What You'll Learn

• What Test In and Test Out mean in measureQuick and why the distinction matters
• Which workflow types support paired Test In / Test Out and which produce a single test
• How to save a Test In to document the system's baseline before any work
• How to initiate and save a Test Out after completing repairs
• What intermediate tests are and when to use them
• How paired Test In / Test Out data drives before/after comparison, Vitals Score improvement, and team performance metrics
• How to generate a report that shows both test results side by side

What You'll Need

• Device: iPhone (iOS 15+) or Android phone/tablet (Android 10+) with measureQuick installed
• App version: v3.5 or later
• Account: A measureQuick account with an active project
• Smart tools: Connected and transmitting live readings
• Context: A Guided Workflow in progress (installation or service)
• Time: 8 minutes to read; practice during your next service call

Why Test In / Test Out Matters

A single diagnostic snapshot tells you what a system looks like right now. Two snapshots - one before work and one after - tell you what changed. That is the purpose of the Test In / Test Out system.

Without a Test In, you have no documented baseline. The customer has no proof of the original condition. Without a Test Out, you have no documented evidence that your work improved the system. Managers reviewing the project cannot verify the outcome.

Test In / Test Out turns a service call into a measurable event. Every subsystem result, every probe reading, every calculated value, and the Vitals Score are captured twice: before and after. The comparison between the two is where the value lives - for the technician, the company, and the customer.

From measureQuick's diagnostic database of over 115,000 quality-filtered cooling tests, 45.4% show refrigerant charge failure. On piston metering device systems, that number rises to 56.0%. These are the kinds of findings that a Test In documents clearly. A Test Out after repair proves the charge is now within spec. Without both data points, the improvement is anecdotal rather than measured.

In practice: Chad Simpson (Director of Service, Lee Company) uses test-in/test-out to show customers their system improving from an F grade to a B, which builds trust and drives referrals. Ben Chouinard (Service Manager, Simpson Salute) reports a 20-30% increase in faults found after adopting paired testing, noting: "Within 30 days I can get new techs into a truck and on their own. I don't have to be right there beside them." The guided workflow ensures they do not skip the Test In step.

Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Understand the Two Workflow Models

measureQuick handles test saving differently depending on the workflow type you selected.

Service / Maintenance workflows (A/C or Heat Pump Service, Package Unit Service, Gas Furnace Service): These workflows support a full Test In / Test Out cycle. The workflow description on the selection screen reads: "Indoor / Outdoor measurements test-in option to cont. and test-out." After completing the indoor and outdoor measurement phases, the app presents the Test In results. You save the Test In, perform your repairs, then continue the workflow to capture the Test Out.

Installation / Retrocommissioning workflows (A/C or Heat Pump Installation, Package Unit Installation): These workflows produce a single test at the end of the workflow. The workflow description reads: "Indoor / Outdoor measurements single test at the end, electrical." There is no separate Test In because there is no "before" condition on a new installation. The single test captures the commissioned state of the new equipment.

If you are running a service call, select a Service workflow to get the Test In / Test Out option. If you are commissioning new equipment, select an Installation workflow.

Step 2: Complete the Workflow and Reach the Diagnostic Results

Work through the indoor and outdoor phases of your Guided Workflow. Complete all measurement steps: probe deployment, pressure and temperature readings, static pressure, airflow, electrical measurements, and equipment profiling. The workflow guides you through each step in sequence (see Workflow UI Navigation for navigating the checklist and Understanding Diagnostic Screens for reading the results).

After you turn the outdoor power on and the system begins operating, the app transitions to the results screen. This screen displays:

• System Status - a summary statement describing the system's operating characteristics (SEER range, airflow optimization)
• Operation Timer - how long the system has been running since power-on
• Cooling (or Heating) Diagnostics - pass/fail indicators for each subsystem
• Vitals Score - the 0-100 composite score (requires 9+ physical probes for cooling/heating, 7+ for gas furnace)

Diagnostic results screen showing System Status, Operation Timer, Cooling Diagnostics section with pass/fail indicators, and Vitals Score

Step 3: Wait for Stability Before Saving

Do not save the test the moment the results screen appears. The system needs time to reach steady-state operation.

What to wait for:

• The operation timer should show at least 10-15 minutes of run time
• Temperature and pressure readings should be stable (not trending up or down)
• The stability indicator on the Diagnostics screen should confirm readings are settled
• Variable-speed and multi-stage equipment may need longer to stabilize

Why this matters: Readings taken before the system stabilizes do not reflect actual system performance. A superheat reading 3 minutes after startup will be different from one at 15 minutes. Subcooling needs the condenser to reach operating temperature. Saving too early produces inaccurate pass/fail results and a Vitals Score that does not represent the system's real condition.

If readings are still fluctuating after 20 minutes, that itself may indicate a problem (restriction, low charge, intermittent fault). See System Stabilization for detailed guidance.

Step 4: Review Results Before Saving

Before saving, verify the diagnostic results make sense.

Check the following:

1. Subsystem indicators. Tap any subsystem to open its detail view. Confirm the measured value, design target, and acceptable range are reasonable. See Understanding Diagnostic Screens for how to read these.

2. Equipment profile. Tap Profile to confirm the system profile (tonnage, refrigerant, SEER, metering device) matches the actual equipment. A wrong profile produces wrong targets, which produces wrong pass/fail results.

3. Overrides. If you need to override any subjective subsystem (condensate, outdoor visual, indoor visual, air filtration), do it before saving. Tap the subsystem, review the default, and override to match your on-site observation. Overrides are recorded with the saved test.

4. Vitals Score. If the Vitals Score is not showing, confirm you have enough physical probes connected. Cooling and heating tests require 9 physical probe channels; gas furnace tests require 7. Calculated channels and weather-derived data do not count toward this threshold - only actual instruments.

Step 5: Save the Test In (Service Workflows)

In a Service workflow, once the system has stabilized and you have reviewed the results, save the data as a Test In.

The Test In captures:

After saving, the Test In is locked. The readings become the documented baseline for this system at this point in time. You cannot go back and change the probe values after saving.

This is the "before" snapshot. Save it before you touch anything on the system - before adding refrigerant, adjusting airflow, cleaning coils, replacing parts, or making any other change.

Step 6: Perform Your Repairs

With the Test In saved, disconnect your probes as needed and perform the repair work. This might include:

• Adding or recovering refrigerant
• Cleaning the evaporator or condenser coil
• Replacing a filter
• Adjusting airflow (blower speed, ductwork modifications)
• Replacing a capacitor, contactor, or other electrical component
• Clearing a drain line

The Test In data is safe in the project. It will not change regardless of what you do to the system.

Step 7: Initiate the Test Out

After repairs are complete, reconnect your probes and let the system run. The Service workflow provides the option to continue from the Test In into a Test Out.

The Test Out uses the same project, same equipment profile, and same probe configuration. The app knows this is the second test in the pair. Fresh measurements populate from the reconnected probes - the Test In values are not carried over.

Follow the same stabilization process as the Test In. Wait for the system to reach steady state (10-15 minutes minimum). Do not save the Test Out until readings are stable. If you added refrigerant, the system may need extra time for the charge to distribute.

Use the same probes in the same positions. If you used a suction line clamp at a specific location for the Test In, put it in the same spot for the Test Out. This eliminates placement variation from the comparison.

Step 8: Review and Save the Test Out

Review the Test Out results the same way you reviewed the Test In (Step 4). Pay particular attention to:

• Subsystems that failed on the Test In. Did your repair fix the issue? The Test Out result should reflect the improvement.
• Vitals Score. Compare it mentally to the Test In score. If you addressed a significant fault, the score should be higher.
• Unexpected changes. If a subsystem that passed on the Test In now fails on the Test Out, investigate before saving. Something may have changed during the repair.

Once satisfied, save the Test Out. The app pairs it with the Test In in the same project.

Step 9: Generate the Report

After saving the Test Out, you can generate a PDF report that includes both test results. The report shows:

• System specifications and equipment profile
• Photos captured during the workflow
• Test In results with pass/fail indicators
• Test Out results with pass/fail indicators
• Vitals Score
• Measurement details and educational context about the diagnostics

Navigate to the report by tapping Generate Reports in the Save Results & Reporting section. Choose your report type from the menu (mQ Report, Vitals Only, Email PDF, Generate mQ Classic Report, or Print to mQ Printer). The report generates as a multi-page PDF that you can share with the customer, email to the office, or save to the project record.

The report presents Test In and Test Out results together, so the customer can see the before-and-after comparison in a single document. Subsystems that were red on Test In and green on Test Out make the improvement clear without requiring any explanation.

Intermediate Tests

Sometimes a repair involves multiple stages. You might add refrigerant in increments, checking the charge after each addition. Or you might adjust blower speed, check static pressure, then adjust again.

Intermediate tests capture these in-between states. They are saved within the same project but are not part of the official Test In / Test Out pair.

When to use intermediate tests:

• Adding refrigerant incrementally (check charge after each 4-8 oz addition)
• Multi-step airflow adjustments (adjust blower speed, remeasure, adjust again)
• Troubleshooting intermittent faults (capture readings at different operating conditions)
• Training scenarios where you want to document each step of a complex repair

What to know about intermediate tests:

• They are stored in the project alongside the Test In and Test Out
• They are not included in the paired before/after comparison
• They provide a detailed record of the repair process for quality review or training purposes
• The workflow phase for these tests is recorded as "intermediate"

How Paired Tests Drive Improvement Metrics

When a project contains both a Test In and a Test Out, measureQuick can compare the two tests across every subsystem. This paired comparison is more meaningful than looking at either test in isolation.

What the comparison shows:

• Which subsystems improved (failed on Test In, passed on Test Out)
• Which subsystems stayed the same (already passing, or still failing)
• The magnitude of improvement in specific measurements (e.g., subcooling moved from 18 F to 11 F)
• Vitals Score change (e.g., 62 on Test In, 88 on Test Out)

Why paired analysis matters more than aggregate comparisons:

Comparing all Test In results against all Test Out results across many projects can be misleading. Different companies test different systems, in different conditions, with different equipment ages and types. This is a known statistical problem called Simpson's paradox: the aggregate trend can reverse when you break the data into groups. For example, a company that primarily services older piston-metered systems will have a different Test In failure profile than one working on newer TXV systems. Averaging their results together obscures both companies' actual improvement.

Always use paired analysis. Comparing the same system before and after work by the same technician, with the same probes in the same positions, controls for all confounding variables. The improvement measured in a paired comparison is real and attributable to the work performed. Aggregate test-in vs. test-out comparisons across different systems, companies, or time periods are statistically unreliable and should not be used to draw conclusions about technician or company performance.

For managers, paired test data across a team of technicians reveals who consistently improves the systems they work on, and by how much. This is the foundation of performance-based quality metrics.

Installation Workflows: Single Test

Installation and retrocommissioning workflows produce a single test rather than a Test In / Test Out pair. This single test functions as the commissioning record for the new equipment.

Since there is no "before" state on a new installation, the app saves the test as the definitive baseline for that system. The workflow description confirms this: "Indoor / Outdoor measurements single test at the end, electrical." As the Gas Furnace Workflow video explains: on a new install "there's really no need to do a test out at this point because it's a new install," so you generate the report directly from the single test.

If you later return for a service call on the same system, create a new project using a Service workflow. The new Test In becomes the current state; the original installation test remains in its own project as the commissioning record.

Single-test projects default to a workflow phase of "test_in" in the database.

Transcript Insights

Jim Bergmann walks through the save process in the Gas Furnace Workflow video: "so now I'm going to save the test in and at this point you want to review your subsystem review and we'll also grab some notes here, so you can see our total external static pressure is a fail because it's a little high, which means my filter is actually undersized." This demonstrates the review-before-save discipline: check each subsystem, note the key findings, then save.

On the snapshot concept, Jim explains: "it's a static set of readings, so when we send a snapshot of data over, what you're doing is waiting for your tests." The save captures everything at one moment in time. What probes are reading at the instant of save is what gets locked into the record.

From the Working with Projects video, Jim emphasizes the cloud sync step after saving: "the most important step right here is you want to save the data down at the bottom, so when you click Save data it's going to save that data, it's going to save a snapshot of it." And after completing the workflow: "I want to hit exit and then I want to hit exit and sync, and exit and sync is going to sync that data with our cloud." He adds: "now you know that that project is safe and you can delete it off your local device."

Customer Insights

• Stephen Rardon (Owner, Smart Home Comfort): "It's not a 'trust me, it's good.' It's 'take this to the internet and let anybody tell you this system isn't running.'" He uses test-in/test-out documentation on every service call for transparency, making the saved data the proof of work.

• Michael Housh (Owner, Housh Home Energy): His company previously used "monstrous spreadsheet checklists" that were "cumbersome and easy to pencil whip." measureQuick's test-in/test-out save workflow replaced that with instrument-verified data that cannot be fabricated. "Our new installation callbacks have been reduced. We're not having to go back later to resolve issues."

• Brandon Payne (Service Manager, Ecoplumbers): "We went from an F to a B on a customer's system with very little money, and that customer has referred many customers to us." The test-in/test-out comparison drives the letter-grade improvement that customers respond to.

• Tevis DesChamp (Owner, Fire and Ice Refrigeration): "We can take young kids and have them in a van in three to four months running service calls." His company relies on the test-in/test-out save workflow to ensure entry-level technicians document the baseline before making changes.

Video Walkthrough

• YouTube: (4:00). Covers saving a project to the cloud, starting from a prior cloud record, and the exit-and-sync process. Jim Bergmann emphasizes that "the most important step right here is you want to save the data" and walks through the snapshot save flow, PDF generation, and cloud sync

• YouTube: (4,365 views, 12:44). Covers how the Vitals Report presents test results and how to use it for customer communication

• YouTube: (1,576 views, 1:38). Short walkthrough of the save flow and report generation inside a project

• YouTube: (1,125 views, 1:33). Shows how to generate a report from saved data outside the active project workflow

• YouTube: (66,533 views, 72 min). Comprehensive app walkthrough including test saving, report generation, and project management. Jim describes a snapshot as "a static set of readings" that captures the system's state at a specific moment

• YouTube: . Includes a before-and-after scenario demonstrating the value of paired test data for combustion systems

• YouTube: . Walks through saving a Test In, reviewing subsystem results (including static pressure failure from undersized filter), and generating the Pro Report. Notes that on a new install "there's really no need to do a test out at this point."

Tips & Common Issues

I saved the Test In before the system stabilized

The saved data cannot be edited after the fact. If the Test In readings are unreliable, you have two options: proceed with the Test Out and note the issue in the project, or start a new project and re-run the Test In after the system stabilizes. Starting fresh is the better choice if the Test In data is significantly off.

The Vitals Score did not improve after my repair

Check which subsystems are still failing. The Vitals Score reflects all measured subsystems, not just the one you repaired. If you fixed the refrigerant charge but the airflow is still failing, the score improvement may be smaller than expected. Address each failing subsystem to maximize the score.

I forgot to save the Test In before starting repairs

You can still save a Test Out to document the post-repair condition, but you will not have a paired comparison. The project will contain only one test. For future calls, make the Test In your first step after the system reaches steady state, before doing any work.

How long should I wait between Test In and Test Out?

There is no minimum time requirement in the app. The constraint is that the system must reach steady state for each test. In practice, the time between tests equals however long the repair takes plus 10-15 minutes for the system to re-stabilize after the repair.

Can I run more than one Test Out?

Yes. If you save a Test Out and then realize you need to make additional adjustments, you can run another test. The most recent Test Out is what matters for the paired comparison.

The Service workflow ended after Test In and I cannot start Test Out

The Service workflow provides a "continue" option after the Test In. If you exited the workflow, open the project from your saved projects list. You can initiate a new test within the same project to capture the Test Out.

What is the difference between an intermediate test and a Test Out?

An intermediate test is a checkpoint during the repair process. It records where things stand mid-repair but is not the final result. The Test Out is the final assessment after all repairs are complete and the system is stable. Save the Test Out only when you are done and the system is running at its new steady state.

My manager wants to see improvement metrics for the team

Paired Test In / Test Out data is what makes this possible. When technicians consistently save both tests, managers can track Vitals Score improvement per technician, per job type, and per time period. Without the Test In, there is no baseline to measure against.

The Clear button removed my outdoor data

The Clear button removes outdoor measurement data. Use it with extreme caution. If you accidentally tap Clear, you will need to re-deploy probes and re-measure all outdoor readings. There is no undo. Before tapping Clear, confirm that you actually intend to discard the outdoor data. If you are trying to reset a single value, tap that specific measurement field instead of using Clear.

The FINISH & SAVE button (mQ 3.6)

In mQ 3.6, a green FINISH & SAVE button appears at the bottom of the Save Results & Reporting section after test data has been saved. This button completes the project and syncs data to the cloud. The red Exit icon (X) still appears in the bottom toolbar for exiting the current view. These are separate controls: Exit leaves the current screen, while FINISH & SAVE concludes the entire project workflow.

Subsystems that passed on Test In are now failing on Test Out

Investigate before saving. Common causes: a probe was moved between tests, the equipment profile was changed, or the repair inadvertently affected another subsystem (e.g., adjusting blower speed to fix airflow shifted the refrigerant charge balance). Verify probe positions, check the profile, and recheck your repair work.

Related Articles

Prerequisites (you may need these first):

• Workflow UI Navigation - How to navigate Guided Workflows, checklists, and workflow phases
• Understanding Diagnostic Screens - How to read pass/fail indicators, detail views, and the Vitals Score

Follow-up articles (next steps after this one):

• System Stabilization - Detailed guidance on when readings are stable enough to save
• HVAC Vitals Score - How the 0-100 score is calculated and what it communicates
• Report Generation - Generating and sharing customer reports
• Report Sharing & Email - Email delivery, PDF/online viewing, permissions

Related in the same domain:

• A/C Installation Workflow - New installation commissioning (single test)
• A/C Service Workflow - Full service workflow including Test In/Out
• Heat Pump Installation Workflow - Heat pump commissioning
• Heat Pump Service Workflow - Heat pump service with Test In/Out

Need Help?

Contact measureQuick support: support@measurequick.com