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United States · Certification exam

Pesticide applicator study guides and category manuals

Each state names the manuals its exams are written from: one for the core and one for each category. So the right pesticide applicator study guide is the manual for your state and category, sold by the extension service or store the state agency points to.

  • 1 per examManuals: the core plus each category
  • 19States with a manual publisher listed
  • Extension storesWhere state agencies send you to buy
Where to study

Updated October 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

How do exams use the pesticide applicator study guide?

  • The Illinois Department of Agriculture writes its exam questions only from the matching manual.
  • California’s Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) publishes Knowledge Expectations for each category, and the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) publishes exam outlines.
  • Wisconsin asks for the Pesticide Applicator Training (PAT) number from the manual you bought: without it, you can’t take the exam.
  • Penn State Extension says Pennsylvania’s category exams are moving to closed book.

Who publishes each state’s study guides

StateManuals from
CaliforniaUniversity of California (UC) Agriculture and Natural Resources; DPR study guide
FloridaUniversity of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) bookstore
GeorgiaUniversity of Georgia
IllinoisUniversity of Illinois Extension
IndianaPurdue Pesticide Programs
IowaIowa State University Extension and Outreach
MarylandMaryland Department of Agriculture PDFs; Maryland Cooperative Extension
MinnesotaUniversity of Minnesota Extension
NebraskaUniversity of Nebraska Extension
New YorkCornell University Bookstore
North CarolinaNC State Pesticide Safety Education Office
OhioOhio State University Extension
OklahomaOklahoma State University Central Mailing Service
OregonODA PDFs; Chemeketa Community College Bookstore
PennsylvaniaPenn State Extension
TexasTexas A&M AgriLife Extension
VirginiaVirginia Cooperative Extension Distribution Center
WashingtonWashington State University
WisconsinUniversity of Wisconsin (UW) Pesticide Applicator Training Program

Each state page links its own store or study materials page.

Pesticide applicator license by state →

Study guides for private applicators

Private applicators have a manual of their own in several states: Iowa’s Private Pesticide Applicator Manual from Iowa State University, UC Agriculture and Natural Resources’ Pesticide Safety: A Study Manual for Private Applicators in California (in English and Spanish), and Washington State University’s Private Applicator Pesticide Education Manual. The Minnesota Department of Agriculture says a free private applicator study manual is available online.

Private pesticide applicator license →The National Core Manual →
Sources: University of Illinois PSEP · DPR · ODA and 8 more. Checked October 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.

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