The CHP-5 Pathway: Five Exams, Five Domains

The CHP-5 pathway is NATE’s modern route to full certification: five exams of 30 questions each, one per knowledge domain, taken in any order with up to six months between them. Pass all five and you are a Certified HVAC Professional.

*Learn the Trades is a free study resource. We are not a licensing body, an authorized training provider, or an exam administrator. Reading this page does not award any card, license, or certification. Always verify requirements with the issuing authority linked in the sources.*

The five domains

1. HVAC Fundamentals, the physics: heat transfer, the refrigeration cycle, basic electricity.
2. Electrical and Controls, schematics, motors, capacitors, low-voltage control circuits, board diagnostics.
3. Comfort and Airflow, duct systems, static pressure, ventilation, psychrometrics in practice.
4. Installation, brazing, evacuation, charging, commissioning new equipment properly.
5. Service, diagnosis and repair: the systematic troubleshooting that defines a senior technician.

The structure mirrors how technicians actually learn on the job, which is its point: each exam maps to a stage of real development rather than one monolithic test.

Why the format helps you

• Thirty questions per sitting keeps each exam a focused, passable step instead of a career-defining marathon.
• Six months between exams means you can study one domain at a time around full-time work.
• Any order lets you start from strength, most techs open with Fundamentals or Electrical and bank early wins.

The Learn section’s HVAC sequence maps nearly one-to-one onto these domains: the refrigeration lessons feed Fundamentals, the electrical lessons feed Electrical and Controls, the airflow lessons feed Comfort and Airflow, and the service lessons feed Installation and Service.

Five focused exams instead of one marathon

Where it bites

• The clock on the pathway: pass all five within the program’s window or retake expired ones. Pace yourself, but not indefinitely.
• Closed-book means the PT chart in your head, not your pocket; practice recall, not lookup.

Sources

• NATE, Certified HVAC Professional (CHP-5) pathway (natex.org)