Refrigeration Cycle and Service Questions

The Service domain of the NATE Support Technician exam covers the basic cooling cycle, split and packaged systems, heat pumps and planned maintenance. Practice the cycle and the readings that tell you what it is doing.

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100 questions on the 150-minute clock, weighted like NATE’s HVAC Support Technician outline, with a score for every area and an explanation for every option.

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  • 24 original refrigeration cycle questions, every option explained
  • Tested on: NATE HVAC Support Technician
Free sample · Question 1 of 3Refrigeration cycle

Which is a routine mechanical maintenance task on a cooling system?

Choose the best answer

What our refrigeration cycle questions cover

  • The order of the cycle and the refrigerant’s state in each line
  • Superheat and subcooling, and which one sets the charge for TXV and fixed-orifice systems
  • Split, packaged and multi-capacity systems; heat pump auxiliary heat and reversing valves
  • Mechanical, electrical and combustion planned maintenance
  • Faults: low charge, frozen coils, restrictions, non-condensables, weak capacitors, high-limit trips and leaks
Line drawing of an outdoor condensing unit and an indoor evaporator coil joined by a large insulated suction line and a smaller liquid line, with the compressor shown inside the outdoor unit

This list is our own summary, written for practice. NATE publishes the full topic lists in its Knowledge Areas of Technician Expertise (KATEs).

Drill refrigeration cycle, then sit the full NATE HVAC Support Technician exam

Take the timed NATE HVAC Support Technician mock exam

100 questions on the 150-minute clock, weighted like NATE’s HVAC Support Technician outline, with a score for every area and an explanation for every option.

Or try the free refrigeration cycle drill

Ideas the questions test most

  1. Compressor → condenser → metering device → evaporator.
  2. Superheat = suction line temperature − evaporator saturation temperature.
  3. Subcooling = condensing saturation temperature − liquid line temperature.
  4. TXV systems charge by subcooling; fixed-orifice systems by superheat.
  5. A low charge means a leak: find it, fix it, evacuate and charge correctly.

Start the free refrigeration cycle drill · NATE HVAC Support Technician practice test

Common questions

What does the Service domain of the NATE Support Technician exam cover?

Heat transfer and the basic cooling cycle, split systems, packaged systems, multi-capacity systems, the basic heat pump refrigerant circuit, and mechanical, electrical and combustion planned maintenance. It is 7% of the exam.

Where is refrigerant handling law tested?

In EPA Section 608 certification, a separate federal exam. Practice it on our EPA 608 practice test.

Take the timed NATE HVAC Support Technician mock exam

100 questions on the 150-minute clock, weighted like NATE’s HVAC Support Technician outline, with a score for every area and an explanation for every option.

Or try the free refrigeration cycle drill

More HVAC topics

Exam format and outline checked November 2026 on natex.org: NATE: Ready-to-Work and HVAC Support Technician certificates · NATE Ready-to-Work KATE (PDF) · NATE HVAC Support Technician KATE (PDF) · NATE Core Exam KATE (PDF) · NATE: Frequently asked questions. NATE has not announced a change to this outline.

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