NABCEP Credentials

There are two pathways to obtaining a NABCEP Associate credential:

• Education Pathway - Successfully complete a training course with a NABCEP Associate Registered Training Provider (like HeatSpring). Click here to enroll in our PVA prep class.
• Experience Pathway - Document at least 6 months of full-time solar work experience. To begin your Experience Pathway PVA application, head over to NABCEP’s Apply Now page.

If you are completing the Education Pathway, follow these steps and HeatSpring will register you to take the exam – you do not submit an application to NABCEP.

There is a $150 exam fee to schedule your PVA exam.

If you are completeing the Experience Pathway, you apply directly with NABCEP

The PVA Job Task Analysis provides a blueprint for the exam.

The main content areas covered are:

• Application (15%)
• Sales and Economics (13%)
• Design (25%)
• Installation (29%)
• Operation and Maintenance (18%)

The PVA exam can be taken in a Meazure Learning test site or at any location via live remote proctoring. Candidates get up to 2 hours to complete the PVA exam.

The PVA exam consists of 70 multiple choice questions, with 4 choices per question. Sixty of the questions are scored and 10 of the questions are un-scored pilot questions. A total scaled score is used to determine if a candidate passed or failed and ranges from 0-99. A scaled score of 65 is required to pass the PVA exam.

All of your exam paperwork must match your valid government-issued identification, so make sure to not use nicknames or abbreviated names.

A total of 12 advanced PV training hours are required to maintain your PVA credential and documentation must be submitted to NABCEP every 3 years for your credential renewal.

HeatSpring certificates of completion can be used as documentation with NABCEP.