GEORGIA PESTICIDE EXAM - CATEGORY 24 PRACTICE TEST EXAM
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS (VERIFIED ANSWERS) PLUS
RATIONALES 2026 Q&A | INSTANT DOWNLOAD PDF
Core Domains
Laws, Regulations, and Safety: Georgia Pesticide Use and Application Act, FIFRA, Worker Protection Standard
(WPS), recordkeeping requirements, restricted-use vs. general-use pesticides, certification and recertification
(CEUs), and pesticide storage and disposal.
Pest Identification: Turfgrass insects (grubs, billbugs, sod webworms, armyworms, mole crickets, chinch bugs),
turf diseases (brown patch, dollar spot, Pythium blight, large patch, spring dead spot, gray leaf spot, fairy rings),
weeds (broadleaf, grasses, sedges), and ornamental pests (lace bugs, spider mites, aphids, scale, borers,
bagworms).
Integrated Pest Management (IPM): Scouting and monitoring, action thresholds, recordkeeping, cultural controls
(mowing, irrigation, fertility), biological controls (Bacillus thuringiensis, nematodes, Beauveria bassiana), and
host plant resistance.
Pesticide Formulations and Application: Types of formulations (granular, liquid, wettable powder, emulsifiable
concentrate), equipment (boom sprayers, rotary/broadcast spreaders, backpack sprayers), calibration
calculations (area measurement, GPA, GPM, MPH), and adjuvants (surfactants, spreaders, stickers, drift
retardants).
, Environmental Protection: Drift management, endangered species protection, water quality protection, well
setbacks, and preventing pesticide contamination of water sources.
Soil and Plant Nutrition: Soil pH, fertilizer elements (N-P-K, secondary nutrients, micronutrients), deficiency
symptoms, organic vs. inorganic fertilizers, and slow-release vs. fast-release fertilizers.
Pest Biology and Life Cycles: Complete vs. incomplete metamorphosis, fungal disease cycles, weed life cycles
(annuals, biennials, perennials), and seed dormancy.
Special Problems: Soil compaction, thatch management, nematodes, and management of specific invasive pests
such as fire ants and fall webworms.
Introduction
This comprehensive practice examination is designed to prepare candidates for the Georgia Category 24
Ornamental and Turf Pest Control certification exam. It assesses the essential skills and knowledge required for
safe, effective, and legal pesticide application in the management of ornamental plants and turfgrass. The
examination uses a multiple-choice format with scenario-based questions that mirror the structure of the official
licensing exam, emphasizing real-world application, critical thinking, and sound decision-making in professional
pest management. Mastery of the material covered in this practice test will help ensure applicators can protect
public health, the environment, and the landscape assets they are entrusted to manage.
SECTION ONE: QUESTIONS 1–100
,1. A commercial applicator in Georgia is applying a restricted-use pesticide to a client's ornamental
landscape. Which of the following is a legal requirement for this application?
A. The applicator must have a valid Private Applicator License.
B. The applicator must have a valid Commercial Applicator License in Category 24.
C. The applicator must have a Pesticide Contractor License, but not a Commercial Applicator License.
D. A license is only required for the purchase of the pesticide, not for its application.
🟢 B. The applicator must have a valid Commercial Applicator License in Category 24.
🔴 RATIONALE: A Commercial Applicator License in the appropriate category (Category 24 for Ornamental and
Turf) is required to purchase, use, or supervise the use of restricted-use pesticides on the property of another
person, whether or not a fee is charged . A Private Applicator License (A) is only for applying restricted-use
pesticides on one's own property or employer's property to produce agricultural commodities. A Pesticide
Contractor License (C) is required in addition to a commercial license if the applicator is charging a fee. The
license is required for both purchase and application (D) .
2. A landscape manager notices small, silver-dollar-sized patches of bleached, dead grass on a golf course
putting green. Upon closer inspection, individual grass blades have hourglass-shaped lesions. Which cultural
practice would help reduce the severity of this disease?
A. Lowering the mowing height to remove diseased tissue.
B. Reducing nitrogen fertility.
C. Increasing nitrogen fertility to promote growth.
D. Applying a fungicide with a protectant mode of action.
, 🟢 C. Increasing nitrogen fertility to promote growth.
🔴 RATIONALE: The symptoms described—small, bleached patches and hourglass-shaped lesions on individual
blades—are characteristic of Dollar Spot (Clarireedia homoeocarpa) . Unlike some other turf diseases that are
exacerbated by high nitrogen, Dollar Spot is often less severe when nitrogen levels are adequate. Thus,
increasing nitrogen fertility, within a balanced fertility program, can help the turf outgrow the infection .
Lowering the mowing height (A) would increase stress and likely worsen the disease. Reducing nitrogen (B)
would be counterproductive for Dollar Spot. Applying a fungicide (D) is a chemical control, not a cultural
practice.
3. According to Georgia law, how long must commercial pesticide applicators retain records of pesticide
applications?
A. 1 year
B. 2 years
C. 3 years
D. 5 years
🟢 C. 3 years
🔴 RATIONALE: The Georgia Department of Agriculture requires commercial pesticide applicators to maintain
records of their applications for a period of three years . This is a key regulatory compliance requirement for
licensed professionals. Private applicators have a different, shorter requirement of 2 years, making option B
incorrect. Options A and D represent the incorrect timeframes.
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT ANSWERS (VERIFIED ANSWERS) PLUS
RATIONALES 2026 Q&A | INSTANT DOWNLOAD PDF
Core Domains
Laws, Regulations, and Safety: Georgia Pesticide Use and Application Act, FIFRA, Worker Protection Standard
(WPS), recordkeeping requirements, restricted-use vs. general-use pesticides, certification and recertification
(CEUs), and pesticide storage and disposal.
Pest Identification: Turfgrass insects (grubs, billbugs, sod webworms, armyworms, mole crickets, chinch bugs),
turf diseases (brown patch, dollar spot, Pythium blight, large patch, spring dead spot, gray leaf spot, fairy rings),
weeds (broadleaf, grasses, sedges), and ornamental pests (lace bugs, spider mites, aphids, scale, borers,
bagworms).
Integrated Pest Management (IPM): Scouting and monitoring, action thresholds, recordkeeping, cultural controls
(mowing, irrigation, fertility), biological controls (Bacillus thuringiensis, nematodes, Beauveria bassiana), and
host plant resistance.
Pesticide Formulations and Application: Types of formulations (granular, liquid, wettable powder, emulsifiable
concentrate), equipment (boom sprayers, rotary/broadcast spreaders, backpack sprayers), calibration
calculations (area measurement, GPA, GPM, MPH), and adjuvants (surfactants, spreaders, stickers, drift
retardants).
, Environmental Protection: Drift management, endangered species protection, water quality protection, well
setbacks, and preventing pesticide contamination of water sources.
Soil and Plant Nutrition: Soil pH, fertilizer elements (N-P-K, secondary nutrients, micronutrients), deficiency
symptoms, organic vs. inorganic fertilizers, and slow-release vs. fast-release fertilizers.
Pest Biology and Life Cycles: Complete vs. incomplete metamorphosis, fungal disease cycles, weed life cycles
(annuals, biennials, perennials), and seed dormancy.
Special Problems: Soil compaction, thatch management, nematodes, and management of specific invasive pests
such as fire ants and fall webworms.
Introduction
This comprehensive practice examination is designed to prepare candidates for the Georgia Category 24
Ornamental and Turf Pest Control certification exam. It assesses the essential skills and knowledge required for
safe, effective, and legal pesticide application in the management of ornamental plants and turfgrass. The
examination uses a multiple-choice format with scenario-based questions that mirror the structure of the official
licensing exam, emphasizing real-world application, critical thinking, and sound decision-making in professional
pest management. Mastery of the material covered in this practice test will help ensure applicators can protect
public health, the environment, and the landscape assets they are entrusted to manage.
SECTION ONE: QUESTIONS 1–100
,1. A commercial applicator in Georgia is applying a restricted-use pesticide to a client's ornamental
landscape. Which of the following is a legal requirement for this application?
A. The applicator must have a valid Private Applicator License.
B. The applicator must have a valid Commercial Applicator License in Category 24.
C. The applicator must have a Pesticide Contractor License, but not a Commercial Applicator License.
D. A license is only required for the purchase of the pesticide, not for its application.
🟢 B. The applicator must have a valid Commercial Applicator License in Category 24.
🔴 RATIONALE: A Commercial Applicator License in the appropriate category (Category 24 for Ornamental and
Turf) is required to purchase, use, or supervise the use of restricted-use pesticides on the property of another
person, whether or not a fee is charged . A Private Applicator License (A) is only for applying restricted-use
pesticides on one's own property or employer's property to produce agricultural commodities. A Pesticide
Contractor License (C) is required in addition to a commercial license if the applicator is charging a fee. The
license is required for both purchase and application (D) .
2. A landscape manager notices small, silver-dollar-sized patches of bleached, dead grass on a golf course
putting green. Upon closer inspection, individual grass blades have hourglass-shaped lesions. Which cultural
practice would help reduce the severity of this disease?
A. Lowering the mowing height to remove diseased tissue.
B. Reducing nitrogen fertility.
C. Increasing nitrogen fertility to promote growth.
D. Applying a fungicide with a protectant mode of action.
, 🟢 C. Increasing nitrogen fertility to promote growth.
🔴 RATIONALE: The symptoms described—small, bleached patches and hourglass-shaped lesions on individual
blades—are characteristic of Dollar Spot (Clarireedia homoeocarpa) . Unlike some other turf diseases that are
exacerbated by high nitrogen, Dollar Spot is often less severe when nitrogen levels are adequate. Thus,
increasing nitrogen fertility, within a balanced fertility program, can help the turf outgrow the infection .
Lowering the mowing height (A) would increase stress and likely worsen the disease. Reducing nitrogen (B)
would be counterproductive for Dollar Spot. Applying a fungicide (D) is a chemical control, not a cultural
practice.
3. According to Georgia law, how long must commercial pesticide applicators retain records of pesticide
applications?
A. 1 year
B. 2 years
C. 3 years
D. 5 years
🟢 C. 3 years
🔴 RATIONALE: The Georgia Department of Agriculture requires commercial pesticide applicators to maintain
records of their applications for a period of three years . This is a key regulatory compliance requirement for
licensed professionals. Private applicators have a different, shorter requirement of 2 years, making option B
incorrect. Options A and D represent the incorrect timeframes.
