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The PA-PEST exam has 50 questions and runs 1 hour.
These 10 free PA-PEST questions are organized by exam domain, so you can see how each part of the Pennsylvania Commercial/Public Pesticide Applicator Core Exam blueprint is tested. Reveal the answer and explanation under each question.
Scouting shows an average of 14 aphids per leaf. The action threshold is 18 per leaf, the economic injury level is 25 per leaf, plant damage is stable, and beneficial predators are increasing. No zero-tolerance rule applies. What should happen today?
Correct answer: B - Keep monitoring, preserve beneficials, and act if counts reach 18 per leaf
Control has declined after repeated applications of two herbicide brands that carry the same mode-of-action group number. Pest identity, timing, weather, coverage, and calibration have been verified. Choose the correction most likely to slow further selection.
Correct answer: D - Rotate to a different mode-of-action group and add nonchemical controls
An insecticide label permits use on apples and does not restrict treatment to pests specifically named on the label. Only one proposal stays within FIFRA Section 2(ee), provided no other direction or law prohibits it. Identify that proposal.
Correct answer: A - Treating an unlisted leafroller on labeled apples at a labeled rate by an allowed method
A pesticide application on Pennsylvania school grounds ends with students scheduled to use the treated area 9 hours later. The label imposes a 12-hour reentry restriction, while Pennsylvania's school rule sets a 7-hour minimum. At what point may the area reopen to students?
Correct answer: C - Keep students out until the full 12-hour label restriction has elapsed
A formulated pesticide has acute oral, dermal, and inhalation values in Toxicity Category III, but testing shows irreversible corrosive eye damage. No acute systemic route meets Category I criteria. Determine the required front-panel signal treatment.
Correct answer: D - DANGER/PELIGRO, without skull-and-crossbones for corrosivity alone
Two agricultural pesticides will be applied as a lawful tank mix. Product X has a 12-hour restricted-entry interval and a maximum of two applications per season; Product Y has a 24-hour interval and a maximum of three. The crop has already received one application of each product. How do the two labels govern this application and the remainder of the season?
Correct answer: B - The interval is 24 hours; X is at its maximum, while Y may be used once more
The exact container label directs the user to obtain an Endangered Species Protection Bulletin for the application county and month. The base label permits the crop and rate, but the applicator has not obtained the bulletin. How does the missing bulletin affect the go/no-go decision?
Correct answer: C - Obtain and follow the current bulletin before making the application
Fine solid pesticide particles remain dispersed while the tank agitator is running, settle during a pause, and redisperse when agitation resumes. What physical system is present, and how should it be managed?
Correct answer: A - A suspension that requires continuous or frequent agitation
After applying an insecticide in hot weather, an applicator develops headache, nausea, sweating, and weakness. Which new finding would shift the working concern away from heat exhaustion and toward cholinesterase inhibition?
Correct answer: B - Pinpoint pupils, excessive salivation, and muscle twitching
Pesticide concentrate splashes into a coworker's eye. The coworker is conscious and breathing normally. Immediate first aid should begin with:
Correct answer: D - Hold the eyelids open, begin flushing with clean water, and continue for at least 15 minutes
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