10 exam-style questions with answers and explanations, straight from our 1,030-question bank. Tap an answer to check yourself. When you're ready, take the scored version in the free practice test.
The GACA exam has 60 questions and runs 1 hours 30 minutes.
These 10 free GACA questions are organized by exam domain, so you can see how each part of the GA - Certified Associate (GACA) blueprint is tested. Reveal the answer and explanation under each question.
A building needs a replacement lighting system. The standard installation costs $24,000; a higher-efficiency alternative costs $36,000. The alternative saves $3,000 annually in electricity but adds $600 annually in maintenance. The owner accepts an upgrade only when its simple payback is no more than six years. With costs and savings otherwise unchanged, does this upgrade qualify?
Correct answer: A - Yes; its incremental cost is recovered in 5 years.
A permeable-paver courtyard drained properly at handover. After an adjacent landscaping project, even modest rain leaves water on the surface. Fine soil is visible in the paving joints, while the underdrain outlet is unobstructed and the paving has not settled. Where should the maintenance investigation begin?
Correct answer: D - Sediment clogging the permeable joints at the surface.
Walking-route measurements in a parking lot are at the project's minimum required illumination, but several fixtures also shine into neighboring bedrooms. The complaint occurs while the lot is occupied, not after closing. Select the revision that directly addresses the spill while preserving the required task lighting.
Correct answer: C - Add shielding and correct the fixture aiming.
A roof-fed cistern has been approved to supply nonpotable water to toilets. Potable water will top up the cistern during dry weather. Which connection detail protects the drinking-water supply from the cistern water?
Correct answer: B - A potable make-up outlet separated from the cistern by an approved air gap.
On a cold morning, an interior thermogram shows narrow, regularly spaced cold lines directly over the steel studs of an exterior wall. Inspection confirms that the cavity insulation is dry and fully fitted, and pressure testing finds no air leakage along those lines. The cold pattern most strongly indicates:
Correct answer: B - Conductive heat loss through the steel framing.
A house has 1,800 ft² of floor area and a tested enclosure volume of 18,000 ft³. Its blower-door result is 720 cubic feet per minute at 50 Pa. The project requires no more than 3.0 ACH50 and separate verification of outdoor-air ventilation. How should this result be entered on the acceptance record?
Correct answer: D - 2.4 ACH50; airtightness passes, with outdoor-air ventilation still to be verified.
Two insulation products meet the same fire and moisture requirements. Their environmental product declarations use compatible product-category rules and manufacturing boundaries, but report carbon impacts per kilogram. The products have different densities and thermal resistance per unit thickness. What comparison would establish which has the lower manufacturing carbon impact for the wall?
Correct answer: A - Compare impacts for quantities providing the same wall area and specified thermal resistance.
The flooring specification requires both a VOC-content limit and verified low chemical emissions into indoor air. An adhesive submittal documents 15 g/L VOC content, which meets the content limit, but provides no emissions results. Which additional evidence addresses the missing requirement?
Correct answer: A - An accepted low-emissions certification covering that adhesive.
A fly-ash concrete mix develops early strength more slowly than the crew's usual mix. The approved form-removal plan requires verified in-place strength of at least 20 MPa and an authorized release. At day six, the specified testing method shows 24 MPa, all other release conditions are satisfied, and the release is issued. Which instruction avoids unnecessary delay without departing from the plan?
Correct answer: C - Remove the forms under the authorized sequence while continuing the required curing.
Two workers in an enclosed renovation area develop headache, dizziness, and nausea while a gasoline-powered generator is running nearby. The loading door is partly open, and neither worker notices a strong exhaust odor. What should the crew do immediately?
Correct answer: B - Leave for fresh air and call emergency services for suspected carbon monoxide exposure.
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