Cross-Connection Control Specialist (CCCS) Practice Test

Administered by California-Nevada American Water Works Association (CA-NV AWWA)

Eligibility starts with a active CA-NV AWWA Backflow Prevention Assembly Tester (BPAT) certification.

Cross-Connection Control Specialist (CCCS) covers program administration, hazard assessment and site surveys, where BPAT covers field testing of assemblies.

For testing the assemblies that stop contaminated water flowing back into the public supply, and for the specialists who run a cross-connection control program.

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CCCS eligibility

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CCCS exam format

CCCS sample question

Hazard assessment: assembly selection · an original practice item written only from publicly available sources, not a real exam question

A site survey finds a high (health) hazard where backpressure as well as backsiphonage is possible. Which type of protection is appropriate?

  1. Double check valve assembly
  2. Pressure vacuum breaker assembly
  3. Reduced pressure principle backflow prevention assembly, or an air gap
  4. Atmospheric vacuum breaker
Answer and working

C. Reduced pressure principle backflow prevention assembly, or an air gap

A high hazard subject to backpressure needs an air gap or a reduced pressure principle assembly. A double check valve assembly is for low (non-health) hazards, and vacuum breakers of either kind protect against backsiphonage only, so none of them suits a backpressure high hazard.

CCCS questions answered

What do I need to sit the CCCS exam?
An active CA-NV AWWA BPAT certification. A course of instruction of at least 36 hours covering the CCCS Expected Range of Knowledge.
What is on the CCCS exam?
Timed, proctored, closed-book written exam of at least 100 questions; 70% cut score.
How does CCCS differ from the other backflow certification?
CCCS covers program administration, hazard assessment and site surveys, where BPAT covers field testing of assemblies.

What this exam covers

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Other grades in this track

Assembly Tester · All Backflow Prevention and Cross-Connection Control grades

Related exams

Water Distribution · Water Use Efficiency Practitioner

Sources

Topic coverage follows 2025 Certification Candidate Handbooks for Backflow Prevention Assembly Tester and Cross-Connection Control Specialist, with their Expected Range of Knowledge documents (California-Nevada American Water Works Association, issued 3 February 2025). Practice questions are written only from publicly available sources (that outline and the regulations and references it cites); they are not real exam questions, which are confidential. Check current application requirements, fees and exam dates on the certifying body's own page: official certification page.

Questions, flashcards, and explanations are AI-written from publicly available sources only: the exam content outlines and candidate materials each certifying body publishes without restriction, and the regulations and technical references they cite. No confidential material is used, including actual exam questions, recollections of any exam sat by the author, or any handbook or document released under a confidentiality agreement. Content is then put through repeated review — regulatory values checked against primary sources, every calculation recomputed, and errors corrected — plus spot checks by the author, who holds California water operator certifications and a California civil engineering licence. Those spot checks are sampling, not a professional review: nothing here is stamped, sealed, or offered as engineering advice, and not every item has been individually verified, so mistakes can still slip through.