Arkansas AR-WL Water Well
Drilling Contractor Practice
Exam | Questions, Verified
Answers & Detailed
Rationales | Complete
Contractor License Exam Prep
Study Guide | Updated 2026
1. What Arkansas water well contractor license category
includes both well drilling and pump installation?
A. Pump Systems
B. Drilling and Pump Systems
C. Drilling Only
D. Master Plumber
Correct Answer: Drilling and Pump Systems
Rationale: This category includes contracting for all
elements of water well construction, including drilling
and pump installation.
2. What does an Arkansas Drilling license generally
authorize?
A. Pump repair only
B. Electrical work on pump controls
C. Water well excavation, borehole modification, casing
work, and plugging abandoned wells
D. Plumbing work unrelated to wells
Correct Answer: Water well excavation, borehole
modification, casing work, and plugging abandoned
wells
,Rationale: The drilling category covers excavation of the
well, modification of the borehole, setting or removal of
casing before pumping equipment work, and plugging
abandoned water wells.
3. Which formation generally allows groundwater to
move most readily?
A. Dense clay
B. Massive unfractured granite
C. Clean, well-connected sand and gravel
D. Solid shale
Correct Answer: Clean, well-connected sand and gravel
Rationale: Clean sand and gravel commonly have
relatively high permeability and interconnected pore
spaces that allow groundwater movement.
4. What is porosity?
A. The ability of a material to resist drilling
B. The pressure inside a well
C. The amount of void space within a rock or sediment
D. The rate at which water is pumped
Correct Answer: The amount of void space within a rock
or sediment
Rationale: Porosity describes the percentage or
proportion of a material occupied by pore spaces.
5. What is permeability?
A. The amount of water stored in a tank
B. The depth of a well
C. The ability of a material to transmit water through
interconnected openings
D. The hardness of casing
,Correct Answer: The ability of a material to transmit
water through interconnected openings
Rationale: Permeability concerns how easily water can
move through interconnected pores, fractures, or
openings.
6. Which material generally has high permeability?
A. Dense clay
B. Clean coarse gravel
C. Unfractured solid granite
D. Plastic
Correct Answer: Clean coarse gravel
Rationale: Coarse gravel commonly has large
interconnected pore spaces through which groundwater
can move readily.
7. What is an aquifer?
A. A drilling fluid
B. A type of pump
C. A geologic formation capable of storing and
transmitting usable quantities of groundwater
D. A casing material
Correct Answer: A geologic formation capable of storing
and transmitting usable quantities of groundwater
Rationale: An aquifer is a water-bearing geologic
formation from which groundwater can be obtained in
useful quantities.
8. What is the water table?
A. The bottom of the well
B. The top of the casing
, C. The upper surface of the saturated zone in an
unconfined aquifer
D. The pump intake
Correct Answer: The upper surface of the saturated
zone in an unconfined aquifer
Rationale: In an unconfined aquifer, the water table
represents the boundary between the unsaturated and
saturated zones.
9. What is a confined aquifer?
A. An aquifer containing no water
B. An aquifer bounded by relatively impermeable or low-
permeability layers and under pressure
C. A dry formation
D. A shallow excavation
Correct Answer: An aquifer bounded by relatively
impermeable or low-permeability layers and under
pressure
Rationale: Water in a confined aquifer is under pressure
because the aquifer is overlain and commonly underlain
by confining formations.
10. What is static water level?
A. Water level while the pump is running
B. Water level immediately after drilling only
C. The water level in a well when it is not being pumped
and has stabilized
D. The bottom of the casing
Correct Answer: The water level in a well when it is not
being pumped and has stabilized
Drilling Contractor Practice
Exam | Questions, Verified
Answers & Detailed
Rationales | Complete
Contractor License Exam Prep
Study Guide | Updated 2026
1. What Arkansas water well contractor license category
includes both well drilling and pump installation?
A. Pump Systems
B. Drilling and Pump Systems
C. Drilling Only
D. Master Plumber
Correct Answer: Drilling and Pump Systems
Rationale: This category includes contracting for all
elements of water well construction, including drilling
and pump installation.
2. What does an Arkansas Drilling license generally
authorize?
A. Pump repair only
B. Electrical work on pump controls
C. Water well excavation, borehole modification, casing
work, and plugging abandoned wells
D. Plumbing work unrelated to wells
Correct Answer: Water well excavation, borehole
modification, casing work, and plugging abandoned
wells
,Rationale: The drilling category covers excavation of the
well, modification of the borehole, setting or removal of
casing before pumping equipment work, and plugging
abandoned water wells.
3. Which formation generally allows groundwater to
move most readily?
A. Dense clay
B. Massive unfractured granite
C. Clean, well-connected sand and gravel
D. Solid shale
Correct Answer: Clean, well-connected sand and gravel
Rationale: Clean sand and gravel commonly have
relatively high permeability and interconnected pore
spaces that allow groundwater movement.
4. What is porosity?
A. The ability of a material to resist drilling
B. The pressure inside a well
C. The amount of void space within a rock or sediment
D. The rate at which water is pumped
Correct Answer: The amount of void space within a rock
or sediment
Rationale: Porosity describes the percentage or
proportion of a material occupied by pore spaces.
5. What is permeability?
A. The amount of water stored in a tank
B. The depth of a well
C. The ability of a material to transmit water through
interconnected openings
D. The hardness of casing
,Correct Answer: The ability of a material to transmit
water through interconnected openings
Rationale: Permeability concerns how easily water can
move through interconnected pores, fractures, or
openings.
6. Which material generally has high permeability?
A. Dense clay
B. Clean coarse gravel
C. Unfractured solid granite
D. Plastic
Correct Answer: Clean coarse gravel
Rationale: Coarse gravel commonly has large
interconnected pore spaces through which groundwater
can move readily.
7. What is an aquifer?
A. A drilling fluid
B. A type of pump
C. A geologic formation capable of storing and
transmitting usable quantities of groundwater
D. A casing material
Correct Answer: A geologic formation capable of storing
and transmitting usable quantities of groundwater
Rationale: An aquifer is a water-bearing geologic
formation from which groundwater can be obtained in
useful quantities.
8. What is the water table?
A. The bottom of the well
B. The top of the casing
, C. The upper surface of the saturated zone in an
unconfined aquifer
D. The pump intake
Correct Answer: The upper surface of the saturated
zone in an unconfined aquifer
Rationale: In an unconfined aquifer, the water table
represents the boundary between the unsaturated and
saturated zones.
9. What is a confined aquifer?
A. An aquifer containing no water
B. An aquifer bounded by relatively impermeable or low-
permeability layers and under pressure
C. A dry formation
D. A shallow excavation
Correct Answer: An aquifer bounded by relatively
impermeable or low-permeability layers and under
pressure
Rationale: Water in a confined aquifer is under pressure
because the aquifer is overlain and commonly underlain
by confining formations.
10. What is static water level?
A. Water level while the pump is running
B. Water level immediately after drilling only
C. The water level in a well when it is not being pumped
and has stabilized
D. The bottom of the casing
Correct Answer: The water level in a well when it is not
being pumped and has stabilized
