The 4th Class Power Engineer exam
The 4th Class Power Engineer exam has two papers, Part A and Part B. SOPEEC, Technical Safety BC, ABSA, TSASK and TSSA all publish the same format: each paper is 100 questions in 3 hours, and you need 65% on each. This guide sets out the format by regulator, the 24 units the papers cover, and how Pass 4's practice exams match them.
The format at a glance
- Two papers: Part A and Part B.
- 100 questions on each paper.
- 3 hours for each paper.
- 65% to pass each paper.
Check your own regulator before you book.
Format by regulator
| Regulator | Questions per paper | Time per paper | Pass mark | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SOPEEC (the interprovincial standard) | 100 | 3 hours "in most jurisdictions" | 65% on each | SOPEEC Fourth Class exam information and syllabus PDF |
| BC, Technical Safety BC (papers 4A1 and 4B1) | 100 | 3 hours | 65% | Technical Safety BC, Fourth Class, effective 1 March 2023 |
| Alberta, ABSA | 100 | 3 hours | 65% | ABSA, Fourth Class, effective 1 January 2023, and the AB-54 syllabus |
| Saskatchewan, TSASK | 100 | 3 hours | 65% | TSASK, 4th Class Power Engineer |
| Ontario, TSSA (4A and 4B) | 100 | 3 hours | 65% | TSSA guide effective October 2024 |
| Nova Scotia, Technical Safety | Not stated | 3 hours | Not stated | 2026-27 exam schedule |
Manitoba: we found no published question count or time limit, so ask Inspection and Technical Services. We haven't checked New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Quebec or the territories.
If you've seen "150 questions and 3½ hours"
Some older documents still give the previous format. Technical Safety BC's linked syllabus PDF says 150 questions and 3½ hours, but its current certification page says 100 questions and 3 hours from 1 March 2023. TSSA's June 2021 guide also says 150 and 3½ hours, and its October 2024 guide says 100 and 3 hours. Go by your regulator's current page.
What Part A covers
Part A has 12 units. Pass 4 has every one free.
- A1 Mechanics & Dynamics. Forces and moments, simple machines, vectors, velocity and acceleration, work and energy, friction, stress and strain, and power transmission.
- A2 Chemistry & Thermodynamics. Matter and basic chemistry, thermodynamic principles, heat transfer and heat exchangers, and the thermodynamics of steam.
- A3 Codes & Standards. The power engineering profession, jurisdictional legislation, and the codes and standards for power engineers and pressure vessels.
- A4 Power & Heating Plant Safety. Plant safety programs, handling of dangerous materials, plant fire safety, and fire extinguishing methods and equipment.
- A5 Environment. Energy plants and the environment, gas and noise emissions, and liquid and solid emissions.
- A6 Materials & Welding. Energy plant construction and operating materials, welding fundamentals, and welding and pressure vessel inspection.
- A7 Piping & Valves. Energy plant piping, fittings, steam traps, and insulation, and the gate, globe, check, and pressure-reducing valves that control flow.
- A8 Electricity. Basic electricity, magnetism and electromagnetism, electrical metering devices, motors and generators, transformers, and distribution circuits.
- A9 Instrumentation & Controls. Process measurement, control and instrumentation basics, programmable controllers, and electronic and electrical control systems.
- A10 Plant Communication. Energy plant sketching, plant diagrams and drawings, and plant communications.
- A11 Boilers. Firetube, watertube, and electric boilers, special boiler designs for heating plants, and how power and heating boilers differ.
- A12 Boiler Systems. Combustion, fuel delivery and firing systems, draft, feedwater, blowoff and blowdown, and boiler fireside cleaning systems.
What Part B covers
Part B has 12 more units. On Pass 4 they unlock with a paid plan.
- B1 Lubrication. Lubrication principles, and the types of bearings and how each is lubricated.
- B2 Pumps & Compressors. Types of pumps, pump operation and maintenance, and compressors and their operation and maintenance.
- B3 Boiler Safety. Pressure relief valves, combustion safety, water level safety controls, boiler fittings, and firing rate controls.
- B4 Boiler Plant Ops. Plant and boiler startup, boiler operation, operational checks, shutdown procedures, and plant monitoring and reporting.
- B5 Plant Maintenance. Energy plant maintenance, boiler maintenance, and boiler cleaning.
- B6 Water Treatment. External and internal boiler water treatment, condensate treatment, and cooling tower, condenser and recirculating system water treatment.
- B7 Prime Movers. Heat engines and prime movers, steam turbines, condensers and cooling towers, gas turbines, and internal combustion engines.
- B8 Auxiliary Building Systems. Lighting systems, building water systems, and drainage systems.
- B9 Refrigeration. Refrigeration basics, compression and absorption systems, their control, operation and maintenance, and refrigeration and ammonia safety.
- B10 HVAC. Conditioning the air, humidification, fans, ventilation and air filters, duct systems, and coils.
- B11 Heating & Cooling Systems. Steam and hot water heating, other heating systems, cooling and combination systems, heat gains, losses and recovery, and HVAC control strategy.
- B12 Plant Types. Common plant configurations in hydrocarbon-centric and energy-intensive industries.
See every unit with its chapters on the curriculum page.
How much of each paper is each unit?
Regulators publish the units but not a per-unit question count. Each Pass 4 unit page shows an exam weight: Pass 4's estimate of that unit's share of a 100-question paper. In Part A, A11 Boilers and A12 Boiler Systems carry the highest estimate, 15% each. In Part B, B4 Boiler Plant Ops and B9 Refrigeration carry the highest, 14% each. The study plan lists all 24 in order.
How Pass 4's practice exams match the format
Pass 4 has a timed practice exam for each part: 100 questions in Part A and 100 in Part B, 3 hours, 65% to pass. Each one draws from every unit, weighted by each unit's exam weight. The Part A practice exam is free. The Part B practice exam comes with a Part B plan.
Every Pass 4 question comes with an explanation for every answer choice. Pass 4 is built on the curriculum of TSBC (BC), ABSA (Alberta), TSSA (Ontario) and SOPEEC.
Try six Part A questions
Which statements fit the American Boiler Manufacturers Association definition of a boiler?
- 1. A closed vessel that only heats water, without making steam, can count as a boiler.
- 2. A closed vessel that superheats steam can count as a boiler.
- 3. A boiler can work under vacuum and still fit the definition.
- 4. The definition says the heat must come from burning fuel.
-
A. 1, 2 and 3
-
B. 1, 2 and 4
-
C. 1, 3 and 4
-
D. 2, 3 and 4
-
E. 1, 2, 3 and 4
A chemical analysis shows that a moist boiler fuel contains oxygen. When you work out how much oxygen the air must supply, what is usually done with this fuel oxygen?
-
A. Subtract it from the oxygen the hydrogen needs.
-
B. Subtract it from the oxygen the carbon needs.
-
C. Subtract it from the oxygen the sulfur needs.
-
D. Add it to the oxygen the hydrogen needs.
-
E. Make no change, as is usually done for a dry fuel.
A plant has a driven generator, a battery and a photocell. In that order, how does each one produce its voltage?
-
A. Chemical process; mechanical drive; photovoltaic action.
-
B. Mechanical drive; chemical process; photovoltaic action.
-
C. Photovoltaic conversion; chemical process; mechanical drive.
-
D. Mechanical drive; photovoltaic action; chemical process.
-
E. Chemical process; photovoltaic conversion; mechanical drive.
Which state of matter keeps a definite volume but takes the shape of whatever container holds it?
-
A. Liquid
-
B. Solid
-
C. Gas
-
D. Plasma
-
E. Amorphous solid
After an operator is injured, the plant recruits a replacement operator, pays the replacement's wages, and removes product that was damaged. Which cost category does each of these expenses fall under, in that order?
-
A. Employee associated; administrative; capital.
-
B. Administrative; production; legal and regulatory.
-
C. Administrative; employee associated; capital.
-
D. Production; employee associated; administrative.
-
E. Administrative; insurance; legal and regulatory.
A support does not move. A carriage moves along a rail at a steady speed. A trolley is speeding up. Which choice gives the branch of mechanics for the support, then the carriage, then the trolley?
-
A. Statics; dynamics; dynamics
-
B. Statics; statics; dynamics
-
C. Dynamics; statics; statics
-
D. Dynamics; dynamics; statics
-
E. Dynamics; dynamics; dynamics
There are 1,928 more in Part A. See free 4A practice questions, or sign in and start a chapter quiz.
Pass 4 is not affiliated with SOPEEC, Technical Safety BC, or any other exam or licensing body.