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PESTICIDE CERTIFICATION EXAM
QUESTIONS WITH VERIFIED ANSWERS
AND RATIONALES
1. A pest can be anything that:
A. Competes with humans, domestic animals, or desirable plants for food or
water
B. Injures humans, animals, desirable plants, structures, or possessions
C. Spreads disease to humans, domestic animals, wildlife, or desirable plants
D. All of the above
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: A pest is anything that annoys, injures, spreads disease, or competes
with desired plants, animals, or humans. Examples include weeds, insects, fungi,
bacteria, mites, and nematodes .
2. One requirement for effective pest control is:
A. Identification of the pest to be controlled
B. New spray equipment
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C. Using more than the recommended dosage
D. Spraying only the field margin
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Identifying the pest is the first step in effective pest control. It is also
necessary to know what control methods are available, evaluate the benefits and
risks of each method, and choose the methods that are most effective and will
cause the least harm to people .
3. What is the first step in Integrated Pest Management (IPM)?
A. Apply pesticides immediately
B. Rotate pesticides
C. Identify the pest accurately
D. Increase pesticide rates
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Correct pest identification ensures appropriate control methods are
selected. Misidentification can result in ineffective treatment, unnecessary
pesticide use, and increased costs .
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4. When the level of a pest population reaches the stage where pest control
action should be taken, you are at the:
A. Scouting stage
B. Monitoring stage
C. Threshold stage
D. Pesticide application stage
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Thresholds may be based on aesthetic, health, or economic
considerations. Action thresholds have been determined for many pests .
5. Which of the following is NOT an example of a control tactic?
A. Pesticide resistance
B. Biological control
C. Cultural controls
D. Chemical control
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Pesticide resistance is the ability of a pest to resist pesticide control
measures. It is not a control tactic. Biological control uses natural predators,
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cultural controls include crop rotation and planting dates, and chemical control is
the use of pesticides .
6. The ability of a pest to resist or avoid poisoning from a pesticide even when it
has been properly applied is called:
A. Efficacy
B. Pesticide resistance
C. Dormancy
D. Antagonism
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Each time a pesticide is used, it selectively kills the most susceptible
pests. Some pests are able to withstand its effects and may pass this trait to their
offspring. Continued use of the same pesticide may allow resistant offspring to
multiply .
7. Before a pesticide can be sold or used in the United States, it must be:
A. Economical to the applicator
B. Approved by the FDA
PESTICIDE CERTIFICATION EXAM
QUESTIONS WITH VERIFIED ANSWERS
AND RATIONALES
1. A pest can be anything that:
A. Competes with humans, domestic animals, or desirable plants for food or
water
B. Injures humans, animals, desirable plants, structures, or possessions
C. Spreads disease to humans, domestic animals, wildlife, or desirable plants
D. All of the above
Correct Answer: D
Rationale: A pest is anything that annoys, injures, spreads disease, or competes
with desired plants, animals, or humans. Examples include weeds, insects, fungi,
bacteria, mites, and nematodes .
2. One requirement for effective pest control is:
A. Identification of the pest to be controlled
B. New spray equipment
,2|Page
C. Using more than the recommended dosage
D. Spraying only the field margin
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Identifying the pest is the first step in effective pest control. It is also
necessary to know what control methods are available, evaluate the benefits and
risks of each method, and choose the methods that are most effective and will
cause the least harm to people .
3. What is the first step in Integrated Pest Management (IPM)?
A. Apply pesticides immediately
B. Rotate pesticides
C. Identify the pest accurately
D. Increase pesticide rates
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Correct pest identification ensures appropriate control methods are
selected. Misidentification can result in ineffective treatment, unnecessary
pesticide use, and increased costs .
,3|Page
4. When the level of a pest population reaches the stage where pest control
action should be taken, you are at the:
A. Scouting stage
B. Monitoring stage
C. Threshold stage
D. Pesticide application stage
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: Thresholds may be based on aesthetic, health, or economic
considerations. Action thresholds have been determined for many pests .
5. Which of the following is NOT an example of a control tactic?
A. Pesticide resistance
B. Biological control
C. Cultural controls
D. Chemical control
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: Pesticide resistance is the ability of a pest to resist pesticide control
measures. It is not a control tactic. Biological control uses natural predators,
, 4|Page
cultural controls include crop rotation and planting dates, and chemical control is
the use of pesticides .
6. The ability of a pest to resist or avoid poisoning from a pesticide even when it
has been properly applied is called:
A. Efficacy
B. Pesticide resistance
C. Dormancy
D. Antagonism
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Each time a pesticide is used, it selectively kills the most susceptible
pests. Some pests are able to withstand its effects and may pass this trait to their
offspring. Continued use of the same pesticide may allow resistant offspring to
multiply .
7. Before a pesticide can be sold or used in the United States, it must be:
A. Economical to the applicator
B. Approved by the FDA
