NABCEP has released a new Job Task Analysis (JTA) for the Photovoltaic Associate exam — version 2026.1. If you are planning to sit for the PVA exam this year, this document is the blueprint. Everything on the exam is built from it.
The JTA is how NABCEP defines what a PV Associate is expected to know. It does not describe what is on every question — it defines the knowledge domains that questions are drawn from, and how heavily each domain is weighted. Understanding the JTA is the most direct path to knowing where to focus your study time.
Here is what is in the 2026 version, and what it means for how you should prepare.
The structure has changed
The previous PVA used a Learning Objectives format. The 2026 version is a proper Job Task Analysis — organized around what PV Associates actually do on the job, not just what they need to know in the abstract. The knowledge is largely the same, but the framework is more grounded in real work. That is a meaningful improvement: it means the exam is more tightly connected to the skills you will actually use in the field.
There are six content domains in the 2026 JTA, each weighted by percentage of the exam.
The six domains and what they cover
Domain I: Safety — 20%
Safety is tied for the highest weighting on the exam, and that is appropriate. A fifth of the questions will come from this domain. It covers hazard identification and the hierarchy of controls, safe work practices (ergonomics, tool use, equipment inspections), safety plan requirements (OSHA, NFPA, emergency response), electrical safety (arc flash, lockout/tagout, rapid shutdown, battery safety), and working at height. If you are already working in the trades, much of this will be familiar. Study the electrical-specific hazards carefully — arc flash, de-energization, and battery safety show up here in ways that are specific to solar.
Domain II: Core Knowledge — 20%
Also 20%. This is the foundational PV knowledge domain: types of PV systems (grid-tied, stand-alone, multimode with storage), applications and benefits, system components and their functions, and core electrical concepts. Ohm's law, power vs. energy, AC vs. DC, series and parallel circuits, grounding and bonding — these are the building blocks. If you are new to the industry, this is where to start. If you are coming from the electrical trades, you will know much of the theory but need to apply it specifically to PV.
Domain III: Sales & Economics — 10%
Ten percent of the exam. This domain covers what you would need to know in a customer-facing role: qualifying a customer, building a preliminary system estimate, understanding what factors drive the economics of a PV system (incentives, financing options, rate structures, net metering, SRECs, virtual power plants), and maintenance cost considerations. Do not skip this domain because it feels like business — it is tested, and the questions around utility rate structures and financing options trip people up.
Domain IV: Design — 18.3%
This is one of the larger domains. It covers equipment specifications (modules, inverters, energy storage, NRTLs, product safety standards), codes and standards (electrical, building, fire, OSHA, AHJ requirements), factors that impact design and performance (peak sun hours, shading, orientation), system sizing (derating factors, string configuration, inverter compatibility, DC:AC ratio), plan sets (one-line diagrams, wiring diagrams, conductor properties, permitting documents), and structural considerations (static and dynamic loads, mounting systems, roofing types). The system sizing and plan sets tasks are where most exam prep needs to go in this domain.
Domain V: Installation — 18.3%
Tied with Design at 18.3%. Covers mounting structure types and installation considerations (roof types, fasteners, grounding and bonding methods), electrical equipment installation (working clearances, labeling requirements, wiring best practices, connector compatibility), energy storage installation (battery types, manufacturer documentation, labeling), and system commissioning (QAQC inspection, testing procedures, permission to operate, owner orientation). The commissioning task is often undertested in study materials — know what happens at turnover.
Domain VI: Operations & Maintenance — 13.3%
The final domain covers electrical test equipment and how to use it (multimeters, IV curve tracers, thermal cameras, irradiance meters, hydrometers), performance parameters (temperature effects, IV curve characteristics, MPPT range), system monitoring equipment and methods, deviations from expected performance (how to identify and diagnose underperformance, arc faults, ground faults, soiling, degradation), and maintenance practices (record keeping, equipment replacement, lockout/tagout).
What is notably expanded in 2026
Energy storage runs through the entire 2026 JTA in a way it did not before. Battery safety appears in Domain I. Energy storage systems appear in Domain II component knowledge and Domain III economic analysis. Energy storage installation is its own task in Domain V. Battery performance parameters and testing equipment appear in Domain VI. If you have not been studying storage, you need to now.
The Sales & Economics domain has also been expanded with more detail on financing structures — including PACE loans and virtual power plants — reflecting how the market has evolved.
How the exam is scored
A passing score on the PVA exam requires a scaled score of 65. Scaled scores adjust for variation in difficulty between exam versions — your raw number of correct answers is normalized against the difficulty of the specific exam you took. The exam is not graded on a curve: every candidate who achieves a passing scaled score earns the credential, regardless of how others perform.
How to use the JTA for studying
The most common mistake in PVA exam prep is studying without reference to the JTA. The JTA is the exam blueprint. Questions are drawn from these domains, in roughly these proportions. That means:
Safety and Core Knowledge together account for 40% of your exam. If those two domains are not solid, you are in trouble before you get to design or installation.
Design and Installation together account for about 37% of the exam. This is where most technically-minded candidates underestimate the breadth of what is tested — particularly plan sets, structural considerations, and commissioning.
Do not skip Sales & Economics because it feels soft. Ten percent of your exam is ten percent of your exam.
Operations & Maintenance at 13.3% is often the domain people study last and least. Study it second to last, at minimum.
Waivolt practice exams are built directly from the NABCEP PV Associate Job Task Analysis — these six domains, these task areas, these knowledge points. When you take a Waivolt practice exam, you are being tested on the same framework NABCEP uses to build the real thing.
