Section 750.310  Administration of the Plumbing License Examination

The examinations administered to applicants for a plumber's license shall be uniform and comprehensive and shall test applicants' knowledge and qualifications in the planning and design of plumbing systems; their knowledge, qualifications, and manual skills in plumbing; and their knowledge of the State's minimum code of standards relating to fixtures, materials, design and installation methods of plumbing systems (the Illinois Plumbing Code, 77 Ill. Adm. Code 890).

a)         The examination for a plumber's license shall consist of the following:

1)         Written questions (true/false or multiple choice). Questions will be based on the Illinois Plumbing Code.  All applicants shall be required to read the examination questions and write the answers unassisted.

2)         Drawings and/or charts.  The applicant will be required to complete charts that show plumbing fixtures and that require drainage and vent lines to be added.

3)         Practical (shop).  Projects requiring copper, cast iron, lead and plastic to be assembled as indicated in the assignment will be assigned to each applicant.  All three parts of the practical examination shall be completed before any part is eligible for grading.

b)         An applicant who is handicapped will be assisted with unloading, carrying, and reloading of tools or equipment; but the applicant must take all parts of the examination unassisted.

c)         Each applicant will be responsible for providing his own tools and other required material.  Each applicant will be advised in writing as to what to bring to the examination.

d)         No persons other than the Board, Department staff, and those persons directly associated with the examinee for the transport of necessary equipment are permitted in the examination area.

e)         Any examinee wearing a shirt, jacket, cap or any article of clothing bearing pictures, writing, inscriptions or logos of any kind will not be permitted into the exam.  Safety glasses shall be worn at all times when in the shop.

f)          Upon starting the examination, an examinee will not be permitted to leave the exam area without permission.

g)         The maximum grade value of each part of the examination shall be 100 points.  An examinee must make an average of 75 or above on the examination and a grade of 61 or above on each part of the examination to pass.

h)         An examinee who fails to pass the examination shall be admitted to a subsequent regularly scheduled exam after filing a retake application form and fee.  Such application and fee shall be submitted in accordance with Section 750.300.

i)          An examinee who fails to pass the examination and applies to take the examination again shall retake all parts of the examination, even if the examinee passed one or more parts of the examination the first time it was taken.

j)          An examinee who is observed cheating during the course of an examination shall be immediately expelled from the examination in progress and shall appear before the Board of Plumbing Examiners and representatives of the Department on the day that such offense occurs.  The Board shall recommend the examination be declared void.  A written record of the meeting shall be made and  become a part of the examinee's file.  The Board shall make as a part of the record its recommendations concerning the examinee and shall forward such recommendations to the Department.

1)         The Department shall send to the applicant a notice of intent to deny or suspend the applicant's license.  The applicant must request in writing a hearing within the time specified in the notice.  If the applicant does not request a hearing in writing within the time specified in the notice, the applicant's right to a hearing shall be waived.

2)         All hearings shall be conducted in accordance with the Department's Rules of Practice and Procedure in Administrative Hearings (77 Ill. Adm. Code 100).

3)         The Department shall advise the Board of its final decision concerning the examinee.

(Source:  Amended at 24 Ill. Reg. 12019, effective August 1, 2000)