. Certification is an indicator of proficiency, and everyone wants a technician who knows what he's doing and gets the job done right the first time. Call backs are frustrating and waste everyone's time. Certified technicians have fewer callbacks.

Employers want the best technicians available. NATE certified technicians are in demand, and in hard times, they will be able to find work when others cannot. Certification is an investment in your career.

There is one single test the industry supports --and one place to get it: North American Technician Excellence (NATE). The test can be given through:

• manufacturers
• wholesalers/distributors
• associations
• utilities
• trainers and educational instituions

NATE and a coalition of the entire industry have joined forces to support a single, unified, nationwide standard of HVAC technician excellence. It all comes together in the NATE series exams for residential and light commercial HVAC installation and service, and in the NATE commercial tests.

What is certification and how do I earn it?
Certification is independent validation and verification of your knowledge of industry-defined required skills, tasks and items. NATE certification lasts for five years and then must be renewed by testing, continuing education, or a combination of the two. Certification is something you earn, and you keep it, regardless of where you travel or work. A technician's NATE certification is portable.

Technicians can be certified in one of three paths and in one of several specialties. Technicians can be certified as either

• Installation,
• Service, or
• Senior.

The specialties include:

• Air Conditioning,
• Air Distribution,
• Gas Heating,
• Heat Pumps,
• Oil Heating,
• HVAC Efficiency Analyst (Senior Level),
• Hydronics Gas
• Hydronics Oil
• Light Commercial Refrigeration, and
• Commercial Refrigeration.

To become certified, a technician must pass two tests:

• a CORE test and
• a SPECIALTY test.

Both are multiple choice tests. The CORE contains fifty questions, and the SPECIALTY, 100 questions. You must earn a score of 70% or better to pass each test. Once you pass a CORE and a SPECIALTY, you become NATE certified and are awarded a wallet card, certificate, a NATE-certified patch and a chevron for the specialty you passed.

Technicians who are veterans and come under the Montgomery GI Bill should check because the costs of the NATE tests may be reimbursed if you file under it. Also, the US Army awards promotion points for servicemen who earn NATE certification, Check with your army reserve or national guard unit to see if they award promotion points

Giving Your Career A Competitive Edge
With NATE certification, your career is going places! You're finally recognized and rewarded for your expertise. You can prove you know HVAC/R because of NATE's third party validation of your knowledge.

Certification gives you the competitive edge you need to succeed in installing and servicing today's and tomorrow's sophisticated HVAC equipment. As awareness of NATE grows, more and more consumers will be asking for--if not demanding--certified technicians. You can share in the pride that comes from being recognized as the best there is.

The NATE exams are an industry-approved test of knowledge meaningful to HVAC technicians. They are designed to test what 80% of technicians have an 80% of encountering at least once in a given year. It's not an easy test, but nothing worth earning is. All the bits of knowledge which can be used for any NATE exam is contained in the KATEs for that specialty or Core. Study and review using the KATEs before taking an exam.

Certifications are available for Installation, Service, and Senior technicians working on residential and light commercial equipment in the following areas:

• Air Conditioning,
• Air Distribution,
• Gas Heating,
• Heat Pumps,
• Oil Heating,
• HVAC Efficiency Analyst (Senior Level)
• Hydronics Gas
• Hydronics Oil
• Light Commercial Refrigeration, and
• Commercial Refrigeration.