The 2922-34 solar PV exam: format, pass mark and what happened to 2399

The City & Guilds 2922-34 is the Level 3 Award in the Installation and Maintenance of Small Solar Photovoltaic Systems. It's the current City & Guilds solar PV award, for practising electricians who install and maintain PV on homes and small commercial premises.

It has two units and you must pass both: unit 301, an online multiple-choice test, and unit 302, a practical assignment at your centre. This guide explains how each works, which books you can take in, the calculations you need and what happened to the older 2399 awards. The sources are listed at the end.

Qualification

City & Guilds 2922-34, Level 3, Ofqual 610/4841/0, pass or fail

Unit 301 test

30 multiple-choice questions in 60 minutes

Pass mark

Approx. 75%: aim for 23 out of 30

Books

The IET Code of Practice for Grid-connected Solar PV Systems (2nd Edition), BS 7671 and a calculator; paper copies only

Unit 302 practical

Set by City & Guilds, marked by your centre

Entry

A Level 3 electrotechnical qualification or an ECS Gold Card; 18 or over

What happened to 2399?

Solar PV used to sit within the City & Guilds 2399 environmental technologies awards, which are no longer awarded. Separately, the Ofqual register lists two older City & Guilds awards in the installation and maintenance of small-scale solar PV systems; both stopped operating at the end of 2017, with a final certification date of 31 December 2020.

Note the current title carefully: it's the Installation and Maintenance of Small Solar Photovoltaic Systems. There's no "Design" in it. The word "Design" belongs to the sister award for battery storage, 2923-34.

Who can take the 2922-34?

City & Guilds describes it as a short CPD course for practising, qualified electricians who meet the industry entry requirements. It isn't a route into electrical work. To register you need one of these:

• City & Guilds 2357, 5357, 2356, 2346 or 2347, or an equivalent from another awarding organisation or an equivalent historical qualification;
• an ECS Gold Card issued by the JIB or SJIB as an Installation, Maintenance or Domestic Electrician.

The entry qualification must have been achieved within the last five years, unless you can show you've kept current by holding the latest Wiring Regulations qualification. You must be 18 or over. Your centre confirms your eligibility, registration lasts 12 months, and recognition of prior learning isn't allowed.

Unit 301: the knowledge test

The test is taken on City & Guilds' e-volve system at your centre: 30 questions in 60 minutes, 2 minutes a question, graded pass or fail.

What is the 2922-34 pass mark?

City & Guilds gives it as approximately 75%. Three-quarters of 30 is 22.5, and 22 out of 30 is only 73%, so treat 23 out of 30 as your target. That means no more than seven wrong. No negative marking is published, so answer every question. City & Guilds doesn't publish pass rates for 2922-34.

What's on the paper

Learning outcomes 2 (working safely) and 5 (testing, commissioning and handover) have no test questions; they're assessed through the practical. Learning outcome 4 is more than half the paper.

Which books can you take in?

For unit 301 you may take:

• the IET Code of Practice for Grid-connected Solar Photovoltaic Systems, 2nd Edition;
• BS 7671;
• a non-programmable scientific calculator.

Books must be paper copies; electronic copies can't be used in e-volve tests. Tabs, highlighting and very short cross-references to regulation or BS numbers are allowed. Added notes, formulae and extra printed pages aren't.

Which edition of BS 7671?

This isn't settled, so check with your centre. The 2922-34 handbook names BS 7671:2018+A2:2022 including A3:2024, which is withdrawn on 15 October 2026. City & Guilds' permitted materials guide says to use current versions unless one is specifically stated, and its 2922 page says the assessments will be aligned to Amendment 4 in due course. Trade summaries of Amendment 4 list no changes to Section 712, the PV section, so most PV-specific answers are the same in either book.

The handbook also says the course should be taught alongside the IET Code of Practice for Electrical Energy Storage Systems, but that book isn't permitted in the test.

The calculations you need

Unit 301 is scenario-based, and a good share of learning outcome 4 is arithmetic. Make sure you can do each of these quickly:

• maximum string voltage: module Voc at standard test conditions × 1.2 × the number of modules, checked against the inverter's maximum;
• maximum DC current: Isc × 1.25;
• whether string overcurrent protection is needed;
• array size in kWp from the roof area, module size and spacing;
• annual yield: kWh = kWp × Kk × SF, with the shading factor from the MCS sun-path method;
• G98 or G99, from the total generation current per phase;
• AC voltage drop as a percentage.

Our guide to PV string sizing and string fuses works through the first three.

Unit 302: the practical

The practical assignment is set by City & Guilds, marked by your centre and quality assured by City & Guilds. Its tasks are in candidate and assessor packs available only to centres; City & Guilds doesn't publish the duration or pass criteria. It's where safe isolation, the DC tests and handover are assessed, so learn them properly even though they're not in the multiple-choice test.

Amendment 4 and batteries

BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 brought in a new Chapter 57 on stationary secondary batteries, including a requirement to take account of PAS 63100 for batteries in dwellings, and changed regulation 551.7 on generating sets running in parallel. Because City & Guilds hasn't yet aligned 2922-34 to Amendment 4, learn these as what's new, and expect test questions to be about principles that hold in either edition.

What the qualification doesn't do

Passing 2922-34 doesn't make you MCS certified; MCS is a voluntary certification scheme with its own requirements. And no online course can award the qualification or deliver the practical: a City & Guilds approved centre checks your eligibility, registers you, runs the test and marks the practical.

Frequently asked questions

How many questions are in the 2922-34 solar PV exam?

The unit 301 test has 30 multiple-choice questions and you have 60 minutes.

What is the pass mark for 2922-34?

Approximately 75%. Because 22 out of 30 is 73%, aim for at least 23 correct.

Can I take a calculator into the 2922-34 test?

Yes, a non-programmable scientific calculator, along with paper copies of the IET Code of Practice for Grid-connected Solar PV Systems and BS 7671.

Is the City & Guilds 2399 solar PV course still available?

No. The 2399 environmental technologies awards are no longer awarded. The current City & Guilds solar PV award is 2922-34.

Is there a practical for 2922-34?

Yes. Unit 302 is a practical assignment run and marked by your centre, and you must pass it as well as the unit 301 test.

Does 2922-34 make me MCS certified?

No. MCS is a separate, voluntary certification scheme with its own requirements.

Sources

• City & Guilds, 2922-34 qualification handbook, version 1.3 (August 2025): entry requirements, assessment, test specification and syllabus.
• City & Guilds, Small Solar Photovoltaic Systems (2922) qualification page (updated 25 May 2026) and Electrotechnical Guide to Assessments and Permitted Materials, version 3.1 (May 2026).
• The Ofqual register entries for 610/4841/0, 501/1641/1 and 600/5695/2.
• SELECT's overview of BS 7671:2018+A4:2026 (2026) and the IET's Wiring Matters on Amendment 4.

Practise at the real pace: the Solar PV course has timed 30-question mocks spread like the unit 301 test.