United States · Certification examPractice questions, manuals and courses compared
| Option | Price | Free to use | Links |
|---|---|---|---|
| Official | |||
EPA: Pesticide Safety Education ProgramsList of each state’s land-grant university training programEPA supports these programs for training certified applicators and says to contact the one in your state about training and study materials. | Not applicable | Not applicable | |
National Pesticide Applicator Certification Core ManualCore manual, Second Edition (2014), posted as a PDF by the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA)Published by the NASDA (National Association of State Departments of Agriculture) Research Foundation with EPA support. Its chapters end with review questions. | No charge listed | PDF on ODA’s study materials page | |
Iowa Department of Agriculture: core practice examCore practice exam on Quia, linked from the IDALS licensing pageThe Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) links a core practice exam for its core exam, which is based on the Iowa Core Manual. | No charge listed by IDALS | IDALS doesn’t say | |
| Extension services | |||
University of Illinois Extension PSEPPesticide Safety Education Program (PSEP): manuals, workbooks, online courses and training workshopsThe online courses cover general standards, private applicators and most categories, with exam-prep questions throughout. The Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) writes its exam questions only from these manuals. | General Standards manual $20, workbook $5, online course $45 (30 days of access) | Testing after each training workshop is free of charge | |
Penn State ExtensionPennsylvania study materials and recertification coursesThe Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) bases its exams on Penn State’s approved study materials, which you buy from Penn State Extension. Penn State also lets you look up your recertification credits. | Commercial/Public Applicator Packet (Core) $35 | None listed | |
Iowa State University Extension and OutreachIowa State University (ISU) Extension and Outreach: Iowa manuals and continuing instruction coursesManuals are sold through the ISU store, including the Iowa Core Manual and the Certified Handlers Manual. | Private renewal course $30 in person, $50 live-streamed, $85 self-paced; commercial course $45 ($70 for pest control operators) | None listed | |
University of Georgia PSEPUniversity of Georgia (UGA) Pesticide Safety Education Program: private applicator online course and digital study guidesGeorgia private applicators certify through this online course, with 70% to pass. Self-paced digital study guides cover six specialty categories. | Private applicator course $25 | None listed | |
Virginia Tech Pesticide ProgramsPrinted manuals and online certification preparation coursesManuals are printed only and ordered online. Each chapter ends with Test Your Knowledge questions, and Virginia Tech says the online courses don’t replace studying the printed manual. | Not listed on its applicators page | None listed | |
University of Nebraska PSEPUniversity of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) Pesticide Safety Education Program: print and digital manuals, training sessions and online private self-studyThe online private self-study program is open all year and certifies or recertifies Nebraska private applicators. Its Math for Pesticide Applicators pages help with exam math. | Not listed on its training pages | None listed | |
Prices and ratings checked October 2026.
Where can you find a pesticide applicator practice test?
- The National Core Manual: review questions at the end of each chapter, with the answers in the back.
- Iowa: IDALS links its core practice exam on Quia from its licensing page.
- California: the Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) says many of its listed study materials have practice questions at the end of each chapter.
- Virginia: Virginia Tech Pesticide Programs points to the Test Your Knowledge questions at the end of each manual chapter, and says exam questions come from the manuals’ learning objectives.
- Illinois: the University of Illinois Pesticide Safety Education Program (PSEP) sells $45 online courses with exam-prep questions throughout, open for 30 days.
- Georgia: the University of Georgia PSEP sells self-paced digital study guides for six specialty categories.
- Nebraska: University of Nebraska Extension posts Math for Pesticide Applicators resources for exam preparation.
Each state page names the manuals that state’s exams are based on.
How to practice for a closed-book exam
Practice without the manual open: federal rules allow only reference materials the proctor hands out. Practice the math, too: the core standard includes dilution, calibration and equipment use, and the Core Manual has an appendix on conversions and calculations.
Label questions matter everywhere. New York’s core exam has 10 label questions, and you must get at least 7 of them right on top of the overall pass mark.
Courses, workshops or self-study?
Some routes need a course: Texas private applicators train before they test, and Georgia private applicators certify through an online course. Elsewhere, extension workshops are a way to prepare, and some end with the exam, such as the University of Illinois PSEP workshops.
Sources: NASDA Research Foundation · IDALS · DPR and 6 more. Checked October 2026.
- NASDA Research Foundation: National Pesticide Applicator Certification Core Manual, Second Edition (2014), posted by ODA ↗
- IDALS: Applicator Licensing and Certification ↗
- DPR: Examination information ↗
- Virginia Tech Pesticide Programs: Applicators ↗
- IDOA: Commercial Pesticide Applicator ↗
- University of Illinois PSEP: Study materials ↗
- UGA Pesticide Safety Education Program: Commercial applicators ↗
- UNL Pesticide Safety Education: Private applicators ↗
- DEC: How to become a certified commercial pesticide applicator or technician ↗
Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.
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