- The Maryland Board reported a 43% pass rate for May 2026, 27 of 63 candidates, per June 18, 2026 minutes.
- This is a single monthly cohort figure, not an annual rate or a first-attempt rate.
- Passing score is 70% on a 100-question, 240-minute PSI computer-based exam under COMAR 09.20.02.03.
- Retest is limited to once per 30 days, so failing costs at least a month of lost time.
The Only Official Pass Rate We Have
Most articles about exam pass rates lean on vague industry averages. For the Maryland Journeyman Plumber License Exam, there is one concrete, sourced data point: the Maryland Board of Plumbing's June 18, 2026 minutes report a May 2026 Journey Plumber/Gas Fitter pass rate of 43%, with 27 of 63 candidates passing. That is the figure, and it is the only one worth quoting because it comes directly from the Board rather than from a forum estimate or a marketing claim.
It is important to be precise about what this number is and is not. It is a monthly cohort result for the candidates who sat the combined Journey Plumber/Gas Fitter exam through PSI Services LLC in May 2026. It is not a rolling annual average, and the Board minutes do not break it out by first-attempt versus retest candidates. Treat it as a snapshot, not a trend line.
What a 43% Monthly Cohort Rate Actually Means
A pass rate under half for a single reporting month tells you the exam has real teeth, but it does not tell you why candidates in that cohort failed. Without a first-attempt breakdown, you cannot separate people who walked in unprepared from people retesting after a near-miss. What you can reasonably infer is that the exam is not a formality: it is a 100-question, timed, closed-topic assessment that rewards specific preparation over general trade experience alone.
If you want the full context on how demanding the exam actually is relative to other licensing tests, the breakdown in How Hard Is the MD-JP Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026 walks through the format and content load in more detail. The short version: years on the job under a licensed Master do not automatically translate into exam-day recall of code sections, fixture specifications, and gas piping sizing rules.
Key Takeaway
Don't anchor your confidence to a single monthly percentage. Anchor your preparation to the nine domains and the 70% passing threshold, which are fixed regardless of any given month's cohort result.
The Domains Behind the Numbers
The Journey Plumber/Gas Fitter exam is built from nine official domains, each with its own share of the 100 scored questions. Understanding which domains carry the most weight is the fastest way to convert a 43%-style pass rate into a personal advantage, because it tells you exactly where to spend limited study hours.
Domain 8: Gas Appliances and Piping
This is the largest domain on the exam. Candidates need fluency in gas pipe sizing, appliance connections, venting requirements, and shutoff placement.
- Expect the heaviest concentration of scored questions here
- Reference editions for gas code material should be confirmed with PSI before exam day
Domain 7: Drain, Waste, and Vent Systems
The second-largest domain covers DWV sizing, slope, venting configurations, and trap arm limitations.
- Heavily tested alongside Domain 3 (Traps, Interceptors, and Backwater Valves)
- Requires comfort with sizing tables, not just definitions
Domain 6: Backflow Prevention
The third-largest domain by question share, and one that overlaps with the separate 32-hour backflow-prevention device testing course required for licensure eligibility.
- Know device types, application, and installation clearances
- Distinct from the standalone backflow tester certification track
The remaining six domains - Plumbing Fundamentals and Safety, Materials Uses and Specifications, Plumbing Fixtures Fixture Fittings and Plumbing Appliances, Water Supply Systems, and Plumbing Mathematics - round out the remaining questions. For the exact allocation and a topic-by-topic breakdown of all nine, see MD-JP Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 9 Content Areas.
Exam Format and Scoring Mechanics
The pass rate does not exist in a vacuum - it's a direct function of the exam's structure. PSI administers a base exam of 100 questions in 240 minutes, computer-based, multiple choice. PSI may add five to ten unscored experimental questions, with additional time granted outside the base 240-minute allowance, so a longer session on test day does not necessarily mean you're struggling.
The passing score is 70%, confirmed both in the PSI candidate bulletin and in COMAR 09.20.02.03. There is no partial credit adjustment or curve mentioned in the regulatory language - 70% is the line. For the exact scoring mechanics and how the passing threshold is calculated against scored questions only, see MD-JP Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass.
| Exam Element | Detail |
|---|---|
| Base questions | 100, scored |
| Experimental questions | 5-10 unscored, extra time provided |
| Time limit (base) | 240 minutes |
| Passing score | 70% |
| Format | Computer-based multiple choice, open book with approved references |
| PSI exam fee | $65 |
The exam is open book, but strictly so: approved references may have permanent tabs and highlighting, while handwritten notes, added papers, and separate study guides are prohibited inside the testing room. Calculators must be silent, nonprinting, and nonprogrammable with no alphabetic keyboard. These rules matter for the pass rate because candidates who show up with the wrong materials, or who rely on notes that get flagged and confiscated, lose valuable reference support mid-exam.
Why Candidates Fail the Journey Plumber/Gas Fitter Exam
Nothing in the Board minutes explains individual failure causes, so avoid inventing reasons that sound plausible but aren't sourced. What is knowable from the exam's structure is where preparation gaps tend to show up:
- Underestimating the size sizing-table and math components tested under Plumbing Mathematics and Water Supply Systems
- Studying general plumbing knowledge without mapping it to the nine specific domain weights
- Bringing disallowed materials (loose notes, unapproved study guides) that get rejected at check-in, costing prep time and confidence
- Treating the 32-hour backflow-prevention course as a checkbox rather than reinforcing Domain 6 content it overlaps with
- Misjudging the open-book format as a safety net instead of practicing efficient reference lookups under time pressure
A realistic self-assessment against the exact eligibility path also matters. Ordinary eligibility requires four years as a licensed apprentice and 7,500 hours under a licensed Master, with up to 1,500 approved school hours creditable toward that total. Candidates who reach exam day right at the eligibility threshold, without additional buffer time to study, are more likely to be caught underprepared. Full eligibility mechanics are covered in MD-JP Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify.
Retest Rules and What They Mean for Your Timeline
Because the exam permits only one retest per 30 days, a failing result is not a minor setback - it's a month-long delay at minimum, plus the $65 PSI fee again. Combined with the fact that you must apply for the license within one year of passing, a failed attempt tightens your overall timeline meaningfully, especially if you're coordinating with an employer or a project start date.
This retest cadence is one reason the reported 43% pass rate matters practically: if you assume you have unlimited retakes with no real cost, a single missed attempt feels low-stakes. In reality, each failed sitting adds at least a month and a new fee before you can try again. For a full breakdown of every fee involved - exam, initial license, and renewal - see MD-JP Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown.
Key Takeaway
Plan to pass on your first sitting. The 30-day retest gap and the one-year license application deadline mean a failed attempt has real scheduling consequences, not just a fee.
Building a Study Plan Around the Real Pass Rate
Generic study advice - spaced repetition, timed drills, breaking sessions into focused blocks - works, but only if it's applied against the specific weight of each MD-JP domain. Since Gas Appliances and Piping, Drain Waste and Vent Systems, and Backflow Prevention carry the heaviest share of the 100 questions, your weekly plan should push those to the front rather than treating all nine domains equally.
Gas Appliances and Piping / Drain, Waste, and Vent Systems
- Work through sizing tables and code-reference lookups until they're fast, not just familiar
- Practice open-book navigation using only permanently tabbed references, since handwritten notes aren't allowed on exam day
Backflow Prevention and Traps/Interceptors/Backwater Valves
- Cross-reference this material with your 32-hour backflow-prevention course content
- Drill device selection and installation clearance scenarios
Remaining domains plus full-length timed practice
- Cover Fixtures, Materials, Water Supply, Fundamentals, and Plumbing Mathematics
- Simulate the 240-minute, 100-question format under real time pressure
For a structured, week-by-week walkthrough built specifically around passing on the first attempt, see MD-JP Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt. And if you want a compact reference for last-minute review before test day, the MD-JP Cheat Sheet 2026: One-Page Review of Must-Know Facts condenses the highest-yield facts into a single page.
Running realistic practice questions against domain weights, rather than generic plumbing trivia, is the most direct way to close the gap the 43% figure implies. You can start working through domain-weighted questions right now on the main practice test platform, which mirrors the format and pacing of the actual computer-based exam.
Who This License Actually Serves
The Journey Plumber/Gas Fitter license, tracked here as MD-JP, is issued by the Maryland State Board of Plumbing under the Maryland Department of Labor. It's the credential that licensed apprentices work toward to move into independent journey-level work across most of the state - note that WSSC and Baltimore County maintain separate licensing arrangements, so double-check jurisdictional overlap if you plan to work in those areas. Employers hiring for journey-level plumbing and gas fitting roles across residential and commercial trades rely on this license as the baseline credential; you can see how that plays out in practice in MD-JP Jobs and get a sense of long-run earning potential in MD-JP Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis.
If you're still early in deciding whether to pursue this path at all, Is the MD-JP Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026 weighs the licensing costs against the career upside using the same sourced figures referenced throughout this article. And if you're brand new to the terminology, What Is MD-JP? and MD-JP Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify are good starting points before you dive into pass-rate specifics. You can also browse practice questions organized by domain to see exactly where your current knowledge stands against the exam's real weighting.
FAQ
The only Board-reported figure is 43% for May 2026 (27 of 63 candidates), published in the June 18, 2026 Board minutes. This is a monthly cohort rate, not an annual figure.
The Board minutes do not distinguish first-attempt candidates from retest candidates in that figure, so it should be read as an overall monthly result, not a first-try success rate.
You need a score of 70% on the 100-question base exam, as confirmed by the PSI bulletin and COMAR 09.20.02.03.
You may retest, but only once every 30 days, and you'll need to pay the $65 PSI exam fee again. You must also apply for your license within one year of a passing result.
Gas Appliances and Piping carries the largest share of the 100 questions, followed by Drain, Waste, and Vent Systems and Backflow Prevention. Prioritizing these three domains addresses the largest portion of the scored exam.