- What the Certified Pump Installer Credential Is
- The Exam Route: General Plus K or L
- Who Can Apply and What to Document
- What You Pay at the Exam Stage
- The Seven Duty Areas You Prepare Around
- How the Test Feels on Exam Day
- Sequencing Your Preparation by Duty Area
- Keeping the Certification Active
- Who Values This Credential
- Frequently Asked Questions
- The complete route is the Water systems general exam plus at least one specialty: Exam K (under 100 gpm) or Exam L (over 100 gpm).
- Each exam is 50 closed-book questions in 60 minutes with a 70% passing standard, and all required exams must be passed within 12 months.
- Exam fees are US$75 per exam for members and non-members alike, so the minimum route costs US$150 before any other fees.
- Applicants must be at least 20 with 24 consecutive months of full-time drilling and/or pump-installation experience plus two outside references.
What the Certified Pump Installer Credential Is
The Certified Pump Installer credential is a voluntary, individual certification offered through the National Ground Water Association (NGWA). It recognizes people who install and service pumping equipment for water wells and related water systems. Exams are delivered through the testing provider PSI Services. If you have been searching for a plain-language explanation of the acronym itself, our pages on what CPI certification is and what CPI stands for cover the naming question. Here, the focus is the practical mechanics of earning the credential.
Two clarifications matter before anything else. First, this is a certification of a person, not of a company. A contractor cannot hold it on behalf of a crew; each installer earns it individually. Second, it is not a state license and does not replace one. Where your state requires a license, registration or bonding to install pumps or construct wells, that obligation remains separate from this voluntary credential. The affidavit you sign when applying and renewing specifically addresses professional standing and required licensure, which tells you NGWA treats the two as distinct things.
The Exam Route: General Plus K or L
Certification is not a single test. The route requires the Water systems general examination plus at least one specialty examination. The two specialties split by system size:
- Exam K: Water systems less than 100 gpm
- Exam L: Water systems more than 100 gpm
Choose the specialty that matches your daily work. An installer who spends most of the year on residential and small agricultural wells will naturally lean toward Exam K, while someone working on larger municipal, irrigation or industrial systems will look at Exam L. You may pursue both, but the minimum requirement is the general exam plus one specialty.
| Item | What NGWA specifies |
|---|---|
| Required exams | Water systems general plus Exam K or Exam L (minimum two) |
| Questions per exam | 50 |
| Time limit per exam | 60 minutes |
| Passing standard | 70% |
| Minimum route totals | 100 questions and two hours across two separately timed exams |
| Delivery | Computer-based, closed-book, year-round at PSI centers |
| Results | Available immediately |
| Completion window | All required exams passed within one 12-month period |
It is worth stating the totals carefully, because they are easy to misread. The minimum route is two separately timed 50-question exams. It is not one combined 100-question test, and it is not an uninterrupted two-hour sitting. Each exam stands on its own timer and its own 70% threshold. For a closer look at how that threshold plays out in practice, read our guide to the CPI passing score.
The 12-month window deserves planning. If you pass the general exam in one month and then let the specialty slide, the clock is running on your first pass. Schedule both exams with enough room to retake if needed, but not so far apart that the first result ages out. The CPI exam dates and scheduling guide walks through the year-round testing model in more detail.
Who Can Apply and What to Document
NGWA ties eligibility to experience, not just test performance. Applicants must:
- Be at least 20 years old.
- Have 24 consecutive months of full-time drilling and/or pump-installation experience.
- Provide two written professional references from people not affiliated with their current employer.
- Complete the application and sign the certification agreement.
- Provide the required affidavit of legal standing.
Two details trip people up. The experience must be consecutive and full-time, so gaps and part-time seasonal work may not satisfy the requirement. And the references must come from outside your current employer. A former supervisor, a supplier, a licensed contractor you worked alongside or an inspector who has seen your work are the kinds of people to think about, but confirm acceptable reference types with NGWA before asking anyone to write a letter.
NGWA membership is not required. You can pursue the credential as a non-member without being penalized on exam fees, which we cover below. Certification enrollment must be completed within 12 months of passing the qualifying examination, so do not treat a passing score as the finish line. A pass without completed enrollment paperwork does not get you the certificate. Our CPI requirements guide expands on prerequisites and documentation.
What You Pay at the Exam Stage
The examination fee is US$75 per examination, and it is the same for members and non-members. That makes the minimum two-exam route US$150 in examination fees. Treat that figure as exactly what it is: an exam-fee total, not an all-in certification price. Other costs may apply, and older application or FAQ material sometimes mentions member discounts in generic language. The current examination-specific fee schedule takes precedence over that older wording, so budget from the exam page rather than from a cached PDF.
If you are building a budget, separate three categories: exam fees, any study materials you choose to buy, and ongoing maintenance costs after you are certified. Our CPI certification cost breakdown lays these out side by side so you can see the full picture rather than just the exam line.
The Seven Duty Areas You Prepare Around
NGWA publishes a DACUM Research Chart for Pump Installers, developed June 12-13, 2003, that lists the occupational duties of the job. We organize preparation around its seven headings. A caveat is essential here: these are issuer-linked job-task competencies, not an official exam blueprint. NGWA does not publish percentage weights in the preparation sources, the headings are not a confirmed uniform allocation across the General, K and L examinations, and the separate Exam Preparation Success Guide (May 2019) uses six preparation categories and omits the administrative duty. Use the seven areas as a map of the trade, not as a promise of how many questions each will contribute.
Domain 1: Determine Client Needs
Pump installation starts with understanding what the customer actually needs the system to do.
- Intended use: household, livestock, irrigation, commercial or industrial
- Required flow and pressure expectations
- Budget, timeline and expectations versus what the water source can deliver
Domain 2: Assess Job Site
Conditions in the field drive nearly every later decision.
- Well and casing condition, depth and static and pumping water levels
- Access, electrical supply and available space
- Safety hazards and existing equipment on site
Domain 3: Determine System Component Requirements
This is where sizing and selection knowledge lives, and where the General and K or L exams are likely to diverge by system scale.
- Pump type and sizing against the system's demand
- Motor, controls, pressure tanks, piping and fittings
- Wire sizing and electrical protection for the selected equipment
Domain 4: Prepare to Install the Pump
Preparation prevents expensive mistakes during installation.
- Verifying components against the design before work begins
- Staging tools, lifting equipment and safety measures
- Confirming power is isolated and the well is ready
Domain 5: Install Pump System
The hands-on core of the trade.
- Setting and securing the pump, drop pipe, cable and safety rope
- Making electrical and plumbing connections correctly
- Start-up, flow and pressure checks, and system verification
Domain 6: Troubleshoot Existing Pump System
Diagnosis questions reward systematic thinking over memorization.
- Distinguishing electrical faults from hydraulic or mechanical ones
- Reading symptoms such as low output, cycling or no water
- Selecting the right test and the right order of checks
Domain 7: Perform Administrative Activities
The business side of installation work, and the duty the 2019 preparation guide omits as a category. Do not skip it just because the guide did.
- Documentation, recordkeeping and customer communication
- Compliance with applicable codes and regulations
- Estimating, scheduling and follow-up
For a domain-by-domain walkthrough, see our complete guide to the seven CPI content areas.
How the Test Feels on Exam Day
Each exam is computer-based, multiple-choice and strictly closed-book. You cannot bring reference tables or notes into the room, which changes how you should prepare. Field installers often rely on charts, tables and manufacturer data in daily work; on this exam, the working knowledge has to be in your head.
The arithmetic of the format is straightforward but unforgiving of poor pacing: 50 questions in 60 minutes works out to roughly 72 seconds per question. That is comfortable for recall questions and tight for multi-step calculations or scenario-based items. A sensible approach is to answer the quick questions immediately, flag anything that needs extended calculation, and return to the flagged items with the remaining time.
Because results are available immediately, you will know your outcome before leaving the testing center. A passing result needs 70%, which on a 50-question exam means getting 35 correct. Candidates who miss on one exam can use the immediate result to pinpoint weak areas, but remember the 12-month window for completing all required exams. If you are weighing how demanding the exams are, our piece on how hard the CPI exam is and our pass rate discussion explain what is and is not known; NGWA does not publish a pass rate in the sources we reviewed, so any specific percentage you see elsewhere should be treated skeptically.
Sequencing Your Preparation by Duty Area
One short note on method, tied to this credential specifically. Because the General exam is the gateway and the K or L specialty depends on system scale, a sensible order is to build breadth first and then deepen where your specialty demands it. The timeline below assumes a four-week run-up and is a template, not a guarantee; adjust it to your own experience level.
Front-end judgment: Domains 1 and 2
- Review client-needs scenarios and site-assessment checklists
- Practice reading well and water-level data
Sizing and selection: Domains 3 and 4
- Drill pump, motor, tank and wire-sizing calculations by hand, since the exam is closed-book
- Contrast sub-100 gpm and over-100 gpm component choices
Installation and diagnosis: Domains 5 and 6
- Walk the installation sequence from setting the pump through start-up
- Work troubleshooting trees: electrical versus hydraulic faults
Administration, then full practice
- Cover Domain 7 recordkeeping, codes and documentation
- Take timed 50-question practice sets at the 60-minute limit
Calculation-heavy topics belong early and repeated, because without a reference sheet they only stick through practice. For a structured plan and resources, see the CPI study guide, keep the CPI cheat sheet handy for last-minute review, and run realistic drills on the CPI practice test site.
Key Takeaway
Match your preparation to your specialty. Study the General exam content for everyone, then weight your later weeks toward either small-system (Exam K) or large-system (Exam L) sizing and equipment decisions. Practice calculations without reference materials from the start.
Keeping the Certification Active
Certification is not permanent once earned. Annual maintenance requires seven continuing education points (CEPs), a renewal fee and an affidavit addressing professional standing and required licensure. Be careful with the terminology: CEPs are points, and they must not be relabeled as seven classroom hours. How a given activity converts into points is set by NGWA, so verify an activity's point value before you invest time or money in it.
The timing works like this. The initial certificate expires December 31 of the year following certification. Newly certified individuals earn and report their first CEPs in that following year. Renewal requirements are due December 31, and NGWA's maintenance webpage and the reverse side of the linked renewal form accept renewal applications through January 31 without a late fee.
| Maintenance item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Continuing education | Seven CEPs annually (not seven classroom hours) |
| Renewal fee shown on the currently linked form | US$50 for members, US$150 for non-members |
| Annual deadline | December 31 renewal requirements |
| Grace period per webpage and form reverse | Applications accepted through January 31 without a late fee |
| Affidavit | Professional standing and required licensure |
Note the fee difference: unlike the exam fee, which is the same for everyone, the renewal fee shown on the linked form differs between members and non-members. If you plan to hold the credential for years, that gap is worth factoring into your decision about NGWA membership.
Who Values This Credential
The people who care most about the Certified Pump Installer credential are those who hire, supervise or contract with pump installers: water well and pump contractors, drilling firms with in-house service crews, irrigation and agricultural service companies, and utilities or facilities operations that maintain larger pumping systems. Because the credential is voluntary and not a state license, its weight varies by region and by employer. In some markets it is a clear differentiator when bidding work or hiring; in others it is a nice-to-have alongside a required state license.
We do not cite salary numbers here because NGWA's certification pages do not publish earnings data, and compensation depends heavily on region, employer type and experience. For what is and is not known, see our CPI salary guide, and for the hiring side, browse CPI jobs. If you are comparing training pathways before committing, our CPI training overview is a good next stop.
Frequently Asked Questions
At minimum, two: the Water systems general exam plus one specialty, either Exam K (systems under 100 gpm) or Exam L (systems over 100 gpm). All required exams must be passed within one 12-month period.
Each exam has 50 multiple-choice questions, a 60-minute limit and a 70% passing standard. Testing is computer-based and closed-book, offered year-round at PSI centers, with results available immediately.
No. Membership is not required, and the examination fee is US$75 per exam for both members and non-members. Renewal fees on the currently linked form do differ between members and non-members.
No. It is a voluntary individual certification, not a company certification and not a substitute for any license your state requires. Check your state's own licensing and registration rules separately.
Renewal requirements are due December 31, and NGWA's maintenance page says applications are accepted through January 31 without a late fee. However, the front of the current renewal form mentions a US$50 late fee after December 31, so contact NGWA to confirm which applies before relying on the grace period.
For a wider introduction to the credential and its terminology, start with our overview page CPI Certification, then move on to timed practice at CPI Exam Prep once you have chosen your specialty exam.