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Exam Information

Contact the Operator Training Staff to obtain study material at 717-787-0122.

Examinees must take and pass Part 1 General Exam with a subclass(es) to become certified OR take a Stand Alone exam.

Stand Alone Exams and Certifications are: WDC, WE, WWE4 - these certifications do not need to be taken with the Part 1 General Exam. Operators can be certified with one of the above classes. Operators taking the WDC exam should not take other exams with this certification. This is a stand-alone certification and should not be taken with a subclass or a general exam.

Class WDC must meet all of the following conditions:

  • System serves less than 500 individuals or has no more than 150 connections (whichever is less)
  • Source of water for the system exclusively groundwater
  • Requires only disinfection
  • Not in violation of DEP rules / regulations

WE - Water Distribution - Subclasses 7 through 14 may be held with the WE Certification. WE may be combined with A,B,C, or D certifications and all other subclasses.

WWE4 - Wastewater Collections. WWE4 may be combined with A, B, C, or D certifications and all other subclasses.

Operators need to know what types of treatment their plant uses so they can take the proper exams to be in compliance. Operators should check with their plant supervisor or their DEP regional sanitarian to obtain the size of the plant (gallons per day) and/or which technologies exams they need to test for to become certified. Operators may call their local DEP sanitarian or Operator Certification to obtain that information at 717-787-5236.

Operators do not need to take exams to upgrade their class (size of plant) license. To upgrade subclasses on your certification, you need to take subclass exams and apply for an upgrade once you have passed the subclass exams.