2.1 Current Ten-Domain JTA Map

The Current JTA 2022 Domain Map

The ISA Certified Arborist examination outline used for this guide is based on the Job Task Analysis 2022. A job task analysis starts with what arborists actually need to know and do in professional practice. That is why the exam should be studied as an applied arboriculture exam, not as a loose collection of trivia.

The current outline contains 10 weighted domains. These weights are central to strategy because they show how much emphasis each domain receives in the exam plan. They do not mean a smaller domain can be ignored, but they do show where repeated practice and deeper review deserve more time.

Safe Work Practices is the largest domain at 15%. Pruning follows at 14%. Tree Biology and Tree Risk are each 11%. Together, those four domains deserve early and repeated attention because they represent a large portion of the current outline and support many real-world decisions.

The 9% domains are also important. Tree Identification and Selection, Installation and Establishment, Diagnosis and Treatment, and Trees and Construction each represent enough content to affect the outcome. A candidate who ignores any one of them gives away avoidable points.

Soil Management at 7% and Urban Forestry at 6% are smaller, but they are not filler. Soil knowledge supports planting, establishment, diagnosis, construction protection, and tree health decisions. Urban Forestry supports public tree management, inventories, ordinances, canopy planning, and communication with communities.

Candidates should be careful with older prep materials. If a resource does not match the 10 domains and weights above, it may still contain useful arboricultural knowledge, but it should not control the study calendar. The current ISA outline should be the final map.

Build your notes by domain. Put every concept, example, and missed practice item under one of the 10 current headings. If an item seems to fit several headings, write down the connections. For example, construction damage can involve soils, roots, water, tree risk, and communication.

The domain map is also a reminder that the exam values breadth. A skilled pruning crew member still needs soils, biology, installation, diagnosis, construction, risk, safety, and urban forestry. A plant health care technician still needs pruning objectives and work-zone safety. The Certified Arborist role crosses the whole tree-care decision chain.

Start with this map before reading technical chapters. When you know the outline, every study session has a place to land. That keeps preparation aligned with the current exam instead of with habit, rumor, or an outdated table.