Illinois Pesticide General Standards Exam Guide

The General Standards exam is the one test every Illinois commercial pesticide applicator and operator has to pass.

Operators take it and nothing else. Applicators take it first, and only then sit a category exam such as Field Crops or Turfgrass.

This guide explains the format, the topics the exam is built around, and a practical way to prepare. This site is an independent exam trainer. The exam is written and given by the Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA), and we are not affiliated with IDOA or the University of Illinois.

Exam format

Item	General Standards	Category exam
Questions	100 multiple choice	50 multiple choice
Passing score	70 percent (70 correct)	35 correct
Time limit	3 hours	3 hours
Open book	No	No

The numbers for General Standards come from the PSEP online exam page, the category numbers from PSEP's commercial licensing page.¹² There is also a separate Aerial General Standards exam with the same format, required for aerial applications including drones.¹

We did not find a published limit on retakes or a waiting period on the IDOA or PSEP pages we reviewed. PSEP does say that some people do not pass on the first attempt, so leave time for a second try.⁴

What the exam covers

IDOA does not publish a question count per topic. The exam follows the federal core standards for certifying pesticide applicators, which list the areas every state core exam must cover.³ In plain terms:

• Label and labeling. Signal words, directions for use, restrictions, reentry and pre-harvest intervals.
• Safety. Routes of exposure, personal protective equipment, first aid, storage and disposal.
• Environment. Water, soil, wildlife and pollinators, and how pesticides move.
• Pests. Identification, life cycles and integrated pest management.
• Pesticides. Formulations, modes of action and resistance.
• Application equipment. Sprayers, nozzles, maintenance and cleaning.
• Application methods. Choosing a method and limiting drift.
• Laws and regulations. Federal and Illinois requirements, restricted use rules and recordkeeping.
• Supervising noncertified applicators. What an applicator owes the operators under them.
• Professionalism and stewardship. Communication, responsibility and safe practice.
• Calibration. Setting up equipment to apply the right rate.

PSEP describes the core content as including pre-harvest intervals, the minimum number of days between an application and the legal harvest of the treated crop. The interval is listed on the label under Directions for Use.⁵

Calibration and math

Most math questions ask you to work out how much product goes in the tank, or how much area a tank covers. Practice these until the steps feel automatic:

• Area of a rectangle: length times width, divided by 43,560 to get acres.
• Gallons per acre: gallons sprayed divided by acres covered.
• Product per tank: tank size divided by gallons per acre gives acres per tank, then multiply by the label rate per acre.

Since you can bring a basic function calculator to in-person testing, accuracy matters more than speed.⁴ For online exams, check the equipment rules in your ProctorU instructions.

How to prepare

1. Choose your study material. PSEP sells manuals and workbooks and runs online courses and in-person workshops.⁶
2. Study one topic at a time, and finish the math section last, with a calculator.
3. Test yourself under exam conditions. PSEP's own exam tutorial teaches the software but contains no pesticide questions, so it is not a practice test.¹
4. Review every missed question and find the reason in your manual.

PSEP lists $45 for the General Standards course and $25 per category course. Online courses give you a 30 day access window.⁴⁶

Try our free practice test to see which topics need work. Our questions are written for practice and are not the questions on the real exam.

Online or in person

	In person	Online
Fee	None	Proctoring fee per attempt
Registration	Pre-registration required, bring photo ID	Enroll through PSEP, schedule with ProctorU
Scheduling	Fixed clinic or test-only sessions	Appointments any time, 72 hours notice recommended
Equipment	Basic calculator	Computer with camera and microphone

Sources for the table: IDOA and PSEP.⁶⁴¹ Test early in the year, because IDOA says hundreds of people take exams each month.⁴

Common questions

What is the passing score for General Standards?

70 percent, which is 70 of 100 questions.¹

Do operators take a category exam?

No. Operators take General Standards only. Applicators add category exams.¹

Can I bring notes?

No. All exams are closed book.¹

How long is the exam valid?

General Standards taken on or after October 1, 2026 counts toward licensure through the end of 2029.⁷

Sources

Format facts come from IDOA and the University of Illinois Pesticide Safety Education Program (PSEP). The topic list follows the federal core standards in 40 CFR 171.103, which is the general rule, not an IDOA question list.

1. University of Illinois Extension PSEP: Online Commercial Exams (extension.illinois.edu)
2. University of Illinois Extension PSEP: Commercial Licensing (extension.illinois.edu)
3. eCFR: 40 CFR 171.103 Competency standards for certification of applicators of restricted use pesticides (ecfr.gov)
4. University of Illinois Extension: Know the simplified registration and licensure process 2026-2027 (extension.illinois.edu)
5. University of Illinois Extension: A quick PHI check can prevent costly mistakes (Oct. 5, 2026) (extension.illinois.edu)
6. Illinois Department of Agriculture: Training and Testing Options for Pesticide Applicators/Operators (agr.illinois.gov)
7. University of Illinois Extension: Training and testing reopen for the 2026-2027 pesticide certification season (extension.illinois.edu)