- What CPI Means and the Exam Route at a Glance
- The Numbers Table: Format, Fees and Limits
- Eligibility Checklist
- The Seven Duty Areas: What to Master in Each
- How to Read the Duty List (and What It Does Not Tell You)
- A Domain-Ordered Review Plan
- After You Pass: Enrollment, Renewal and CEPs
- The Renewal Deadline Conflict to Verify
- Where CPI Fits in the Pump and Water Well Trade
- Frequently Asked Questions
- CPI here means Certified Pump Installer, issued by the National Ground Water Association (NGWA) and tested through PSI Services.
- The minimum route is the General exam plus Exam K (under 100 gpm) or Exam L (over 100 gpm), passed within 12 months.
- Each exam has 50 questions, a 60-minute limit and a 70% passing standard; fee is US$75 per exam.
- Applicants need 24 consecutive months of full-time drilling and/or pump-installation experience and two unaffiliated written references.
What CPI Means and the Exam Route at a Glance
This cheat sheet covers one credential only: the Certified Pump Installer, a voluntary individual certification from the National Ground Water Association. It is not a company certification, and it does not replace a state license. If you are still sorting out the terminology, see our explainers on what CPI certification is and what CPI stands for.
The route is short enough to memorize:
- Pass the Water systems general exam.
- Pass at least one specialty: Exam K (water systems less than 100 gpm) or Exam L (water systems more than 100 gpm).
- Complete both within a single 12-month period.
- Finish certification enrollment within 12 months of passing the qualifying examination.
The Numbers Table: Format, Fees and Limits
| Item | Must-Know Fact |
|---|---|
| Certifying body | National Ground Water Association (NGWA) |
| Testing provider | PSI Services |
| Questions per exam | 50 (multiple choice) |
| Time limit per exam | 60 minutes |
| Passing standard | 70% on each exam |
| Delivery | Computer-based, closed-book, year-round at PSI centers |
| Results | Available immediately |
| Exam fee | US$75 per exam, same for members and non-members |
| Minimum-route exam fees | US$150 (two exams); not an all-in certification price |
| Completion window | Required exams passed within one 12-month period |
| NGWA membership | Not required |
The current examination-specific tariff takes precedence over generic member-discount wording you may spot in older application or FAQ material. For a wider look at what else can add to your total, our CPI certification cost breakdown covers the pricing picture, and the CPI passing score guide goes deeper on the 70% standard.
Multiple-choice format is corroborated by the New York State Department of Labor's Water Well Contractor page. That page describes a state program, and its licensing and fee rules do not apply to this voluntary credential, so treat it as format confirmation only.
Eligibility Checklist
Before you pay for an exam, confirm you can satisfy each of these items:
- Age: at least 20 years old.
- Experience: 24 consecutive months of full-time drilling and/or pump-installation experience.
- References: two written professional references from people not affiliated with your current employer.
- Paperwork: the completed application, a signed certification agreement and the required affidavit of legal standing.
The Seven Duty Areas: What to Master in Each
The seven headings below come from NGWA's DACUM Research Chart for Pump Installers, developed June 12-13, 2003 and linked from the current certification-examination page. They are job-task competencies a pump installer is expected to hold. They are useful for organizing your preparation, but they are not a published blueprint with percentage weights. Our complete guide to the CPI content areas expands on each one.
Domain 1: Determine Client Needs
Everything starts with what the customer actually requires from the water system.
- Translate a customer's usage and expectations into system requirements
- Recognize when a request implies a small system versus a larger one, which also points toward Exam K versus Exam L material
- Identify information you must gather before recommending equipment
Domain 2: Assess Job Site
Site conditions drive nearly every later decision.
- Evaluate the well, existing equipment and physical surroundings
- Spot access, safety and environmental concerns before work begins
- Understand how site findings constrain component choices
Domain 3: Determine System Component Requirements
This is where client needs and site data become a parts and sizing decision.
- Match pump type and capacity to the demand and the well
- Select compatible piping, controls, pressure equipment and electrical components
- Understand why system size (under versus over 100 gpm) changes the equipment conversation
Domain 4: Prepare to Install the Pump
Good installations are staged before the equipment goes down the well.
- Verify materials, tools and equipment against the plan
- Confirm safety measures and site readiness
- Inspect components before installation rather than after a problem appears
Domain 5: Install Pump System
The hands-on core of the credential.
- Install the pump, piping, electrical connections and controls correctly and safely
- Follow sequence and procedure so the system can be started up and verified
- Know the installation practices tied to both smaller and larger system types
Domain 6: Troubleshoot Existing Pump System
Diagnosing a system you did not install requires a systematic approach.
- Work from symptoms to likely causes in a logical order
- Distinguish electrical, mechanical, hydraulic and well-related problems
- Decide whether a repair, adjustment or replacement is the right response
Domain 7: Perform Administrative Activities
The business side of installation work is part of the duty list.
- Documentation, records and communication with customers
- Professional and regulatory responsibilities that surround the work
How to Read the Duty List (and What It Does Not Tell You)
Candidates often want a percentage table. NGWA's retrieved preparation materials do not publish one, so any "domain weight" you see elsewhere should be treated with suspicion. Several cautions are worth keeping in mind:
- The duty list is a preparation framework. It is not an exhaustive current exam blueprint and not an official count of exam domains.
- Coverage varies by exam. The General, K and L examinations do not allocate content uniformly, and not every duty is guaranteed to appear on every component exam.
- NGWA's own guide uses different groupings. The Exam Preparation Success Guide (May 2019) organizes preparation into six categories, omits the administrative duty, and varies reference coverage by examination.
- Dates do not signal a new exam. The examination page retains a November 1, 2009 examination-category date, and neither that date nor the 2003 DACUM date establishes a newly revised 2026 examination.
Key Takeaway
Use the seven duties to make sure you have no blind spots, then lean on NGWA's Exam Preparation Success Guide for the reference list that applies to your specific exam. Do not allocate study hours by an invented percentage split.
On difficulty, the format is modest in size (50 questions) but demanding in practical breadth, since closed-book recall of field knowledge is what gets tested. Our difficulty guide and pass rate analysis discuss what can and cannot be said from available data.
A Domain-Ordered Review Plan
Because the exam is closed-book and each test is only 60 minutes, you need fluent recall rather than the ability to look things up. The sequence below follows the natural order of an installation job, which keeps related facts connected. Adjust it to your own gaps and to whether you are sitting K or L.
Client needs and site assessment (Domains 1-2)
- Review how demand and site conditions shape every later choice
- Note which scenarios point to under-100 gpm versus over-100 gpm systems
Component selection (Domain 3)
- Practice matching pumps, controls and piping to described conditions
- Focus on the specialty exam you chose, K or L
Preparation and installation (Domains 4-5)
- Walk through a full installation sequence from staging to startup
- Pay special attention to safety and electrical procedure
Troubleshooting and administration (Domains 6-7), then full timed runs
- Drill symptom-to-cause reasoning
- Take timed 50-question sets at 60 minutes to rehearse pacing, using the practice test site
For a broader methodology and resource list, see the CPI study guide. Candidates who want structured question practice can also use our CPI practice tests to find weak duty areas before booking a PSI appointment.
After You Pass: Enrollment, Renewal and CEPs
Passing the exams is not the end of the process. Certification enrollment must be completed within 12 months of passing the qualifying examination, and the credential then has ongoing maintenance obligations.
| Maintenance Item | Fact |
|---|---|
| Annual CEP requirement | Seven continuing education points (CEPs) |
| Other annual items | Renewal fee and an affidavit addressing professional standing and required licensure |
| Initial certificate expiration | December 31 of the year following certification |
| First CEP cycle | Newly certified individuals earn and report their first CEPs in that following year |
| Renewal due date | December 31 |
| Listed renewal fee (current form) | US$50 for members, US$150 for non-members |
The Renewal Deadline Conflict to Verify
The currently linked renewal form is titled 2027 NGWA Voluntary Certification Renewal, even though its filename refers to 2026. More importantly, it contains an internal inconsistency:
- The maintenance webpage and the reverse side of the form accept renewal applications through January 31 without a late fee.
- The front page of the same form instructs applicants to add a US$50 late fee after December 31.
These cannot both be correct. The safe approach is to treat December 31 as your working deadline, and to confirm the applicable deadline and late fee directly with NGWA instead of assuming either reading. Submitting before the year ends removes the question entirely.
Key Takeaway
Set your renewal reminder for early December, not late January. When source documents disagree, the cheapest solution is to act before the earlier of the two dates.
Where CPI Fits in the Pump and Water Well Trade
The certification speaks to the people who install and service pumping equipment for water systems: pump installers, well drillers who also set pumps, and service technicians at water well and pump contracting businesses. It is an individual credential, so it travels with you rather than belonging to an employer. It also does not stand in for any state license, and your affidavit at renewal addresses required licensure, so know your own state's rules separately.
Whether the credential pays off depends on your market and employer. Our ROI analysis, salary guide and CPI jobs overview discuss those angles without relying on invented figures. If you are weighing timing, the exam dates and scheduling guide explains why year-round PSI availability changes how you plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
At minimum, two: the Water systems general exam plus either Exam K (less than 100 gpm) or Exam L (more than 100 gpm). Both must be passed within one 12-month period.
Each exam has 50 multiple-choice questions, a 60-minute time limit and a 70% passing standard. Testing is computer-based and closed-book at PSI centers, and results are available immediately.
The fee is US$75 per exam for both members and non-members, so the minimum two-exam route is US$150 in exam fees. That figure is not an all-in certification price, since enrollment and renewal costs are separate.
No. NGWA membership is not required. Membership affects the listed renewal fee, which is US$50 for members and US$150 for non-members on the currently linked form.
No percentage weights appear in the retrieved NGWA preparation sources. The seven duties are job-task competencies from a 2003 DACUM chart, not a uniform allocation across the General, K and L exams, so avoid study plans built on made-up weights.