SOPEEC exam breakdowns by class
How each power engineering paper splits by topic, so you can put your hours where the marks are. Every page labels where each number comes from: official syllabus, ABSA result report, or commonly reported.
4th Class
4A exam breakdown
12 sections. Heaviest: Boilers and Boiler Systems (15 and 15 questions, as listed on ABSA’s 4A exam result report).
4th Class4B exam breakdown
12 sections. Heaviest: Plant (Boiler) Operations and Refrigeration (14 and 14 questions, commonly reported, unofficial).
Breakdown planned5th Class
Topic breakdown coming. Until then, see the existing guide.
Breakdown planned3rd Class (3A1, 3A2, 3B1, 3B2)
Topic breakdown coming. Until then, see the existing guide.
Breakdown planned2nd Class (2A1–2B3)
Topic breakdown coming. Until then, see the existing guide.
The format every multiple-choice paper shares
- 100questions per paper
- 3 hrper paper (most jurisdictions)
- 65%pass mark, each paper
- 5th–2ndclasses on this format
Official SOPEEC exam information. 1st Class is mostly written papers; see the full exam format.
Common questions
Are these breakdowns official?
The section titles and the exam format are official, from SOPEEC and ABSA syllabus documents. ABSA and SOPEEC don’t publish per-topic counts separately. The 4A counts are as listed on ABSA’s 4th Class Part A exam result report (Sept 2026), and allocation can change. The 4B counts are a commonly reported breakdown and are labelled unofficial.
What format do the multiple-choice papers use?
For 5th through 2nd Class, each paper is 100 multiple-choice questions, generally 3 hours, with a 65% pass mark per paper. See the full exam format page for the 1st Class exceptions.
Which classes are covered?
4th Class Part A and Part B are live. 5th, 3rd and 2nd Class breakdowns are planned.
SteamTicket is an independent practice tool, not a course, and is not affiliated with or endorsed by SOPEEC, ABSA, Technical Safety BC, TSSA, or PanGlobal. Exam details are general information from public SOPEEC and ABSA documents — confirm current requirements with your provincial regulator.